How long does international shipping really take? "FedEx International Priority: 1 day" or "Correos Paq Premium Internacional: 6 days". You see it when you get a quote, and it's easy to think your package will be home tomorrow, or in under a week. But that figure is the carrier's estimate for its own leg: it doesn't count customs clearance or final delivery in your city, and in peak season it's almost never met. Tired of seeing customers frustrated by a promise that isn't ours, we've built something we haven't seen in any other forwarding service: our quoter tells you how long each shipping option really takes, door to door and with customs included, calculated from real shipments. For now it's available to registered customers with an active subscription.
In short
- The problem: the delivery time a carrier advertises runs from customs to customs. It doesn't include customs clearance or final delivery, so it usually falls short.
- What's new: next to each shipping option, the quoter shows the real door-to-door time: from the moment the package leaves our warehouse until you receive it, customs included.
- Based on real data: we calculate it from the shipments on our platform on that route and, when there are few, from third-party tracking data for that carrier.
- No surprises: you see the usual range, the average, how many shipments it's based on and whether the delivery time is stable or variable.
- Better decisions: sometimes the "fastest" option on paper isn't the one that arrives first.
- Who can see it: for now, registered customers with an active subscription, when they get a quote from their dashboard.
The problem: "1 day" doesn't mean it arrives tomorrow
When a carrier sells an express service, the time it quotes is its transit time: how long it takes to move the package from the origin customs to the destination customs. That's how they calculate it. What's left out of that number is exactly what takes the longest:
- Customs clearance in your country, which can take from a few hours to several days depending on the goods, the season and the country.
- Final delivery to your door, often handled by a local operator.
- Seasonal peaks such as Black Friday, Christmas or Singles Day, when networks get overloaded.
The result is all too familiar: a customer picks a "1-day" service, pays more for it and receives it a week later. The carrier kept its promise, but the customer expected something else. We wanted to put an end to that uncertainty.
The solution: the real delivery time of each option, calculated from real shipments
From now on, when a customer with an active subscription gets a shipping quote from their dashboard, each shipping option shows two delivery times:
- According to the carrier: its international transit estimate, as advertised, with a warning that it usually falls short.
- According to our shipments: the real door-to-door time, from when the carrier collects the package at our warehouse until it's delivered to you, customs and delivery included.
We also tell you how many shipments the figure is based on and whether the delivery time is stable (almost all shipments took about the same time) or variable (customs or the season make it change). So you know what to expect before you pay.
How it looks in the quoter: a real example
This is a real shipment from Spain to Argentina with Correos Paq Premium Internacional. Tap the buttons to see the difference between what the carrier tells you and what MDE tells you.
Want to know how long your shipments really take before you pay for them?
How to get a shipping quote in seconds
In this video we show you how to quote an international shipment step by step: choose the origin warehouse and the destination country, enter dimensions and weight, and compare carriers by price and delivery time.
How we calculate the real delivery time
- We track our own shipments. For each route and carrier, we measure how long our customers' packages really took over the last few months, from leaving the warehouse to delivery.
- We add third-party data. When we have few shipments of our own on a route, we use tracking data from that carrier's network.
- We add up every leg. If the shipment stops over at another of our warehouses, we add up the legs and include the waiting time at the stopover.
- We show it clearly. Usual range, average, number of shipments it's based on and whether the delivery time is stable or variable. It's an estimate so you know what to expect, not a guaranteed date.
Keep in mind that, once you confirm a shipment, our team checks the parcels, prepares the paperwork and arranges the collection with the carrier. This preparation can take up to 48 working hours and is added to the shipping time.
What's in it for you
- You choose with real information. Sometimes an economy service takes almost as long as an express one on your route, and you save the difference. If you're torn between the two, check out the differences between postal mail and courier.
- You can plan ahead. Whether it's a gift, a stock replenishment or a seasonal purchase for Singles Day or Black Friday, you know how much margin you need when ordering so it arrives on time.
- No frustration. You know from the start that customs is part of the delivery time and how much it usually adds in your country. In Argentina, for example, it's also worth knowing about the USD 400 allowance for shipments by post and courier.
Postal mail or courier: which takes longer and which is more accurate?
In our shipments, postal mail takes the longest and strays furthest from what it promises: it's cheaper, but its advertised delivery time almost always falls short, as in the example of Correos to Argentina (6 days advertised versus 9 to 19 in reality). Courier arrives sooner and comes closer to its promise, although it rarely meets it to the day either, because customs and final delivery are separate. That's why we show you the real delivery time of each one: sometimes the difference in days isn't worth the difference in price, and sometimes it is. We explain it in depth in postal mail vs international courier.
Quote your shipment and see how long it really takes
With an active subscription, you'll see it in every quote in your dashboard. Create your account and try it for 14 days with a money-back guarantee.
Frequently asked questions
Who can see the real delivery time?
For now, registered customers with an active subscription: they see it for each shipping option when they get a quote from their dashboard.
How long does a shipment from Spain to Argentina take?
It depends on the carrier. For example, with Correos Paq Premium Internacional the carrier says 6 days from customs to customs, but based on our operations it usually takes between 9 and 19 days door to door, customs and delivery included. In the quoter you can see the real delivery time of each option.
Why doesn't the carrier's delivery time match how long my package takes?
Because the carrier calculates its transit from origin customs to destination customs. It doesn't include customs clearance in your country or final delivery, which is where most of the delay builds up.
What does the real delivery time shown in the quoter include?
It's the door-to-door time from when the carrier collects the package at our warehouse until it's delivered to you: international transit, customs clearance and final delivery.
Where does the data come from?
From real shipments on our platform on that route over the last few months. When there are few, we complete them with third-party tracking data for that carrier.
Is it a guaranteed date?
No. It's a statistical estimate so you know what to expect and can choose better. Customs and the season can extend the delivery time, which is why we also tell you whether the delivery time on that route is stable or variable.
Is warehouse preparation included?
No. Once you confirm the shipment, we prepare the parcels, the paperwork and the collection, which can take up to 48 working hours. The real delivery time starts when the carrier collects the package.
