Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, is one of China's major quartz clock and watch industry clusters. According to publicly available information from the Zhangzhou Municipal People's Government, leveraging its years of experience in clock and watch manufacturing, Zhangzhou has developed a relatively mature production system for quartz clocks, wall clocks, alarm clocks, and related accessories, with products exported to Europe, America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. In recent years, with the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce channels, many local clock and watch companies have been selling their products directly to American consumers through platforms such as Amazon, eBay, and Walmart. However, with the increase in order volume, an unavoidable problem has gradually emerged—how to handle returns in the US?

US E-commerce Return Environment: Clocks and Watches Are Also Affected

The overall return rate in the US retail market is relatively high. According to the National Retail Federation's "2023 Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry" report, the total value of US retail returns in 2022 was approximately $816 billion, accounting for 16.5% of total retail sales. In e-commerce channels, the return rate is generally higher than in brick-and-mortar retail.

While quartz clocks and watches do not have the same high return rate as clothing, a certain percentage of returns still exist in cross-border sales scenarios. Common reasons include: broken glass cover during transportation, misaligned hands, poor battery compartment contact, buyer's subjective perception of inaccurate timekeeping, and mismatch with home decor. Large wall clocks or products with glass covers are particularly at higher risk of breakage during cross-border shipping.

For cross-border sellers in Zhangzhou, the cost of damage per item is often amplified without local US return processing capabilities.

Zhangzhou Sellers Face Three Major Pressures in Handling US Returns

In actual operation, Zhangzhou quartz clock sellers generally encounter the following difficulties:

First, high reverse logistics costs. Returning a single wall clock or alarm clock from the US to China incurs international shipping and customs clearance costs far exceeding the profit margin, especially for low-priced products, making direct returns to China almost impossible.

Second, lack of local quality inspection and assessment. Does the returned clock truly have a quality problem? Is it a movement malfunction, or minor damage to the casing during transportation? Can it still be resold? Without local quality inspection and photographic feedback, sellers struggle to make accurate judgments.

Third, inability to relist the product. If returned goods are deemed unsellable inventory after being returned to some platform warehouses, sellers are forced to discard them or sell them at a low price. For products like watches, which have high inventory turnover requirements, this means further squeezing profit margins.

Therefore, more and more sellers in industrial clusters are starting to focus on solutions that combine "US local return warehouses + quality inspection + repackaging + relisting support."

Are there US return warehouses that support relisting?

To meet the needs of cross-border sellers, U-Speed has established a return warehouse system in the US, providing sellers with reverse logistics services.

The East Coast (New Jersey) return warehouse has a total area of 7,250 square meters and a daily processing capacity of over 20,000 items; the West Coast (Los Angeles) return warehouse also has an area of 7,250 square meters and a daily processing capacity of over 10,000 items.

The warehouses are fully equipped with hardware and software facilities, including forklifts, light and heavy-duty shelving, fire monitoring systems, and 24-hour security and CCTV systems, providing a standardized and safe storage environment for returned goods.

For watches and clocks, the stability of the warehousing environment is paramount. Moisture protection, pressure protection, and prevention of secondary damage are fundamental to return processing.

In terms of specific operations, U-Speed's US return inspection process takes 2 days. Three photos are taken of each returned product and uploaded to the system, allowing sellers to remotely monitor the product's status. The photos and inspection information determine whether the issue is due to shipping damage, minor cosmetic defects, or repairable problems.

For eligible products, the warehouse offers repackaging services to bring them up to resale standards and support restocking. Return logistics take 3-5 days, helping to shorten the inventory return cycle.

It's worth emphasizing that U-Speed's US return warehouse has no minimum spending requirement. No fees are incurred if the return service is not used after opening an account. This model provides a lower barrier to entry for sellers in Zhangzhou who are still expanding their US market presence.

Furthermore, U-Speed also has an overseas return warehouse network in countries such as the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, making it suitable for cross-border sellers operating across multiple European and American marketplaces to manage their return processes uniformly. From Manufacturing Advantages to a Robust After-Sales System

Zhangzhou boasts a mature quartz watch manufacturing base, possessing significant advantages in product quality and production capacity. However, in the cross-border e-commerce environment, manufacturing capacity alone is insufficient to sustain long-term competitiveness. The generally high return rate in the US market is an undeniable reality. How to reduce losses, improve efficiency, and achieve the return of salable inventory in the return process has become a crucial factor affecting profits.

For cross-border quartz watch sellers in Zhangzhou, Fujian, establishing a stable local US return processing system is not only a solution to immediate problems but also a vital step towards refined operations. Beyond product quality, solidifying return management is essential to truly stabilizing the overseas market.