More recently, international parcels from China were delivered in relatively short periods of time. They reached the recipient within 30 days. But, with increasing attention to Chinese products, the volume of international mail has increased manifold. What the Chinese Postal Service was not ready for. Moreover, the situation was previously saved by Singapore Post and Swedish Post, but even now parcels are stuck on these routes.

Christmas and New Year's congestion.

The flow of mail begins to increase as early as November. Buyers are starting to order goods so that they arrive in time for the New Year holidays. Then comes a series of huge sales. Such as the November 11th Worldwide Sale on AliExpress, which fills postal service sorting centers to capacity. Then there are the legendary Black Friday and Cyber Monday Christmas sales. Thanks to similar promotions held on Aliexpress and the New Year's rush of buyers from Russia and the CIS countries, postal services are clearing out the backlog of parcels until the Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year. How the post office works in China during the holidays.

Chinese New Year is a huge holiday in China.
Officially, the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival in 2015 will take place from February 18 to 24.
During this period, all shops, factories and markets go on long holidays, curtailing their activities. Postal services are no exception.
Many workers return to their native places during these holidays to celebrate with their families. Often, they do not have time to return to their jobs by the start of the work week. Therefore, full-time work for the Chinese begins a week after the end of official holidays.
During this period, a huge number of parcels are certainly accumulating, awaiting their turn to be sent.
As a result, thanks to the Chinese New Year, we can safely expect that parcels that did not have time to leave the Chinese border before the start of the holidays may be stuck there for 2-3 weeks.

How can I receive my parcel earlier?

Taking into account the fact that the number of orders from Chinese online stores is becoming more and more every year, there is no need to expect this situation to improve in the near future.
The sellers themselves are also unhappy with this situation, since due to such delays in the mail, buyers are very nervous, demanding a refund and the like. As a result, their business suffers. They, of course, resort to the services of various courier services that bypass congestion at the Chinese Post, delivering parcels directly to the border of the recipient's country or in transit through other countries. But for such export shipments I often assign a new internal track number, as a result of which the tracks are no longer readable in the recipient’s country, which also makes buyers very nervous.

Somehow EMS service is handling the situation, which adheres to relatively strict delivery times. But when you have to choose between the cost of postage and long delivery times, buyers often prefer to wait. This is understandable.

Can I place orders during Chinese New Year?

Not all salespeople go on vacation for all holidays. Many take a couple of days off and, taking advantage of the moment while everyone else is resting, prefer to do business.

So you can place orders on AliExpress, but you need to pay attention to what the working hours of this or that seller are during these holidays. Look at the processing time of your order, also write a message to the seller, ask him questions about when his working days are and how soon he can send the package.

Do not forget that each seller independently chooses which days he will work and which days he will have days off.

And be sure to take into account that even if he sends your order in some way, this does not mean that it will not get stuck at the Chinese Post Office during the holidays.

Remember that from February 18 to February 24 are official non-working days in China! And the time it takes to send the order, return the money, etc. counted in working days. Therefore, add holiday dates to all deadlines.

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Users of the AliExpress marketplace annually from January to February face increased delivery times and silence from the seller.

The fact is that on Aliexpress it’s New Year: the Chinese seller begins to celebrate the holiday a couple of days before the start of the official New Year holidays

This is the reason for late delivery. When and for how long the New Year is celebrated in China, as well as what awaits users from other countries when placing an order during the holidays, see below in the article.

Chinese New Year: features and traditions

For the average Chinese, New Year is an opportunity to spend time with loved ones and relatives, to visit their parents, who usually live in villages. New Year's holidays are the only official long weekend. Residents, from AliExpress sellers, postal and customs workers to government employees, are looking forward to these holidays. Note that officially the New Year holidays last 3 days, but residents rest for 3 weeks by redistributing weekends, holidays and providing employees with additional rest. The exception is emergency and social services.

The onset of the New Year according to the Chinese calendar occurs annually at different times depending on the lunar calendar and is celebrated on the first day of the new moon in conjunction with the winter solstice. In the near future the holiday will be celebrated:

in 2018 - February 16;
in 2019 - February 5;
in 2020 - January 25.

When placing an order on AliExpress, remember that difficulties with sending goods arise 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after the end of the New Year holidays.

The seller on AliExpress sets the work schedule independently, depending on the level of earnings and workload.

When ordering goods, please check the estimated processing time for completed applications and their dispatch. Find out when the seller's weekend ends.

The New Year holidays are not the only long holidays in China that cause delays in the delivery of goods from AliExpress. The celebration of the Founding Day of the People's Republic of China is the cause of interruptions in the operation of the trading platform focused on Chinese goods. This holiday, unlike the Chinese New Year, is celebrated annually on October 1, but in fact the weekend ends only after 7 days. The Chinese on AliExpress also do not work, do not send orders and do not respond to messages. Don't panic if the seller doesn't respond during Chinese New Year or holidays.

