Why is Delivery from Chinese E Commerce websites to the US so slow

We are all used to getting our Amazon package on the porch within a few days.If you order from Aliexpress or any other Delivery from Chinese Ecommerce websites,these will  take a while to come to your doorstep because of a wide variety of reasons.

One thing to note is that there are two types of sellers on Chinese e commerce sites- These are merchants and resellers.Resellers act like commission agents and usually buy from factories and other merchants and then route the goods to you.Similar to dropshipping.
You will have to wait a little longer if you unknowingly ordered your dress or quad copter from a reseller because the logistics process involved in re-seller to consumer delivery is significantly higher than manufacturer to consumer.
You maybe thinking,since most small packages come via air transport,it should take roughly 24-36 hours from China to America.While the actual flight time with 1 or 2 stops maybe that much,there are other factors which stretch the process.
Customs and processing – this is by far the most time consuming portion of the logistical process to get your order.It takes more time because this not only involves the scanning,identifying and valuation.Out of these three processes,the valuation is the most significant as this will ascertain whether any customs duty is to be levied or not.Also the customs will need to check if it is a prohibited item,barred item and will then deem it ok to process further.
Warehouse,factory and airline – The biggest hurdle in getting your order out of china is in the “supposedly insignificant” times it takes for processing the order from the warehouse to the courier.This itself can range from 3-8 days depending on the seller.In Aliexpress,it is specifically mentioned separately – processing time and delivery time.
Postage and sorting – Internal postage after the parcel arrives in America or your home country adds another couple of days to the delivery.If you live in a tier 1 city then the local mail will be faster.Smaller cities will take longer because there will be changes from one postal sorting center to the next.This is faster if FEDEX or DHL paid shipping is paid for.

When to cancel your order?

An extremely important point i want you all to know.Aliexpress gives you a certain number of days before your “Buyer protection” ends.If you do not receive your order within that time period,you should cancel it and opt for a full refund.This time period that you are protected against is approximately 40-55 days,depending on what the seller gives you.In almost all cases,you will get the order before that.You can also increase the buyer protection by a few days if the seller asks you to wait a few more days.
This is in all good faith,as there are times when there is a genuine delay in the shipping,and just so that both the seller and you are satisfied and none of you’ll lose out.

Is it worth the wait?

In most cases you wont have to wait so long,unless you choose free delivery.In this case your order will be sent by china or hongkong post.These services take anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 weeks to deliver.
If you opt for FEdex,dhl,TNT or another paid postal service,you can expect the delivery within 7 business days.
It is worth the wait because in all probability you will not get the product cheaper anywhere else.If the paid post is within $10 you should definitely avail of it.