Daily Cross-Border E-Commerce Briefing | August 28, 2025

1. UPU Says Global Posts Need Time as US Ends “De Minimis”; Expect Temporary Disruptions
  • The Universal Postal Union (UPU) said it is working with U.S. authorities to restore small-parcel flows after many national posts paused or restricted U.S.-bound packages ahead of the end of the $800 “de minimis” duty-free threshold. Under the new regime, most low-value imports must clear customs and pay the origin country’s applicable tariff rate; for six months, postal operators may instead choose a flat duty of about $80–$200 per package. Gifts up to $100 and personal souvenirs up to $200 remain exempt. For dropshippers shipping direct to U.S. consumers, this effectively raises landed costs and may lengthen delivery times if parcels are held for duty assessment.
    Actionable tips for independent stores: show estimated duties at checkout, prefer Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) options where feasible, and update shipping policy pages and FAQs to reduce cart abandonment. Also review HS codes and tighten product origin disclosures to avoid customs delays and penalties.
    Source: ABC News (AP), Published on: August 28, 2025
2. Mexico’s Postal Service Suspends U.S. Packages Amid Tariff Confusion
  • Mexico said Correos de México has temporarily suspended package shipments to the United States as the de minimis exemption ends. The move mirrors steps taken by several European and Asia-Pacific postal operators and underscores the uncertainty around new U.S. duty collection for low-value goods. For sellers sourcing from or routing through Mexico, expect service gaps on postal methods and consider switching to commercial couriers with clear duty-collection workflows. Dropshippers should proactively notify customers via email/post-purchase pages about potential delays and offer alternative shipping options for time-sensitive orders.
    What to do now: reprice SKUs with duty-inclusive scenarios, enable shipping method fallback logic in Shopify/WooCommerce, and adjust ad copy to set realistic delivery expectations for U.S. buyers until service normalizes.
    Source: AP News, Published on: August 28, 2025
3. German Banks Block €10B+ in PayPal Direct Debits Over Fraud Concerns
  • German lenders temporarily halted more than €10 billion in PayPal payments after flagging millions of suspicious direct debits, highlighting operational risk in third-party payment rails. PayPal said the disruption affected certain transactions and has been addressed, but the incident is a reminder to diversify checkouts. If your store relies heavily on a single wallet, consider adding multiple processors and offering card rails as backup to protect conversion during outages.
    Immediate actions: monitor authorization/chargeback rates in your analytics dashboard, add a “Try another payment method” nudge on failed payments, and keep status pages updated to reduce support tickets and refund churn.
    Source: Reuters, Published on: August 27, 2025
4. Indonesia Presses TikTok & Meta to Remove Harmful Content Faster; Penalties Possible
  • Indonesia summoned TikTok and Meta, urging proactive moderation of disinformation, pornography, and online gambling, with potential fines or suspensions for non-compliance. With 100M+ local users on TikTok and Instagram, ad policy tightening could affect creative approvals and delivery. Sellers targeting Southeast Asia should keep creatives policy-safe, prepare localized disclosure text, and segment budgets so one platform’s enforcement shift doesn’t stall campaigns across the funnel.
    Playbook for dropship ads: maintain a compliant catalog feed, avoid exaggerated claims, and pre-load alternate creatives/ad sets to minimize downtime during policy reviews.
    Source: Reuters, Published on: August 27, 2025
5. Amazon Plans Kuiper Satellite Services in Vietnam, Pledges $570M Investment
  • Amazon is seeking approval to deploy Project Kuiper broadband in Vietnam, pledging up to $570 million by 2030, including as many as six ground stations and a local entity. For cross-border merchants, wider LEO satellite coverage could improve last-mile connectivity in rural/remote provinces, reducing checkout friction from unstable networks and enabling reliable tracking updates. This also positions Southeast Asia for faster growth in social and live-commerce originating from mobile-first regions.
    Merchant angle: optimize your storefront for low-bandwidth (lightweight images, deferred scripts) and ensure carrier webhooks retry gracefully to handle intermittent connections.
    Source: Reuters, Published on: August 27, 2025
6. JD.com-Backed Logistics REIT Planned in Singapore May Top $1B
  • JD Property and partners are setting up a Singapore-based REIT that could exceed $1B in assets, with potential listing next year. Consolidation of industrial/logistics assets in Southeast Asia typically signals network optimization—useful for merchants who depend on predictable pickup windows and cross-border linehauls in the region. Expect more competition for high-throughput facilities and, over time, possible downward pressure on per-parcel handling costs in key corridors (e.g., Singapore–Malaysia–Thailand routes).
    Operational takeaway: map your carrier SLAs and build buffer time into promise dates during asset transitions; diversified routing helps maintain on-time delivery performance for dropship orders.
    Source: Reuters, Published on: August 27, 2025
7. Report: Mexico to Raise Tariffs on Chinese Imports in 2026 Budget Proposal
  • Bloomberg (via Reuters) reports Mexico is preparing tariff hikes on a range of Chinese imports—including autos, textiles, and plastics—potentially broadening to other Asian origins. If implemented, cost inflation could ripple into regional B2B sourcing and near-shoring strategies. Independent brands that currently source components via Mexico should scenario-plan for higher input costs and adjust SKU pricing, bundling, and promo calendars accordingly.
    Checklist: refresh your landed-cost calculator, confirm supplier country-of-origin documentation, and renegotiate MOQs to preserve margins without overstocking.
    Source: Reuters, Published on: August 28, 2025
8. US Doubles Tariffs on Indian Imports to as High as 50%; Limited In-Transit Relief
  • The U.S. move to double tariffs on many Indian goods took effect, raising duties to as much as 50% on categories like apparel, jewelry, footwear, furniture, and chemicals. A brief in-transit exemption covers goods loaded before the deadline, but most new shipments face higher costs immediately. For dropshippers and DTC brands relying on India for handcrafted and fashion items, reevaluate category pricing, pause low-margin SKUs, and verify compliance data (HS codes, origin statements) to avoid clearance bottlenecks.
    Conversion guardrails: surface total cost (duties/taxes) at checkout, test threshold-based free shipping vs. net-price increases, and communicate realistic delivery ETAs to maintain trust.
    Source: Reuters, Published on: August 27, 2025
9. Kohl’s: 20M App Users and Stronger Digital Sales Signal Budget-Shopper Shift
  • Kohl’s reported 20 million app users and better-than-expected quarterly earnings as it trims costs and leans into value-priced assortments. For independent stores, this underscores persistent price sensitivity among U.S. consumers and the importance of a mobile-first shopping experience. Emulate best practices: app-like speed on mobile web, easy returns, and prominent couponing/price anchoring on PDPs. For dropshipping catalogs, test “good-better-best” price ladders and highlight affordable essentials to capture wallet-share without eroding margins.
    Optimization ideas: implement one-click payment options, structured data for rich results, and onsite search synonyms for bargain-oriented queries (e.g., “under $25”, “bundle deal”).
    Source: PYMNTS, Published on: August 27, 2025