Ordering Christmas stock from China: a planning timeline for eBay UK sellers

When should you start ordering Christmas stock from China?

Ordering Christmas stock from China starts with a date in the future, not today: the week your buyers start shopping for the products you sell. Work backwards from that week, through listing, receiving, customs, freight and production, to find the date by which you must have placed and paid for the order. For most stock that date comes much earlier than sellers expect, because every stage is slower when the whole world is shipping for Christmas.

The planning matters even more because eBay's delivery rules do not relax in December. Your stated dispatch time and estimated delivery dates still apply, and late deliveries count in the same way.

This guide assumes you buy stock to hold in the UK. eBay's drop shipping policy allows dropshipping from a wholesale supplier, but listing an item and then buying it from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to your buyer is not allowed. You stay responsible for delivery and for your buyer's satisfaction, which in December means stock on your own shelf.

What makes the Christmas season slower?

Several things stretch lead times in the months before Christmas.

• Factory capacity. Suppliers fill up with orders from buyers around the world, and new orders wait longer for production.
• Freight demand. Space on ships and planes is in demand, and prices and transit times can rise.
• Global shopping events. Large online sales events add volume to the same parcel networks.
• Customs and ports. More shipments mean more checks and longer queues.
• UK carriers. Domestic parcel networks are at their busiest, and carriers publish their own last posting dates for Christmas.

None of these delays is unusual. They happen every year, which is exactly why they can be planned for. The sellers who struggle are usually the ones who use their spring lead times to plan an autumn order.

Lunar New Year adds another pressure after Christmas: many Chinese factories and suppliers close for a holiday period, which affects restocking in the new year. Ask your suppliers for their closure dates early.

How do you build a Christmas stock timeline?

Write down each stage with a cautious estimate of how long it takes for your supplier and shipping method, using your own past orders where you have them.

1. Peak selling weeks. From your past sales or eBay sold listings, find when buyers start buying your products in volume.
2. Listing time. Time to photograph, list and get the stock ready before those weeks.
3. Receiving and inspection. Time to unpack, check a sample of units and store the stock.
4. Customs and delivery to you. Time from arrival in the UK to your door.
5. Transit. Time for the shipping method you choose.
6. Production and preparation. Time the supplier needs to make or pack your order.
7. Samples and decisions. Time to order and test samples for any new product.
8. Buffer. Extra time for peak-season delays.

Add them up and count back from your peak selling weeks. The answer is your latest safe order date.

Choosing the shipping method for seasonal stock

The shipping method changes the timeline more than any other stage. Sea freight is usually the cheapest per unit for larger orders but the slowest, so it needs the earliest order date. Air freight and express couriers are faster but cost more, which matters most for heavy or bulky items. A common approach is to bring the main order by the slower, cheaper route early, and keep a small top-up by a faster route for whatever sells better than expected. Work out the landed cost per unit for each route before you decide, because a fast route can turn a profitable product into a break-even one.

Plan the cash, not just the dates

Christmas stock is paid for months before it sells. Add up what you will spend on stock, freight and import charges in the summer and autumn, and check you can cover it alongside your normal costs until the December sales come in. Ordering early only helps if it does not leave you short of cash for everything else.

A worked example: a Christmas gift product

Example: suppose a hypothetical seller sells a gift set of enamel mugs that sells most strongly from mid-November. The durations are invented to show the method, not real lead times.

In this example the seller needs to place and pay for the order about 15 weeks before mid-November, which falls in early August. If they miss that date, faster air freight could shorten the transit but would cost more per unit, so they would re-check the margin first. A new product would also need extra weeks at the start for samples.

The worked example shows why Christmas planning often starts in the summer. Sellers who wait until autumn are usually choosing between expensive express shipping and missing the peak.

Which products should you order, and how much?

Christmas stock carries more risk than everyday stock, because demand drops sharply after the season.

Proven sellers

Products that sold well last Christmas, or that sell all year and rise at Christmas, are the safest to order early and in larger amounts. You have real sales data to size the order.

Gift-friendly everyday products

Items that make good gifts but are not Christmas-themed, such as kitchenware, desk accessories or homeware, sell more at Christmas and keep selling in January. Leftover stock is not a disaster.

Themed seasonal products

Decorations, Christmas jumpers and themed packaging sell in a short window and are hard to sell after December. Keep these orders small, especially for products you have not sold before. Our guide on how much stock to order from AliExpress shows how to size a first batch around what you can afford to risk.

Gift presentation

At Christmas many buyers are buying for someone else, so presentation matters more than usual. Sturdy, clean packaging, a simple gift-friendly box or the option of no price on the packing slip can help a listing stand out. If you plan branded or gift packaging, order it with the stock, as packaging suppliers are busy at the same time.

How do you keep December deliveries on time?

Once the stock is in, the job shifts to dispatch. eBay UK's seller performance policy counts an item with tracking as late if the delivery scan is after the latest estimated delivery date and there is no carrier scan within the dispatch time. Top Rated sellers need no more than 5 late deliveries or 3% of transactions late.

• Set a handling time you can keep on your busiest day, not your quietest.
• Get parcels scanned on time. An acceptance scan within your dispatch time protects you if the network is slow.
• Check carriers' last posting dates and tell buyers in your listings when the last Christmas order date is.
• Keep listing quantities accurate so you never sell stock you do not have.
• Pack ahead. Pre-pack your best sellers so busy days are about labels, not boxes.

What happens after Christmas?

January brings returns, leftover stock and restocking for the new year. Plan for all three before you order.

• Returns. Buyers from business sellers can cancel up to 14 days after delivery without giving a reason. Many sellers extend their return windows for Christmas gifts. Keep cash and space for refunds and returned stock.
• Leftover stock. Decide in advance whether you will hold themed stock until next year, bundle it, or clear it. Holding stock for a year ties up cash and space.
• Restocking. Lunar New Year closures can slow new-year reorders, so place them before suppliers close.

Our guide to the right to cancel online orders in the UK explains your duties on returns.

A quick checklist

• Find your peak selling weeks from past sales or sold listings.
• Build a timeline backwards, with a buffer for peak delays.
• Order proven and gift-friendly products early; keep themed lines small.
• Ask suppliers for production times and holiday closures now.
• Set December handling times you can keep and watch carriers' last posting dates.
• Plan for January returns, leftovers and new-year reorders before you buy.