Lead times and shipping for BYD parts from China

Every enquiry about parts from China arrives at the same two questions: when, and how much to move it. Both are answerable, and neither is answerable in advance from a table, because both depend on what is in the box and which route you choose. This page sets out the logic rather than a schedule: how the choice between air and sea freight is made, why volumetric weight — not physical weight — decides the bill on bulky lines, what customs documentation to expect, and why a single order sometimes travels better as two shipments.

One thing stated up front, because it is the sentence we stand behind: typical dispatch time is confirmed on the quotation; transit depends on the shipping method you choose.

1. Two clocks, not one

Freight conversations go wrong when dispatch and transit are treated as one number. They are different things, driven by different people, and quoted separately.

The dispatch clock runs from order confirmation to the goods leaving our side. It moves with picking, packing, consolidation and whatever check the reference needs — and for a BYD order that last item is real. Application confirmed per enquiry against the OE number and the VIN means exactly the check described: a reference is looked at against a vehicle before anything is boxed.

The transit clock starts when the carrier takes it. It moves with the mode, the route, customs handling on the European side, and final-mile delivery. It is this second clock your choice of shipping method controls, and the one this page is mostly about.

Keeping them apart tells you where to apply pressure: express air shortens one clock and does nothing for the other.

2. Air or sea: what actually drives the choice

Nobody prefers a mode in the abstract. The choice falls out of the variables below, and they pull in predictable directions.

Read that as a trade rather than a rule. A small, dense, urgently-needed part — an oxygen sensor such as 19450540-00 with a car on a ramp — has every variable pointing the same way. A large, low-value-per-kilo line such as the Suspension Beam Complete at 14018535-00 points the other way, and freight can exceed the part's own guide price if it is flown without thought.

The intermediate option is consolidation: our warehouse stage groups lines from one buyer, so several references travel together and the per-line cost drops even though the mode is unchanged. That is why quotation requests benefit from stating everything needed in one go.

3. Volumetric weight is the line most buyers misread

Carriers bill on whichever is greater: actual weight, or volume converted to an assumed weight at a fixed factor. A box of filters is tall and light, and can therefore bill as though it were far heavier than it is.

Two consequences follow. Packaging matters as much as the part: a long box costs disproportionately more than a cube. And compressing the shipment — nesting, removing retail cartons where packing permits, combining lines already going to the same address — often reduces freight more than haggling over it.

For categories our index does not cover — exterior panels, glazing, bumper assemblies — the same principle applies with more force, since their bulk relative to weight is extreme. If you are planning such an order, ask for the freight line before committing to a mode, because it will dominate the invoice.

4. Part type and the mode we would suggest

The table below is deliberately qualitative. We do not publish transit estimates, because a figure detached from a specific consignment and route is not honest information.

The pattern behind that table: urgency is a property of the vehicle, bulk a property of the box, and mode is chosen where those two argue. Most mixed orders lean towards the fastest available method because a vehicle standing on a ramp keeps costing while it waits, whereas the freight saving is made once. That is your judgement about your own diary, not a rule we impose.

5. Restricted cargo, stated narrowly

Restraint-system and high-voltage parts are outside the scope of this page. That covers airbag modules, belt pretensioners and other pyrotechnic devices, along with high-voltage traction components. We do not describe how such goods are classified, packaged or declared, and this page is not a guide to doing so. If your enquiry involves anything in that category, expect it to be handled outside this process.

Everything else discussed here — chassis, cooling, filtration, sensors — travels as ordinary automotive cargo, with the note that individual lines may carry their own transit conditions depending on what they contain.

6. Customs documentation on the European side

Import paperwork is not mysterious, but it belongs to whoever is named as importer, and getting that right at quotation stage avoids a stationary box later. Expect the following to be relevant; confirm the specifics with your own freight forwarder or customs representative, since requirements vary by destination and consignment value.

• Commercial invoice and packing list describing the contents, the quantities, the values and the origin.
• HS classification for the goods, which determines duty treatment.
• Importer identification — including your EORI registration where the destination requires it.
• Incoterms stated on the quotation, so responsibility for freight, insurance and import formalities is unambiguous before the goods move.
• Transport documents issued by the carrier, matched to the mode used.

Two practical points. Declared values are yours; nothing about them is negotiable after the fact, and accuracy protects you more than optimism. And tell us at enquiry stage if you need particular terms, because changing them once goods are booked usually costs more than agreeing them beforehand.

7. Why one shipment is sometimes two

Consolidating looks thrifty and frequently is. But four situations make splitting better, and all are common in BYD work.

Different urgency per line. One reference is holding a car; the rest are stock. Flying everything to serve one reference is expensive, and delaying everything to save freight is worse.

Very different bulk. Mixing one long springs line into a carton of small parts forces the whole consignment onto volumetric pricing it would otherwise avoid.

Different destination. Fleet operators with two sites often save more by shipping directly to each than by consolidating and re-distributing.

Reference still unconfirmed. Where one line is still being checked against the VIN, releasing the confirmed lines rather than holding them is usually the right call — subject to the €50 per shipment floor applying to each shipment separately.

That floor applies per shipment, which is the only constraint worth remembering when deciding how to split. We confirm, part number by part number, whether we can supply it. Guide prices shown on the parts pages; trade and volume pricing on request. Typical dispatch time is confirmed on the quotation; transit depends on the shipping method you choose.

Short answers

How long does delivery take from China?

Typical dispatch time is confirmed on the quotation; transit depends on the shipping method you choose. We do not publish figures detached from a specific consignment and route, because they would not be true of your order.

Why is freight quoted separately rather than included?

Because it depends on volume, destination and mode — three things only known once the lines are settled. On bulky references such as the Stabilizer at 14022667-00, freight can exceed the part's own guide price, and you should see that number before choosing.

Can I have everything in one box?

Usually yes, and it usually costs less. The exceptions are lines differing sharply in urgency or bulk — a long Coil Spring at 17132761-00 alongside a filter at 14932376-00 is the classic case for splitting.

I ordered a light part and freight was high. Why?

Volumetric weight. Carriers bill on volume converted to an assumed weight when that exceeds actual weight, which is why tall, light cartons — filters such as 13033895-00 — can bill above their true weight alone.

Can you ship restraint-system or high-voltage parts?

Restraint-system and high-voltage parts are outside the scope of this page. We do not quote them here and do not give guidance on their transport.

What documents do I need at my end?

Expect a commercial invoice, a packing list, HS classification, importer identification such as EORI, and transport documents matched to the mode. Confirm the detail with your own freight forwarder or customs representative, and agree the incoterms on the quotation before ordering.

Where this comes from.

The references quoted above come from GNSGO's own parts index for BYD vehicles — the same list at BYD-compatible parts — OE reference index. Statements about freight modes, volumetric pricing and customs documentation describe general practice in China–Europe parts shipping and are not specifications for any named part or any carrier service. The index records no application for any of its 169 references; application is confirmed per enquiry against the OE number and the VIN. Typical dispatch time is confirmed on the quotation; transit depends on the shipping method you choose. We have not drawn on BYD's copyrighted workshop documentation, and we do not reproduce any manual or wiring-diagram pages. Where our own data is incomplete, we say so rather than filling the gap with a plausible answer.

This page is general information only.

It is not a repair instruction, not a diagnosis of a particular vehicle, and not a substitute for professional advice. Restraint-system and high-voltage parts are outside the scope of this page. Work on high-voltage systems, restraint systems and structural repairs belongs with technicians qualified for it. Confirm the application against the VIN before ordering. Have any work carried out by a suitably qualified workshop.