Coupang, a U.S. technology company and retailer, has built a comprehensive global fulfillment and logistics service to give American businesses a direct sales channel into South Korea and Taiwan. By collaborating with Coupang, businesses of all sizes can access millions of international customers and move their products from the U.S. to customers’ doorsteps in Asia in as fast as three days.
Coupang has invested billions to optimize its fulfillment and logistics network.
A survey of costs for shipping packages from the U.S. to Korea using one of the major international carriers shows that a shipping window of 1-3 weeks for a small package could cost $25-$30, while delivery in three days could cost close to or even more than $100. For Coupang WOW members (the company’s paid subscription service), orders qualify for free shipping on Rocket Overseas items, even without reaching a high minimum cost threshold.
Across its global logistics network, Coupang has invested billions to optimize its fulfillment and logistics network with speed and customer satisfaction in mind. As a result, Coupang’s Riverside, California Fulfillment Center (FC) processes tens of thousands of orders daily and ships millions of units each year.
Here is a look at how a Coupang order — a jar of American-made artisan salt from a West Virginia small business — arrives on the doorstep of a satisfied customer thousands of miles away in as fast as three days from the moment the order is placed.
J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works offers a wide variety of culinary-quality finishing salts, including Bourbon Barrel Smoked Salt.
An American small business meets Coupang
- 400+ million years ago: A salt ocean forms under the Appalachian Mountains.
- 200+ years ago: J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works is originally founded in Kanawha County, West Virginia, in 1817 to harvest and sell salt from the ocean beneath the mountains.
- 13 years ago: Nancy Bruns revives her family’s 200-year-old salt harvesting business and begins selling culinary-quality finishing salts to U.S. customers.
- 2025: Bruns begins selling to customers in Korea and Taiwan through Coupang and making regular shipments of her company’s salt products to Coupang’s Riverside FC.
Rocket Delivery begins
- Monday, 8 a.m.: A Coupang customer in Seoul, Korea, places an order for a jar of Bourbon Barrell Smoked Sea Salt.
Coupang enables U.S. sellers to ship items from Riverside, CA to customers in Korea and Taiwan with speed and efficiency.
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.: The salt jar is picked from the shelf and packed for shipment.
- Coupang’s automated packing process helps packers select the optimal packaging materials and minimize packing volume while reducing shipping cost and carbon footprint.
- The average order is shipped out from the FC the same day the customer placed the order.
A Coupang employee at the Riverside Fulfillment Center packs an order for shipment to Korea.
- Tuesday
- 4 a.m.: A delivery truck transports the package to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
- 6 a.m.: All international paperwork is filled out by Coupang and processed. The package is declared, recorded and cleared for customs.
- 11 a.m.: The package is loaded onto an international flight departing LAX, bound for Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul, Korea.
- Wednesday
- 12 midnight: The plane arrives at ICN in Korea.
- 4 a.m.: The package is declared and clears import customs.
- 5 a.m.: The package is sorted and loaded onto a truck bound for a Coupang FC in customer’s home region.
- 8 a.m.: Truck arrives at the Coupang FC. The package is sorted for loading onto a Last Mile Delivery truck bound for customer’s home.
- 8 p.m.: The long journey is complete in three days, at “rocket” speed!
“The biggest thing for me is wowing our customers,” said Lance Kelly, Riverside Fulfillment Center Operations manager. “We work hard to make sure we’re packing items properly so that customers are satisfied and impressed with their purchases. I always remind our teammates, ‘You’re the last person to see this item before our valued customers open their packages – and that’s important.’”
Coupang customers receive items from the U.S. as fast as three days after placing an order.
Frequently asked questions
Where are U.S. products processed before being flown to Asia?
Products are sent by U.S. sellers to Coupang’s Riverside, California Fulfillment Center (FC). The facility uses a digital Warehouse Management System (WMS) to track items to their exact shelf location, processes tens of thousands of orders daily, and ships the average order out the same day it is placed.
How does the package journey work from warehouse departure to customer delivery?
After being packed at the Riverside FC, the order is trucked to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), cleared for export customs, and flown directly to Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Korea. Once cleared through Korean import customs, it is routed to a regional Coupang fulfillment center and loaded onto a Last Mile Delivery vehicle for final delivery to the customer's door.
How does Coupang’s shipping speed and cost compare to traditional international carriers?
Using standard major international carriers, shipping a small package from the U.S. to Korea typically takes 1 to 3 weeks and costs $25 to $30, while 3-day delivery can cost near or above $100. In contrast, Coupang delivers in as fast as three days, and Coupang WOW members receive free shipping on Rocket Overseas items without needing to meet high minimum purchase thresholds.
