It has been about 3 days since plan B (which involved us buying the airframe from Taobao) was activated.

As Cainiao’s forwarding warehouse was in Dongguan while the Skysurfer was dispatched from Wenzhou, we expected shipping to take some time due to the huge distance. We were thus pleasantly surprised at how the package consisting of two aeroplanes made it halfway across the country in half a day.

Mad respect to Yuantong Express for the speedy delivery!

However, we were extremely dismayed to learn that our package had exceeded the maximum permissible dimensions for ordinary air shipping! What a bummer!

Love letter from Dylan from Zhongtong Express

Translation courtesy of Professor Google:

Hello, this is Zhongtong Taobao Collection Warehouse.
Please read the following carefully:

Your parcel (waybill number: YT4661635916747) cannot be consolidated because it exceeds the official Taobao shipping size regulations.
You can choose to return the package by express or transfer this package offline, and use Zhongtong Container Lines to continue the transshipment, and you need to pay the overseas freight of this package.

Air freight: The freight is RMB [396] and the time limit is 7-10 working days;
Shipping: The freight is RMB [137], and the time limit is 17-20 working days;

If you need to continue the transfer, please contact WeChat customer service WeChat account 16573409665
Official size regulations: The length of one side (length/width/height) should not exceed 80CM, and the sum of three sides (length + width + height) should not exceed 150CM.

If the package is not processed within 36 hours, it will be returned. If you have any questions, you can contact WeChat customer service: 16573940965 or contact Zhongtong Container Lines online customer service
Remarks: If there is no reply to this WhatsAPP, please contact WeChat customer service 16573940965
Remarks: Because WhataAPP is unstable, it may cause inconvenience to you. Please understand

Note: You can’t pay here, you can pay at Taobao shop in WeChat customer service
Remarks: If there is no WeChat, please contact the seller to let the seller contact the customer service of the warehouse. Thank you for your cooperation

If the WeChat customer service does not reply in time, please wait patiently, thank you, wish you a happy life

¥396 for air shipping! That’s around S$80! Outrageous! But oh well…we were working against time and would rather pay for faster shipping. So after explaining our predicament to Dr Ho, he allowed us to opt for the more expensive but faster air shipping. Hooray! After spending some time negotiating with Dylan on WeChat, we managed to make payment for oversized shipping. Here’s to hoping that it will arrive as soon as possible…

Behold, our premium shipping😢