Israeli consumers are once again filling the skies with parcels from abroad, turning to international e-commerce sites in record numbers after a two-week closure of the country’s airspace created a massive delivery backlog.
July began with “millions of packages waiting to land,” said Israel Post vice president for commerce, Eran Kristal. Within days of the skies reopening, couriers cleared the queue — and demand roared back. A weak shekel-dollar exchange rate, unrelenting price rises at home, and aggressive promotions on Chinese platforms have combined to turbocharge cross-border sales.
Kristal pointed to an “unprecedented surge” in orders from China, led by discount marketplace Temu, which now accounts for nearly 20 percent of all parcels arriving from overseas sites. Volumes are climbing not only in sheer numbers but in size and value: Flat-pack furniture, garden equipment, home appliances, and large toys are replacing the traditional flow of small accessories.
“Sites like Temu have identified the Israeli cost-of-living squeeze and are targeting the market with very attractive deals on bulky items, many of them shipped to the doorstep free of charge,” Kristal said. The online retailer, he added, is in “daily contact” with Israel Post to smooth last-mile logistics.
The trend underscores how inflation and high living costs are reshaping local spending habits. While domestic prices continue to rise, the shekel’s strength against the dollar, combined with no-questions-asked return policies from international sellers, makes overseas shopping ever more appealing.
Israelis continue online consumerism even as war casts doubt on exports, delivery
Industry data show that overall foreign-site orders rebounded faster than expected once the backlog cleared, suggesting that Israelis remain quick to seize consumer bargains despite wartime uncertainty. “Everywhere you look, the numbers are going up, items, weight, volume,” Kristal said. “The Israeli shopper hasn’t lost the instinct to pounce when opportunity knocks."