Alphasauna Chinese Manufacturer: Best Time to Order Products

Choosing the right time to place an order is key to ensuring stable delivery times and avoiding cost increases. As a leading chinese manufacturer with over ten years of experience in the sauna and ice bath industry, Alphasauna has found that overseas customers who want to avoid placing orders during peak production periods in China and overseas holidays should place orders during the slack season according to product category—the best time to place orders for sauna rooms and hot tubs is from May to July, while for ice bath products, we recommend placing orders from September to November, thus ensuring fast delivery.

Plan Your Procurement Time in Advance

For overseas procurement, the ideal way to place an order is never to wait until you need it, but to plan ahead. Through over a decade of working with clients worldwide, Alphasauna has found that buyers who achieve smooth order placement, stable delivery times, and controlled costs are all well-informed about the industry’s peak and slack seasons and plan their procurement.

Different Product Categories Have Different Peak Seasons

Every product has its own sales patterns, and therefore, its peak production periods also differ. Take saunas, ice baths, and hot tubs as examples.
Sauna Room:The peak season for saunas is typically from September to January of the following year, due to the harsh winters in Europe and America. While saunas are also used in the summer, the number of customers is relatively lower. Customers usually start stocking up in late summer, and factories enter a period of continuous busy operation from September onwards.
Ice Bath:The peak season for ice bath products is more influenced by fitness, recovery training, and outdoor activities, with demand typically peaking from March to July. Many gyms and sports centers upgrade their equipment before spring and summer, and private users often purchase ice baths in the summer to combine with saunas or hot tubs for alternating hot and cold therapy. Therefore, overall purchasing volume continues to rise during spring and summer. However, due to the numerous holidays in China and Europe, and the United States from October to January of the following year, it is best to place orders at the end of summer or in the fall.
Hot Tub:Hot tubs have a relatively longer peak season, generally divided into two periods. The first is from September to January of the following year, similar to saunas, when hot tub use peaks. The second is from March to May in spring, when European and American families renovate their yards and purchase equipment.
Accessories Such as Heating Furnaces and Sauna Wood：The peak season for accessories follows the rhythm of sauna and hot tub production, but chinese manufacturers typically begin stocking up before orders accumulate at the start of the peak season.
Therefore, if you are sourcing multiple products simultaneously, such as panoramic glass saunas and ice baths, the supply chain scheduling must also accommodate the demand from multiple materials.

Ordering During Slack Season

If you want chinese manufacturers to complete your orders quickly and ensure smooth delivery within the stipulated time, the best strategy is to place orders during the slack season for product use. At this time, not only is the factory’s supply chain most stable and its staff sufficient, but the efficiency from procurement to completion is also higher, and procurement costs can be better controlled.
Shorter Lead Times: During the slack season, Chinese factories have more idle production lines and more flexible production scheduling. Whether it’s a pre-made or exclusive custom design, the lead time is shorter than during the peak season.
Prices and Material Inventories Are Stable：Slack season orders tend to have lower prices, and sauna and ice bath manufacturers often offer promotional discounts to boost sales. The quantities of essential materials such as wood, hardware, and glass are also relatively stable, with ample inventory and a low probability of price increases.
We typically advise customers who purchase in large quantities or require full containers of stock to place their orders during the slack season. This makes it easier to prioritize production and allows for more relaxed quality control. If you don’t want your orders to be delayed during peak season, then placing your order in advance is the wisest choice.

Pay Attention to the Peak and Slack Seasons and Holiday Schedules of Chinese Manufacturers

Pay attention to the peak production periods and holiday schedules of Chinese manufacturers. Factories during peak production periods typically experience a surge in orders and tight production lines, requiring them to wait for orders and produce and assemble products in the order they are received. In addition, production may be suspended for holidays.

Spring Festival (The Most Stressful Time)

The Spring Festival is China’s most important festival and also the period that has the greatest impact on the supply chain. It usually takes place from late January to mid-February each year, with production halted for about 1 to 2 weeks. However, the actual impact on production can fluctuate within 2 weeks before and after the holiday.
As factory workers gradually go home for the holidays, material suppliers in various regions also begin to close for the holidays and suspend operations. The supply chains for sauna wood, glass, and other materials are completely shut down, and recovery after the holidays will take time. Therefore, planning is essential.

May Day (Relatively Mild)

After the New Trade Festival in March, orders were gradually completed, but the holiday lasted about 3-5 days, which caused a slight delay in production and a slight decrease in capacity. Placing orders in advance can avoid production delays.

National Day Golden Week (Slightly Busy)

The holiday will last about a week. With a week of production stoppage plus the September purchasing season, there is a large backlog of orders, and the factory and its suppliers are in a busy state.

Other Holidays (Less Affected)

For example, holidays such as Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival are generally delayed by 2-3 days, so there is no need to take special precautions, and the impact on production is relatively small.

Avoiding Periods of International Logistics Congestion

In addition to keeping up with the production pace of Chinese manufacturers, overseas buyers also need to pay attention to the logistics and customs clearance schedules in the European and American markets.

