Debate Reignites Over Scrapping Cross-Border Small Parcel Tariffs; U.S. Launches Largest-Ever Tariff Refund Program | Cross-Border E-commerce Weekly

【Ebrun Original】Here are the key developments in the cross-border e-commerce sector over the past week:

# Platform Updates #

【Amazon】

1 Amazon Europe to Mandate Country of Origin Information from June 30

Amazon recently notified sellers on its European marketplaces that a mandatory compliance requirement for Country of Origin (COO) information will be enforced starting June 30, 2026. Products sold cross-border into the EU and UK via FBA or seller-fulfilled shipping will face sales restrictions if valid COO information is not provided. Sellers can upload this information in bulk using the Category Listing Report or edit listings individually on the Inventory Management page to achieve compliance.

2 Amazon MCF Shopify App Expands to Europe, Japan, and Canada

Amazon announced the expansion of its Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) app for Shopify sellers to multiple European countries, Japan, and Canada, having previously been available only in the US and UK. This free, no-code tool allows sellers to use their Amazon inventory to fulfill Shopify orders, enabling unified inventory management. It supports backend one-stop operations, uses unbranded packaging, and does not charge additional fees. Amazon stated that the app will be rolled out to more MCF service regions in the coming months.

【TikTok】

1 ByteDance's Overseas Revenue Share Hits Record High in 2025

Reports indicate that ByteDance's overseas revenue grew by nearly 50% in 2025, far outpacing domestic revenue growth of approximately 20%. The share of revenue from overseas operations increased from 25% in 2024 to over 30%, setting a new record. TikTok's e-commerce business was the primary driver of this overseas revenue growth. However, while overseas operations helped ByteDance's overall revenue continue to climb, the company's net profit in 2025 saw a decline of over 70%.

2 TikTok Shop Southeast Asia Cracks Down on Low-Quality E-commerce Content

TikTok Shop Southeast Asia announced that, starting April 24, it will strictly regulate low-quality content with no user interaction. Static images, slideshows, videos without narration or substantial information will face penalties. The platform has clarified violation criteria, including static/non-interactive content, obscuring creators, irrelevant materials, and lack of demonstration/interaction, aiming to enhance content quality and optimize the user shopping experience.

3 Indonesian E-commerce Association Reports TikTok Shop for Alleged Monopoly

The Indonesian E-commerce and Logistics Association (APLE) recently submitted a report to the country's competition watchdog, the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU), accusing TikTok and TikTok Shop of alleged monopoly and unfair competition practices. The report claims their vertically integrated business model involves issues like predatory pricing and algorithmic bias, violating relevant regulations. The case is now in a preliminary review stage, where KPPU will assess the evidence and decide whether to launch a formal investigation.

4 TikTok Shop Brazil Sees 143% Surge in Live-Stream Sales

Nearly a year after its launch in Brazil, TikTok Shop's live-stream shopping business is experiencing rapid growth. Platform data shows that from the 10·10 promotion to Black Friday, Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) from live streams surged by 143%, with total transaction volume climbing 129%.

【Alibaba】

1 Major Update for Alibaba's "E-commerce Lobster" Agent: Chinese Factories Can One-Click Move to Cross-Border Platforms

Alibaba's enterprise-level Agent for overseas markets, Accio Work, announced a significant update: it will now directly integrate with Alibaba.com. Merchants only need to install the Alibaba.com Business Assistant plugin, link their store, and can then operate their Alibaba.com backend directly through Accio Work. This feature is now fully available.

Ebrun has learned that following this integration, Accio Work not only possesses Alibaba.com data and operational permissions but has also been equipped with private "Skills" specifically for the "Alibaba.com Business Assistant Agent," initially covering seven functions: product selection insights, product listing and image generation, advertising optimization, business analysis, customer reception, logistics and tax inquiry, and risk protection.

2 Q1 User Spending on AliExpress Korea Soars 71% Year-on-Year

In the first quarter of 2026, South Korea's total online retail spending fell 2.6% year-on-year, but Chinese e-commerce platforms bucked the trend with significant growth. For instance, user spending on AliExpress increased by 71%, while Temu surged nearly 400%. The market share of Chinese platforms in South Korea rose from 7% to 20%. Leveraging low prices, marketing, and efficient fulfillment, Chinese platforms continue to expand their market share in South Korea.

【Shopee】

1 Shopee Malaysia to Increase Installment Transaction Fee Starting May 6

Shopee Malaysia announced an adjustment to the seller transaction fee for the buyer-specific installment payment plan (SPayLater), effective May 6 (Beijing Time). The new rates include the local 8% Sales and Service Tax. The fee for 6-month installments will increase from 7.02% to 8.1%. Fees are differentiated by payment method and are only charged on completed orders. The platform reminded sellers to note the adjustment and factor it into their cost calculations.

【Other Platforms】

1 Ozon Sets Goal to Double GMV for Cross-Border Business This Year

The 2026 Ozon Global Merchant Recruitment Kick-off Conference recently concluded. During the event, the platform released several key figures: In 2025, Ozon maintained rapid growth momentum, with annual GMV reaching 4.16 trillion rubles, cumulative delivered orders hitting 2.48 billion, active buyers increasing to 65.1 million, and the average annual order frequency per buyer exceeding 38 times.

