When your items are in the warehouse and you submit them as a parcel, Kakobuy weighs and measures it and comes back with a list of lines, each with a price and an estimated window. That list is generated for your parcel and your country, which is why no guide can tell you which one to pick — but it can tell you what you are looking at.
The four kinds of line
Economy lines
SlowestSea freight or the cheapest air consolidations. Weeks rather than days, limited or coarse tracking, and the most likely to sit somewhere for a while with no update. The right choice for a heavy haul of clothing you are not in a hurry for.
Watch for: Tracking gaps are normal on these and do not mean the parcel is lost.
Standard lines
MiddleThe lines most hauls go on. Real tracking, a predictable window, and a price that is usually a fraction of express. If you do not have a reason to pick something else, this is the default.
Watch for: Price per kilo drops fast with weight — worth re-quoting once your parcel is complete.
Express lines
FastestThe named international couriers. Days, full tracking, and the most reliable customs handling — which is also why they are the most likely to present you with a duty bill rather than slipping through.
Watch for: Expensive on anything bulky. Best for small, light, valuable parcels.
Sensitive-goods lines
VariesSome lines refuse certain categories outright — batteries, liquids, powders, anything branded, sometimes anything made of leather. A 'sensitive' line accepts more, costs more, and exists because the ordinary line would reject the parcel.
Watch for: If your haul has one awkward item in it, that item decides the whole parcel's line.
How to actually decide
- Finish the haul first. Price per kilo falls as the parcel gets heavier, so a quote on a half-finished haul tells you very little.
- Strip the volume. Remove shoeboxes and ask for a compact repack before you quote, not after.
- Read more than the headline price. A line that is slightly cheaper but refuses your category, or has no tracking to your country, is not cheaper.
- Check your own duty threshold. A cheap line that lands you an unexpected customs bill was not the cheap option. This is a question for your country's customs website, and it takes two minutes.
Where this sits in the total
Freight is one of seven charges on a typical order, and the only one you genuinely choose. The fees page lays out the rest in the order they arrive, including the two that are entirely avoidable.
Questions
What is volumetric weight and why did it double my quote?
Freight is charged on whichever is greater: what the parcel weighs, or what its size says it should weigh. A box full of shoeboxes weighs very little and takes up a lot of room, so it is charged on volume. Having the boxes removed before shipping is the standard fix and usually pays for itself.
Which line is cheapest for my country?
There is no answer that holds for everyone, which is why this page does not give one. Lines are priced per destination and the ranking changes between countries and between months. Submit a parcel in your Kakobuy account and read the live quotes — you are not committed by asking.
What declared value should I use?
Declaring a value is a customs declaration, so under-declaring is not a shipping tactic, it is a false statement to your own customs authority. Look up your country's duty threshold and plan around it honestly; that is the part you actually control.
Will my parcel be stopped at customs?
It can be, and no line can promise otherwise. Express couriers clear formally and so are the most likely to raise a charge; slower consolidated lines vary. Whether duty is due is decided by your country, not by the agent or by us.
How long should I actually expect to wait?
Add together the seller's dispatch time, the time it sits in the warehouse while you decide, and the line's own transit. People quote the last number and are then surprised by the total. For a first order, assume longer than the line's estimate.
Can I split one haul across two parcels?
Yes, and occasionally you should — if one awkward item would force the whole haul onto an expensive sensitive line, sending it separately can be cheaper overall. Quote it both ways before deciding.