Black Friday and Christmas (Freight Shortages)

Black Friday is linked to Thanksgiving, and Europe and America usually have a 4-5-day holiday, making it the most crucial shopping festival of the year and driving global promotions. This is followed by the Christmas holiday, the most important annual holiday in Europe and America, where warehouse staff are on holiday for 7-10 days, which can easily delay receiving arrangements.
During this period, international logistics enters its most congested phase of the year, with shipping schedules easily reaching full capacity, leading to issues such as container rollovers, delays, and port congestion. Customs clearance also slows down. Therefore, it is advisable to complete order placement and shipment scheduling before the holiday to avoid delays caused by the holiday logistics peak.

Summer Holidays (Moderate Impact)

Europe enters its summer holiday season in July and August, with many companies taking extended leave and reducing business operations. In some countries, the summer holiday can even last 2-4 weeks. If your products need to be shipped to European customers’ homes/warehouses during this period, it is recommended to avoid placing orders and shipping at the end of July or August, and to plan to ensure smooth transportation and delivery.

Easter (Minor Impact)

In many European countries, Easter is usually a 3-4 day public holiday, during which international logistics, sea/air freight, warehousing, customs, and other links may be shut down or have a significant decrease in efficiency.

From Order Placement to Delivery: Three Steps to Ensure Your Order Arrives on Time

Confirm Requirements and Specifications

When placing an order, carefully review the product catalog information, confirm the order requirements, and then confirm the dimensions, materials, etc., with the salesperson. If you are an overseas distributor, you also need to confirm whether you require a custom logo.
Determining your customized product needs in advance helps the chinese manufacturer to quickly create product designs and begin production, accelerating subsequent installation and quality inspection time, and expediting shipment arrangements. Ideally, confirm all details 2-3 weeks before placing the order to avoid arbitrary changes.

Maintain Close Communication with the Chinese Manufacturer and Provide Timely Feedback

After placing an order, we recommend that you proactively contact the chinese manufacturer to understand the current production schedule and material availability to grasp the overall delivery timeline. If you need expedited orders, you can directly inquire with your sales representative about priority production and discuss feasible solutions through close communication. Expedited production is more difficult during peak seasons, while the success rate is highest during slack seasons. Therefore, for urgent projects, please confirm the schedule with our sales representative in advance.
When an order enters the production stage, it is essential to closely monitor the production progress and estimate the delivery time according to the plan. At the same time, prepare all relevant documents and procedures in advance to ensure a quick customs clearance and receiving process upon arrival of the goods.
This not only allows you to grasp the actual delivery date in advance, promptly identify and handle related issues, and avoid product delays at the final stage, but also significantly improves receiving efficiency, making the entire order process smoother.

Reserved Transportation Time

Most of our sauna rooms, cold plunge tubs, and other products are traded under DDP, FOB, and CIF terms. Under normal circumstances, sea freight takes approximately 35–50 days. However, during peak seasons, port congestion, or holidays, the overall delivery time may extend to over 60 days. Allowing extra time for shipping allows for smoother delivery and prevents logistical delays from impacting your sales schedule.

Determine the Time Based on the Project Type

Different buyers have different ordering schedules. To ensure smooth delivery, logistics, and sales, we recommend developing a precise ordering plan based on your business model. Below is a summary of ordering guidelines for different project types compiled by Alphasauna, allowing you to navigate peak seasons and slack seasons with confidence.

Individual Buyers

Place orders in advance based on your needs.

Construction Projects

Predict the site construction progress and schedule orders and product delivery accordingly.

Retailers/Distributors

Stock up on slack season to ensure sufficient inventory for the peak season.

Conclusion

If you’d like to complete your entire purchase in one go, Alphasauna can provide everything you need. We offer not only sauna rooms, cold plunge tubs, and hot tubs, but also a variety of sauna accessories such as wooden bucket sets, hourglasses, thermometers, hygrometers, backrests, and lampshades. You can also customize packaging, logos, color schemes, and set combinations to create a unique product line that makes your sales more competitive.

FAQS

Question1：How Long Does It Take to Confirm the Drawings and Details for a Customized Product?

Answer：Drawing confirmation typically takes 1-3 days, but special structures may require 3-7 days. It is recommended to confirm all dimensions, materials, logos, and packaging requirements 2-3 weeks before placing the order to avoid delays due to modifications after production begins.

Question2：How Is the Production Schedule Usually Arranged in Chinese Factories?

Answer：We typically schedule production based on payment milestones. Once the deposit is received, the factory immediately purchases the necessary materials. Production only officially begins after the customer pays the balance. For custom orders, the design and material delivery cycles also need to be considered, resulting in a slightly longer overall timeframe. Orders are processed faster during the slack season, while longer queues are expected during peak season.

Question3：Can You Show Me Photos or Videos of the Production Process?

Answer：Of course! By communicating closely with our sales representatives, we can provide photos or videos of production, quality inspection, and shipping, allowing you to track your order’s progress in real time from overseas.