How long does shipping from Korea to EU typically take?

Question

Planning our inventory timeline for Q4. We usually order from Korean brands and ship to our EU warehouse. For those who've done this before: what's the realistic timeline from placing an order to receiving goods? I'm factoring in production time, quality check, and shipping. Sea freight vs air — any cost/time comparisons would be super helpful.

Emma Laurent · Accepted Answer

For EU specifically, here's what I've experienced shipping to France:

- **Production time:** 2-4 weeks after payment (depends on stock availability)
- **Sea freight:** 4-6 weeks Korea → EU port + 1 week customs clearance
- **Air freight:** 5-7 days but costs roughly 5x more
- **Total realistic timeline:** 7-10 weeks via sea

We always order 3 months ahead for seasonal products. Also, make sure your brand provides proper customs documentation (HS codes, ingredients list in INCI format, CPNP registration). Missing docs can add weeks to customs clearance.

Lisa Visser · Answer

In my experience, it took around 6 weeks from placing the order to receiving the goods. Of course, it depends on the brand, but I think it's definitely possible to receive everything within a month in some cases

How long does shipping from Korea to EU typically take?

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