Recently, courier fees have increased in multiple regions across Guangdong and Zhejiang. The price hike primarily targets e-commerce clients and platforms, leaving individual shipments unaffected. The rate adjustment is understood to range between RMB0.3 and RMB0.7 per item, with a minimum price set at RMB1.4 per order. Some merchants have stated that while the per-item increase is modest, the high volume of shipments means their monthly costs could surge by over RMB30,000, making it difficult to fully pass the increase on to product prices.
This pricing adjustment is viewed as a significant step in the courier industry’s “anti-involution” movement. In July of this year, the State Post Bureau explicitly advocated against “involutionary competition,” urging the industry to return to rational pricing, improve service quality, and enhance working conditions. Some courier companies, such as J&T Express, have also indicated that the price increase is a uniform response to policy and market peers.
According to mainland media reports, industry expert Zhao Xiaomin pointed out that the courier sector has long suffered from vicious “trading volume for price” competition. This price pressure is particularly intense in e-commerce hubs like Guangdong and Zhejiang.
Some regions had even seen ultra-low prices such as “RMB0.8 to ship nationwide,” leading to operational difficulties for grassroots delivery stations and unstable incomes for couriers. The current price adjustment is expected to shift the industry from a price war to quality competition and may gradually change the common “free shipping mechanism.”
Looking ahead, as the courier industry moves toward high-quality development, prices are anticipated to gradually rebound. The sector may also see consolidation and elimination of players, further increasing market concentration. Concurrently, companies are expected to enhance technology investment, improve services and solutions, and optimize the delivery fee and income mechanisms for couriers, promoting the industry’s sustainable development.
