Which is the cheapest shipping method to India for gadgets purchased from Chinese e-Commerce sites?

Mainly three types of shipping method is available for Chinese online purchases.
First one is the premium category where the above said couriers coming under. They charge higher amount than the other shipping methods. But they deliver the product quick without any un wanted delayes and real time tracking facility is also available. You can expect the delivery within 10 days.
Second one is the economic method and companies such as China Post, Singapore Post, Hongkong Post etc coming under this category. They offers cheap rates and delivery can be expected within 30-45 days. Packages can be tracked through out the journey (not real time tracking) and in India these packages will be delivered by India Post.
Third one is the most cheapest shipping method and its the best option to order small items such as phone cases, memory cards etc. These packages usually known as "China Post Air Mail Small Packet Plus". These items comes without proper tracking records and you cant satisfactorily track it either in China or in India. Items shipped through this method usually arrives the customer in 60 days through India Post.

One of my friend once ordered two items from different seller. For one he used Normal post method (Post Air mail) which saved him some money. He was under impression that there won't be much hassle for this either. In reality he ordered electronic itme which was detected on the customs. And this added some tax to his courier service. So he was asked to pay that tax before Item can be released to him. Tax in indian custom side turned out to be half the price of product.

For another seller he used FEDEX delivery method and specified the gadget and paid the small tax (around 10%). And he managed to get the item on time without much issues on tax and courier service.

It takes around 45 to 60 days with Post Air mail method and customs to pass for some deliveries. And in case of FEDEX and DHL, you get the package much earlier even with customs. However you can expect the delay of upto 25-45 days in case of popular logistics companies. It depends on item, seller and the custom issues. So if you wish to order from Alibaba then stick to the popular sellers as they handle such stuff upfront.