Yiwu merchant Xiang Liming displays Spring Festival decorations that have been popular in recent years at her store in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, on Aug 25, 2026. [Photo/IC]

Vendors in Yiwu, a county-level city in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, are already taking orders for Year of the Goat Chinese New Year products more than five months before the holiday, with overseas buyers starting purchases earlier than in previous years.

Wang Zi, a vendor specializing in traditional Chinese New Year prints, said on Aug 25 that his business had already delivered its first batch of overseas orders for the coming Year of the Goat.

At the Chinese New Year goods section of the Yiwu International Trade Market, vendors are contacting buyers both online and in person while arranging production and inventory according to incoming orders.

Wang said overseas buyers tend to place orders well in advance because production and delivery take time, with sea freight alone generally taking one to two months. Large buyers from the United States, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia typically make their purchases before October, while domestic customers and smaller overseas buyers begin ordering later.

Xiang Liming, who sells Chinese New Year decorations at the market, said her business offers more than 1,000 designs and that major buyers from Malaysia, Singapore, and other markets have already begun requesting prices and selecting samples.

As demand for Chinese New Year products expands overseas, Yiwu vendors are also preparing products in multiple languages. These include English, Thai, and Indonesian versions of Spring Festival couplets and Chinese New Year prints. Spring Festival couplets are pairs of auspicious phrases traditionally displayed on red strips beside doorways.