Shipping to China around Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is a huge cultural event in China, on the same scale as Christmas, Thanksgiving or New Years Day. The Spring Festival and Chinese New Year is celebrated by families and all work is forgotten about for a few days, so save yourself the stress and ship your packages well before or even after the Chinese Spring holidays.
Expect an increase in orders in the build-up to Chinese New Year if you do sell to this market, and if not, now is an ideal time to consider offering your products to consumers in China as this destination offers huge potential to online retailers.
Singles Day is also a major event that if you are looking to flourish in China, you should be aware of. Be prepared for the enormous scale of it, Singles Day started in the 1990’s and has gone on to be the biggest online sales event going, with mind-boggling numbers produced every year.
Falling just before the US seasonal peak on November 11th, Singles Day produces double the volume of sales involved in Cyber Monday. Don’t miss this ideal opportunity to increase revenue and acquire new customers by getting on top of your orders and providing reliable and affordable shipping options.
Why consider shipping packages to China?
For online retailers, no country represents a bigger opportunity than China. Home to 1.3 billion people China is the world’s largest exporter, as well as the third-largest importer of U.S. goods.
If you have considered making a move into the Chinese eCommerce Market, but have worries about shipping costs and reliability, Parcel Monkey can help. It has never been a better time to sell in China, with great infrastructure constantly evolving, a range of marketplaces to sell on and competitive delivery prices located via our shipping calculator.
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We can help you grow your business.
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We can help you find a reliable delivery service.
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We can help you clear customs with no issues.
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We can help you keep your delivery costs down.
Our global shipping marketplace will connect you with reputable delivery companies who have years of experience delivering to China. By booking a courier service with us, you can tap into the power and knowledge of our established global partner's expertise.
Opportunities to ship to China for New Year and beyond.
China has one of the leading world economies and is established as the biggest manufacturer on the planet. This growth has improved living standards massively and developed the population into a consumer society.
Over half of the 357 million Chinese households are predicted to be an upper-middle class by 2020, and by the year 2022, it is on course to be the largest luxury goods market in the world.
US goods are considered in China to be the hallmark of quality and Chinese consumers often turn to western markets such as the US and UK for evermore intuitive and unique items.
For those who wish to sell to Chinese consumers, it is now easier than ever for overseas retailers to reach customers through the ever-improving infrastructure including the new high-speed rail network.
Marketplaces and eCommerce in China
By 2019 the Chinese eCommerce market will be worth over $1 trillion, which is more than that of the US, UK, French and German markets combined. Over half the Chinese population have already made a purchase online.
Consider a marketplace as a starting point if you want to sell to the active Chinese market.
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Many fashion retailers are already operating in this marketplace and have made a success of it.
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Consider Alibaba, China’s largest online marketplace has over 500 million active shoppers. Alibaba does not sell directly to consumers, it operates marketplaces that connect buyers and sellers, and sellers operate their own storefronts. There is at the time of writing over 7,000 U.S businesses on board too.
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Amazon also allows for businesses in the US to access the Chinese consumer through their Chinese language Amazon.co.jp site.
How much will it cost to send a package to China?
Conducting research into pricing before you start selling to the Chinese market is essential. You won’t want to make a sale on your site only to realize there is no easy or affordable way to ship to China.
Save both time and money by using our shipping calculator to cross-check multiple shipping services for the best delivery prices.
Parcel Monkey can provide low-cost mail services to keep your costs down. Our DHL eCommerce rates are some of the cheapest on the market starting from under $16, plus you can still track your items to delivery and provide the tracking information to the recipient too.
If your package is more urgent, we also offer Express Couriers. Book International Pickup delivery with a shipping time of just 2-5 working days or use our International Drop Off service also delivered in the same time frame.
Customs and Restrictions.
Parcel Monkey provides you with the Customs Documents you need. We know what the carriers need from the shipper to ensure a smooth delivery, so we take this information during the booking process.
Be sure to provide a detailed customs invoice so Customs know exactly what you are shipping.
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Shipping paperwork – Waybills, labels, and invoices must include sender and receiver details including; goods’ quantity, value, and full description; clearly shown Commodity Codes and a typed invoice with no manual changes.
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Check the prohibited and restricted items list. China is more strict than other destinations but if you follow their guidelines you can ship there with no issues. You can find more information on our China country information page.
An interesting restriction around packaging is also that wooden packaging is prohibited so be aware of this if shipping big and bulky items. Books and any printed materials can be troublesome to ship into China as they are heavily censored.
China also observes the following holidays:
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New Year's Day - 1 Jan 2018
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Chinese New Year and Spring Festival - 15-21 Feb 2018
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Tomb-Sweeping Day - 5-7 Apr 2018
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Labour Day - 29 Apr-1 May 2018
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Dragon Boat Festival - 16-18 Jun 2018
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Mid-Autumn Festival - 22-24 Sep 2018
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National Day - 1-7 Oct 2018
Holidays can add a delay to transit times so be aware of these throughout the year when shipping to destinations in China.
Sources- DHL China Fact Sheet, UPS Guide To China, FedEx Guide to China
