How to Manage Orders During Chinese Supplier Holidays: Your Stress-Free Guide

We've all been there: your store is finally picking up steam, your ads are converting, and then—the calendar hits mid-January. In the world of dropshipping, the Chinese New Year (CNY) and other major holidays can feel like a sudden "pause" button on your momentum.

But what if you didn't have to stop? What if, while your competitors were putting their stores on "Vacation Mode," you were still delivering packages in 5-15 days?

At EPROLO, we believe the best way to handle the holiday freeze is to move the "ice" yourself. By leveraging our global 3PL network and smart inventory strategies, you can keep your products just a few miles away from your customers, even when the factories back home are celebrating.

Here is your roadmap to navigating Chinese supplier holidays like a pro.

Timing is Everything: Knowing the 2026 Holiday Calendar

In China, holidays like the Lunar New Year aren't just a long weekend; they are a multi-week event that ripples through the entire global supply chain.

For 2026, the official Lunar New Year holiday runs from February 17 to February 23. However, the "real" impact starts much earlier:

• Late January: Factories begin rushing to finish old orders and stop taking new custom requests.
• February 10 – 15: Local couriers and logistics staff head home. Shipping from China effectively halts.
• Late February – Early March: Operations slowly resume, but "holiday hangovers" (backlogs) can cause delays for weeks.

The Pro Tip: Don't wait until the holiday starts to act. The "safe zone" for shipping inventory out of China usually ends 2-3 weeks before the official holiday date.

Strategy 1: The Power of Pre-Ordering Inventory

The most successful EPROLO merchants don't "dropship" in the traditional sense during February; they ship from Private Inventory.

Instead of waiting for a customer to buy a product before you order it, you identify your "winning products" and buy them in bulk in advance. By doing this, you "lock in" your stock before the factory doors close.

How to do it with EPROLO:

1. Analyze your past 30 days of sales to forecast demand.
2. Use EPROLO's Private Inventory feature to purchase stock.
3. We store it in our warehouse, ready to be picked and packed the second an order comes in—even if the original factory is offline.

Strategy 2: Faster Delivery via EPROLO 3PL & Global Warehouses

If your inventory is sitting in a warehouse in Shenzhen while the staff is on holiday, your customers are going to be waiting. The solution? Move the inventory to them.

EPROLO's 3PL (Third-Party Logistics) service allows you to store your products in our 26+ global warehouses, including locations in the US, UK, and EU.

The 3PL Advantage:

• Beat the Shutdown: By shipping your bulk inventory to a US or EU warehouse in January, you bypass the February shipping gridlock entirely.
• Lightning-Fast Shipping: Orders fulfilled from local warehouses typically reach customers in 5-15 days.
• Lower Costs: While air freight prices spike right before the holidays, sea freighting your bulk stock to a 3PL hub ahead of time can save you a fortune in shipping fees.

Strategy 3: Honest Communication & Branding

Trust is the most valuable currency in e-commerce. If there is going to be a delay, your customers would much rather hear it from you on the product page than find out three weeks later via an angry email.

Manage Expectations Like a Pro:

• Website Banners: Add a clear notice: "Due to high seasonal demand, orders placed between Feb 10-25 may take an additional 5 days to process."
• Update Shipping Policies: Be specific. Instead of "may be delayed," say "ships in 10 days" so the customer can make an informed choice.
• Leverage Branding: Use EPROLO's custom packaging and labels. When a package arrives in a beautiful, branded box rather than a generic plastic mailer, the "unboxing experience" often makes up for a slightly longer wait.

Your Holiday Readiness Checklist

• 60 Days Out (December): Identify your top 3-5 bestsellers. These are the only products you truly need to worry about stocking.
• 45 Days Out (Early January): Place your bulk orders for Private Inventory and arrange for them to be moved to an EPROLO overseas warehouse.
• 15 Days Out (Early February): Update your store's FAQ and shipping headers.
• During the Holiday: Focus on marketing and customer service. Since your inventory is already in a 3PL warehouse, EPROLO handles the rest.

FAQ: Navigating the Holidays