5 Must-Watch Promotions
🇨🇳 China Singles' Day
11/11
Annual biggest discounts on Taobao / Tmall / JD / Pinduoduo, often 50-70% off
🇺🇸 US Black Friday
Last Friday of November
Amazon / Costco / Sephora discounts around 30-50%
🇺🇸 Amazon Prime Day
July / October, twice
Prime-member exclusive deals, strongest for electronics
🇨🇳 China 618 Mid-Year Sale
6/18
JD-led event, with major price drops on appliances and electronics
🌍 Christmas Holiday Discounts
12/24-26
European winter sales begin; luxury goods can be 30-50% off
12-Month Promotion Calendar
1January
🇪🇺 European winter sale, late stage: UK, France, Germany, and Italy luxury discounts continue at 30-50%
🇯🇵 Japan first sale and lucky-bag season: January 1-3 Rakuten and Amazon JP lucky bags + New Year promotions
🇺🇸 US New Year sales: Macy's and Nordstrom January clearance season
🇰🇷 Korea January Sale: cosmetics and fashion year-start clearance
2February
💝 Valentine's Day, February 14: global promotions on cosmetics, luxury goods, and chocolate
🇨🇳 Post-Lunar-New-Year restart deals: slower-season sellers promote to rebuild traffic
🇺🇸 Presidents Day, third Monday of February: appliances and mattresses
3March
🎁 March 8 Women's Day / International Women's Day: China ecommerce cosmetics and women's fashion at 30-50% off
🇯🇵 Japan fiscal-year-end sale: late March accounting year-end clearance for appliances and electronics
4April
🇰🇷 OliveYoung spring beauty festival: Korea K-Beauty major sale at 25-40% off
🌸 Early Mother's Day promotions: jewelry and cosmetics gift sets before May Mother's Day
5May
💐 Mother's Day, second Sunday of May: global promotions on luxury goods, beauty gift sets, and cosmetics
🇺🇸 Memorial Day, last Monday of May: appliances and outdoor gear
🇨🇳 May 5 Shopping Festival: Tmall and Taobao summer warm-up deals
6June, Peak Season
🇨🇳 JD 618 Mid-Year Sale, June 18: one of China's largest annual promotions, appliances / electronics 30-50% off
🇨🇳 Taobao / Tmall follow-up promotions: apparel and cosmetics join platform-wide discounts
🌈 Pride Month: special rainbow collections from many brands
7July, Peak Season
🇺🇸 Amazon Prime Day, mid-July: Prime-member exclusive deals, Amazon-owned brands and Echo devices often 30-50% off
🇪🇺 European summer sale, Soldes: official sale periods in France, Italy, Spain, often 30-50%
🇯🇵 Japan summer sale: summer festivals and summer-apparel clearance
8August
🎒 US Back-to-School promotions: electronics, stationery, and apparel at 25-40% off
🇺🇸 Apple education offers: MacBook / iPad student discounts, often with gifts
🇰🇷 Korea summer sale: cosmetics and fashion
9September
🍎 Apple launch event, mid-September: new iPhone / Watch releases and older models drop in price
🇺🇸 Labor Day Sale, first Monday of September: mattresses and appliances
🇨🇳 9.9 sale: Taobao and JD autumn promotion warm-up
10October, Peak Season
🇺🇸 Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, mid-October: second Prime Day-style event and Christmas warm-up
🇨🇳 Singles' Day presale begins around October 24: Tmall deposits lock prices early
🎃 Halloween promotions, October 31: cosmetics, fashion, and cosplay
🇰🇷 OliveYoung K-Beauty November sale begins: Korea's largest beauty promotion season
11November, Annual Peak ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌟 Singles' Day, November 11: Taobao / Tmall / JD / Pinduoduo annual biggest sale, often 50-70% off
🛒 US Black Friday, last Friday of November: Amazon / Costco / Sephora 30-50%
💻 Cyber Monday, Monday after Black Friday: electronics discounts continue
🇰🇷 OliveYoung K-Sale: Korea's largest annual beauty sale, around November 3-10
🇯🇵 Japan Black Friday follow-up: Amazon JP and Rakuten around November 24-27
12December, Year-End Peak
🎄 Double 12, December 12: Tmall / JD year-end second major sale
🎁 Christmas, December 25, + Boxing Day, December 26: major promotions in Europe, the UK, and Hong Kong
🇪🇺 European winter sale begins: luxury goods 30-50%, continuing into January
🎉 New Year's Eve promotions: December 31 last-chance deals across ecommerce markets
5 Forwarding Tips for Sale Seasons
1. Plan your buying list 1-2 weeks early
Sale-season inventory is limited, and popular items sell out quickly. Build wishlists first, such as Amazon Wishlist or Taobao favorites, set price trackers such as CamelCamelCamel and Keepa, and check historical prices to confirm whether the discount is real.
