WHAT IS AIR FREIGHT? THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AIR AND CONTAINER FREIGHT

Terms like “hand-carried goods,” “container goods,” and “air freight” often appear when shopping or discussing the origins of the products you use. So, what are container goods and air freight, and how do they differ? Let’s explore “what is air freight?” with Smart Link Logistics through the article below!

1. What is air freight?

Air Freight, also known as goods transported by plane, refers to products purchased and delivered via international air cargo flights.

This service is a top choice for importing products, despite its high cost (usually ranging from $12-$15/kg, not including customs surcharges for certain complex products). However, with higher costs, air freight offers excellent shipping conditions, maintaining stable temperatures throughout transit, ensuring the product quality.

This allows products to quickly capitalize on sales with attractive prices, and the shipping time is relatively fast. The time from departure in Australia to arrival in Vietnam typically takes 10-15 days.

2. What are container goods?

Container Goods (imported by container) are goods purchased and packed on pallets, then loaded into containers and imported to Vietnam via sea or land routes, mainly for direct delivery through customs checkpoints.

This shipping method generally has lower costs compared to air freight. However, the transit time is quite long, averaging 2-3 months. The temperature inside the container can be very high, significantly affecting the quality of the goods. Occasionally, customs difficulties can add to delivery time.

After being imported into the Vietnamese market, container goods will be subject to regulatory approvals to be sold domestically. Most products will have an additional Vietnamese label containing detailed product information. This helps distinguish container-imported goods from counterfeit products. Therefore, if you see a product with foreign language markings and an additional label with information about origin and usage instructions in Vietnamese, it is a container-imported product, not counterfeit.

3. The difference between air freight and container freight

Price:

Hand-carried goods are never cheaper than officially imported goods on the market. Typically, prices can be higher by tens to hundreds of thousands of dong because:

Officially imported goods enter Vietnam in large quantities, allowing import companies to negotiate lower prices with partners. This can result in lower prices compared to hand-carried goods.

Goods imported through unofficial channels, avoiding customs, are often old agricultural machinery containers, hence the lower price.

Air freight prices include the price at overseas supermarkets, shipping costs to Vietnam, and customs fees at Vietnam’s airports.

Production Date (Product Date):

Official hand-carried goods usually have a longer production date than similar products on the market. This is because overseas hand-carried items often sell quickly and frequently change labels to prevent counterfeiting. Therefore, air freight items typically have a longer shelf life than container goods.

Product Invoice (Product Bill):

Official hand-carried goods must come with a full purchase invoice from overseas. Since hand-carried products are usually bought at foreign supermarkets, having a purchase invoice is mandatory. Do not use a “verbal bill” or a copy of an invoice from somewhere to use commonly.

Packaging:

If the product packaging only has foreign language text, it is a hand-carried item. Conversely, if the packaging also has a Vietnamese label, it is an imported product (container or air).

The above information provides detailed insights into what container and air freight are, and how to distinguish between them. We hope the information provided by SmartLink will help readers with the basics. If you are looking to collaborate with an entity that can support certifications and documents related to logistics and import-export, Smart Link Logistics is an excellent choice to consider.

Hotline: + 84 903 354 157 to know more about our services

If you require assistance with international import and export of goods, please contact our team at Smartlink Logistics. We are available to provide you with professional guidance on our services and the necessary customs procedures.

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