Recently, TikTok Shop released its latest weekly best-selling product lists for the UK and US.
In the US market, beauty and skincare products, as well as practical household items, performed particularly well. Products like GOPURE Instant Brightening Eye Gel and Medicube PDRN Pink Collagen Multi-Effect Cream had estimated weekly sales of $1.4 million to $1.7 million. Meanwhile, practical items such as the Shark 3-in-1 vacuum cleaner and hair removal products also made it onto the best-selling list.
In the UK market, the sales trends are more diversified, with different product categories showing strong consumer potential.
For cross-border sellers, these lists send a clear signal: TikTok Shop continues to experience strong growth in the UK and US markets, but as order volumes increase, return issues also amplify. Especially for high-return categories like beauty, footwear, apparel, and household goods, the real pressure on sellers is often not "not being able to sell," but "how to handle returns."
UK and US consumers are increasingly valuing the return experience.
Whether in the US or the UK, local consumers are very sensitive to the return experience. According to the "2025 Retail Returns Landscape Report" released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Happy Returns, the average return rate for US e-commerce channels is projected to reach 19.3% in 2025; meanwhile, 82% of consumers consider "free returns" as a significant factor in their purchasing decisions.
In the UK market, return practices are equally mature. According to industry data released by the British Retail Consortium and logistics technology company Clearpay, apparel and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) have consistently been among the categories with high online return rates in the UK.
This means that for TikTok Shop sellers, returns are no longer just an after-sales issue, but a crucial factor affecting store ratings, customer repeat purchases, and inventory turnover.
Especially for beauty and skincare products and footwear, returns are prone to occur due to reasons such as discrepancies with expectations, differences in skin feel, and sizing issues. If returns are not processed promptly, it not only increases inventory pressure but also easily leads to refund disputes and negative reviews.
Why are more and more sellers starting to establish local return warehouses?
In the past, many cross-border sellers would choose to have returned goods directly returned to their home countries. However, as orders from TikTok Shop in the UK and US markets continue to grow, the problems with this model are becoming increasingly apparent.
Firstly, there's the long turnaround time. International returns often take weeks, extending the refund process for consumers and negatively impacting the after-sales experience.
Secondly, costs are high. For many low- to mid-priced items, international reverse logistics costs can even exceed the value of the goods themselves.
More importantly, many returned items still have resale value. For example, in the beauty and personal care, footwear, apparel, and home goods categories, many returns only have slightly damaged packaging, minor creases, or missing tags. If quality inspection, simple cleaning, repackaging, and relabeling can be completed locally, these items can still be resold.
Therefore, more and more TikTok Shop sellers are now focusing on local return warehouses. More importantly than simply receiving returns, a well-established return warehouse helps sellers reduce inventory losses and increase the resale rate of their products.
U-Speed's US returns warehouses Help Sellers Improve Return Processing Efficiency
To meet the return needs of the US market, U-Speed currently operates two major returns warehouses: one in the East Coast (New Jersey) and the other in the West Coast (Los Angeles). The East Coast warehouse covers a total area of 7,250 square meters and has a daily processing capacity of over 20,000 items; the Los Angeles warehouse in the West Coast also covers 7,250 square meters and has a daily processing capacity of over 10,000 items. Both warehouses are equipped with forklifts, light and heavy-duty shelving, fire monitoring, 24-hour security, and CCTV systems to meet the return processing needs of various types of goods.
In the returns processing, U-Speed supports a photo inspection service, uploading three photos of each returned item to help sellers quickly check the product's condition. For resaleable items, repackaging services are also available to help products meet platform listing requirements again.
Furthermore, for footwear and apparel sellers, U-Speed offers customized services such as lint removal, simple cleaning, ironing, and odor removal to help sellers further improve the utilization rate of returned goods. In terms of delivery time, U-Speed's US return logistics takes 3-5 days, and return inspection takes 2 days, helping sellers process returned goods faster and reduce inventory backlog.
Besides the US market, U-Speed also provides local returns and exchanges services for UK e-commerce sellers. Currently, U-Speed's UK return warehouse covers 17,000 square meters and can handle a peak of 30,000 orders per day. For the UK market, U-Speed offers customized services such as door-to-door pickup, return receiving, return packaging, restocking, direct destruction, and return shipping to the UK, helping sellers flexibly handle returns based on different product circumstances.
Compared to traditional return models, local return warehouses not only shorten the refund cycle but also improve the after-sales experience for consumers.
Intensifying competition in the UK and US markets makes return processing capabilities crucial.
As competition intensifies in the TikTok Shop UK and US markets, sellers are no longer just competing on price and traffic. Increasingly, what truly impacts profits and repeat purchase rates is after-sales service and return processing capabilities. For cross-border sellers, a mature and efficient local returns warehouse can not only help reduce inventory losses but also improve the customer experience and reduce after-sales disputes.
