The 2025 US Christmas shopping season once again broke online spending records. According to a report released by Adobe Analytics, from November 1st to December 31st, 2025, US consumers spent a total of $257.8 billion online, a year-on-year increase of 6.8%, setting a new historical high. During the holiday season, there were 25 days with single-day sales exceeding $4 billion, significantly higher than the 18 days in 2024. Meanwhile, mobile shopping accounted for over 50% for the first time, reaching 56.4%, and on Christmas Day, this proportion rose to 66.5%.

The continued surge in online consumption means greater sales opportunities for cross-border sellers, but it also amplifies a long-standing but easily underestimated problem—return pressure.

The more orders, the more concentrated the returns, making the holiday season a "post-sales test" for cross-border sellers.

Based on historical data and changes in platform rules, the holiday season is often the period with the highest concentration of returns throughout the year. On the one hand, consumers place orders in concentrated bursts during major promotional periods, with a significant increase in impulse purchases and gift orders. On the other hand, the rise in mobile orders further increases the probability of returns due to insufficient information and unrealistic expectations.

For cross-border sellers, holiday season returns exhibit several typical characteristics:

Concentrated Outbreak: Returns often concentrate within 1-3 weeks after the holiday, creating short-term pressure on warehousing and manpower;

Time Sensitivity: Platforms have strict requirements for refund speed and return processing cycles; slow processing directly impacts store ratings;

Amplified Costs: International returns to China are costly, and many returned goods face the risk of being abandoned.

With the ever-expanding order volume, returns are no longer just an after-sales issue, but a crucial link directly related to profits and the long-term operational stability of the store.

Why are traditional return methods increasingly unsuitable for the US market?

Many cross-border sellers initially chose to centrally ship US returns back to China, but in the current environment, the limitations of this approach are becoming increasingly apparent.

Firstly, costs are uncontrollable. Whether for small or medium-to-large items, cross-border return shipping costs are high and time-consuming. Add to that the uncertainties of tariffs and customs clearance, and it's easy to "lose money on every return."

Secondly, there's the issue of timeliness. From the time a consumer initiates a return to the time the goods actually arrive in China, it often takes weeks or even longer, failing to meet the platform's requirements for refund and after-sales response speed.

More realistically, many returned goods don't have quality issues, but due to a lack of local processing capabilities, they lose the possibility of resale.

Against the backdrop of the continued expansion of online consumption in the US, localized return processing is becoming a necessity for cross-border sellers, not a bonus.

US local return warehouses are becoming a "buffer zone" for cross-border sellers.

More and more sellers are starting to handle returns locally in the US, with the core goals being simple: faster returns, lower cost loss mitigation, and a higher probability of relisting.

The value of local US return warehouses is primarily reflected in three aspects:

Shortened return process: Returns to customers are processed locally, allowing for faster platform refunds; Controllable return quality control: Simple inspection and grading differentiate between salable and unsalable goods; Inventory reuse: Eligible goods can be directly relabeled and restocked, reducing inventory loss.

During peak seasons like the holiday season, when orders and returns are highly concentrated, the processing capacity and stability of local return warehouses directly determine whether sellers can smoothly navigate the peak period.

How does U-Speed's US return warehouse handle the high-intensity return demand during the holiday season?

To meet the return processing needs of the US market, U-Speed has established a stable return warehouse network in the East and West coasts, providing cross-border sellers with more controllable return solutions.

The East Coast (New Jersey) return warehouse has an area of 7,250 square meters and a daily processing capacity of over 20,000 orders, covering major consumer areas in the eastern and central United States.

The U.S. West Coast (Los Angeles) returns warehouse also boasts 7,250 square meters of storage space, capable of handling over 10,000 orders daily, making it ideal for meeting the return needs of West Coast and Asia-Pacific cross-border sellers.

Both warehouses maintain standardized hardware configurations, equipped with forklifts, light and heavy-duty shelving, fire monitoring systems, and 24-hour security and CCTV surveillance to ensure the safety and traceability of returned goods during processing.

From "Returnable" to "Resellable": The Key Difference in Returns Processing

Unlike simple return collection, U-Speed's US returns warehouse emphasizes efficiency and operability. In terms of staffing, the Chinese returns management team oversees the process, while a local Chinese team in the US handles the specific operations, complemented by a professional customer service team, ensuring smooth communication and standardized procedures. Regarding timeliness, returns quality inspection can be completed within 2 days, and subsequent return logistics processing is controlled within 3-5 days, helping sellers complete refunds or inventory adjustments as quickly as possible.

For goods with resale value, after quality inspection and relabeling, they can directly enter the next sales stage, avoiding the passive situation of "returns equal losses."

Beyond returns, a complete US logistics loop is formed.

It's worth mentioning that U-Speed doesn't limit its services to returns but simultaneously expands its local US logistics capabilities. Through a combination of warehousing, dropshipping, and return services, sellers can complete inventory turnover, order fulfillment, and after-sales processing within the same system, reducing the time and communication costs associated with multiple intermediaries.

Against the backdrop of continued growth in US online consumption and the holiday season becoming a regular peak sales period, this integrated logistics and return processing model is gradually becoming a crucial support for the stable operation of cross-border sellers.