August 2026

Why the US and EU Both Killed De Minimis in the Same Year     For nearly two decades, a single Latin phrase quietly shaped the economics of global e-commerce. “De minimis” — too small to matter — let low-value parcels cross borders duty-free, with barely a glance from customs officers. In the United States, […]

The End of Cheap: How China-to-West Shipping Changed Forever in 2026     The China-to-West supply chain worked on a basic, nearly invisible subsidy for 20 years. Small goods moved for next to nothing. Tariffs were an afterthought for anyone shipping under $800. Ocean freight costs spent most of the 2010s hanging near historic lows.

Why EORI Numbers Are Now Non-Negotiable for EU-Bound Sellers     A package departs a Shenzhen warehouse on time, sails for weeks, then sits at an EU port because one line of data was missing from the customs form. More and more, that missing line is the Economic Operators Registration and Identification number, popularly known

Multi-Warehouse Strategy: Splitting Stock Between China and Overseas     For most of the past decade, cross-border sellers have structured their worldwide sales channels around a single place of origin. The products were manufactured in China, stored in a Shenzhen or Yiwu warehouse and sent directly to buyers on the other side of the globe.

How to Choose a Freight Forwarder for Your First China Shipment     Shipping your first order out of China can be a bit like being handed the controls of an aeroplane you’ve never flown. Containers, incoterms, bills of lading, customs bonds and a dozen acronyms are all flying at you at once, and somewhere

Amazon FBA Prep from China: What Changed After De Minimis Ended     Introduction For more than a decade, the $800 de minimis exemption has been the silent motor of low-cost cross-border e-commerce. A supplier in Shenzhen or Yiwu may ship a parcel directly to a U.S. doorstep, or directly into an Amazon FBA incoming

How Currency Fluctuations Are Quietly Changing Your Shipping Costs     The exchange rate, a number most shippers never think about, is quietly rewriting their bills somewhere between a supplier’s workshop in Shenzhen and a warehouse in Ohio. Everywhere in logistics, people are watching bunker costs, port congestion and tariff headlines. But the currency market

Return Shipping from Europe/US Back to China: The Overlooked Cost   Introduction Every cross-border merchant speaks about the cost of delivering a product from a Shenzhen warehouse to a customer’s doorstep in Los Angeles or Berlin. Much less is said regarding the return of the same merchandise. Most cost models consider return shipment an afterthought,

The Packaging Mistake That Triggers Extra Customs Inspections     Sometimes a package that’s totally legal and paid for can be stopped at the border over something as minor as a misaligned label or an unclear description on a carton. The delays are down to the product, most importers think – prohibited goods, discounted bills

How to Calculate Landed Cost Before You Even Place the Order     Most sourcing decisions still revolve around a single number, the supplier’s FOB or EX Works quote. It’s neat, it fits nicely into a spreadsheet, and it’s the number that comes up first in a WeChat message from a factory sales rep. The