Surviving the Chinese New Year Holiday: Feb 3-10th

Chinese New Year (CNY) is quickly approaching and will occur February 3rd - 10th. As you may know, this is a very important holiday within this industry & can be very stressful if not planned accordingly. During this 10 day holiday, agents and factories are completely shutdown. We have listed tips to help prepare you for the holiday so your supply chain can continue to run smoothly.

1. Plan Ahead & Book your shipments 3 weeks prior to CNY.

There is a huge demand, and space is very limited the closer we get to the holiday. The closer we get to the holiday, the greater chance your cargo will be delayed since carriers tend to overbook space.

2. Contact your factory and discuss their CNY schedule, since every factory is different. Some factories are on holiday for a whole month!

3. Be prepared for your cargo to be randomly inspected by China Customs.During this time, the chances of an inspection are higher than any other time.

4. Make sure to obtain all documents (Bill of Lading, Commercial Invoice, & Packing List) from factory prior to them leaving for holiday to avoid any delay.

5. Don't wait till the last minute and deliver cargo on the cut-off date. Make sure your factory delivers to the terminal as early as possible to avoid cargo from being rolled.

6. Consider shipping Air. For time sensitive shipments or shipments that have deadlines, the fastest way to ship is via air. Please note that space will also be very tight as well leading into the Chinese New Year Holiday.