Daily Cross-Border E-Commerce Briefing | May 13, 2025

1. US-China Strike 90-Day Tariff Truce, Duties Drop to 30%
  • Washington and Beijing agreed to slash reciprocal tariffs, lowering average U.S. duties on Chinese imports from 145% to 30%. Analysts expect immediate relief on sourcing costs and improved consumer sentiment across cross-border storefronts.
    Source: The Guardian, Published on: May 12, 2025
2. Amazon Re-Enlists FedEx to Cover UPS Capacity Gap
  • A new multi-year partnership assigns FedEx residential delivery of bulky “Extra Large” items, giving Amazon cost leverage and greater last-mile flexibility while UPS scales back volume.
    Source: Business Insider, Published on: May 13, 2025
3. Maersk Calls Tariff Pause “Step in the Right Direction”
  • A.P. Moller-Maersk welcomed the trade truce, noting potential demand recovery for trans-Pacific lanes; shares climbed 11.8% in Copenhagen.
    Source: Reuters / U.S. News, Published on: May 12, 2025
4. Temu & SHEIN Shift to US Warehouses Amid 120% Direct-Ship Tariffs
  • Facing a $100–$200 flat fee on each direct parcel, both platforms highlight “Ships from US” items and bulk-ship inventory to domestic facilities to preserve low price positioning.
    Source: Business Insider, Published on: May 13, 2025
5. Shopify Climbs 14.5% on Nasdaq-100 Inclusion and Upgrades
  • Investor optimism surged after multiple brokerages raised price targets and confirmed Shopify’s entry into the Nasdaq-100 on May 19, spotlighting its expanding global GMV and free-cash-flow margins.
    Source: StocksToTrade, Published on: May 12, 2025
6. US Social Commerce Forecast Lifted to $114.7 B
  • Research & Markets projects the U.S. social commerce sector will exceed $114 billion this year, fueled by influencer marketing and one-click checkout innovations on TikTok and Instagram.
    Source: Globe Newswire, Published on: May 12, 2025
7. Asia Tightens E-Commerce Rules on TikTok and Meta
  • New legislation across multiple Asian markets limits commission structures, mandates local data storage, and increases licensing fees for short-video commerce, raising compliance costs for brands.
    Source: Bloomberg, Published on: May 13, 2025
8. EU Proposes €530 M Fine Over TikTok’s Cross-Border Data Transfers
  • Regulators allege unlawful storage of EU user data in China, underscoring the need for server-side tracking and regional data segregation for merchants leveraging TikTok ads.
    Source: CPO Magazine, Published on: May 12, 2025
9. Maersk Updates $1.5 B Share-Buyback; Signals M&A Capacity
  • The ocean carrier disclosed repurchasing 113k shares through May 9 and emphasized strong cash reserves to pursue strategic acquisitions amid volatile freight markets.
    Source: Maersk IR, Published on: May 12, 2025

Strategic Recommendations

  • Duty-Paid Checkout: Enable Shopify Duties & Imports or Global-e to surface landed costs and capitalize on the 90-day tariff window.
  • Local Warehousing: Pre-position fast-moving SKUs in West Coast 3PLs to bypass 120 % direct-ship tariffs and accelerate delivery.
  • Dynamic Fuel Surcharge: Sync FedEx tables weekly via API to protect margins as surcharges fluctuate.
  • Privacy-First Tracking: Shift EU traffic to server-side events and limit advanced matching to remain GDPR-compliant.
  • Channel Diversification: Increase YouTube Shopping and Pinterest Catalog budgets while TikTok faces new Asian compliance pressures.

Conclusion

  • Transparent duties, diversified warehousing and privacy-centric marketing form the playbook for margin defense in Q3 2025.