Whalebuy parcels from shelf to doorstep: rehearsal, packing, declaration
The part of the order where the freight bill is decided. Rules and fees as Whalebuy's help centre stated them on October 21, 2026.
Checked October 22, 2026Five decisions between the shelf and the plane
Stops 7 and 8 of the guide are short on the screen and long on consequences. Between the shelf and the plane you decide what travels together, how it is packed, what the label says to customs, whether to insure it, and which line carries it. Each of those choices shows up in the freight bill or in the delivery time, and none can be changed after the parcel leaves.
Whalebuy's channel has no video of parcel submission, so the space for one is held below the short dispatch clip. That space now holds a silent walkthrough we drew ourselves.
Waiting for the last item pays, up to a point
Freight is priced in weight steps with a first-weight charge, and every parcel pays its own handling and declaration fees. That is why one parcel of three items costs less than three parcels of one. Whalebuy's help centre spells it out with GD-EMS to the US as the case: items weighing 0.7, 1.1 and 1.6 kg come to ¥1,071 as three parcels and ¥645 as one.
The catch is waiting. Items reach the warehouse on different days, and each one's storage clock runs from its own arrival. Ninety free days is plenty for most hauls, but a slow seller can leave the first item sitting for weeks. Two system rules also split parcels for you: any item with a side of 90 cm or more gets a "separate packaging" label, and items that staff tag with a shipping restriction filter out lines that cannot carry them.
The ¥20 rehearsal and its rules
A rehearsal is a trial pack. In the warehouse section, pick stored items whose status allows a parcel, press "Rehearsal", choose consignee, packing method, packing details and line, and pay ¥20. Staff pack it for real within 24 hours, holidays aside, and email you the final weight and freight. Insurance and value-added packing are free during the rehearsal because they only shape the box; you pay for them when you submit for real.
The rules around it are strict. You cannot add or change items once the rehearsal is submitted. You can cancel and get the ¥20 back only before the goods come off the shelf. A finished rehearsal you never submit is cancelled automatically after 30 days, and if you cancel a finished one yourself the fee stays spent. Submitted promptly, a rehearsed parcel ships within 24 hours.
| Rehearsal rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Fee | ¥20 per parcel, refundable only if cancelled before items leave the shelf |
| Turnaround | Packed and weighed within 24 hours, holidays excepted |
| Changes | No items added or swapped after submission |
| Expiry | Unsubmitted finished rehearsals cancel after 30 days |
| Payoff | Exact freight known before you pay; no top-up later |
Packing calls that swing the final box size
Standard packing is a sealed carton with a layer of bubble wrap on top, fillers for odd shapes and a fragile label where needed. On top of that, Whalebuy's public service list offers eleven packing choices. The free ones mostly make the parcel smaller; the paid ones protect it. The list below uses Whalebuy's names; prices for the paid items appear when you submit, and only corner protection quotes a figure in its own description.
| Option | What it does | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Carton packaging | Standard box for the whole parcel | Free |
| Minimalist packaging | Lighter packing material, weight recalculated | Free |
| Free shoe support | Shoe trees inside shoes to stop creasing | Free |
| Remove the shoebox | Shoes travel without their box | Free |
| Shoebox folded | Box folded flat; glued boxes are removed instead | Free |
| Remove original packaging | Retail boxes and plastic wrap taken off | Free |
| Stretch film | Outer film against moisture | Free |
| Bubble film | Extra bubble wrap for fragile items | Paid |
| Vacuum bag | Compresses clothing to cut volume | Paid |
| Moisture barrier bag | Waterproof outer bag | Paid |
| Corner protection | Hard corners on all eight box corners | ¥10 per parcel |
Customs declaration and insurance
Every parcel carries a customs declaration. Whalebuy offers two ways to fill it. With self declaration the system drafts it from your items and you edit types, quantities and unit values. With fuzzy declaration you type one total and the system spreads it across the items. Either is fine if the numbers are believable. Whalebuy's own examples of unreasonable declarations: three pairs of shoes at $1, a 10 kg parcel declared as a ring, and a $200 parcel declared at $1,000.
Insurance comes in three kinds, and whether your line offers each one shows in the estimator. Delay cover pays 20% of the shipping cost if delivery passes 30 or 40 days from dispatch, depending on the line. Customs cover applies if the parcel is held. Loss and damage cover pays by the line's compensation standard. Without insurance a line's basic compensation standard still applies, with the claim windows on the after-sales page.
When the line list comes back short
A short line list has three usual causes. The destination has few lines; Australia returned six and New Zealand four in our 1 kg test, against eighteen for Spain. An item carries a restriction tag, which staff set from the goods' attributes; if you know the item is harmless, online support can review the tag. Or a line has hit its capacity. On October 21 the US EUB and EMS lines showed "available capacity: 0 packages", and the estimator noted that capacity refreshes daily at 12:00 PM China time.
After packing, the warehouse hands parcels to the carrier on a fixed schedule, and carriers do not collect on weekends or Chinese public holidays. A parcel packed on a Friday evening can sit until Monday without anything being wrong. Check today's lines on the estimator