Like many others, we are in awe of the ecosystem that Apple has created around its platforms. Take a look at U.S.-bound shipments of iPhone-related products over the last few years:

Things to note:

• The shipments of iPhone-related products are surging. In fact, September 2010 saw twice as many shipments as September 2009.

• Each year, the shipments of iPhone-related products surge about 4 months after Apple ships a new iPhone. Why 4 months? Well, it takes a few months to rev up a global supply chain and get goods to the U.S. market. But, more importantly, 4 months after Apple’s summer announcement is… Just in time for the holiday season.

• Thus, even if Apple doesn’t announce a Verizon iPhone tomorrow, we can safely count on seeing a lot of iPhone-related stuff available for stocking-stuffing this holiday season.

• For all the entrepreneurs who want to get into the business of importing iPhone-related products, here’s a list of the companies that are shipping these products, courtesy of Panjiva’s New Search Engine.

Methodological note: We’re tracking shipments, via boat, to the United States. For this analysis, Panjiva Trends is picking up every shipment that includes the word “iPhone.” Note that this does NOT include actual iPhones. As noted previously, super-secret Apple has figured out that it should call iPhones something else on customs documents.