Whalebuy shipping: lines, freight by weight and the volumetric rule
Freight figures from Whalebuy's public estimator, read on October 21, 2026, with the rules that move them.
Checked October 22, 2026United States freight at five weights
On October 21, 2026 we priced a United States parcel on Whalebuy's public estimator at five weights, with no product type and no box size. Fifteen lines came back; thirteen could carry the parcel, and two (an EUB and an EMS line) showed zero capacity. The cheapest line was the same UNIUNI/GOFO air line up to 3 kg. At 5 kg it dropped out of the list and a USPS line was cheapest.
Speed costs more than you might expect. The middle option at 1 kg, ZF-UNI-US-1 at 8 to 16 working days, cost $39.86 against $36.01 for the cheapest at 15 to 20 days: about a week faster for under four dollars. The UPS-based express lines start at $120.74 because they charge a minimum of 1.5 kg; a 500 g parcel pays the same as a 1 kg one on them.
| Weight | Cheapest line | Price | Per kg | Fastest-band line (8 to 12 working days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 kg | ZF-UNIUNI/GOFO-US-1, 15 to 20 days | $22.55 | $45.10 | ZF-UPSMAX-US-1, $120.74 |
| 1 kg | ZF-UNIUNI/GOFO-US-1, 15 to 20 days | $36.01 | $36.01 | ZF-UPSMAX-US-1, $120.74 |
| 2 kg | ZF-UNIUNI/GOFO-US-1, 15 to 20 days | $62.93 | $31.46 | ZF-UPSMAX-US-1, $143.69 |
| 3 kg | ZF-UNIUNI/GOFO-US-1, 15 to 20 days | $89.85 | $29.95 | ZF-UPSMAX-US-1, $189.58 |
| 5 kg | DDF-USPS-US-1, 10 to 20 days | $143.94 | $28.79 | ZD-HKUPS-US-1, $253.41 |
A 1 kg parcel to fourteen destinations
The same day we priced 1 kg to thirteen more destinations. The spread is wide: the United Kingdom's cheapest line was less than half of Sweden's. The number of lines also varies, which matters when an item carries a restriction, because each restriction removes lines and a short list gets empty fast.
| Destination | Cheapest line | Price | Transit | Lines returned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | BF-RoyalMail-GB-1 | $21.40 | 7 to 14 working days | 15 (13 carriable) |
| Australia | HF-EUB-AU-1 | $25.09 | 9 to 20 days | 6 |
| Germany | BSF-DHL-DE-1 | $26.30 | 7 to 14 working days | 12 |
| Poland | STF-IP-PL-1 | $28.00 | 8 to 16 days | 13 |
| New Zealand | HF-EUB-NZ-1 | $29.35 | 9 to 20 working days | 4 |
| Spain | ZTF-CTT-ES-1 | $29.60 | 8 to 16 working days | 18 |
| Netherlands | ZTF-DHL-NL-1 | $30.89 | 8 to 16 working days | 11 |
| Italy | STF-POST-IT-1 | $32.11 | 8 to 16 days | 13 |
| France | ZTF-Colissimo-FR-1 | $32.17 | 8 to 16 working days | 15 |
| Canada | BF-Canada Post-CA-1 | $32.42 | 10 to 20 working days | 10 |
| Ireland | ZTF-IE POST-IE-1 | $35.50 | 8 to 16 days | 10 |
| Belgium | BSF-DHL-BE-1 | $35.93 | 7 to 14 working days | 11 |
| United States | ZF-UNIUNI/GOFO-US-1 | $36.01 | 15 to 20 working days | 15 (13 carriable) |
| Sweden | BSF-DHL-SE-1 | $49.02 | 7 to 14 days | 11 |
Volumetric weight and the line's divisor
Most Whalebuy lines bill whichever is heavier: the scale reading or the volumetric figure. To get the volumetric figure, multiply the three box sides in centimeters and divide by 5,000, or by 6,000, 7,000 or 8,000 if the carrier uses a different standard. In our estimator results the US economy lines used 8,000, the UPSMAX line 6,000 and the other UPS lines 5,000. The same box can therefore be charged at different weights on different lines.
A worked case from our test: a 1 kg parcel in a 30 by 20 by 10 cm box priced exactly the same as the same weight with no box size on the cheapest US line, because 6,000 cubic centimeters divided by 8,000 is 0.75 kg, below the real weight. Put the same box on a 5,000 line and it would be charged as 1.2 kg. Bulky, light items (fleece, puffer jackets, boxed shoes) are where the divisor decides the price; the free packing options that remove boxes are there for that reason.
Restricted goods, customs and price notices
Shipping restrictions come from three places. The carrier's rules: Whalebuy's notes list tobacco, alcohol and contraband as refused outright, a long list of knives and blades, lighters, juices, cheese, seeds and magnets as restricted, and medicine, liquids, creams, powders and cosmetics as limited, with a request to ask support before buying. Your country's customs: Whalebuy's own examples are beef for the UK, leather shoes for Italy, fur, wood and seeds for Australia, and animal-leather or wooden goods for Japan. And the warehouse's tags, which staff set when an item arrives and which filter the line list at submission.
Duties, import tax and VAT are generally not included in Whalebuy's prices and are the buyer's responsibility, collected by your customs or the delivering carrier. Price changes arrive as dated notices: in late November 2023 Whalebuy moved prices on its CN Line to Ireland, CN Packet to the UK and two USPS lines, with parcels submitted before the cut-off keeping the old rate. Expect the figures on this page to drift the same way.
