The short answer

About $30 to $70 to the US, depending on the line

A 2 kg haul to the United States in 2026 lands in three bands. A slow budget line runs about $30 to $40. A standard line runs about $40 to $55. A fast express line runs about $55 to $70. Europe usually sits a few dollars under the US on the same lines.

Two things to hold onto here. First, the billed weight is the parcel, not the goods: 2 kg of items becomes roughly 2.3 to 2.5 kg once the carton and packing are counted. Second, prices move with fuel costs and season, so treat these as bands, not quotes. Your agent's shipping calculator is always the final word.

Why the bill surprises people

The first 500 grams costs the most

Agent lines price a parcel as an expensive first weight, usually the first 500 grams, plus a cheaper rate for every 500 grams after that. The first slice can cost twice what the later slices cost.

The practical result: one 2 kg parcel costs far less than two 1 kg parcels, because you only pay the expensive first slice once. Putting everything into a single parcel is the biggest saving most buyers ever make, and it costs nothing.

The volumetric trap

A light parcel can bill as a heavy one

Carriers charge on whichever is greater: the real weight or the volumetric weight, a number calculated from the size of the box. Big and light is the expensive combination.

The classic case is sneakers. Two kilograms of shoes in their boxes can bill as 4 kg, because the boxes double the volume. Each shoebox is also about 400 grams of cardboard on its own. This is why every agent offers to remove shoeboxes, and why experienced buyers almost always say yes. Puffers and jackets have the same problem; vacuum packing is the fix.

What moves the price down

Four levers, all chosen before you pay

Take the slow line if you can wait two to three weeks. Ship one parcel instead of two. Remove shoeboxes and vacuum the puffers. Avoid the peak surcharges that land in November and December and in the weeks before Chinese New Year.

There is a fifth lever that cuts the other way. A very cheap, very heavy item, like a $6 hoodie, can cost more to ship than it cost to buy. Sometimes the right call is dropping it from the parcel, and that call is only visible if you know the weights.

The fee layer on top

Small charges that ride on the shipping price

Insurance is usually a small percent of the declared value, and it covers a lost parcel or a permanent customs seizure, not a wrong size or a flawed item. Some agents also add a per-parcel service fee. Neither is large; both are worth reading once.

The one fee worth paying every time is the rehearsal weight. For a dollar or two the agent packs your parcel, weighs it, and sends a photo before you pay for shipping. The rehearsal number is the number you are billed on, so it turns every estimate into a fact while you can still change the contents.

Know the number early

The estimate exists so the bill is never a shock

Credenza keeps a running weight estimate on the haul as you add cards, from category bands, weights stated in the listing, and any number you enter yourself. The weight estimate guide covers where the number comes from.

The warehouse scale still wins, and the rehearsal photo beats everything. The point of estimating early is different: you see that your 2 kg plan is really a 2.8 kg parcel while dropping one hoodie is still free.