Black Friday 2025 saw Shopify once again deliver a performance that ignited the cross-border e-commerce industry. According to official Shopify data, global sales on the platform reached $6.2 billion, a 25% year-over-year increase. The peak occurred at 12:01 PM EST, with sales reaching $5.1 million in a single minute. Consumer purchasing power far exceeded expectations, with the global average shopping cart amount reaching $117.93, and cross-border orders accounting for 17%. The US and Australia continued to dominate the top five markets, with Australia performing particularly well, showing a 53% year-over-year increase in POS sales. Queensland brand LSKD even sold $10 million in one hour, with cosmetics and sportswear becoming the two star categories this Black Friday.
The Black Friday surge undoubtedly brought many Shopify sellers their highest peak in traffic, orders, and revenue of the year. However, with the exponential increase in orders, "Shopify returns" also followed—especially between Black Friday and Christmas, historically the busiest return season for US e-commerce. More orders, more returns—this is a reality that cross-border sellers can hardly avoid.
Behind the Black Friday Surge: Why Are Shopify Returns So High?
During Black Friday, consumers have strong impulse buying, with huge discounts, and the categories are concentrated on high-return products such as apparel, sportswear, and cosmetics. According to industry-wide experience in the US, the normal return rate for apparel can reach 20%-30%, and even higher during peak seasons. Cross-border orders generally have a higher return rate than local e-commerce orders due to differences in size, texture, and color, coupled with variations in logistics timelines.
Shopify sellers typically face three types of return pressure:
1) High cross-border return costs – International return shipping is expensive, making it practically impossible to return individual items to China;
2) Peak season return surge – The 2-4 weeks following Black Friday are a peak period for US consumers to exchange and return items, and delayed processing can lead to inventory backlogs;
3) Impact on store performance – Long return waiting times and slow processing negatively impact customer reviews, subsequently affecting store conversion rates.
With cross-border orders accounting for 17% of Shopify's total orders, addressing returns has become a core operational aspect that sellers must plan for in advance.
U-Speed US returns warehouse: Professional Returns Solutions Covering the East and West Coasts
As Shopify merchants face peak return periods following the surge in Black Friday orders, U-Speed's two large US return warehouses provide stable local support thanks to their processing capacity, speed, and professionalism.
East Coast (New Jersey) Returns Warehouse: Covering the Core Consumer Area of the Eastern US
Area: 7250㎡
Daily Processing Capacity: 20,000+ orders
The warehouse is fully equipped with forklifts, light and heavy-duty shelving, and a fire monitoring system. 24-hour security + CCTV system. The East Coast warehouse is close to densely populated areas such as New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, which helps to speed up return delivery and handle the massive order volume during peak season.
West Coast (Los Angeles) Returns Warehouse: Serving the Core Cross-Border Area of the West Coast
Area: 7250㎡
Daily Processing Capacity: 10,000+ orders
The Los Angeles warehouse is located near California's e-commerce hub, making it ideal for Shopify sellers of sportswear, beauty, and fast fashion products, with a particularly significant advantage during peak season return periods. Whether in the East or West Coast of the US, U-Speed provides a unified standard: professional and standardized warehouse environment, complete equipment, comprehensive security system, and professionally trained operators, ensuring consistent processing quality for every return.
U-Speed's US Return Service Advantages: Building a truly sustainable return system for Shopify sellers
① Sino-US Team Collaboration: Stable and meticulous return processing capabilities
U-Speed's US return business is led by the China business management team, with hands-on operations by a Chinese-American team, and equipped with a professional customer service team, allowing Shopify sellers to receive a consistently stable service experience even during peak seasons.
② High Efficiency: Quality Inspection in 2 Days, Logistics Return in 3-5 Days
Efficiency is especially critical during peak seasons. U-Speed provides: return quality inspection completed within 2 days, and return logistics returned in 3-5 days. Fast and efficient, helping sellers maintain rapid inventory turnover during peak seasons.
③ Supports end-to-end US logistics: A one-stop closed-loop service from initial shipment to warehousing and returns
In addition to return warehouses, U-Speed also covers: US initial shipment transportation, US overseas warehousing, drop shipping, and local returns, helping Shopify sellers reduce the complexity of coordinating with multiple suppliers and improve operational stability during peak seasons.
U-Speed has established a return warehouse network not only in the US but also in Europe.
Besides its two major warehouses in the US East and West, U-Speed also provides return warehouse services in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and other countries.
For sellers with a multi-site presence (such as Shopify + TikTok Shop US/UK), a multi-country return warehouse network means faster return response, higher inventory turnover efficiency, and reduced overall supply chain costs.
Black Friday order surges are just the beginning; return processing capabilities are the long-term competitive advantage for Shopify sellers.
Shopify's $6.2 billion in Black Friday sales in 2025 is a signal of continued growth in the cross-border e-commerce industry. However, the higher the sales volume, the more product categories, and the higher the cross-border ratio, the more critical the return processing becomes in terms of overall profitability.
Having a stable and efficient return warehouse in the US is essential for cross-border sellers to maintain competitiveness, ensure customer experience, and increase repeat purchase rates during peak seasons.
U-Speed's US return warehouses, with their East Coast and West Coast dual-warehouse layout, powerful daily processing capacity, professional team, and high-speed delivery, have become a vital infrastructure that Shopify sellers can rely on throughout peak seasons and year-round operations.
