At the beginning of the new year, China’s cross-border e-commerce industry was hit by an unexpected storm. The U.S. Customs announced a 10% tariff on cross-border e-commerce packages exported from China and the cancellation of the duty-free policy for packages valued at $800 or less under Section 321 and T86 mode. This news was like a bombshell, instantly throwing the entire industry into chaos.

However, just as industry professionals were scrambling to cope, good news arrived. On the morning of February 7, Eastern U.S. Time, the White House published a notice announcing the delay in implementing the ban on Chinese goods in the duty-free parcel channel. This means that Chinese e-commerce packages entering the U.S. can still temporarily use the original T86 clearance mode and continue to benefit from the $800 duty-free policy.

This announcement undoubtedly gave a much-needed shot in the arm to the Chinese cross-border e-commerce export industry, providing a solution for packages piled up at various ports and warehouses, and granting the entire industry a valuable buffer period.

According to U.S. media analysis, if U.S. Customs were to immediately enforce tariffs on Chinese e-commerce packages, the enforcement cost might exceed the actual tariff revenue. Furthermore, staff shortages and system delays at Customs could lead to significant package backlogs, affecting overall clearance efficiency, causing a massive workload, and intensifying industry chaos.

Although the temporary suspension of the new policy is good news, the long-term trend is clear: the U.S. intends to pressure China’s cross-border e-commerce exports. The policy is only being delayed due to Customs’ inability to find effective regulatory measures and system preparations. For cross-border e-commerce sellers, it is important to remain cautious and take full advantage of this window period of policy delay to accelerate adjustments to their business models.

On one hand, sellers should actively expand across multiple platforms, channels, and target markets to hedge against greater future uncertainties. On the other hand, they should quickly implement a coordinated logistics model, combining overseas warehouses and cross-border direct shipping, to enhance their resilience against potential policy changes in the future.

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Official WeChat Account: Cross-border E-Commerce Logistics Baixiaosheng