2025 Chinese New Year Shipping Delays & Delivery Times

Chinese New Year (CNY), also called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is one of the most significant holidays in China, Hong Kong, and throughout Southeast Asia. It is typically celebrated with two weeks of festivities, family reunions, and cultural celebrations.

For eCommerce businesses and retailers, however, this period can bring substantial challenges as global supply chains are stretched. Factory closures, labor shortages, and shipping delays disrupt manufacturing, production and logistics, making it crucial to prepare in advance.

If you're not ready, you could miss important delivery deadlines, frustrate customers for time-sensitive deliveries, and take a hit to your margin with rising costs. Fortunately, free tools like Easyship can help businesses navigate these disruptions with ease.

By comparing international shipping rates, accessing pre-negotiated discounts, and offering real-time tracking, Easyship provides the flexibility and visibility needed during high-stakes periods like Chinese New Year.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about the Chinese New Year shipping disruption in 2025 and offer practical steps to keep your supply chain running smoothly.

Key Dates for Chinese New Year Holiday Period 2025

Understanding the milestones and expected planning timelines ahead of the Chinese New Year is critical to reducing delays and disruption and maintaining standard processes like freight forwarding, shipment scheduling and other critical supply chain operations.

Why Does Chinese New Year Have Such An Impact On Global eCommerce?

Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is a two-week-long celebration that begins on January 29, 2025.

It’s one of the most important holidays in China, with widespread factory and business closures as workers travel to reunite with family. The Lantern Festival marks the conclusion of the Chinese New Year celebrations, occurring 15 days after the New Year begins.

For businesses relying on goods manufactured in China, these closures create a ripple effect on global supply chains. Production can halt weeks before the holiday, and operations usually don’t return to normal until mid-to-late February. This disrupts shipping schedules, leaving importers and exporters scrambling to manage inventory and meet customer demand.

For businesses navigating these disruptions, Easyship offers powerful tools to streamline cross-border shipping and automate logistics during this critical period.

Easyship’s automated tools, such as real-time tracking and pre-filled customs clearance documentation, help reduce manual processes, allowing you to focus on meeting customer demand despite Chinese New Year shipping challenges.

How Chinese New Year Affects Global Shipping & Supply Chains

Chinese New Year creates multiple challenges for international shipping:

• Production halts and delays: Orders placed close to the holiday may not be shipped until after operations resume, causing delays of up to several weeks.
• Shipping delivery delays: Increased cargo volume coupled with reduced transportation capacity leads to longer wait times at ports and for shipping containers, particularly for more economical services.
• Higher shipping costs: Demand for limited space on ships and planes often translates to inflated shipping rates during this period, as the volume of packages quickly overtakes available supply.
• Labor Shortages: Workers gradually return after the holiday, prolonging delays at factories and ports requiring manual handling, inspections, and delivery.

The impact on global supply chains is significant, particularly affecting logistics operations. The combination of factory closures and reduced operational capacity during the holiday leads to a backlog of orders and increased freight rates, necessitating careful planning to mitigate disruptions.

Ocean freight shipping is a critical element in global trade, and slowdowns in China during the Lunar New Year impact shipping operations. Major interruptions at ports and factories during this period can lead to significant disruptions in the entire supply chain.

For example, if you sell seasonal products like Valentine’s Day gifts, delays in January can result in missed sales opportunities. In this case, exploring multiple carrier shipping options, making use of global fulfillment networks, and managing inventory efficiently can reduce the risk of delays and disruptions.

Key Takeaways for Mitigating Chinese New Year Shipping Delays in 2025

The good news is, with a little planning and proactiveness, you can minimize the impact of Chinese New Year shipping delays on your business. Here are some actionable strategies:

• Plan ahead: Place your orders well in advance of the holiday period, ideally 4-6 weeks before the shutdown
• Diversify your suppliers: Consider sourcing from manufacturers in different countries to reduce dependence on Chinese production during this time.
• Increase inventory levels: Build up your inventory before the holiday to avoid stock outs while orders are delayed
• Communicate with customers: Be transparent about potential delayed shipping times and keep your customers informed about the status of their orders
• Consider alternative shipping methods: Explore air freight or express shipping options for urgent deliveries, even though they may be more expensive
• Utilize a shipping platform like Easyship: Easyship offers a wide range of shipping solutions, including express shipping options, route optimization tools, and real-time tracking, helping you navigate the complexities of Chinese New Year shipping with ease

How Long Does Chinese New Year Affect Shipping?

