Plenty of Hong Kong sellers send OTC health supplements and cosmetics into the mainland in one big box — and it gets stuck at the border and sent back. Ask why, and nine times out of ten it is the same mistake: they had the wrong limit.
Many people think it is RMB 2,000. Under GACC Announcement No. 43 of 2010, personal postal items sent from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are limited to RMB 800 per shipment; from other countries or regions it is RMB 1,000. That is the line that decides everything.
1. How the RMB 800 line actually works
| Limit | From Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan: RMB 800 per shipment; from other countries or regions: RMB 1,000 |
|---|---|
| Over the limit | The parcel must be returned, or cleared under the rules for cargo |
| The one exception | A parcel containing a single, indivisible item that customs confirms is for personal use can still be cleared as a personal item |
| Tax below RMB 800? | Yes. Postal tax still applies; it is waived only when the tax payable is RMB 50 or less |
So "under 800 means no problem" is wrong. Under 800 only means the parcel can go as personal post. It does not mean no tax, and it certainly does not mean guaranteed release.
2. Where does the RMB 2,000 figure come from?
Usually from retail cross-border e-commerce imports — a different system. Its per-order limit used to be RMB 2,000; since 2019 it has been RMB 5,000 per order and RMB 26,000 per person per year, and it only applies through registered cross-border e-commerce platforms with matched order, payment and logistics data.
Personal post and cross-border e-commerce are two separate routes, and their limits cannot be borrowed from each other. Using the e-commerce figure for personal post is one of the most common reasons parcels come back.
3. Customs looks at more than the amount
Personal post assumes personal use in reasonable quantities. Even under RMB 800, customs can treat a parcel as cargo when:
- the same recipient receives many shipments of the same goods in a short period
- a dozen boxes of the same supplement or cosmetic arrive at once — clearly not personal use
- the declared description is vague, such as "daily goods" or "gift"
- the declared value is far below the market price
In other words, what decides whether a parcel can go as personal post is the nature of the goods, not the number on the form.
4. Why "split it into smaller boxes" is not the answer
There is a common suggestion: take a RMB 1,200 box, split it into two or three parcels each under RMB 800, and send them under different people's identity details.
We do not recommend it, and we will not do it. The reasons are simple:
- It has a name: splitting a consignment to evade the limit. Customs treats deliberately breaking up one batch to stay under the limit as evading supervision, not as a clever trick
- Using other people's identity details is the biggest risk. At best: return, back taxes and fines. At worst: liability for smuggling — and the record follows that identity card
- At scale, it will be spotted. Same sender, same goods, dozens of parcels in one day — the system matches them easily
What matters in fulfilment is that your goods actually reach your customer — not that they get through today and the whole line is flagged next month. Cheap is not winning. Reliable is.
5. Three routes, and how to choose
| Genuinely personal use | Under RMB 800 per shipment, reasonable quantity, honest description → direct-mail personal parcel clearance. Quoted per shipment by category and channel; no public rate card |
|---|---|
| One personal item over RMB 800 | A single indivisible item (a machine, say) that is genuinely for personal use → can be declared as a personal item, still subject to postal tax. Ask first; do not ship and hope |
| Business, with volume | → general-trade import declaration. The consignee needs import and export rights; if not, our mainland company can act as consignee under a separate entrustment. From HKD 293 for 8kg, with a public rate card and instant quotes |
| Ongoing platform retail | → retail cross-border e-commerce imports. This requires a registered cross-border e-commerce platform and the right credentials — a logistics company alone cannot make it happen. Talk to us and we will tell you whether it can work |
If you need a formal import customs declaration for your accounts or to offset VAT, forget personal post — it simply cannot produce that document.
6. What we do once your goods reach our Tsuen Wan warehouse
- Check the paperwork: description, unit price, quantity, total value and consignee, to decide whether the shipment is personal use or cargo
- Pick the right route: if it does not belong in personal post, we tell you straight and recommend general trade — we will not squeeze it into personal post and hope
- Align the documents: description, HS code, net and gross weight, packages and trade terms prepared to China Customs declaration standard fields in one go
- Dedicated trucks north: Fujian–Hong Kong "one lock" cross-border vehicles, T+2 to Xiamen, cleared in Xiamen and forwarded nationwide
Drop-off: Shop 1, G/F, Block B, Kar Lee Industrial Centre, 5-21 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong · Tel +852 2542 4466.
Not sure which route your goods should take?
Tell us the product, quantity, approximate value, destination city, and whether the consignee is a person or a company. We will tell you whether it should go as personal post or general trade — including what cannot be done. No guessing.
Instant rate quote Ask us on WhatsApp WeChat support Call +852 2542 4466Frequently asked questions
What is the limit for personal parcels from Hong Kong to mainland China?
Under GACC Announcement No. 43 of 2010, personal postal items from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are limited to RMB 800 per shipment; from other countries or regions the limit is RMB 1,000 per shipment.
Is there no tax if the parcel is under RMB 800?
No. Under RMB 800 the parcel can be cleared as a personal item, but postal tax still applies; it is waived only when the tax payable is RMB 50 or less.
What happens if a parcel is over RMB 800?
It must be returned or cleared under the rules for cargo. The only exception is a parcel containing a single indivisible item that customs confirms is for personal use, which can still be cleared as a personal item.
Can I split one box into several parcels, each under RMB 800?
We do not recommend it and will not do it. Deliberately splitting one batch to stay under the limit is treated by customs as evading supervision; using other people's identity details to receive the goods is riskier still, from returns, back taxes and fines up to liability for smuggling. Business goods should go through general-trade import declaration.
How should business goods be shipped into the mainland?
Through general-trade import declaration. The consignee needs import and export rights; if not, our mainland company can act as consignee under a separate entrustment. Rates start from HKD 293 for 8kg, with instant quotes on our Hong Kong to China page.
Is the RMB 2,000 cross-border e-commerce limit still valid?
RMB 2,000 was the old per-order limit for retail cross-border e-commerce imports. Since 2019 it has been RMB 5,000 per order and RMB 26,000 per person per year, through registered cross-border e-commerce platforms. It is a separate system from the RMB 800 limit on personal postal items, and the two cannot be borrowed from each other.