Wholesale Toy Buying Calendar 2026–2027: When to Order for Christmas, Easter, Summer and Back-to-School

Short answer: work backwards from the shelf date. Allow 25–45 days for production, 5–10 days for testing and booking, 20–40 days on the water, 5–10 days for customs and delivery, and 2–4 weeks of buffer. That means Christmas toys are ordered in June–July, summer toys in December–January, Easter in November–December and back-to-school in March. Chinese New Year (mid-January to mid-February) removes three to four weeks from any timeline that crosses it, so orders placed in December are effectively January orders.

Order-by dates for 2026–2027 (sea freight)

*Orders confirmed after 10 January 2027 will not enter production until factories reopen after Chinese New Year; ask about in-stock lines instead. Dates assume a 40HQ, standard sea freight and no air. Use our order deadline calculator for your own port.

How the timeline breaks down

1. Quote and samples (3–10 days). Stock samples ship by courier in 3–7 days; custom packaging samples take longer.
2. Production (25–45 days). Squishies and stock plastics are at the fast end; RC and battery-operated items and custom-box play sets at the slow end. Peak season (July–October) adds 1–2 weeks.
3. Testing and inspection (5–10 days). Lab tests run in parallel with production if samples are approved early; final inspection is 2–3 days before loading.
4. Booking and loading (5–7 days). Shantou or Shenzhen; space is tight from August to October, so book early.
5. Transit. Roughly 15–20 days to the US West Coast, 30–40 to the East Coast, 30–40 to Northern Europe, 25–35 to Mexico’s Pacific ports, 35–45 to Brazil.
6. Customs and delivery (5–10 days). Longer if documents are missing; have the CPC or Declaration of Conformity ready before arrival.

Seasonal categories and when to plan them

• Q4 / Christmas: dolls and plush, RC cars, building sets, light-up novelties. Highest factory load; order earliest.
• Easter and spring: plush bunnies and chicks, egg-hunt fillers, craft kits.
• Summer: swim rings, water blasters, bubble machines. Order before Chinese New Year.
• Back-to-school: STEM kits, LCD writing tablets, stationery-style toys.
• Halloween: glow and light-up items, themed plush, party favours.

Ways to shorten the calendar

Buy in-stock designs (production 10–15 days), split a program into an early sea shipment and a smaller later top-up, or use LCL for the first 10–15 m³ while the full container follows. Air freight is rarely economic for toys because of volume, but sea-air via Dubai or rail to Europe can save two weeks at moderate cost. Reusing last year’s test reports on repeat SKUs also removes a week of lab time.

FAQ

When should I order Christmas toys from China?

Confirm orders by late June to mid July for a November shelf date by sea. Later than August means air freight or missing the season.

How long is the Chinese New Year shutdown for toy factories?

Most Chenghai factories close for two to three weeks around the holiday and take another one to two weeks to reach full output, so plan a four-week gap.

Can I still order summer toys in February?

Only in-stock lines. Custom production confirmed in February typically ships in late March or April, which is too late for May shelf dates in most markets.

Does a mixed container take longer than a single-factory order?

Slightly, because the slowest factory sets the loading date. A trading company sequences production so that fast lines are finished last and nothing waits in the warehouse.

Send us your program and shelf date and we reply with a production and shipping calendar per line within one business day. Related: shipping toys to Europe, lead times by category.