Chinese New Year’s effects last far beyond the holiday week. From mid-December 2024 to late February 2025, factories and ports operate at reduced capacity or shut down entirely. Even after the holiday, backlogs can delay shipments by weeks.

For instance, an eCommerce business might place an order in late January, expecting it to ship in February. However, the factory’s delayed reopening pushes production back, leaving the shipment stuck in transit until March.

What Causes Shipping Delays During the Holiday Season

The Chinese New Year holiday season is a complex and challenging time for logistics and shipping operations. Several factors contribute to shipping delays during this period, including:

• Reduced Operational Capacity: Factories and businesses in China close or operate at reduced capacity during the holiday season, leading to a decrease in production and shipping activities. This reduced capacity can significantly impact the entire supply chain, causing delays in fulfilling orders.
• Increased Demand: The weeks leading up to the Chinese New Year see a surge in demand for shipping services. This increased demand causes congestion at ports and longer wait times for shipments to be processed and dispatched.
• Limited Workforce Availability: Many workers in China take time off during the holiday season to celebrate with their families. This leads to a shortage of labor, further exacerbating delays in production and shipping schedules.
• Port Congestion: Ports in China face significant congestion before and after the Chinese New Year. This congestion results in container unavailability, bottlenecks, and longer wait times for shipments to be loaded and unloaded.
• Shipping Schedule Adjustments: Carriers often adjust their service strings to accommodate the decreased output during the holiday season. These adjustments can lead to changes in shipping schedules and potential delays in the entire shipment process.

Understanding these causes can help businesses better prepare for the holiday period and take proactive steps to minimize shipping delays. Planning ahead and preparing for all eventualities can help ensure that your shipments are not obstructed in any way. Using Easyship’s shipping automation dashboard can ensure that all your shipments can be tracked and managed with ease.

Bonus Tips to Manage Chinese New Year Shipping Delays

Here are five practical extra tips to keep your supply chain moving:

1. Work with Multiple Providers: Diversifying your logistics partners reduces the risk of bottlenecks caused by relying on a single carrier. Easyship makes this simple by offering access to over 550 courier solutions worldwide. Use the Easyship platform to compare rates, delivery speeds, and reliability across multiple carriers, ensuring you choose the best option for your needs.
2. Explore Alternative Modes: Combining sea, air, and rail freight can help you meet tight deadlines, especially during the Chinese New Year rush. Easyship’s platform enables you to explore various shipping modes and see cost and transit-time comparisons in one dashboard. For urgent shipments, Easyship’s air freight options provide faster delivery solutions without the hassle of managing multiple providers.
3. Choose Less Congested Ports: Avoiding major hubs like Shanghai and opting for smaller ports with lower congestion can reduce delays. Easyship’s advanced routing tools and courier integrations allow you to identify and book services that use alternative ports. This flexibility helps you avoid bottlenecks and ensure smoother deliveries.
4. Use Different Container Types: Securing space with less commonly booked container sizes like 40ft or high cube containers can give you an edge during peak times. With Easyship, you can explore courier options that support specialized shipping needs. Whether you’re shipping in bulk or using unique container types, the platform helps you find the most cost-effective and reliable solutions.
5. Set a Contingency Budget: Unexpected costs, such as demurrage or last-minute air freight upgrades, are common during Chinese New Year. Easyship’s real-time cost calculators and tools for estimating shipping expenses help you plan ahead. By having a clear view of potential costs, you can allocate emergency funds to ensure your operations run smoothly.

Are Shipments from China Delayed?

In short, yes. The Chinese New Year holiday typically lasts two weeks, but the impact on shipping can stretch for several weeks before and after. During this period, factories and ports operate at reduced capacity or shut down completely.

The cascading effects of Chinese New Year shipping delays go far beyond individual businesses, rippling through the interconnected world of global supply chains. Here's a deeper dive into how this annual event can disrupt the delicate flow of goods across borders:

1. Domino Effect of Production Slowdowns

• Upstream impacts: Manufacturing plants in China operate at reduced capacity or entirely shut down during the holiday. This disrupts the regular flow of raw materials, components, and finished goods, impacting not just Chinese suppliers, but also those further up the supply chain in other countries. For example, a textile factory in Vietnam relying on fabrics from China might face delivery delays if their Chinese supplier's production grinds to a halt.
• Downstream repercussions: Delays in receiving crucial components or materials from China can create domino effects on production lines across the globe. A car manufacturer in Europe waiting for crucial engine parts from China might have to temporarily halt assembly lines, impacting other suppliers, workers, and ultimately, car deliveries to dealerships.

