Workers deliver commodities to Qingdao Dagang Customs for inspection on March 20. These commodities are among the first batch of 6,000 shipments by sea from South Korea through direct cross-border e-commerce transaction. [Photo by Hu Qing/chinadaily.com.cn]

Commodities ordered online from the?South Korea?are expected to reach Chinese buyers faster and cheaper as direct cross-border e-commerce transaction by shipping started Friday.

The first shipment, arriving at Qingdao port of East China's Shandong Province, carried a total of 6,000 items, including paper diapers, household appliances and kitchenware from South Korea.

Qingdao is in close geographic proximity to South Korea and there are three direct shipping shifts per week between Qingdao and Inchon, a port city in South Korea.

It takes 16 hours to ship from Inchon to Qingdao and the transport cost is lower than air.

"The cost could be reduced by at least 30 percent in cross-border e-commerce if commodities are transported by sea," said Jiang Zonggang, an official with Qingdao Dagang Customs.

Also, Qingdao customs has upgraded clearance facilitation to improve logistics efficiency.

After commodities are landed and checked by customs, they will be transferred to domestic logistics companies for delivery.

Customers in China can receive their ordered goods from South Korea as fast as two or three days, Jiang said during a special ceremony held Friday morning.

Soon a similar direct cross-border e-commerce transaction shipping line will be open from Qingdao to Japan.

Currently, direct cross-border e-commerce transactions mainly rely on air transportation and postal services in China.