The Christmas season has started much earlier.

After a month of working overtime and being busy, Wu Qingfen, the general manager of Yiwu Jingwen Import and Export Co., Ltd., who said in mid-May that they would "go all out", has now resumed normal production capacity arrangements. 

Wu Qingfen told Yicai Global that orders from major US clients were basically replenished by early June. The recent wave of prioritizing the US and shipping as much as possible has been effective. In addition, "several unexpected orders came in. We thought they wouldn't be placed until the due time, but they were all placed ahead of schedule." These orders include not only ordinary socks but also Christmas-themed decorative socks. This also means that compared to previous years, this year's Christmas shopping season has advanced by nearly two months. 

There is a factor of the "90-day window period" for tariffs behind this - it started on May 12th and has now passed one month. However, foreign trade practitioners also said that not only in the United States, but also due to factors such as the extension of sea transportation time, global customers are placing orders almost in advance. The competition for orders is about time and certainty, and the demand itself has not been significantly affected by tariffs. The significant advance of the Christmas peak season for foreign trade is a microcosm of the market's response to uncertainty and also an example of the irreplaceability of "Made in China" globally.

In Wu Qingfen's view, Christmas stockings are highly seasonal and have relatively strict requirements for delivery time. However, the overall demand does not change much each year. Generally, it is still in time for bulk customers to place orders for replenishment in September. But this year, large and medium-sized customers placed orders as early as May to be on the safe side, showing their eagerness to secure the goods. 

Wuxi Shuangzhen Needle Textile and Handicrafts Co., Ltd. also received orders for Christmas products early. The styles and designs feature Christmas elements such as jack-o'-lanterns and reindeer, and the colors are the traditional Christmas red and white or red and green. Che Yunwen, the company's general manager of foreign trade, told Yicai.com that the proportion of pet beds they produce during the Christmas season is not high. In previous years, they usually shipped the goods in July or August, but this year, some customers were eager to place orders in May or June. 

The demand from American buyers for Christmas season products has come earlier, making the "Alibaba International 618" event almost a "Christmas stocking-up special". Platform data shows that on the first day of the "Alibaba International 618" event, June 3rd, orders for Christmas-related products in the US market increased by more than 50%, with festive items such as accessories seeing a year-on-year surge of over 120%, and orders for toys used as Christmas gifts increasing sixfold year-on-year. In response, Alibaba International has decided to launch a Christmas stocking-up special zone in mid-June to help foreign trade businesses seize the business opportunity. 

The restocking demand in the United States has advanced significantly. Yiwu, known as the "World's Christmas Products Base", has also felt the changes in the global market at the first moment. 

The head of a foreign trade company in Yiwu that exports Christmas trees told the First Finance that not only the United States, but almost all countries have advanced their delivery dates. The reason is that international transportation time has been prolonged by 1 to 2 months due to uncertainties, "it takes longer on the road".

Every year, Yiwu exports over 20,000 kinds of Christmas products to 100+ countries and regions. In recent years, the shipment dates of Christmas products from Yiwu have shown a trend of continuously advancing. This year, the delivery pace has further accelerated. 

However, according to Jiang Jiangping, the head of the Christmas Industry Association in Yiwu City, the direct impact of US tariffs on the export of Christmas products from the Yiwu market "can be disregarded". 

He told Caixin that the earlier order and delivery times for global merchants were mainly due to the longer shipping time, which also brought greater uncertainty risks to the delivery process. To ensure that seasonal essential goods could be promptly placed on the shelves, merchants placed orders, produced and delivered in advance, leaving sufficient time margin as a way for exporters to reduce risks. According to data from Yiwu Customs, from January to April this year, the export value of Christmas goods from Yiwu reached 310 million yuan, an increase of 107.4% year-on-year.