2. Port Congestion

• Cargo congestion: With many factories closed, the pre-holiday period sees a surge in shipments as businesses rush to get their goods out before the shutdown. This leads to massive cargo volumes at ports and transportation hubs, creating port congestion and extending wait times for ocean freight
• Labor shortages: Holiday vacations and travel further exacerbate the logistical challenges at ports and transportation hubs. Reduced workforces can lead to slower container handling, port congestion, customs clearance delays, and disruptions in scheduled shipping routes

3. Price Fluctuations and Market Volatility

• Increased shipping costs: The high demand for limited shipping capacity during the Chinese holidays period often translates to inflated shipping rates and port delays. This can significantly impact businesses' profit margins and potentially lead to higher prices for consumers
• Inventory imbalances: Disruptions in the regular flow of goods can create shortages in certain products and regions, resulting in price fluctuations and market volatility. Businesses need to be prepared for shifts in demand and adjust their inventory management strategies accordingly

4. Customer Frustration and Reputational Risk

• Delayed deliveries: Extended wait times for goods can lead to frustrated customers and potential damage to your brand reputation. It's crucial to communicate potential delays transparently and proactively manage customer expectations during this period
• Disrupted marketing campaigns: If products arrive later than planned, planned marketing campaigns and promotions might fall flat, leading to missed sales opportunities and customer disappointment

5. Supply Chain Resilience

The annual Chinese New Year shipping slowdown serves as a stark reminder of the complexities of the global market and shipping routes. It highlights the importance of building resilience into your logistics strategies, including:

• Diversifying suppliers: Relying on multiple suppliers in different locations can mitigate the impact of disruptions and port congestion in any single region
• Building strategic inventory: Holding sufficient buffer stock of critical components can help your business weather temporary production or shipping delays
• Adopting flexible logistics solutions: Utilizing platforms like Easyship to compare shipping options, optimize routes, and track shipments in real-time can provide greater agility and adaptability to navigate disruptions

By understanding the impact of Chinese New Year on global supply chains and proactively implementing these strategies, businesses can navigate this annual slowdown with minimal disruption and emerge stronger in the face of future logistical challenges.

Expert Strategies for Resilient eCommerce Supply Chains

Strengthen your logistics strategy with these approaches:

• Communicate Proactively: Keep in touch with suppliers, freight forwarders, and carriers to align on timelines and expectations.
• Analyze Data: Review historical sales and shipping patterns to predict inventory needs.
• Maintain Flexibility: Be ready to adjust plans as delays or disruptions arise.

For example, an online marketplace seller might pre-order inventory in November, ship in December, and use multiple carriers to distribute the risk. This proactive strategy ensures business continuity.

Easyship Shipping Success Stories

Several businesses have successfully navigated the challenges of peak season by implementing effective logistics and supply chain management strategies. 

Donut Media, an automotive media channel, faced significant logistical hurdles during their Kickstarter campaign for Project Stocky, a limited-edition model car. Delayed manufacturing, shifting project timelines, and customs clearance challenges threatened to disrupt their fulfillment process.

How They Solved It:

Easyship provided an end-to-end solution that included inventory management in Shenzhen, flexible shipping strategies, and a customs solution to eliminate US import duties. With these tools, Donut Media was able to save on import costs, streamline shipping from China, and deliver over 8,200 orders to 7,500 backers on time.

Takeaway:

Donut Media’s success shows how leveraging comprehensive logistics software and fulfillment companies like Easyship can help businesses navigate complex shipping challenges, even during high-demand periods.

By planning ahead, diversifying suppliers, and communicating effectively, businesses can minimize the impact of shipping delays and ensure their supply chain runs smoothly during this critical period.

Increase Your Operational Efficiency with Easyship

Easyship understands the challenges faced by online businesses, especially during disruptive periods like Chinese New Year. Our platform offers a suite of features designed to simplify your shipping operations and minimize delays:

• Consolidated shipping: Combine orders from different suppliers into a single shipment to reduce costs and simplify logistics
• Discounted shipping rates: Access competitive rates from leading shipping carriers, even during peak season.
• Real-time tracking: Keep track of your shipments in real-time, providing transparency to both you and your customers
• Automated customs clearance: Streamline the customs clearance process to avoid additional delays
• Dedicated customer support: Get expert advice and assistance from our friendly customer support team whenever you need it

By planning ahead, diversifying your supply chain, and utilizing tools like Easyship, you can turn the challenges of Chinese New Year shipping into an opportunity to showcase your resilience and customer-centric approach.

