"US retailers frontload China orders for holiday season, shipping firms say", 30 June 2026

U.S. retailers have brought forward orders from China by four-to-six weeks to secure their inventories for Black Friday and Christmas holiday sales before expected tariff hikes later this year, shipping executives said...

The ​U.S. Trade Representative has proposed a 12.5% tariff on imports from China and elsewhere following an investigation into forced labour, which Beijing denies, with a final decision expected in coming months.

"There is an expectation that tariffs could be raised again, or restored to previous levels, so everyone is rushing to get goods in before that happens," said Tony Meng, a China-based senior sales manager at shipping firm XPD Global...

Usually such orders peak ‌in July-September but shipping firms said volumes in May ⁠and June were higher than expected...

A China-based shipping executive...said back-to-school items such as stationery and apparel were part of the May-June frontloading, while early Christmas stockpiling also played a role.

He added May's rise was also due to soccer World Cup-related orders, including jerseys, flags, souvenirs and large-screen TVs...

Henderson expects volumes to drop after July and into the third quarter ​due to a "combination of inventory already landed and a tariff environment that structurally raises the cost of China-origin goods."