Handoff four: stored items become one parcel
The handoff where your choices change the second bill the most. Decide what travels together and how much air it carries.
The consolidation handoff at a glance
- Who holds the item
- The packing bench at the Anji warehouse.
- Your move
- Select the stored items and quantities for one parcel, confirm the address, and settle any packaging request before you submit.
- Money at this point
- Still nothing new. The finished box is weighed and measured, and that measurement becomes the freight quote.
- Status on screen
- Pending Packaging, with the note Wait for Weight Calc.
- Where it snags
- Retail boxes that double the carton, an item left behind in inventory, or one restricted item holding up everything packed with it.
Choosing which stored items travel together
Consolidation at GuaBase is something you do, not something that happens automatically. Open warehouse inventory, tick the items, set the quantities and submit them as one parcel. Items from different sellers and different orders can share a box as long as each is eligible to ship. GuaBase's argument for doing it is simple: one carton instead of several means less duplicated packaging, which may lower the overall freight.
Make the list carefully. Anything you leave unticked stays in the warehouse, still inside its ninety free days, and travels later at its own freight cost. Before you submit, check the delivery address with the same care GuaBase's guide asks for: recipient name, phone number, postcode and the complete street address.
The divide-by-5000 math behind chargeable weight
The freight quote uses the chargeable weight: whichever is larger of the scale weight and the volumetric weight. For the second figure, multiply the carton's three sides in centimetres and divide by 5000. GuaBase adds that carrier measuring rules may apply, such as rounding up to the next whole centimetre.
Run three illustrative boxes through it and the reason to care becomes obvious:
| Carton (cm) | Volumetric weight | If the scale reads | Billed on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 × 40 × 30 | 12.0 kg | 6 kg | 12.0 kg, by size |
| 50 × 40 × 18, same goods packed tighter | 7.2 kg | 6 kg | 7.2 kg, by size |
| 34 × 23 × 13, one shoe box | about 2.03 kg | 1.2 kg | about 2.03 kg, by size |
Same goods, twelve kilograms billed or just over seven. GuaBase's own examples point the same way: pillows and plush toys are light but bulky and charged by volume, books and electronics small but heavy and charged by weight. The calculator does this sum for any box.
Boxes, reinforcement and what to ask for
GuaBase's guide frames the packaging choice as a question for you: is the original retail packaging important, or would losing excess packaging help with size? For a gift or a collectable, keep it. For shoes you will wear, the box is often the biggest thing in the carton.
Text on GuaBase's site also names two optional services, Package Reinforcement and vacuum compression, without a public price. If you want either, ask support before you submit the parcel, and ask what it costs.
Fragile items such as frames, structured caps or anything glass are the ones worth the question.
When one parcel is the wrong choice
GuaBase says it outright: consolidation does not always reduce the total. Three cases where two parcels beat one:
- One item might be restricted. Batteries, liquids, powders, food, cosmetics, branded goods and oversized products can face route limits. If an item cannot be shipped internationally, GuaBase stops that order. Do not let it hold your other purchases in the same box; ask support first.
- One item is urgent. Waiting for a slow seller so everything can travel together trades days for yuan. Sometimes the days matter more.
- The bulky item dominates anyway. A big jacket carton billed by size can swallow a small extra item at little added cost, but two bulky items packed together rarely shrink.
Questions people bring to the packing stage
Can items from different orders share a parcel?
Yes, if each is eligible to ship. Select them together from warehouse inventory.
How long does packing take?
GuaBase does not publish a separate packing time. The parcel shows Pending Packaging until the weight is calculated, then moves to Pending Payment.
Will the warehouse remove boxes without asking?
GuaBase's pages do not say it does. Treat packaging as your decision and state it when you submit, or ask support.