For cross-border sellers targeting the US market, peak season is never just about order growth. Every year after Black Friday, Christmas, and back-to-school season, a surge in returns often follows. The faster orders go, the more returns accumulate. If processing can't keep up, the first thing disrupted isn't inventory, but the entire store's operational rhythm.

Why do peak season returns always come so quickly and intensely?

From a market perspective, US consumers have relatively mature return habits. Data from the National Retail Federation (NRF) shows that the overall return rate for US e-commerce consistently remains between 15% and 20%, but during peak holiday seasons, return rates for categories like apparel and footwear are often significantly higher than in off-peak seasons.

During peak season, intensive promotions and shorter purchase decision cycles make consumers more likely to "order first, decide later," directly amplifying the number of returns. For cross-border sellers, returns are not isolated incidents, but rather a predictable surge in traffic.

What truly troubles sellers is the drain on operational resources caused by returns.

The problem isn't "whether there are returns," but whether they are within a controllable range.

During peak season, sellers should focus their energy on replenishment, advertising, and customer service response. However, when a large number of returns come in at once, several common problems arise if there's a lack of stable processing capabilities:

Returns pile up, severely delaying quality inspection.

Resaleable goods are unable to return to inventory for extended periods.

Platform disputes and refund appeals are handled passively due to insufficient evidence.

Over time, returns cease to be an after-sales issue and directly impact front-end sales and cash flow.

Slow return processing "holds the line."

In peak season, the value of time is amplified. If returns cannot be quickly inspected and categorized, sellers cannot determine which products can be relisted and which need refurbishment or disposal. This information delay keeps inventory decisions consistently slow.

Especially for sellers with multiple SKUs and batches, if return processing can't keep up with the pace, they often have no choice but to adopt a conservative strategy—direct clearance or destruction—to stop losses in the short term, but continuously eroding profit margins in the long term.

Maintaining a stable peak season pace hinges on the "capacity" of return processing.

Peak season returns are not a temporary problem, but a concentrated test of the return system's capacity. Sufficient warehouse space, manpower, and standardized processes determine whether peak return periods can be smoothly handled. The value of a professional US return warehouse lies not only in "receiving goods," but also in its ability to maintain a stable processing pace during peak periods, ensuring overall efficiency isn't affected by fluctuations in return volume.

How do US local return warehouses cope with peak season pressure?

U-Speed has established two major return warehouses in the US: one in the East Coast (New Jersey) and the other in the West Coast (Los Angeles) to handle return demands from different regions. The East Coast returns warehouse covers approximately 7,250 square meters, with a daily processing capacity of over 20,000 items. The Los Angeles returns warehouse in the West Coast also covers 7,250 square meters, with a daily processing capacity of over 10,000 items.

The warehouses are equipped with forklifts, light and heavy-duty shelving, fire protection and monitoring systems, and implement 24-hour security and CCTV management, providing stable hardware support for high-frequency returns during peak seasons.

Standardized processes ensure returns don't get out of control during peak seasons.

In practice, U-Speed's China returns management team develops unified processes, while the local Chinese team in the US handles on-site execution and coordinates information with a professional customer service team. The advantage of this model is that even if the return volume increases in stages, the processing standards will not be diluted.

Regarding timeliness, U-Speed's US returns quality inspection takes approximately 2 days, and the return logistics takes 3-5 days. Additionally, a photo inspection service is provided for each returned item, with all photos uploaded to the system to help sellers monitor the status of their goods and provide a basis for subsequent decision-making.

From "Handling Returns" to "Return Processing"

During peak seasons, passively processing returns makes it difficult to maintain a stable pace. More importantly, it's about maximizing the utilization rate of returned goods.

Beyond basic quality inspection, U-Speed supports repackaging services, enabling eligible products to be relisted. It also offers customized return processing solutions for apparel sellers, including lint removal, simple cleaning, ironing, and odor removal, helping sellers extend the product's sales lifecycle without violating platform rules.

Peak Season Tests Not Sales Volume, But System Capabilities

A surge in returns during peak season isn't scary; what's scary is lacking the ability to cope. When return processing becomes part of the operational system, rather than a temporary remedy, sellers can maintain a stable pace during peak periods.

By integrating return inspection, reprocessing, and logistics through professional US return warehouses, sellers can maintain sufficient inventory flexibility and cash flow after the peak season, preparing for the next round of growth.