SmartPost offers direct China-to-Ja shipping to help customers beat US tariffs
Published:Friday | May 9, 2025 | 12:10 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
Jamaican courier company SmartPost Limited is now offering direct shipping from China to Jamaica in a move aimed at helping customers sidestep the rising costs associated with US tariffs on Chinese goods.
Launched in April, the new service targets local buyers of bulk items or large items for homes or offices. Although still in its early stages, Operations Manager Antoinette Tucker expressed strong confidence in its potential.
“We are [hoping] to attract business persons as well as persons who, from time to time, will buy big items, like a sofa, fridge, stove, and would like to get it from China, where it is much more affordable. We’re just giving our customers more options,” she said.
Shipping times from China to Jamaica can take up to six weeks, compared to about two weeks when routed through the US. However, Tucker argued that the cost savings make the wait worthwhile.
“There is about 30 per cent reduction in cost based on our estimation,” she said. “To ship directly from China, you get a really good price from the suppliers there.”
Traditionally, Jamaican customers shipping through the US are charged by weight, plus Customs duty on items valued over US$100. The cost per pound ranges from J$500 to J$900. In contrast, Tucker said, direct shipments from China are priced based on the item’s volume in cubic feet rather than weight, with costs starting around J$700.
“For example, if you were to purchase a settee and it would weight 100 pounds or 200 pounds, if you were to go by plane, that’s a lot of money. But because we don’t do it by weight because it’s going on a container, the cubic feet [charge] would be far less. That person would save more than 50 per cent on that,” she said.
More significantly, direct shipping helps customers avoid US-imposed tariffs of up to 145 per cent on Chinese imports, Tucker added.
While China has retaliated with tariffs of up to 125 per cent on some US goods, both countries are set to begin trade talks this week. However, experts caution that any resolution could take months.
In the meantime, Tucker believes that this is a prime opportunity for Jamaica’s courier industry to innovate.
“We’ve been getting calls already. I see big things happening for Smart Post, and not just for SmartPost, but for the industry,” she said. “I see where the industry would benefit, especially for businesses and those who purchase large items and those who purchase equipment, for example, tools.”
In the meantime, Small Business Association of Jamaica President Garnett Reid echoed the sentiment, urging more local couriers to diversify and bypass US shipping routes.
“It is really unfortunate that the US president brings this on to the world. The tariffs will affect every single country at one stage or another, maybe not now, but as time goes by, China is going to do very well,” he said. “People from all over the world are going to try and bypass the United States.”