Which couriers can you use to send parcels within China?

There are many options you can choose to send packages within China. And each carrier has its own advantages and disadvantages in terms of shipping different items. Therefore, different kind of packages need to be carried by different courier so as to make the biggest benefit. As a exchange student in Shenzhen, China for almost two years, I am now much familiar with the postal network there and would like to share my opinion related to shipping services within China.

Options you can choose to send parcels and their respective features.

China mail: China mail is available in any China post office and usually is the cheapest way to send a any parcel. This kind of mail is not so widely used than the China EMS and you need to be aware that do not use the surface mail as it has no guarantee. Many old Chinese people like to use this kind of mail to send letters to their friends as they are used to do. For most students who are come from a remote area, use it to send books, boxes, daily use articles to their hometown is also a cheap and convenient way.

China EMS: China EMS is often used by online e-commerce sellers to ship international goods to their buyers. Within China, there is not many people use this kind service. Instead, they usually choose Shunfeng and other private companies.

Private Companies: Apart from Shunfeng, the most popular private couriers in China are called "四通一达". They are ZTO Express, STO Express, YTO Express, Best Express and Yunda Express. Many enterprises, be it small, medium or large, usually have cooperation with Shunfeng to send their items as it provides the best on-time delivery services. However, many online sellers and ordinary people like to use "四通一达" companies to ship items as it has very low shipping fee and almost every street has it dropping places including those convenient stores.

International Couriers: International couriers like DHL, FedEx and UPS also provide shipping services within China as they have subsidiaries located in China. The staff there can speak English, most of the time, they can help you fill out the form and you do not need to worry that you will have problems in communicating if your English is poor. But the shipping fee there are 5-10 times higher than that of Shunfeng. Besides, you can only find them in the first-tier city like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and so on. Therefore, the shipping fee may not be a problem for you.

PS: After shipping your parcels, you may want to know their exact location. So, please do not forget to take care of your tracking number, usually on you receipt. With it, you can go and track your parcel on the designated courier official website or go to package tracking website, for example TrackingMore to track all your packages.