Why do packages from China arrive so darn fast in the mail?

Question

If you buy some cellphone accessory from a seller in China, it will be here in 2 or 3 days and they pay almost zero postage. Yet a small package from Europe takes weeks and weeks if it ever arrives.

Answer 1

They don't. Parcels from China have a tendency to get tied up in customs for weeks (because of subsidized shipping) before they get to me. 

Answer 2

My package from China took 10 week. Yours apparently came via plane, not boat.

Answer 3

The Chinese companies have a system that packages are pre-sorted. When the packages arrive, they can go right to the local post offices.