The new round of trade policy combination punches recently launched by US President Trump, including increasing tariffs and canceling small exemptions, can be said to be a precise "hammer" to Chinese foreign trade export companies.

According to the latest policy, the United States will impose a reciprocal tariff of up to 34% on Chinese goods. Combined with the 20% that has been implemented before, the total tariffs imposed on China this year have soared to 54%. At the same time, the $800 small exemption policy (T86 mode) that was once regarded as a "talisman" by many cross-border sellers will also be officially cancelled.

From May 2, 2025, parcels sent through the international postal network with a value of no more than $800 will no longer enjoy tax-free treatment. At that time, each parcel will be subject to a tariff of 30% of its value or a fixed $25 (increased to $50 per piece from June 1, 2025). This adjustment directly changes the cost structure of cross-border small packages.

Costs are rising, models are limited, and the "bonus period" of small parcel cross-border delivery has ended

For foreign trade companies, the profit margin is relatively transparent, and the increase in tariffs is almost equivalent to a direct increase in costs. Both American customers and Chinese manufacturers find it difficult to digest this additional cost alone.

In the past, many companies tried to transfer production capacity to Southeast Asia to avoid the tariff pressure brought about by Sino-US trade frictions. However, the wide coverage of the "reciprocal tariffs" this time also made the "going overseas to build factories" model lose its original cost advantage.

Especially for small and medium-sized sellers with limited financial strength, the T86 model once supported most of China's cross-border small parcel business. Now that the small exemption has been cancelled, it means that the direct mail model faces higher declaration thresholds, more complex customs clearance processes and higher operating costs.

Overseas warehouses break through against the trend, and cross-border sellers are a "new tool" for transformation

Under such a severe situation, the advantages of the overseas warehouse model are becoming more and more prominent, providing cross-border e-commerce with a more flexible option for going overseas:

✅ Cost sharing, avoiding high tariffs:

By transporting the entire batch of goods to the US local warehouse in advance, and then selling or distributing them locally, the high tax burden of small direct mail can be effectively avoided, reducing the overall unit cost.

✅ Time efficiency is accelerated, reducing customer churn:

Overseas warehouse shipments can greatly shorten the logistics cycle, avoid customs clearance checkpoints, improve the buyer experience, and also facilitate platform ratings and repurchase conversions.

✅ Customs clearance is centralized to reduce compliance risks:

Compared with the high risk and complexity of customs clearance for each direct mail order, centralized declaration and centralized processing of overseas warehouses can greatly reduce the customs clearance failure rate and improve compliance efficiency.

✅ Adapt to platform semi-hosting and reduce storage pressure:

In conjunction with the semi-hosting model of platforms such as TEMU/SHEIN, overseas warehouses can further reduce the threshold for enterprise operations, achieve flexible shipments, and intelligent replenishment.

In the current context of high uncertainty and frequent policy adjustments, it is particularly important to choose a professional and reliable overseas warehouse service provider.

U-Speed US Overseas Warehouse, Full-link Solution to New Cross-border Pain Points

U-Speed US overseas warehouse has dual warehouse layouts in the East and West of the United States, supporting the warehousing of general goods, sensitive goods, pure electric goods and other categories of goods, and is also an official certified warehouse in the semi-managed mode of TEMU/SHEIN.

We provide full-link operation support from head-end transportation, warehousing quality inspection to one-piece delivery, return and replacement, and platform order promotion, creating efficient, compliant, and cost-effective overseas solutions for cross-border sellers.

In terms of warehousing operations, U-Speed is equipped with a self-developed WMS system to ensure real-time data synchronization and controllable whole-process of warehousing and warehousing; local management of the Chinese team, smooth communication, and unified implementation standards; support efficient outbound delivery within 24 hours, and return and replacement operations can be completed within 48 hours at the fastest, greatly improving the efficiency of warehousing fulfillment.

At the same time, customers who use U-Speed's US overseas warehouses can also seamlessly access the efficient reverse logistics system built by U-Speed in the United States, realizing a closed loop from "shipping" to "returning goods". It truly opens up the "last mile" of cross-border operations and makes supply chain management more flexible and controllable.

Policies force transformation, and overseas warehouses are a rigid demand and an opportunity

It can be foreseen that under the background of the continued fermentation of Trump's new tariff policy, overseas companies will accelerate the transformation to overseas warehouses, localized operations, and diversified markets. In the short term, they may face certain cost pressures, but in the long run, the advantages of overseas warehouses in efficiency and compliance will become more and more obvious, becoming the standard for companies to go overseas.

For the majority of cross-border sellers, the early layout of overseas warehouses and the locking of logistics cost depressions are the key to seize market opportunities and reduce policy impacts.

If you are still waiting and watching, you might as well seize this last window period and complete your "overseas warehouse layout plan" before the new tariff policy officially takes effect, so as to achieve calm customs clearance, accurate fulfillment, and efficient reversal!