Bonus Tip: Consider offering festive-themed promotions or discounts around Chinese New Year to incentivize customers to order early and avoid potential delays.

By following these strategies and leveraging the power of Easyship, you can ensure your online business continues to thrive even during the Chinese New Year shipping slowdown.

Ready to Reduce International Shipping Costs in 2025?

Easyship was built to simplify shipping for eCommerce sellers of every size. If you’re looking for ways to save on shipping costs, compare rates, automate fulfillment, or grow internationally—our free shipping tools and smart dashboard can save you hours daily.

Our most popular App features:

• Discounted Shipping Rates: Get instant access to the largest selection of pre-negotiated volume discounts on shipping labels (up to 91% off retail rates).
• Multi-Carrier Comparison: Effortlessly compare 550+ global courier services to find the best option with our intelligent courier selection algorithm.
• Simple Set-Up & Integration: Connect your store and sales channels to Easyship in minutes to automatically sync orders and manage all shipments in one dashboard.
• Instant Rates At Checkout: Increase conversions by showcasing the cheapest, fastest and best value shipping rates live at checkout.
• Automatic Tax & Duties: Calculate, pre-pay, or pass on all tax and duty obligations for international orders, including generating all relevant customs paperwork.
• Shipping Automation Rules: Streamline shipping workflows, bulk print labels and reduce manual pick and pack errors with simple automation rules.
• Branded Tracking & Returns: Deliver a superior customer experience from checkout to delivery with branded tracking updates, delivery status, and pre-paid return labels.
• Shipping Insurance: Protect your brand and reputation from parcel loss or damage with affordable insurance options for domestic and international shipments.

More free shipping tools:

• Shipping Rate Calculator: Compare and calculate the cheapest way to ship anything to anywhere with our shipping cost calculator for international and domestic.
• Tax & Duties Calculator: Create an estimate of your customs duties and import taxes for every country and retail category.
• Country Import Rules: Understand the individual import rules, requirements, and restrictions for every country with our helpful guides.
• HS Code Lookup Tool: Search for the correct HS/HST Code for international orders with our universal HS Code Lookup Tool.
• Shipping Policy Generator: A clear and enticing shipping policy is a sales tool for stores, setting clear expectations and building trust with prospective customers.

Join our community of eCommerce sellers and get started with Easyship for free today.

Chinese New Year Shipping FAQs

What is the best time to book shipments before Chinese New Year?

The best time to book shipments is at least 4–6 weeks before the holiday, ideally by early January. This helps you secure space with carriers and avoid last-minute rate hikes or capacity shortages. Early planning is key to minimizing disruptions.

How can Easyship help during Chinese New Year shipping?

Easyship’s platform allows you to compare rates from multiple carriers, giving you flexibility and cost savings during this busy period. By using Easyship, you can access pre-negotiated shipping rates and find the best options for urgent or delayed shipments.

What happens if my shipment is delayed due to Chinese New Year?

Delays are common during Chinese New Year due to limited port operations and backlogs. To mitigate these, ensure your shipments are booked early, and consider using alternative shipping modes like air freight for time-sensitive goods. Easyship offers real-time tracking tools to keep you updated on your shipment's status.

Can I avoid shipping delays by choosing alternative ports?

Yes, using less congested ports like Xiamen or Lianyungang can help reduce delays. These ports typically experience 30% less traffic than major hubs like Shanghai, especially during peak periods like Chinese New Year.

How can I manage inventory effectively during Chinese New Year?

Use sales data from previous years to predict demand and stockpile essential items before mid-January. Dividing large shipments into smaller loads can also help ensure at least some stock arrives on time, even if delays occur.

Does Chinese New Year affect shipping costs?

Yes, freight rates often increase by 15–25% in the weeks leading up to Chinese New Year due to higher demand and limited capacity. There is less of an impact on eCommerce shipping, particularly using popular ground or air shipping methods. By booking shipments early and leveraging Easyship’s cost-saving tools, you can always find the lowest rates and avoid peak season surcharges.

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