As soon as Thanksgiving ended, American consumers immediately entered holiday shopping mode. According to publicly available statistics, online spending in the US reached $23.6 billion in just three days, far exceeding market expectations and giving this year's holiday shopping season a strong start. "Cyber Monday," which followed closely behind, was highly anticipated, with online spending expected to reach $14.2 billion on that day. Adding the four days following Thanksgiving, online spending approached $38 billion, maintaining the high activity level of US e-commerce at the end of the year.
Although overall consumer confidence has not fully recovered, and price increases due to tariffs are impacting American households' disposable budgets, high-income earners continued to spend, while those with limited budgets found ways to buy gifts through discounts and short-term loans. This resulted in "Cyber Monday" achieving a projected 6.3% year-on-year growth, maintaining its position as the "biggest online shopping day of the year." Meanwhile, Black Friday's $11.8 billion in online spending broke records again, further igniting online shopping enthusiasm.
While the market focuses on GMV, discounts, and conversion rates, cross-border sellers should pay more attention to the fact that increased sales are accompanied by a corresponding increase in returns. The key to profitability lies in managing the return process and minimizing costs after the peak season.
Holiday shopping season sales surge, but so does the pressure of returns in the US.
The fourth quarter of each year is the peak season for traffic and sales in the US e-commerce industry, and also the peak period for returns. Especially between Thanksgiving and Christmas, US consumer purchasing behavior is significantly influenced by seasonality: large-scale gift purchases, trial purchases of clothing, and mismatched electronics all contribute to persistently high return rates.
This year's Black Friday and Cyber Monday growth also means that cross-border sellers will face a second wave of after-sales pressure in mid-to-late December. If returns are not processed promptly, it will not only tie up operating funds but also lead to slow inventory turnover, reduced product value, and increased difficulty in reselling, ultimately eroding overall seasonal profits.
In this context, the importance of local US return warehouses is becoming increasingly apparent. The faster the return processing speed, the more stable the entire supply chain, allowing cross-border sellers to truly secure profits during peak seasons.
Why has return processing become crucial for cross-border sellers operating in the US?
More and more cross-border sellers are realizing that in the US market, return processing capability is almost equivalent to the ability to guarantee profits.
The reasons are simple:
US consumers have mature return habits, with short cycles, large volumes, and frequent returns.
The holiday shopping season sees a large number of impulse purchases of gifts, resulting in an even higher return rate.
Third-party platforms (Amazon, TikTok Shop, etc.) have stricter requirements for return processing timelines and warehousing compliance.
Therefore, many cross-border sellers in Shenzhen proactively seek stable local US third-party return warehouses to handle after-sales service, replacing overseas customer service centers in handling quality inspection, sorting, classification, re-warehousing, or domestic returns.
Among the many return warehouses, U-Speed's US return warehouse has attracted more attention from sellers in recent years due to its scale and processing capacity.
U-Speed US returns warehouse: A Dual-Warehouse Network Covering the East and West Coasts, Ideal for Peak Season Processing
During peak seasons when returns surge, the strength and stability of a warehouse are crucial. U-Speed's US returns warehouse network currently operates two core locations in the East and West coasts, both possessing large-scale processing capabilities and mature operating systems, capable of handling third-party returns from cross-border sellers.
East Coast (New Jersey) Returns Warehouse
Warehouse area: 7250 square meters
Daily processing capacity: 20,000+ orders
Located near major ports and densely populated areas, handling returns from the East and Midwest of the US.
West Coast (Los Angeles) Returns Warehouse
Warehouse area: 7250 square meters
Daily processing capacity: 10,000+ orders
Covering California and the entire West Coast of the US, suitable for the after-sales needs of TikTok Shop and Amazon independent website sellers.
Both warehouses are equipped with:
Forklifts, light and heavy-duty racking
Fire monitoring system, 24-hour security and CCTV
Complete quality inspection, sorting, shelving, and return capabilities
During peak return seasons, this stable warehousing hardware and professional staff allow sellers to confidently entrust their after-sales processes to third parties.
Efficient, Controllable, and Closed-Loop: The Three Advantages of U-Speed's US Return Service
To provide cross-border sellers with greater certainty in their after-sales service, U-Speed's US return service system emphasizes "stability, speed, and reusability."
01 Professional Staffing: US Team Hands-on Operations + Chinese Team Management
A Chinese management team leads the business processes, while a local Chinese team in the US handles warehouse operations. Combined with a dedicated customer service team, this ensures smooth cross-border communication, timely reporting, and no information gaps.
02 Leading Efficiency: 2-Day Quality Inspection, 3-5 Day Return Logistics
During peak season, return efficiency determines cash flow. U-Speed's efficient system helps sellers quickly restore inventory and maintain turnover efficiency.
03 One-Stop Closed-Loop Service
In addition to return services, U-Speed also provides: first-leg transportation, warehousing, drop shipping, and local returns. Sellers don't need to deal with multiple suppliers individually, significantly reducing communication costs and making peak season operations smoother.
As US holiday shopping season sales continue to break records, cross-border sellers enjoy high GMV but also face increased return pressure. Return processing speed, warehouse stability, and timeliness directly impact the final profit performance for the season. For cross-border sellers, choosing a reliable third-party return warehouse in the US is not only a solution for after-sales issues, but also a crucial step in improving operational efficiency and reducing costs.
U-Speed's US return warehouses, with their dual warehouse layout across the East and West coasts, standardized operating procedures, and scalable processing capabilities, have become an important tool for many sellers to manage peak season returns. If you are preparing for the holiday season's return peak, you should plan ahead to ensure a stable backend supply chain so that you can confidently push for increased sales.
