Within 48 hours, the cross-border e-commerce industry ushered in triple changes including the intensive implementation of policies, adjustments to platform rules, and intensified market risks.
Six domestic departments are pushing for overseas warehouses and compliant exports, and new fiscal and tax regulations are fully effective; Amazon has increased fuel fees in the United States and Canada, increased support in Europe, and restructured its pricing system; the shipping crisis in the Middle East is brewing, and Temu, TikTok Shop, and Coupang have simultaneously tightened compliance and access thresholds, and industry differentiation continues to intensify.
1. Domestic policies and new fiscal and tax regulations (4.7 – 4.8 core developments)
1.
Six departments jointly issued a document to promote overseas warehouses and compliant exports
On April 7, six departments including the Ministry of Commerce issued guidance and launched 16 measures in five major areas, focusing on supporting the construction of overseas warehouses for cross-border e-commerce, global goods express trains, AI + e-commerce integration, improving the compliance overseas system, reducing the burden on digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises, and releasing national policy support signals.
2. New fiscal and tax regulations were fully implemented in April, affecting costs and reverse logistics
– Export tax rebate rate reduction: The export tax rebate for photovoltaic products will be canceled from April 1; the battery tax rebate rate will be reduced to 6% (until the end of 2026), and will be completely canceled in 2027, compressing the profits of 3C sellers.
– National promotion of cross-customs return returns: 9610 regulatory code goods can be returned at any customs across the country without returning to the original export customs. Duty-free returns are superimposed (no import taxes and export duties for returns in the original condition within 6 months), solving the pain points of difficulty in returns and high costs.
-Platform Price Rules 4.10 Implementation: Platforms are prohibited from interfering with sellers’ independent pricing by reducing rights, limiting current flows, removing products from shelves, etc., and restrict platform price comparisons and price intervention behaviors.
3. Shenzhen tax inspects freight forwarding companies, and compliance costs rise
The Shenzhen Taxation Bureau inspected freight forwarding invoicing data from 2025.8 to 2026.3. Logistics auxiliary services such as customs declaration, warehousing, loading and unloading are no longer tax-free, and separate accounting, financial settlement and back payment of taxes are required, accelerating industry reshuffle.
2. Mainstream platform dynamics
1. Amazon: cost pressure + European support + pricing restructuring
– The United States and Canada have increased fuel surcharges: Starting from April 17, FBA will charge a 3.5% fuel surcharge (an increase of about 17 cents per unit). On May 2, it will cover Buy with Prime and other services, echoing the price increase trend of UPS, FedEx, and USPS.
– The European station has increased support: the gift package for new sellers has been upgraded to more than 150,000 US dollars (a 50% increase), and tools such as large-piece distribution plans and compliance support have been launched; in 2025, the number of new Chinese sellers in the European station will grow rapidly, and multi-site layout will become a trend.
– Major changes in pricing rules: the marked-up price starting from 4.23 must have real transactions/channels can be checked; the regular price starting from 5.18 will be included in the calculation of the 90-day promotional price, limiting false discounts and benefiting brand sellers.
– Prime membership daily fee adjustment: the reporting channel will be opened in advance, and the fee will be changed to a “prepayment + commission” model.
2. TikTok Shop: Vietnam station suspends Star Shop + applications
Starting from April 1, Vietnam station will suspend new Star Shop + applications from Chinese merchants, and regular Star Shop will operate normally; the platform optimization plan will be notified after resumption.
3. Coupang: Free shipping rules tightened, small and micro merchants expanded
– Adjustment of free shipping threshold for non-members (mid-April): Free shipping can only be achieved when the actual payment amount exceeds 19,800 won, to curb the behavior of false bids and price hikes.
-Full coverage of unit price markings: From April 7, 114 daily necessities will be marked with unit prices, covering the open market and responding to price supervision.
– Growth of small and micro businesses: By the end of 2025, there will be more than 300,000 businesses with annual sales of less than 3 billion won, a year-on-year increase of 23%.
4. Temu: New rules for local representatives in Turkey are enforced
Starting from April 1, sellers on the Turkish website must register a local representative (annual fee is 800-1500 US dollars, cycle 7-14 days). Failure to register will restrict new listings, suspend performance, and remove products from the shelves. Small package direct sellers will be the most affected.
3. Market environment and industry trends
1.
The shipping crisis in the Middle East is fermenting, and logistics risks are increasing
The Iran crisis has caused freight rates on Middle East routes to skyrocket, high demurrage fees, and frequent missing connections for goods. Sellers face the risk of abandoning goods and cutting off supply. On May 1, the new “Maritime Law” came into effect, and the costs and risks of unmanned delivery will be borne by the shipper, and logistics responsibilities will increase.
2. Industry differentiation has intensified, with only 23% of sellers increasing revenue and profits
Research shows that only 23% of leading sellers have achieved both revenue and profit growth; 31% have increased revenue without increasing profits, and 38% have experienced both revenue and profit declines. Refined operations have become core competitiveness under existing competition.
3. Overseas market data
– Netherlands: Online consumption will reach 35.7 billion euros in 2025, and Chinese e-commerce accounts for 31% of the cross-border share, becoming the largest source of supply.
– Indonesia: FMCG sales in Q1 of 2026 will exceed IDR 40 trillion, with beauty, food and beverages experiencing high growth; Tokopedia leads the growth rate, and Shopee ranks first in transaction volume.
4. Trend Analysis and Action Suggestions
Trend Analysis
1. Compliance becomes the bottom line for survival: policies are intensively implemented, the industry has shifted from barbaric growth to compliance-driven, and compliance capabilities are the entry threshold.
2. Platform costs continue to be transmitted: logistics, marketing, and compliance costs are rising, squeezing sellers’ profit margins.
3. Market risks and differentiation are intensifying: Logistics risks are expanding, head effects are prominent, and refined operations determine survival.
Emergency Action Suggestions
1. Self-check tax compliance: Freight forwarders and related companies check the tax exemption status of logistics ancillary services and correct declarations in a timely manner.
2. Re-evaluate logistics costs: calculate Amazon fuel costs and Middle East route premiums, adjust pricing; clarify the division of delivery responsibilities under maritime law.
3. Implement reverse logistics: connect with logistics providers to establish a cross-customs return process and enjoy tax-free returns.
