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Luna Sun

Joe Zhou came home from work one evening to find numerous packages at his Beijing flat door – a stack so high he could barely squeeze through. He had ordered almost everything his newly renovated home would need online, from appliances like an oven and coffee maker to full pieces of furniture.
Scenes like these are becoming increasingly common across China, as the country’s courier sector expands in tandem with the seemingly unstoppable rise of e-commerce.
On Tuesday, the State Post Bureau reported more than 100 billion parcels had been delivered this year – a major milestone reached 71 days sooner than in 2023.
This equates to an average of 71.43 packages per person, 5,144 packages delivered every second, or 440 million packages moving across China every day.
Per the same data, peak daily volume exceeded 580 million parcels, average monthly volume surpassed 13 billion parcels and average monthly revenue was over 100 billion yuan (US$14 billion) – all record highs.
China is the world’s largest e-commerce market – accounting for about half of global online sales – with companies like Alibaba, JD.com and PDD becoming household names in the sector. Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post.


According to the Ministry of Commerce, China’s online retail sales reached 15.4 trillion yuan (US$2.1 trillion) in 2023, growing by 11 per cent and consolidating its global lead for the 11th consecutive year.
However, the rise in delivery volume has come with a cost for operators, as a fierce price war has diminished profits in recent years.
To capture market share, many couriers have cut prices to unsustainable levels, pushing some small and medium-sized firms to the brink of extinction and eroding profitability across the industry.
Last year, major Chinese courier companies STO Express, Yunda and YTO reported a decline in revenue per parcel.
The surge in parcel numbers is also driven by more product returns. Some sellers report return rates of around 60 per cent, with women’s clothing – a product category boasting some of the highest return rates – seeing percentages as high as 80 to 90 during peak periods, according to some media reports. This means that only one or two of every 10 purchases are actually completed.
Cherry Wang, a resident of the southwestern city of Chengdu, is one of many young women with no qualms about returning clothes. During China’s premier online shopping seasons, she returns up to 70 per cent of her purchases.




“I usually go all out during big sales, spending about 2,000 yuan and returning around 1,000 yuan’s worth,” she said. “Even when I’m not shopping much, my return rate is still around 50 per cent.”
The rapid growth of the courier sector can be credited to a concurrent development of transport infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. According to the Ministry of Transport, China has established over 1,200 county-level public delivery service centres and more than 300,000 logistics service stations for villages.
Consequently, the volume of parcels collected and delivered in rural areas has increased more than tenfold over the past decade.
Building on China’s rural delivery systems, courier companies have increased their own investments in technological and logistical improvements. In the country’s less densely populated western regions, packages that once took a week to arrive can now be delivered in as little as two or three days.


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China hits 100 billion deliveries as couriers grow part and parcel with e-commerce

China’s courier sector, fuelled by an e-commerce boom, has seen record highs for package deliveries this year. Photo: Getty Images

China’s courier sector, fuelled by an e-commerce boom, has seen record highs for package deliveries this year. Photo: Xinhua

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Economy

China Economy

News

China

Business

China Business

Fuelled by an explosion in e-commerce, China has reported 100 billion package deliveries for the year – the milestone’s earliest annual date


Higher rates of online purchases – and returns – have meant massive increases in courier traffic in China, with 100 billion package deliveries already reported for the year, breaking last year’s record by 71 days.


E-commerce

China technology

Retailing

Transport and logistics