AliExpress operating procedures during New Year's Eve

The trading platform, where the backbone of sellers are Chinese, virtually freezes on New Year's Day. Although you can place an order without difficulty, remember: it will only be put into operation after the end of the New Year holidays.

Chinese sellers begin to rest 2-7 days before the New Year and continue for another week to two after the holiday itself.

As a rule, sellers send mailings to their clients containing information about working hours and days off. Such messages are, on the one hand, of a notification nature, and on the other hand, they encourage buyers to purchase the necessary product here and now, so that the seller has time to process the order and send it at the last moment.

In 2017, the Chinese New Year celebrations began on January 28, and on AliExpress sellers went on vacation as early as January 26 and on average stayed until February 11. For half a month, the Chinese did not process orders; when they returned to work at the end of the New Year holidays, they had to sort out the completed applications. Do not worry if the seller does not quickly begin sending the order; if there are other requests, paid goods are sent in order. Sellers make exceptions only for regular or large customers - in such cases, by agreement, it is possible to send goods out of turn.

The seller manages to send the order placed before the New Year holidays and provide its track number.

If there is no subsequent communication, all that remains is to track the goods and wait for the order to be received or the end of the New Year's weekend. If difficulties arise, regardless of holidays, you can open a dispute on the site. The difference is that in this case the seller is given an extended period of time to respond; 7 more days are added to the standard 5 days (12 in total). This allows you to wait for a response from the seller in a dispute and protects his interests from unscrupulous buyers.

It should be noted that the Chinese New Year, or rather its celebration, does not significantly affect the work of AliExpress. The system works and you can order the necessary goods. Difficulties arise only with the delivery and processing of orders, the volume of which accumulates for sellers during the New Year holidays. Difficulties and interruptions in shipping for individual sellers may continue until the end of February. We recommend ordering goods before the Chinese New Year or 2-3 weeks after - this way you will be able to avoid difficulties with the workload of sellers.

Sales on AliExpress for Chinese New Year

New Year on AliExpress, as well as on similar trading platforms, is a time of discounts and sales for customers. On New Year's Eve, from the beginning to the end of January, discounts on goods reach 60-70%.

The following product categories are included in the sale each year:

electronic technology and equipment;
clothing for men and women;
children's clothing;
goods for outdoor activities and sports.

You can view the full list of products that are eligible for discounts and bonuses on the official AliExpress website.

Watch the video for an overview of discounted products:

High demand for goods before the Chinese New Year and during the holidays causes delays in the dispatch of goods. As a rule, sellers ship all goods ordered during this time by the end of February. Decide what is more important - to receive the product faster or to buy it at a significant discount. In the first case, you need to buy the product before the New Year rush begins - the delivery time will be minimal. When ordering goods on New Year's Eve, during discounts, delivery of goods may take up to 3 months. Determine your priorities in a specific situation and act based on the recommendations provided.

During these holidays, most Chinese sellers go on a mini-vacation.

But, almost every store posts a notice about opening hours on holidays. It is these advertisements that you should focus on.

Consider the holiday season when planning your purchases.

The Aliexpress platform itself does not provide any special conditions for holidays.

January (January 1 (Tuesday). December 31 (Monday)) - New Year (Yuan Dan) is a borrowed holiday. It is not widely celebrated in China, as the New Year is usually celebrated according to the lunar calendar.

February (from February 4 (Monday) to February 10 (Sunday)) - Chinese New Year (Chun Jie) - the most important holiday, it has been celebrated for more than two thousand years. A whole week off. On New Year's Eve, the Chinese buy new clothes and wear them after midnight. It happens that some companies and enterprises take 1-2 weeks longer on these holidays.

April (April 5 to 7) – Qingming Festival - a holiday of purity and clarity - is associated with the onset of clear and bright days. On this day, yang and yin come into balance. The sky (yang) fertilizes the earth (yin), new life is born. People tidy up graves, lay flowers and paper money to honor the memory of the deceased, and hold memorial dinners in nature.

May (from April 29 (Monday) to May 1 (Wednesday)) - Labor Day - here everything is like with us - peace-work in May and all that...

June (from June 7 (Friday) to June 9 (Sunday)) - Duan-wu Jie Festival (Dragon Boat Festival) -In China, they hold river dragon boat races and eat sticky rice wrapped in a reed leaf.

September (from September 13 (Friday) to September 15 (Sunday)) - Zhongqiu Festival (Mid-Autumn Festival) — On this day, it is customary to eat Yue Bing “Moon Cake” with sweet filling. Small colored lanterns are sold everywhere: in the evening, parents and children light them in city parks and fields.

