Shipping & Delivery Policy

Shipping summary

Every ZipaSports order leaves the factory in Sialkot, Pakistan after final QC, by express courier or sea freight, with tracking and export documents provided. The table gives the policy in one view; the rest of the page explains each line.

Transit times are the courier's and carrier's typical ranges and exclude customs holds, which are covered under delays below.

When your order ships

An order is dispatched once it has passed final QC and been packed, which for a standard bulk order is 15–25 business days after you approve the design. Delivery date is therefore production time plus transit time: a UK club that approves artwork on the first of the month should plan for production through the month and 5–10 days of express transit after that.

Final QC is the last of the in-line checks described on the quality control page: measurement against the approved size specification, print and stitching inspection, then labelling and counting into cartons. Pre-shipment photos of the packed order are available on request, so a distributor or brand owner can see the goods before they leave the factory.

When a fixed date is at stake, such as a tournament, a season start or a product launch, ask for express production: 7–12 days at additional cost, followed by express courier. Tell ZipaSports the date you need the kit in hand and the schedule is worked backwards from it. Lead times for each stage are also on the how it works page.

Express courier: DHL, FedEx and UPS

Express courier is the default shipping method for most orders: DHL, FedEx or UPS collect from the factory in Sialkot and deliver door to door in 5–10 days, tracked at every scan. It suits samples, team kits, first collections for startup brands and any order where the transit time matters more than the freight cost.

The courier is chosen per shipment on service to your destination and the weight and volume of the consignment; you can state a preferred courier in the enquiry and it is confirmed in your quotation. Freight is quoted with your order once the quantity and carton count are known, because the chargeable weight of sportswear cartons decides the cost.

Deliveries are made to a business or residential address with a named consignee and telephone number, which the courier uses for delivery notifications and for any customs query. The tracking number is sent on WhatsApp or email at dispatch, and the courier's own app or website gives scan-by-scan progress from Sialkot to your door. Country-specific notes for the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe are on their destination pages.

Sea freight for bulk orders

Sea freight takes 3–6 weeks and is offered for bulk orders where the consignment is large enough that the saving on freight outweighs the longer transit. It is used by distributors, wholesalers, kit resellers and established brands moving cartons in volume, rather than by clubs ordering one kit.

Sea shipments need an importer set up to receive them: a customs broker or freight forwarder at the destination port, an importer registration where the destination requires it, and warehouse space for a pallet or container delivery. The commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin are supplied for customs clearance in the same way as for courier shipments, and the shipping line's tracking is shared once the container has sailed.

Plan the calendar from the delivery date you need: sea freight of 3–6 weeks on top of production of 15–25 business days means ordering a summer range in the previous season. A common arrangement is a split shipment, with the first batch or the launch sizes by express courier and the balance by sea; ask for it in the enquiry so both consignments are packed and documented separately.

Transit times and duties by destination

Express courier transit is 5–10 days to every main ZipaSports export market, and sea freight is 3–6 weeks; the difference between destinations lies mainly in the duty regime that applies to Pakistan-origin garments.

Rates change and the classification of your exact garment decides the rate, so confirm the current figure for your HS code with your customs broker or courier before ordering. Worked explanations of each scheme, the documents involved and who pays what are in the import duties and shipping guide, with country detail on the USA, Canada, Australia and EuropeIrelandNew ZealandUAESaudi Arabia pages.

Packing and carton labelling

Each garment is folded into its own polybag with a size sticker, sorted by design and size, and packed into export cartons whose labels state the order reference, design, size breakdown, piece count and carton number. A distributor can put cartons straight onto a warehouse shelf, and a club secretary can hand out a squad kit from the carton label without opening every bag.

Cartons are packed to fill the space and taped for export handling, because couriers charge on the greater of actual and volumetric weight and empty space costs freight.

For private-label buyers, the retail presentation is part of the order: branded polybags, hang tags, printed size tags, woven neck labels and boxes are produced in-house and applied before packing, so the goods are shelf-ready on arrival. Options are listed on the labels, tags and packaging page and the private label page. The process for reporting damage in transit is below.

Export documents

Every shipment from ZipaSports travels with a commercial invoice, a packing list and a certificate of origin, prepared in-house as part of export documentation, and copies are sent to you by email at dispatch so your broker has them before the goods land.

Give the importer details exactly as they appear on your business registration, because a mismatch between the invoice and the importer record is the most common cause of a customs hold. Where a destination requires a specific importer number (an EORI number in the UK and EU, for instance), supply it with the delivery address. Clearance is then a matter for the courier or your broker, and ZipaSports answers any query they raise about the goods.

Duties, taxes and delivery addresses

Import duties, taxes and any customs clearance or brokerage fees in the destination country are the buyer's responsibility and are not included in the order value or the freight charge. For courier shipments the courier normally contacts the consignee to collect duty and tax before delivery; for sea freight your broker settles them at clearance.

The amount depends on your destination, the HS code of the garment and the declared value, and the import duties and shipping guide explains how each of the main markets treats Pakistan-origin sportswear. Budget for it at the quotation stage rather than at the door.

Address accuracy is the buyer's responsibility too. Provide a full delivery address with postcode, the consignee's name and a telephone number that will be answered, and check them in the order confirmation before dispatch. The courier will attempt delivery and hold the parcel if nobody can be reached, and an address correction after dispatch may carry a courier charge or add days to the transit. Deliveries to a PO box are not accepted by express couriers; use a street address.

Tracking, delays, damage and split shipments

Your tracking number is sent on WhatsApp or email on the day of dispatch, and the courier's website shows every scan from Sialkot to your door; if a scan stalls, tell ZipaSports and we raise it with the courier from our side while you call the local depot.

Delays outside our control include customs inspections, public holidays in the destination country, weather and courier network disruption. These are not counted within the 5–10 day transit range, which is the courier's typical door-to-door time; ZipaSports provides the documents and answers the courier or customs office needs to release the goods quickly.

If a carton arrives damaged, photograph the outside, the courier label, the inner packing and the affected garments before discarding anything, and send the photos with your order reference on the day of delivery. Transit damage is a courier fault rather than a manufacturing defect, so it is claimed against the courier; ZipaSports supplies the export documents and packing evidence the claim needs and quotes replacement pieces at normal terms. Manufacturing defects are a separate matter. Quality Guarantee: if any garment arrives with a manufacturing defect, we remake it free of charge — the remake goes into production within 3 days of your report. Full detail is on the return policy page.

Split shipments can be arranged on request and are confirmed in your quotation: a first batch to meet a deadline with the balance later, or one order to two addresses, each with its own packing list.