China Couriers Hike Lunar New Year Prices as Delivery Riders Head Home

China’s major express couriers will charge more for their services over the Lunar New Year period and have warned that deliveries — which one major logistics firm said were up as much as 30% over last year — will take longer during the traditional holiday period as workers take time off to be with their families.

SF Express Co. Ltd., one of China’s largest couriers, is charging a so-called “resource adjustment fee” of up to 20 yuan ($2.95) per package from Jan. 21 to Jan. 27, depending on the customer’s membership status, parcel weight, and destination, according to a service representative who spoke to Caixin.