Amazon recently announced an extension of its holiday return policy for the 2025 holiday season. Items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2025, can be returned until January 31, 2026, with the deadline for Apple-branded products being January 15. This policy applies to self-operated, FBA, and FBM orders, and is also being implemented on its Japanese marketplace.
Amazon stated that this move aims to enhance consumer trust and boost holiday shopping. However, for sellers on the platform, the flip side of this policy means longer return cycles, higher inventory levels, and potential profit compression.
According to the National Retail Federation, total US retail returns will reach $743 billion in 2024, equivalent to 14.5% of annual sales. Over 20% of these returns will occur during the holiday season, making it the peak return period of the year. Faced with this trend, efficient return processing and reduced losses after the peak season have become pressing challenges for cross-border sellers.
The Challenges of a Returns Peak: Triple Pressure on Warehousing, Logistics, and Profits
Amazon's extended return policy is a boon for consumers, but it also means a longer after-sales process for sellers. This extended return cycle presents at least three major challenges:
1. Increased Warehousing Pressure
Sellers must bear the burden of inventory and storage costs for a longer period of time. FBA sellers, in particular, face a significant delay in restocking if returns are not promptly processed, leading to increased storage costs.
2. Slowed Logistics Turnover
After the holiday season, the volume of returns surged. Sellers not only have to handle customer returns but also manage the return, quality inspection, and repackaging of returned goods. Failure to promptly address these issues can negatively impact store performance and even lead to delayed shipments or account point deductions.
3. Further Compressed Costs and Profits
Failure to restock or properly handle returned goods directly translates into inventory losses. In cross-border scenarios, international return shipping costs are often high. Efficiently completing returned items for quality inspection, resale, or domestic return overseas becomes crucial for sellers to control costs.
As a result, more and more sellers are choosing to partner with professional US return warehouses to shorten processing times and reduce costs through localized return operations. U-Speed's US return warehouse, with its comprehensive warehouse network and efficient processing capabilities, has become an ideal choice for many cross-border sellers.
U-Speed US return warehouse: A Powerful Helper for Sellers to Cope with the Holiday Return Surge
U-Speed has been deeply involved in cross-border reverse logistics for many years and operates two return warehouses in the US, located in the East Coast (New Jersey) and the West Coast (Los Angeles), providing comprehensive coverage of major US e-commerce markets.
1. New Jersey Return Warehouse in the US East Coast
Located in the core logistics hub of the US East Coast, the New Jersey warehouse covers a total area of 7,250 square meters and has a daily processing capacity of over 20,000 packages. Located near major ports and shipping hubs, the warehouse can quickly receive return packages from the East and Central regions of the US.
2. Los Angeles Return Warehouse in the Western US
The Los Angeles warehouse also covers 7,250 square meters and can handle over 10,000 returns daily. Located near Los Angeles International Airport and the Port of Long Beach, it's ideal for serving both Amazon FBA sellers and independent sellers, offering highly efficient return shipping.
Both warehouses are equipped with forklifts, light and heavy-duty racking, fire monitoring systems, and CCTV for 24/7 security. The safe and standardized storage environment meets the quality inspection and restocking needs of returned goods for a wide range of products, including electronics, apparel, and home furnishings.
Three Advantages of U-Speed's US Return Service
① Dual-Team Collaboration in China and the US for More Attentive Service
U-Speed's US return service is jointly managed by a local Chinese operations team in the US and a Chinese management team. This ensures professional and efficient local operations, smooth communication, and attentive service. Sellers, regardless of their location, can quickly access Chinese-speaking customer service, avoiding delays caused by language barriers.
② Leading Timeliness and Efficient Response Throughout the Entire Process
The most common concern during peak return season is the accumulation of goods. U-Speed's return quality inspection process takes an average of two days, and return logistics takes 3-5 days. This significantly shortens product turnover, allowing sellers to restock sellable products faster and reduce capital tied up.
③ A closed-loop service system, creating a comprehensive cross-border logistics solution
U-Speed is more than just a return warehouse; it's a comprehensive cross-border logistics service provider. In addition to return processing, it also offers services such as head-haul transportation, warehousing, and drop shipping, helping sellers form an integrated "forward + reverse" closed-loop operation. This eliminates the need to interface with multiple service providers, significantly reducing communication and operational costs.
From return processing to inventory optimization, U-Speed helps sellers navigate peak seasons.
Every holiday season is a peak sales period for Amazon sellers, but it's also a challenging period for after-sales service and returns. With the extended return period for the 2025 holiday season, return volume is expected to rise, making advance planning for returns and unsold inventory handling crucial.
U-Speed's dual-warehouse US return warehouse not only covers the East and West Coast markets but also helps divert volume during peak return seasons, improving overall processing efficiency.
Whether you're an FBA seller or an independent brand, U-Speed offers flexible solutions tailored to different product categories and return scenarios. From quality inspection, photography, label re-listing, to return and destruction, it provides a truly one-stop, worry-free service.
While Amazon's extended return period policy has increased operational pressure on sellers, it also presents an opportunity for well-prepared sellers to extend their sales cycle. By partnering with a professional return service provider, sellers can not only safely navigate the wave of returns but also enhance the after-sales experience, strengthen consumer trust, and win repeat business for their brands.
During this holiday season, when the return cycle is being redefined, U-Speed's US Return Warehouse will provide cross-border sellers with solid after-sales support through an efficient, secure, and flexible service system, making returns no longer a burden but an opportunity to rebuild efficiency and reputation.
