As the iPad 3 launch event nears, people are starting to wonder how soon afterward the tablet will actually be available for sale. According to recent information coming from the freight companies bringing the devices over from China, it looks like the answer is “very soon.”

According to separate reports from both MacRumors and AppleInsider, freight companies like DHL are bringing massive numbers of iPad 3s over from China. They’re shipping so many of the devices, in fact, that they’re beginning to have trouble finding room for the rest of their cargo.

Apple’s shipments are apparently driving up shipping costs by as much as 20% for some carriers. Apple is said to be paying “premium rates” for the cargo space to bring over the iPads.

As new devices have debuted over the years, Apple has consistently been shortening the window between announcement and availability. While the original iPhone and original iPad were announced months before they were available, the gap has shrunk considerably with subsequent launches. Apple’s most recent major product, the iPhone 4S, was available just two weeks after it was announced. The rate at which Apple appears to be bringing the iPad 3 into the country ahead of Wednesday’s launch event suggests that the window will be even shorter this time. With large stockpiles of the iPad 3 already sitting on U.S. soil, the tablet could be available almost immediately.

Check out our iPad 3 page for more information, and be sure to check our our coverage of the iPad 3 launch event on Wednesday.