Recently, the price increase in the domestic express delivery industry has attracted widespread attention. Since Guangdong and Zhejiang took the lead in piloting, and now Hubei, Tianjin, Shandong, Liaoning, Heilongjiang and other places have followed suit, the increase in express delivery prices has become the focus of the industry. This change not only affects express delivery companies and e-commerce merchants, but is also closely related to the lives of consumers.
The cover reporter learned from a number of express delivery companies that the price increase is mainly to get rid of the "price war" quagmire and return the industry to rational competition. In the past, competition in the express delivery industry was fierce, and various companies engaged in "price wars." Single-ticket revenue continued to decline, and service quality was also affected. Taking the data from the first five months of 2025 as an example, the average unit price of domestic express delivery dropped to 7.5 yuan, a sharp plunge compared with 18.28 yuan in 2006. At the height of the "price war", Yiwu, Zhejiang, even saw ultra-low-price competition from Jitu Express' "8 Hair Nationwide". The entire industry fell into a vicious cycle of "volume and price inversion", which also forced it to make price increases.
The "price war" not only hurts corporate profits, but also reduces the income of couriers and affects service quality. In order to maintain operations, express delivery companies can only cut costs, couriers' dispatch fees are reduced, work enthusiasm is frustrated, and express delivery efficiency and service experience are also far worse than before. This price increase is a self-adjustment of the industry, aiming to improve the industry ecology and enhance the overall service level.
E-commerce merchants and ordinary consumers in Chengdu have different reactions to the increase in express delivery prices. Ms. Li, who is engaged in clothing e-commerce and mainly cooperates with YTO, said helplessly that after the price increase, the express delivery cost per item increased by 0.4 yuan, which had a significant impact on her costs. "We are in the clothing business, and profits are not high to begin with. When express delivery fees increase, we will have to spend several thousand yuan more every month." In order to cope with the rising costs, she plans to optimize product packaging, reduce gifts, and even consider raising product prices appropriately.
Mr. Zhang, an ordinary consumer, said that when he occasionally sends express delivery, the price increase is not obvious, but if he sends it frequently in the future, he may consider cost-effectiveness more. He hopes that when express delivery companies increase prices, their service quality can also keep up, such as faster delivery and more timely door-to-door delivery.
Nationwide, express delivery price increases have surged in many places. On July 29, the State Post Bureau convened a number of heads of leading express delivery companies to hold discussions on the issue of managing "involvement" competition. Since then, Jiangsu, Fujian, Hunan, Hebei, Henan, Shandong and other places have successively raised express delivery floor prices. In mid-July, Yiwu, Zhejiang Province took the lead in launching a price increase, with the express delivery floor price rising from 1.1 yuan/order to 1.2 yuan/order; starting from August 4, the express delivery floor price in Guangdong Province increased by 0.4 yuan/order as a whole, with the average unit price rising to More than 1.4 yuan; on August 11, the single-ticket price of the full kilogram section of various express delivery brands in Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province increased by 0.3 yuan; on August 17, the average express single-ticket price in Donghai County, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province increased by about 0.4 yuan .
The express price increase is expected to be between 0.3 yuan and 0.4 yuan per ticket. After the adjustment, the single ticket prices of many mainstream express delivery brands, including ZTO, YTO, and Yunda, will be stable in different ranges. Industry insiders analyze that although price increases will help improve the industry ecology and ensure the stability of terminal courier income and franchise outlets, competition in the express delivery industry is still fierce, and its long-term impact on the entire industry ecology remains to be further observed.
