The cross-border e-commerce industry has experienced multiple changes in the past week.
European tax supervision has entered the “comprehensive Internet era”, Amazon Europe’s DAC7 data verification has been tightened, and historical transaction data is being traced one by one; shipping prices have soared again, Maersk will charge an additional peak season surcharge of US$2,000 for 40-foot containers starting from June 17, and CMA CGM’s 40-foot containers on the Asia-Europe line are basically
The cost exceeded US$5,700; Sino-US economic and trade negotiations released positive signals. The US promised that tariffs on China would not exceed Kuala Lumpur standards, and a US$30 billion reciprocal tax reduction framework was implemented; SHEIN built its own logistics center in the UK, and Lazada Thailand adjusted tariffs on 2,819 categories on May 24.
1. The VAT review of Amazon Europe has been upgraded, and historical transactions have been cleared
In 2026, European cross-border tax supervision has entered the “comprehensive Internet era.”
Starting from 2023, the European Union will officially implement the DAC7 regulations, requiring platforms such as Amazon, eBay, TEMU, and TikTok Shop to regularly submit seller sales, VAT information, payment entities, order transactions and other data to the tax bureau, and automatically exchange them among EU countries.
After three years of data accumulation, the tax bureau already has complete sales records of a large number of sellers for three consecutive years. Problems such as low declarations, multiple stores sharing tax numbers, and long-term zero declarations can be automatically identified.
At present, the platform has received various review notifications such as VAT re-examination notices, DAC7 information verification emails, tax number expiration reminders, European station sales authority restrictions and even account fund freezes.
The highest risks are sellers who use PAN-EU warehousing, German and French overseas warehouses, local store models and long-term low declarations.
2. Shipping companies have increased prices across the board, and Prime Day stocking costs have skyrocketed
Since May, major shipping companies have increased surcharges intensively.
Starting from June 17, Maersk will charge an additional US$1,000 for 20-foot containers and US$2,000 for 40-foot and 45-foot containers shipped from China, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and other places to ports in the West, East and Canada.
From June 1st to June 14th, the FAK freight rate for a 40-foot container on the CMA CGM Asia-Europe line was US$4,700. After adding the PSS of US$500/TEU, the actual basic cost of the 40-foot container has exceeded US$5,700.
The freight rate for 40-foot containers in the Mediterranean direction from Algeria exceeded US$8,000.
This price increase coincides with the Prime Day stocking season and the overlapping demand of the World Cup (opening on June 11), so shipping space is much tighter than in the previous two months.
It is recommended that sellers complete their shipment plans for early June before June 1 to avoid PSS and a new round of FAK increases.
3. Sino-US tariff easing: US$30 billion in reciprocal tax reductions were implemented
In May, the heads of state of China and the United States reached a preliminary consensus on economic and trade, and the Ministry of Commerce officially interpreted the results of the consultations.
Tariff adjustment is the core focus: the two sides agreed that the future US tariff level on China should not exceed the standard agreed upon in the Kuala Lumpur consultations, and will further eliminate unilateral tariffs; they also finalized a reciprocal tax reduction framework, each with a list of products worth more than 30 billion US dollars, and the products that both sides focus on are expected to be subject to most-favored nation tax rates or even lower.
The United States promised to lift long-term automatic detention measures on Chinese dairy products and some aquatic products, and recognized Shandong as an avian influenza-free zone; China restored the registration of U.S. beef companies and lifted some poultry import restrictions.
The two sides agreed to promote the extension of the tariff suspension and other measures reached in the previous consultations in Kuala Lumpur until after November 2026, providing stable expectations for cross-border enterprises.
4. New developments on the platform: SHEIN opens a warehouse in the UK, Lazada tariff adjustment
SHEIN recently opened a 35,000-square-meter new logistics center in Cannock, England, equipped with a robotic system and automatic sorting lines, creating 450 jobs.
This area is the famous “Golden Logistics Triangle” in the UK. From here, 90% of the UK’s population can be covered within 4 hours.
The new center is now operational and becomes SHEIN’s third warehouse on the Cannock campus.
Lazada Thailand will adjust import tariffs for cross-border direct mail packages starting from 0:00 on May 24, involving 2,819 product categories, of which 528 categories have tariffs reduced, 132 categories increased, and the rest remain unchanged.
5. Seller Emergency Action List
- European sellers: Check VAT declaration records immediately to ensure that historical data is consistent with platform information and avoid sharing tax numbers across multiple stores
- Sellers in stock: Prime
Day and World Cup stocking needs are superimposed, and shipping space is tight. It is recommended to complete the early June shipment plan before June 1 - Categories benefiting from Sino-US trade: export categories such as mechanical and electrical, textiles, light industry, etc. are facing favorable tariffs, and tariff optimization and market expansion can be planned in advance
- Lazada Thailand sellers: New tariffs will take effect on May 24. Log in to the Seller Center to check tariff changes for specific categories
- Multi-market layout: SHEIN’s self-built warehouse in the UK lowers the fulfillment threshold, and European sellers can pay attention to platform localization opportunities
