With the holiday season in full swing, online spending in the US continues to surge. Adobe Analytics predicts that US consumers will spend $131 billion this year, an increase of approximately 4.8% year-on-year, with per capita spending exceeding $890. E-commerce platform eBay has performed particularly well, with significant increases in traffic and transaction volume during the holiday season. Automotive parts, consumer electronics, collectibles, home and garden supplies, and fashion apparel are the five best-performing categories. Sales of snowmobile tracks and boards have increased by a remarkable 95% year-on-year, demonstrating strong demand for winter sports equipment.
However, the other side of this sales boom is a significant increase in return rates. For cross-border sellers, efficiently handling returns and minimizing losses under the pressure of the peak season has become a crucial factor in their success.
Holiday Season Return Wave Arrives Early
According to Salesforce's "2024 Global Holiday Shopping Report," the average return rate in the US in 2023 was 16.5%, while it can reach 25% during the peak holiday season. It is expected that this year, while total spending will reach a new high, the number of returns will also rise accordingly. While diversified product categories and promotional activities on platforms like eBay drive sales growth, they also increase return risks—especially for high-return categories such as apparel, electronics, and outdoor gear.
Some consumers stock up on or try multiple items during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, then return them afterward. This "seasonal surge in returns" creates a peak in return processing for cross-border sellers in early January. If returned goods cannot be promptly warehousing, inspected, or resold, the problems of tied-up capital and inventory buildup are amplified.
At this time, a local US return warehouse with comprehensive reverse logistics capabilities becomes particularly crucial.
U-Speed US return warehouse: Efficiently Solving After-Sales Pain Points for Cross-Border Sellers
During the holiday season return peak, U-Speed leverages its comprehensive warehousing network and professional team to provide cross-border sellers with a one-stop return processing service.
Dual Warehouse Layout in the East and West Coasts
U-Speed operates two self-owned return warehouses in the United States:
East Coast (New Jersey) Return Warehouse: 7250 square meters, with a daily processing capacity of 20,000+ items;
West Coast (Los Angeles) Return Warehouse: Also 7250 square meters, with a daily processing capacity of 10,000+ items.
Both warehouses are equipped with forklifts, light and heavy-duty shelving, fire monitoring, and 24-hour security systems, including CCTV surveillance. Standardized operations throughout the entire process ensure safe and traceable returns. Returns from eBay, Amazon, or independent websites are received, sorted, inspected, and processed quickly.
Return Inspection and Restocking: Bringing Goods Back to Market
U-Speed's US return warehouses support professional inspection, relabeling, cleaning, repackaging, and restocking.
Resaleable goods undergo visual inspection, functional testing, and label verification. Items with minor defects or damaged packaging are refurbished and repackaged. Taking popular categories like apparel, outdoor gear, and auto parts as examples, returns often involve minor wear and tear or packaging issues. U-Speed's professional handling can restore these items to relistable condition, helping sellers reduce losses and improve inventory utilization.
This "returns recirculation" mechanism is particularly suitable for sellers with large inventories on eBay, significantly reducing return losses and warehouse backlog.
Fast processing, reduced return costs
During the concentrated holiday season, the speed of return processing is crucial. U-Speed's US return warehouse quality inspection can be completed within 2 days, and return logistics takes only 3-5 days, significantly shortening the return cycle and helping sellers accelerate cash flow.
Meanwhile, U-Speed offers various solutions such as return reshipment, overseas destruction, and return shipping to the home country. Sellers can flexibly choose the optimal processing method based on the value and category of their goods, reducing operating costs while maintaining a high level of brand service.
A Complete Service Chain to Support Sellers' Continued Growth
U-Speed not only provides return services but also expands its US-based forward logistics system, covering first-leg transportation, warehousing, drop shipping, and returns, forming a complete cross-border logistics loop. This means sellers can manage the entire process from shipment to after-sales service within the same system, eliminating the need for multi-party coordination and effectively improving overall operational efficiency.
Furthermore, U-Speed's local US operations team collaborates closely with its China business management team, supplemented by professional customer service support, ensuring smooth communication across time zones and timely response to after-sales issues.
As platforms like eBay experience peak sales during the US holiday season, increased returns have become a challenge that cross-border sellers must address. Those who can respond quickly and process returns at low cost during peak periods will gain greater consumer trust.
U-Speed, with its dual-warehouse layout, efficient quality inspection, flexible return solutions, and comprehensive system support, provides sellers with reliable reverse logistics solutions, helping brands maintain competitiveness and sustainable growth even after the peak season.
