International Express

International express companies move goods across borders mainly by air. The five major couriers — UPS, FedEx, DHL, TNT and EMS — together with the top four hold about 80% of China's international express market.

Express (courier) means a logistics company delivers documents or parcels from sender to recipient door-to-door, hand-to-hand, within a committed time — via its own network or partner networks. International express is courier service between two or more countries, most commonly by air to protect transit time.

Express handles letters, high-value products and personal items. The courier manages pickup, data entry, packing, sorting, transfer, delivery and tracking — a complete point-to-point, door-to-door service. Customs clearance is normally provided by the courier.

Charges: DHL, UPS, TNT and FedEx charge on the greater of volumetric and actual weight, exactly like air freight; only EMS charges on actual weight regardless of volume.