“Air is fast and sea is cheap” is a starting point, not a shipping plan. A press-on nail buyer still needs to decide how much stock is ready, when it must arrive, how the cartons will be packed and which costs are included in the freight quote.
SENAILGLOBAL can arrange air or sea shipping. The better option depends on the order and the date behind it. Choose the mode after you know the approved quantity, carton information and destination rather than choosing it from the product photo.
Build the shipping decision around the launch date
Start at the date the stock must be available for sale. Work backwards through sample approval, bulk production, inspection, packing, pickup, transit, customs and local delivery. Production completion is not the same as arrival at your warehouse.
For custom work, the clock usually starts after the design scope and sample requirements are confirmed. A custom design sample normally takes about one week after payment and specification approval; complex work needs a separate timing check. Bulk timing is confirmed per order. The current reference for orders above 5,000 sets is approximately two months for production, before shipping and destination handling are added.
If the launch date is fixed, tell the supplier the actual destination and required arrival window. “ASAP” does not give a forwarder enough information to select a route.
When air freight is the practical choice
Air freight can make sense when the remaining time is short, the shipment is relatively compact, or the cost of being late is higher than the freight premium. It can also be useful for a first replenishment while a larger sea shipment is being prepared.
Air does not remove the need for planning. IATA describes a multi-party cargo process that includes booking, pickup, acceptance, handling and destination handover. The IATA air-cargo handling overview is a useful reminder that “air” is a chain of handoffs, not a single flight.
Ask your forwarder which charges are included. Air quotes may be affected by chargeable weight, pickup, airport handling, storage, customs, duties and delivery. IATA’s air-cargo tariffs and rules overview explains why weight or volume and additional service charges matter.
When sea freight is the practical choice
Sea freight is often considered when the order is larger, the launch date allows a longer transit window and the buyer wants to reduce the freight cost per set. It requires more attention to cartons, consolidation, port handling and the buffer between the estimated arrival and the selling date.
Do not compare sea and air using only the carrier’s headline rate. Compare the complete route: pickup, export handling, origin charges, ocean leg, destination charges, customs, final delivery and any storage. The GOV.UK freight-forwarding guidance is useful for the document distinction: an air waybill is not the same document as a sea bill of lading.
Send the same brief to every forwarder
A comparable freight quote needs more than the number of sets. Include:
- destination country, city and postal code;
- number of designs and sets per design;
- packed sets per carton;
- carton dimensions, gross weight and carton count once available;
- whether the goods are ready or still in production;
- preferred mode and the latest acceptable arrival date;
- whether the quote is airport/port delivery or includes final delivery;
- requested trade terms and which charges remain with the buyer.
If packaging is still changing, use the packaging and shipping-cost guide first. A new box can change packed dimensions and therefore change the freight comparison.
Plan a split shipment only when the numbers support it
A split plan can reduce launch risk: send a small urgent quantity by air and the balance by sea. But it creates two sets of handling and documentation, and it can make the landed cost harder to compare. Use it when the value of early stock is clear, not as an automatic compromise.
For a first order, ask for two written scenarios using the same product and packaging scope. One should show air; one should show sea. Ask the forwarder to state the assumptions behind each number and the validity date of the rate.
Once the route is agreed and packing is ready, use the pre-dispatch packing-list worksheet to match each carton to its design quantities and keep any unshipped balance separate.
Do not promise a delivery date before the route is confirmed
The supplier can confirm production timing and handover. The forwarder confirms the transport route and charges. Customs and destination handling remain part of the buyer’s planning. Keep those responsibilities visible in the quotation.
Once your designs and quantities are set, send the details through the catalog and quote path or contact page. We normally reply within 1–3 days with the next questions or quote details. For a useful answer, include the destination and the date you are working toward.
The right shipping mode is the one that fits the complete order: approved product, packed volume, launch risk and documented route. It is not automatically the cheapest line on a preliminary quote.