In recent years, with the continuous rise of the "secondary" and "collection" culture, figures have a huge fan base in the American collection circle. The popularity of the characters, the restoration of details, and the limited release have stimulated the collection value and aesthetic pursuit. But at the same time, the high return rate has also become a real pressure for cross-border sellers. To this end, this article will deeply analyze the market demand and return pain points of the American figures, and introduce how U-Speed's US return warehouse can provide professional quality inspection support, so that sellers have no worries!
The demand for figures in the United States is strong, and the collection culture is growing year by year
According to the report of Grand View Research, the global collectibles market size will reach approximately US$294 billion in 2023, and is expected to increase to US$422.5 billion by 2030, with an annual compound growth rate of approximately 5.5%. Among them, North America accounts for about 24.5%, and the United States is the largest single country in the global collection market.
The "Action Figures" sub-category market focusing on figures, action figures and character statues has performed particularly strongly. Grand View Research said: The US action figure market will reach $3.06 billion in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.4% from 2025 to 2030. This figure reflects the continued demand for high-quality, sophisticated character figures in the US market.
Not only the mass market, but also the professional collector market has been rising. According to IMARC Group data, the global action figure and statue market will reach $9.7 billion in 2023 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 6.87%. American users are an important force driving this growth.
The return rate of figures is high, and the quality requirements are many and sensitive
Despite the strong demand, the return rate of figures is generally higher than that of other electronic or household products. Why?
High requirements for precision and details: Collectors are extremely demanding on the restoration of character modeling, painting, and posture. Even a slight deviation will trigger a return.
Fragile transportation: Figure materials such as PVC and ABS are fragile. If the packaging is not stable during transportation, it may cause problems such as loose parts and scratched paint.
Platform policies: Amazon and eBay are lenient with collectible returns, and consumers are more likely to choose to return after trying.
According to data from the National Retail Federation, the average online return rate for toys and hobbies is about 15%-20%, while the return rate for high-priced limited-edition figures is generally above this range, and may even reach 20%.
This means that if a store sells 500 figures per month, it may incur costs of hundreds of returns that need to be processed - not only logistics costs, but also quality inspection, rework, packaging renovation and inventory management.
U-Speed US return warehouse: One-stop quality inspection of figures
To solve these pain points, U-Speed has set up three return warehouses in the United States to professionally handle various problems encountered when figures are returned.
Three warehouse networks cover the whole country
Eastern US (New Jersey) return warehouse: the two locations have a total of 212,000 square feet, processing more than 20,000 pieces per day;
West US (Los Angeles) return warehouse: the area has been expanded to 80,000 square feet, processing more than 10,000 pieces per day;
Miami return warehouse: 21,000 square feet, processing more than 2,500 pieces per day, covering returns in the South and Latin America;
The three locations are equipped with forklifts, light and heavy shelves, CCTV monitoring and fire protection systems to meet the needs of the exquisiteness and safety of the figures.
Professional quality inspection process
Unpacking and quality inspection within 2 days: including surface painting of the figures, joint flexibility, and parts integrity inspection;
High-frequency high-definition photography: take photos of each figure and keep quality inspection records;
Quick repair or packaging change: minor damage can be repaired or resealed to ensure that it is put on the shelf again;
Return to warehouse or destruction operations are completed in 3-5 days, and inventory is handled efficiently.
All processes are executed by the Chinese warehouse management team and remotely managed by the China headquarters to ensure timely feedback of return information.
Forming a closed loop with the first-leg warehouse and drop shipping
U-Speed's US return warehouse is not only responsible for reverse returns, but also supports positive fulfillment. The drop shipping system connects to platforms such as Temu/SHEIN/TikTok/Amazon. Sellers push orders through APIs, and the warehouse automatically picks and sends goods, and the inventory and return systems are connected.
In this way, it can not only meet the needs of return quality inspection, but also avoid the complexity of inventory separation and multi-supply chain docking-after the return, the goods can be put back on the shelves, and the destroyed goods can also be handled in time, forming a complete inventory closed loop. Help sellers turn return issues into opportunities to reshape the value of goods, shorten the refund cycle, and improve store ratings and consumer satisfaction.
Is there a US return warehouse that supports quality inspection of hand-made returns? Yes, and it is trustworthy: U-Speed uses professional warehouse networks, integrated processes and intelligent systems to help cross-border sellers easily cope with return challenges, so as to focus on products and community operations. Do you want your limited edition hand-made figures to arrive safely in the hands of fans, or even return sales? Contact U-Speed to start the "collection-level" return management journey!
