Double 11 2026 in China: dates, express overload and sample delays

The name comes from 11 November, but the platforms stretch the campaign over several weeks. According to Meiri Jingji Xinwen (24 September 2026), JD.com launches its 11.11 on 12 October, with immediate stock sales; its end date had not been published by late September. On the Tmall side, Beijing Business Today (22 September 2026) reports presales and deposits from 15 October, final payment on 20 October at 8 pm, then stock sales from 20 October to 13 November at 11:59 pm, nearly 25 days.

Two points matter for an importer. The campaign starts right after Golden Week (1 to 7 October 2026, State Council notice): factories reopen on 8 October and swing almost immediately into 11.11. And Taobao and Tmall are opening the 2026 edition in 20 foreign markets, with more than 1.2 million merchants and over 90% of medium and large items shippable directly abroad (Sina, 21 September 2026): part of that wave rides the same express and air lanes as your own shipments.

Figures from the State Post Bureau give the scale: from 21 October to 11 November 2025, China's postal and express sector handled 13.938 billion parcels, an average of 634 million a day, 117.8% of a normal day, with a daily record of 777 million (State Post Bureau report published on 12 November 2025).

The peak does not fall on 11 November. In 2024, the busiest day of the season was 22 October, with 729 million parcels, against 701 million on 11 November. In 2025, a report relayed by the Bureau placed the first wave of the high season on 22 October, over a period of about a month. The first peak therefore follows closely on the late-October balance payment, in the very days factories are restarting after Golden Week.

For 2026, no official peak forecast had been published as of 29 September. The trend remains upward (134.06 billion parcels from January to August 2026, up 4.6% year on year). Xinhua noted in 2025 that stretching the campaign out spreads the peaks and eases logistics pressure, at the cost of several weeks above normal.

11.11 2026 arrives against a backdrop of rising prices. Under the so-called "anti-involution" policy, several provinces raised in September the express rates charged to business clients: at least 0.15 yuan more per parcel in Anhui and 0.1 yuan in Jiangsu from 20 September, 0.2 to 0.3 yuan in several cities in Henan since 9 September (21st Century Business Herald, 21 September 2026).

These amounts remain small per unit, but domestic shipments between the factory, your agent and the consolidator cost a little more right as volumes climb.

International express out of China keeps growing year on year: 4.22 billion international parcels and parcels to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in 2025, up 8.8%. According to its MyDHL notice (US site), DHL Express applies a demand surcharge from 1 October 2026 to 5 February 2027 on its time- and day-definite international services; amounts vary by origin and destination, and those for the China-to-Europe lane were not listed in the notice consulted on 29 September, so they need to be requested at the time of quoting.

Air freight already starts from a high level. For the week to 21 September 2026, the Baltic Air Freight Index showed a rise of 20.9% year on year, with departures from Hong Kong up 19.6% and from Shanghai up 19.7%, and jet fuel up 116.5% year on year as of 18 September according to IATA (Air Cargo News, 22 September 2026). WorldACD reported for the week of 14 to 20 September Asia-Pacific tonnages up 11% year on year and firm China-to-Europe spot rates, while judging e-commerce volumes out of China rather weak (AJOT, 28 September 2026).

On the European side, one factor weighs on small e-commerce parcels: since 1 July 2026, a flat customs duty of €3 per tariff category applies to consignments of €150 or less imported from outside the Union, until 1 July 2028, declared and paid by the seller or the importer (European Commission, 29 June 2026). It first targets online sellers registered with the IOSS (Council of the EU): for samples, have the customs treatment confirmed by the carrier.

Many Chinese factories no longer work for export alone: they also sell on the domestic market, directly or through client brands present on Tmall, JD or Douyin. Between mid-October and mid-November, these workshops put their stock, packing and logistics staff toward their own sales. We found no reliable figure on how much export-factory or sample lead times stretch during this period: it is a risk to plan for, not a statistic.

It is the small requests that get pushed back: a sample, a colour change, a pre-production batch, an order under the usual minimum. The best protection is to ask in writing before Golden Week: does the factory sell on the domestic market, and does it freeze shipments or samples during 11.11?

As with Golden Week, start from the dates of pressure, not from the date you want to receive the sample. For a critical sample, the window is narrow.

For heavier batches, with air freight already 20% more expensive year on year and a demand surcharge in force, it is worth looking at sea or rail, factoring in the blanked sailings and the limited space DACHSER flags around Golden Week. The choice depends on your real deadline, not on your usual mode.

Sorva is an international sourcing and trading company, from China to the world, with offices in Guangzhou and in France. Around 11.11, our team in Guangzhou asks each factory, before Golden Week, whether it sells on the domestic market and how it handles samples during the campaign, then sets your shipping schedule on those answers rather than on a verbal promise.

We have door-to-door shipping quoted in full, seasonal surcharges included, and we weigh up express, air freight, sea or rail against your deadline. Our monthly monitoring tracks your suppliers' pace during these periods of pressure. In most cases you pay no fees: you open a file, we negotiate the goods for you and we take a commission on their ex-works value.