Here’s something most Amazon sellers still don’t realize in late 2025: when you place the exact same order on DHgate and through a professional sourcing agent, DHgate is still 3–12 days slower—on average 7.8 days in real tests with 10 identical orders each side.
That gap might look small on paper, but in a fast-moving Amazon business, every single day your inventory is floating across the Pacific is a day you’re losing sales, rankings, and cash flow.
Below is exactly where those extra days disappear—and how to eliminate them for good.
The biggest hold-up happens right at the start. DHgate sellers often need 3 to 15 days just to pack and ship your order. Many don’t even begin until the money shows up in their account. Batch production holds things up too. Sourcing agent like X Sourcing works directly with factories we already know. They push for same-day or next-day packing in products sourcing. One agent handles everything for you in China. Your personal agent at X Sourcing follows the whole process step by step. That brings processing down to only 1–3 days.
On DHgate, sellers send goods to their forwarder whenever they feel like it. That adds another 2–7 days with zero pressure to move fast. A sourcing agent skips that step. We pick up straight from the factory or use central 1688 warehouses. X Sourcing handles small orders and ships directly to FBA centers with our own supplier network and custom FBA solutions. Domestic transit drops to 0–2 days.
DHgate’s regular lines (Cainiao, Yanwen) take 10–25 days. Their express options run 4–8 days, but the price jump rarely makes sense. Agents like X Sourcing use consolidated air freight or special Amazon FBA routes that land in 5–12 days—usually cheaper than DHgate express. Good forwarders know the quickest, most reliable paths.
DHgate packages sometimes sit in customs for 2–10 extra days because paperwork isn’t perfect or they don’t use bonded routes. Sourcing agents prepare all documents ahead of time, use bonded warehouses, and have fast-track clearance. Proper FBA prep and the right logistics partner prevent holds. Customs and last-mile delivery finish in just 1–3 days.
Those extra days kill cash flow. Suppose your Amazon store does $100,000 a month. Ten days stuck in transit means roughly $33,333 of your money is tied up. Over a year that’s almost $400,000 delayed. Even if you’re more conservative, a $100k/month seller easily loses $15,000–$40,000 a year in missed opportunities just from slow shipping.
Here’s the simple six-step system I follow with my agent:
We promise fast turnaround: quotes in 2 days, samples in 3 days, and close daily follow-up during production. It works because we deal factory-direct, run daily freight out of big warehouses, and file paperwork before the plane leaves.
Real example: my last wall decal order went from a factory in Yiwu to an Amazon center in California in only 11 days. Lisa launched brand-new products in her store in just 40 days—from idea to samples to final delivery. That speed saved thousands and kept rankings strong.
Do these three things right now:
Shaving even seven days off restocks can add thousands to your monthly revenue—and finally end those frustrating shipping delays so many Amazon sellers still deal with.
A: With seller delays + domestic logistics + shipping + customs, the real average is 25–40 days—way slower than they advertise.
A: Factory pickup + consolidated air + pre-clearance: fastest 7–12 days, normal 10–15 days total.
A: 1688 plus a good agent is 8–15 days faster and 20–40% cheaper overall. Perfect for repeat Amazon orders.
A: Look for agents with their own FBA direct lines, in-house quality control, and round-the-clock support—like X Sourcing—to wipe out DHgate delays completely.
