Shipping a Package From the USA to Taiwan

Shipping a package from the USA to Taiwan means sending a package as far as it can go around the world via reliable freight companies (pop over to this site to find one such site) before it starts coming back around the other way.

The time difference between Washington, D.C. and Taipei is 12 hours. Flying that distance takes 24 hours. And shipping a package takes almost two weeks. There are lots of pros and cons to shipping your own packages via things like dropshipping, which is explained further on websites like https://www.laraedo.com/dropshipping-the-pros-and-cons/ but for me it seems to work.

I’ve shipped lots of packages to Taiwan in the last few years, but this was the first time the package tracking worked properly from the drop-off in the USA to the delivery in Taichung. It’s great news, as I am a Tracking Addict and this gives me hope that Taiwan will soon offer such services for more of their packages, if I have any larger items I want to ship over soon I’ll be using a conex container as they offer superb tracking I believe, and even then I’ll be able to get in touch 24/7 regarding any queries pertaining to my container.

Here’s a breakdown of my shipment, to give you an idea of how long it takes for a package to travel around the world, if you happen to be shipping something to Taiwan from the USA.

The Shipment

I shipped a 32lb (15kg) large box with USPS Priority Mail International from a small town post office in North Carolina to my apartment in Taichung, Taiwan.

It cost me US$150 (TW$4600).

The package contained personal items and a few small kitchen appliances (e.g. waffle iron, Roomba) – nothing that should hold up customs.

Leaving the USA

The package was dropped off at a post office in NC and later taken to Miami; it took 34 hours for the box to travel 800mi (1300km).

It took the USPS 45 hours to process the package through the International Sort Facility in Miami.

Six hours later it was dropped off at U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Miami. It spent 29 hours in Customs before being put on a plane to Taiwan.

Overall, the time between the package being dropped off in NC and it leaving the USA was 114 hours, or, 4 days, 18 hours.

Getting to Taiwan

It took the package 36 hours to fly from Miami to Taipei, a distance of 8600mi (14000km).

Three hours after landing, it was sent to a sort facility. Another 26 hours later, the package left the facility on its way to the Taiwan Customs Administration, but it didn’t arrive at TCA for another 20 hours (so it took 46 hours to go from the airport arrival to the TCA). Although, not knowing where the package was made the process a little stressful. Perhaps if the company that shipped my things in Taiwan made use of software solutions with advanced driver-assistance systems (or adas) and cargo tracking, like some shipping companies in the USA, I could have rested assured that my things were moving along safely. Thankfully, the wait wasn’t too long, and the package was received before I could start panicking.

The package then spent 76 hours with the Taiwan Customs Administration before it was finally released into the hands of the Chunghua Post Office for delivery.

The post office took the package from Taipei to my door in Taichung, 100mi (160km) away, delivering it 26 hours later.

Overall, the time between the package’s arrival in Taipei and it arriving in Taichung was 154 hours, or, 6 days, 10 hours.

Simply Put…

NC to Taipei: 6 days, 6 hours.

Taipei to Taichung: 6 days, 7 hours.

4 thoughts on “Shipping a Package From the USA to Taiwan

  1. Most do-it-yourself movers are so happy to finally arrive in their new home that they don’t even mind that the dinner plates are broken, there’s a scratch on the dining table, or their favorite lampshade is bruised and battered.

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