October (from October 1 (Tuesday) to October 7 (Monday)) - Day of the Foundation of the People's Republic of China. In 1949, the founding of the People's Republic of China was proclaimed at a rally in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. And in 1987, for the last time, the square was decorated with huge portraits of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin. From now on, it was decided to display only the portrait of Sun Yat-sen at the Monument to the People's Heroes.

The traditional New Year in China does not coincide with celebrations around the world. Here the New Year is celebrated in honor of the second new moon after December 21st. New Year in China is always celebrated on the days between January 21 and February 21. This is the most important holiday in China and other East Asian countries. In 2018, the New Year will be celebrated in China February 16, which will certainly affect the Aliexpress trading platform. They celebrate in China for a very long time, so you need to be prepared.

We'll talk about it briefly below:

New Year on Aliexpress

Before the Chinese New Year arrives, Aliexpress will be launching a serious and massive sale. At the same time, almost all sellers will offer discounts on any goods. There is no product group that stands out and receives more discounts. You can buy both a smartphone for the New Year and various household items. As practice shows, very attractive offers appear during the Chinese New Year. Many buyers are waiting for the moment when this sale starts on Aliexpress in order to buy the desired products cheaper.

In certain cases, discounts reach 50-70%, while these discounts are real and you can buy goods at a ridiculous price. There are also various promotions that allow you to earn coins and exchange them for discount coupons. In addition to promotions and discounts, various events are held in which you can win and receive pleasant gifts.

During the New Year, active “life” begins on Aliexpress, a huge number of goods are sold, sellers are trying to increase their rating for trading next year, buyers are trying to save money and buy goods cheaper. Some win competitions, some take advantage of simple discounts from stores, some use stale coupons.

How to buy correctly in the New Year on Aliexpress:

Analyze price formation. Make sure it has not been artificially inflated previously.
Plan your delivery correctly and take into account delays and risks.
Use additional coupons from Aliexpress and take part in promotions.
Take part in competitions to get free products.
Use the services of trusted stores.

The negative side of the New Year on Aliexpress

You should be careful about what kind of discount you are taking advantage of and whether you are actually buying an item at a reduced price. Many sellers artificially inflate prices before the holiday, after which they give a huge discount and sell the product at its previous cost. There are various services that allow you to track the growth chart of the cost of a selected product on Aliexpress.

The negative side is that you do not know when your package will arrive; standard deadlines will not work during this period. The workload on delivery services is extremely high, so the parcel will take an extremely long time to arrive. And if the dispatch date coincides with the New Year celebration in China, then it may not fly at all, because all state-owned and many private companies will not work during this period. Therefore, if you need a product urgently, then it is better to order it in advance, even without a promotion, but you will have time to receive it before the New Year.

Chinese New Year is not only an amazing holiday, but also the time of one of the biggest sales on Aliexpress. During the 2019 New Year celebrations in China, buyers will find many products with large discounts, gift coupons, competitions and various bonuses that will become available in early February.

The Chinese New Year will begin on February 5, 2019, and the celebration will last until February 20. Generally, Chinese New Year always varies between January 21st and February 21st. This is due to the fact that it is celebrated according to the Lunar calendar, that is, during the new moon. The time period for this phenomenon is a whole month, which is why the New Year is always celebrated at different times.

The symbol of 2019 according to the eastern calendar is the Yellow Earth Pig. The Chinese New Year celebration lasts for 15 days and ends with a stunning fireworks display.

What sales are expected on Aliexpress for Chinese New Year 2019

Various sales and promotions on Aliexpress in honor of the Chinese New Year 2019 should begin a few days before the holiday itself. Since Chinese New Year 2019 will be on February 5, 2019, sales should be expected in the first days of this month. Moreover, as a rule, such sales last until the end of the holiday, that is, until February 20.

During this time, customers will find a huge number of products with discounts of up to 60%. This discount is standard for this holiday; it is unlikely that you will be able to find a better one. On top of that, Chinese New Year sales will also be happening on Tmall.

During the celebration period, you should also expect competitions with Aliexpress coins and gift coupons. If you look and understand the working conditions of these competitions, it turns out that there is an opportunity to save a lot or even get some product for mere pennies. However, it is necessary to follow certain rules that have been established by Aliexpress. To do this, you need to visit the site at a strictly designated time so as not to miss the distribution of bonuses.

How Aliexpress works in Chinese New Year 2019

In China, February 5 to February 20, 2019 are considered official holidays. During this period, huge sales await everyone and, as practice shows, normal work of postal and courier services will resume no earlier than the 23rd. This raises an ambiguous question.

It turns out that Aliexpress will delight you with great discounts and sales for Chinese New Year 2019, but delivery of goods will not happen soon. However, regular customers are most likely already accustomed to this, but new ones may be confused by this course of things, because the payment has already been completed a long time ago, and the goods have not even been shipped yet. Moreover, at the end of the New Year celebration in China, a huge number of orders begin to fall on Aliexpress, which can also affect the delivery time of parcels.