As the peak season for express delivery, couriers are busy delivering packages and are also "happy" to receive them. Chen Yu, a manager of a courier service outlet in Guangzhou, told the First Financial Daily that this year's Double 11 period is longer, with the number of delivery orders gradually increasing from the beginning of the month. It is expected that the peak period for express delivery during this Double 11 will end on the 13th. In terms of collection, due to the return needs of some users, it is expected that the small peak for collection will be delayed until the 14th, following the delivery peak period.

Chen Yu stated that the daily pickup of individual parcels at his branch is around a single digit number. During the Double 11 shopping festival, there is a small peak in returns, with the daily pickup of individual parcels increasing by about %, reaching nearly a single digit number per day. In terms of business volume, the delivery volume at the branch far exceeds the pickup volume. Chen Yu mentioned that during the Double 11 period, each courier has to deliver between 100 and 200 parcels. Although the pickup volume has increased by %, it remains relatively low for the 100 couriers at the branch.

From a pricing perspective, couriers earn more during the collection phase. Chen Yu stated, "The per-ticket income during collection is relatively high. When a courier's income from delivery falls below a certain amount, the per-ticket income during collection is 2 to 3 times that of delivery, reaching over 100 yuan. Naturally, couriers prefer collection work due to the higher per-ticket income, although there are not as many items to collect." In terms of overall income, Chen Yu estimates that this year's Double 11 will see couriers' earnings increase by 20% to 30% compared to daily levels, with many couriers expected to earn over 10,000 yuan.

During the Double 11 period, some consumers may choose to refuse delivery upon receipt. "Some customers, for example, may have accidentally bought duplicates or made impulsive purchases at the time, and they may choose to refuse delivery directly. Refused packages will be returned to the sender without any additional charges, which may cause some losses for the courier service." Overall, the prices this year have remained stable. In previous years, delivery fees for couriers would see a slight increase during Double 11, but now the per-ticket delivery and collection fees for couriers during this period are the same as those on regular days.

On the other hand, in previous years, many merchants reported that express delivery fees would increase during peak seasons, but this year, many outlets did not raise prices. Regarding this, the above-mentioned outlet manager said, "Now, various platforms frequently hold promotions, so consumers' enthusiasm for participating in Double 11 events is not as strong as before." Another outlet manager told The First Financial Daily that the collection fee for express delivery staff is twice the dispatch fee, ranging from yuan to yuan, which is significantly higher than the declining dispatch fees. From his outlet's perspective, the number of daily collection of scattered orders is around tickets. This year's Double 11 saw a daily increase of several hundred scattered orders in his outlet, which is less compared to the past.

The reason is that when consumers return items through e-commerce, if they choose to return through the platform, the platform will use a cooperative courier brand for the return, but the nearby outlets may not necessarily receive the order. He explained that many驿站 (parcel stations) are franchise-based, and if a particular courier brand's personnel are responsible for the station, then the station's dispatching will tend to favor that courier brand when consumers return items. Some consumers have corroborated this view, stating, "When receiving goods, various couriers are used, but when returning goods, it is usually a fixed courier who comes to pick up the item, regardless of which item is being returned."

Freight insurance has also exacerbated this situation. "Many e-commerce platforms offer freight insurance, where consumers don't need to handle the process when returning goods; the platform arranges for a cooperating courier service to collect the returned items." He explained that this type of return is directly coordinated between the platform and the courier brand, differing from individual consumer returns. With large volumes of orders, platforms have greater bargaining power. "If consumers were to return items on their own, the standard charge for pickup at the service point would be around X yuan or Y yuan. Through the e-commerce platform, the charge at the platform's service point would be between X yuan and Y yuan, significantly less." In this scenario, the price difference between pickup and delivery by couriers has narrowed.

From the perspective of revenue, e-commerce return shipments have also become an important business for courier brands. In its semi-annual report, SF Express mentioned that the company's share of platform-assigned return shipments on certain e-commerce platforms accounted for %-% of the total, helping to maintain high growth in e-commerce return volumes. At the same time, SF Express has launched a new feature on its mini-program for consumers to initiate online shopping return orders, supporting consumers in self-initiated return scenarios. When releasing its semi-annual report, STO Express mentioned that it will continue to enhance its capabilities in expanding individual orders and large clients, including actively developing reverse return business with multiple e-commerce platforms.