If you are sourcing products from China, there is one big holiday you should be aware of which is the Chinese New Year, aka the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. It is one of the most awaited and celebrated holidays in China.
As part of the celebrations, almost all Chinese factories will stop operating between the 12th of February and the 20th. Of course, this will have a huge impact on procurement, production as well as logistics for FBA sellers around the world.
This is why, we at sellerboard, have compiled some awesome tips to help you prepare for these celebrations and prevent delayed shipments as well as quality issues that can have a negative impact on your business.
- Prevent a possibility of running out of stock & forecast your orders
Make sure to contact your factory inquiring about their office and factory closed days for the CNY, as well as the last day you can place an order and receive shipment prior to the celebration. It’s common that factory workers take between 3-4 weeks of holiday, which means that products won’t be produced and this can lead up to a 60 day delay in production of your goods if not foreseen correctly.
To ensure that your products are shipped on time, start transporting them as early as the beginning of January.
We also recommend using sellerboard to forecast your orders. The best way to prevent delayed orders, quality problems, higher costs and inflated shipping prices would be predicting your orders with the forecast feature in your sellerboard dashboard.
- Check Freight Forwarders’ Capacity and Pricing
Due to the increased volume of orders going out just before CNY, shipping companies usually experience a huge demand for transport containers. As the freight forwarder’s pricing depends on the supply and demand, this is typically the most expensive time of the year for shipping goods. Therefore, make sure you confirm the pricing prior to shipping as well as inquire about the deadline. Otherwise, missing the deadline could mean getting your items stuck in the warehouse until March 2021.
- Make sure you send a gift to your supplier for the CNY
Sending a gift to your supplier is not essential. However, that would make a nice and appreciated gesture.
A great gift would be something that resembles your country or hometown. Such a gift would be greatly appreciated by your supplier. In case you decide on not sending a gift, make sure you wish them a happy Chinese New Year of the Ox at least through an ecard. This is also a great time to build your relationship with your manufacturer. Try to learn more about them, asking about their plans for during the CNY as well as traditions during the festival.
Other than that, sellerboard will always send you an alert when you are running out of stock or it’s time to reorder and other FBA errors.
For now, Happy upcoming New Year from the sellerboard family to yours!
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