On the evening of April 8 (China time), the U.S. announced an additional 50% tariff on Chinese goods starting April 9. Combined with the previous tariff hikes of 34% + 10% + 10% over the past two months, the U.S. has already raised tariffs on Chinese goods by a cumulative 104% this year. If we include the 25% from the 2018 U.S.-China trade war and the basic tariff rates on some products, the total duty cost has now approached or even exceeded 129%.

When the U.S. imposed a 10% tariff increase in early February 2025, many cross-border logistics companies chose to absorb the additional cost themselves without raising shipping fees for sellers. When another 10% increase hit in early March, most logistics providers only made slight pricing adjustments due to the off-season. However, with the back-to-back tariff hikes of 34% + 50% in April, logistics companies now have no choice but to increase prices.

Currently, shipping a full ocean container to the U.S. West Coast costs just over $2,000, but with a 104% tariff, the duties that logistics providers are fronting for sellers have exceeded three times the freight cost. This means that when logistics companies offer duty-included pricing, the majority of the shipping fee is actually used to prepay tariffs on behalf of sellers. If the shipment is subjected to customs inspection, the burden becomes even heavier.

In 2025, cross-border logistics companies are standing at the frontline of the U.S.-China trade war, bearing immense pressure from the escalating tariffs and the rising cost of duty prepayments. Of course, cross-border e-commerce sellers are also facing tremendous challenges.

With such high duties and constantly changing tariff policies, adjusting sales prices has become a major headache, and sellers are under increasing pressure with cash flow and capital turnover. In these difficult times, protecting cash flow and navigating uncertainty requires the joint efforts of the entire industry ecosystem. Let’s get through this together.

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WeChat Public Account: Cross-border E-commerce Logistics Baixiaosheng