Chinese shippers in many cases do get cheaper rates than local shippers. The Universal Postal Union sets rates between postal services for different countries,

Chinese shippers in many cases do get cheaper rates than local shippers. The Universal Postal Union sets rates between postal services for different countries, which are called terminal dues. I'm not sure what the terminal dues are for China -> UK specifically, but for China -> US, the shipping is much cheaper for posts originating from China to the US than from within the US to within the US. It's centered around China -> US terminal dues, but this article[1] gives a good overview. This is also why you won't see many Chinese sellers shift wholesale inventory overseas. It might lessen the transit time from purchase to delivery, but would drastically increase their shipping costs. [1] http://fortune.com/2015/03/11/united-nations-subsidy-chinese-shipping/ http://fortune.com/2015/03/11/united-nations-subsidy-chinese...