Managing Risks When Importing Seasonal Products from China

Over the years, I've seen too many importers lose their shirt on seasonal goods because they ordered too late or trusted the wrong supplier. The window for holiday and event products is tight—miss it, and you're stuck with inventory no one wants. Here's how to lock in your supply chain early, verify compliance, and protect your margins.

Import of seasonal products from China

When talking about the import of seasonal goods from China, we mean importing products like e.g. items for Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, or on the occasion of various sports events, such as the World Cup.

The first of the threats that you can prevent is an unreliable supplier from China. The products you are interested in should meet all the relevant requirements in the territory into which they are imported and distributed. For example, in the European Union, some of them may require CE marking. If crucial documents (such as a CE certificate) are missing, it’s impossible to pass customs clearance and thus release goods for free circulation. In the worst cases, it results in the disposal of the goods and the loss of money on the importer’s part.

In order not to make this mistake, when the products require the CE marking, you should ask the Chinese side to send the above-mentioned certificate with a test report confirming it. You should also verify these documents. Additionally, before concluding any transaction, we suggest verifying your Chinese partner each time. If the products have a logo of a well-known brand anywhere, it is essential to ask for a license to use it.

Shipping seasonal items from China

Seasonal products are very popular, usually in the short term during the year. It is a good practice to order such goods several months in advance.

This allows us to reduce transport costs due to less interest. The decreased traffic also results in faster formalities in ports and customs clearance. Thanks to this solution, you can save both time and money. Also, you don’t risk that your goods won’t arrive on time and that you won’t be able to sell them later. Besides, we encourage you always to insure your goods. This will protect you from losing products during transport, e.g. during a storm or flooding the container’s contents with seawater.

The risk of import of seasonal products from China

Unfortunately, there are also very unique and unpredictable situations, such as this year’s coronavirus pandemic. Due to this reason, many of the huge events (like Euro 2020 and the Summer Olympics) have been postponed to a much later date. This means that such goods will not find buyers shortly. What’s even worse, it’s possible that they will be useless because of e.g. changing the date or event name. There is no possibility of protection against such a situation, and the importer has to deal with the losses.

The bottom line: seasonal importing works when you plan 6–12 months ahead, rigorously vet suppliers, and back yourself with proper insurance and quality checks. Before you place that next order, let China-Check run a supplier verification or factory inspection—it's a small cost that can save you from a warehouse full of unsellable goods.