When should importers start shipping for Christmas shopping?

Photo 9122449 © Wojciechbeczynski - Dreamstime.com

There comes a point in every peak season when western importers, especially retailers desperate to get their goods onto the shelves to catch the Christmas shopping frenzy, have to ask themselves: “When, exactly, is the last boat from China?”

Let’s work backwards. To make it for Christmas, goods need to be at point of sale by mid-December at the latest. A container supply chain would commonly require around a week for a box to be moved from arrival port to an ...