2. Use threshold discounts, red envelopes, and cross-store coupons
China Singles' Day / 618 often uses complex threshold rules, such as spend 300 and save 50. Suggested flow: 1. identify coupons early 2. combine multiple stores to trigger cross-store discounts 3. pay presale deposits to lock prices, because presale can be cheaper than the event day itself.
3. Plan split forwarding batches
During sale seasons, large order volume is normal. Suggested flow: 1. place urgent orders around November 1, including Singles' Day presale 2. place bulk orders on November 11 3. forward another batch at the end of November for Black Friday restock. Split batches can reduce freight pressure and distribute customs risk.
4. Plan sea freight early during peak congestion
November is the busiest international sea-freight month, with full containers and delivery times extended by 5-10 days. Use air freight for urgent goods, and buy non-urgent goods in late October when possible.
5. Use price-tracking tools
1. Amazon US: CamelCamelCamel.com for historical prices 2. Amazon JP: Keepa 3. Taobao: historical price sites to check whether sellers raised prices before discounting 4. favorite target products and observe for 1-2 months before buying.
Buying Strategies by Budget
💵 Budget NT$5,000-10,000, small-budget shopping
Recommended: 1. choose either Singles' Day or Black Friday 2. focus on daily goods and cosmetics 3. consolidate once to save freight 4. avoid high-duty products such as supplements at 30% or apparel at 10.5% 5. keep dutiable value under NT$1,800 where possible for duty-free treatment
💰 Budget NT$10,000-50,000, medium purchasing
Recommended: 1. participate in multiple sale seasons 2. buy electronics on Prime Day, cosmetics during OliveYoung K-Sale, and daily goods on Singles' Day 3. split into 2-3 forwarding batches 4. add insured value for high-value goods 5. consider commercial import if reselling
💎 Budget NT$50,000+, bulk purchasing
Recommended: 1. focus on 618 + Singles' Day for appliances and large items 2. use commercial import, including ECFA 0% duty where applicable 3. use LCL/FCL sea freight to save 70% on freight 4. use HowBridge forwarding plus professional AEO customs brokerage services. ⚠️ Cross-border payment service is not included under Banking Act §29.
Global Promotion FAQ
Q1. Is Singles' Day really cheaper? Do sellers raise prices first and then discount?
Some do. Singles' Day / 618 generally has many deals, but about 10-15% of sellers may raise prices before discounting. Suggested approach: 1. add target products to favorites 1-2 months early 2. use historical price sites such as lishijiage.com 3. buy only when the price is at least 20% below normal 4. the lowest prices often appear during the presale period in late October.
Q2. Do I need to be a Prime member to buy Amazon Prime Day deals?
Yes. Prime Day discounts are available only to Prime members, with annual membership at USD$139. Without membership: 1. register for the 30-day Prime free trial, usually once per year 2. place orders during Prime Day 3. cancel afterward if needed while still using Prime direct shipping and shipping benefits during the trial 4. if you buy only a few items, use a 30-day trial or ask a US friend to help privately and ship to a local consolidator warehouse in the US.
Q3. Will Taiwan customs be congested after China Singles' Day?
Yes. Late November to early December is Taiwan customs' second-busiest annual congestion period, after the pre-Lunar-New-Year period. Recommended: 1. export before November 15 where possible 2. confirm EZWay quickly for early December shipments 3. add 3-5 days to expected clearance time 4. use air freight for urgent items instead of sea freight.
Q4. Black Friday or Singles' Day: which is cheaper?
It depends on category: 1. electronics such as phones, laptops, and appliances are often cheaper during US Black Friday, especially Apple and Sony US pricing 2. China brands such as Xiaomi, Huawei, and Taobao apparel are cheaper on Singles' Day 3. beauty is often cheapest during Korea OliveYoung K-Sale 4. luxury goods are often cheapest during European Boxing Day sales with VAT refund. Choose by category.
Q5. Do sale-season purchases have the same warranty as normal purchases?
Yes. Promotions do not change warranty terms. Watch for: 1. more counterfeit goods during sale seasons, especially from Pinduoduo and third-party Shopee sellers 2. keep warranty cards and serial numbers 3. cross-border warranty differs by brand, such as US Apple Watch global warranty versus Sony not generally supporting cross-border warranty. See the
complete electronics forwarding guide.
Q6. Can I participate in sales from multiple countries at the same time?
Yes, and it is recommended. Practical example: 1. early November Korea OliveYoung K-Sale for cosmetics 2. November 11 China Singles' Day for daily goods and apparel 3. November 24-27 US Black Friday for electronics and supplements 4. Cyber Monday for electronics restock 5. all goods arrive at our sourcing region and are consolidated. Buying across 4 countries in one month can spread freight cost most efficiently.