Simon Huang (Huang Xiao), President of Ozon Greater China, also announced the platform's growth plan for 2026: OZON Global aims to double its GMV and achieve 100% growth in product sales under the cross-border shipping model.

2 Ozon's Warehouse Infrastructure Exceeds 5 Million Square Meters, Pick-up Point Network Focuses on Small Towns

Ozon recently disclosed its latest data: By the end of 2025, the company's total warehouse infrastructure area exceeded 5 million square meters, with daily processing capacity at logistics facilities reaching 55 million items. While continuing to expand existing warehouse space, the platform is accelerating the growth of its Pick-up Point (PVZ) network, which now comprises 84,000 points.

From a network structure perspective, Ozon's logistics system consists of 50 fulfillment centers and over 150 distribution centers, covering major Russian regions and some overseas markets. Warehouse area grew by over one-third year-on-year.

3 Walmart Accelerates E-commerce Delivery Network, Transforming Stores into Fulfillment Hubs

Walmart is transforming its physical stores into "fulfillment hubs" to optimize e-commerce delivery efficiency. By retrofitting store backrooms, it provides warehousing and rapid delivery services for third-party sellers. Simultaneously, some store backrooms are used to store third-party inventory, shortening fulfillment times. This move can improve delivery speed, further enhance cross-border e-commerce services, help sellers reduce operational costs, and strengthen market competitiveness.

# Merchant Community #

1 Pool Robot Brand Aiper Targeted by Malicious Attacks

Recently, cross-border company Yuan Ding Intelligent issued a statement that its Amazon product listings were subjected to batch malicious infringement complaints, leading to product removals and operational losses. Investigations revealed the malicious complaints originated from a Shenzhen-based electronics technology company. Yuan Ding Intelligent has secured evidence, sent cease-and-desist letters, and filed a police report. Amazon has also intervened in the investigation, and the company vows to defend its rights through legal channels.

2 Heavy Investment in Brand Acquisition: Royole Commerce Enters Beauty & Personal Care Sector

Royole Commerce, known as the "first e-commerce service provider IPO," recently announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Royole International, intends to acquire 100% equity in Bespoke Holding Corporation and Erno Laszlo Group Ltd, subsidiaries of Bespoke Global, for $43.8221 million (approximately RMB 299 million). Royole Commerce explicitly stated in the announcement that this acquisition will further expand its product categories, improve its brand portfolio, optimize its customer structure, and reduce reliance on a single core brand.

# Cross-Border Logistics #

1 Three Major Logistics Firms FedEx, UPS, and DHL Launch "Tariff Refund Process"; Most Customers to Receive Automatic Refunds

Following the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning some tariffs imposed during the Trump era, the three logistics giants FedEx, UPS, and DHL have announced the launch of their tariff refund processes, coinciding with the official opening of the U.S. Customs refund portal this Monday.

According to official statements from the logistics companies, they will utilize existing systems to automatically issue refunds. This means for the vast majority of ordinary customers, no proactive contact with the logistics company is required to apply; funds will automatically be returned through existing channels.

2 Doubling Down on Cross-Border Large Parcel First-Mile Business: YunExpress's New Brand "YunExpress Cargo" Officially Launched

On April 20, YunExpress announced the official launch of its new sub-brand "YunExpress Cargo," marking a further push into the cross-border first-mile logistics field.

According to official information, YunExpress Cargo provides a one-stop first-mile solution covering pickup, trunk line, customs clearance, overseas hub sorting, and delivery, serving major global cross-border e-commerce markets like the US, Europe, UK, Canada, and Australia. It focuses on full-chain first-mile transportation including air freight, sea freight, trucking, and rail.

3 2026 Global Freight Forwarder Rankings Released, Sinotrans Retains Top Spot in Ocean Freight

The 2026 Top 50 rankings for global ocean and air freight forwarders have been released. Sinotrans leads the ocean freight list with 4.92 million TEUs, followed by Kuehne+Nagel and DSV in second and third place respectively, indicating continued concentration in the industry's top tier. Sixteen Chinese companies made the ocean freight list, showcasing enhanced overall strength. In air freight, sixteen Chinese companies also made the list, with Sinotrans ranking first in Asia.

# Policies & Data #

1 Brazil Revisits Canceling Cross-Border Small Parcel Tariffs; Heated Debate Intensifies Internal Government Divisions

Recently, the policy debate surrounding the "cheap clothing tax" (i.e., import tax on low-value cross-border e-commerce parcels) has been thrust back into the spotlight of Brazilian politics.

The political faction represented by President Lula advocates for eliminating the tax on cross-border purchases below $50 to win consumer support. However, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Development, Industry, and Trade oppose this move, with Vice President Geraldo Alckmin also publicly defending the tax. Concurrently, representatives from 67 industry associations have jointly sent a letter to President Lula urging the maintenance of the current tax system.

2 U.S. Launches Largest-Ever Tariff Refund Program

On April 20, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officially launched the IEEPA tariff refund process, deploying a dedicated processing system called CAPE. The program involves over $166 billion and approximately 53 million customs entries. The first phase is now open for applications, with over 56,000 importers having registered. Refunds are expected to be issued within 60 to 90 days, with some companies planning to return the funds to customers or lower selling prices.

3 Russia Establishes Eurasian Economic Union Goods Import Confirmation System to Combat Grey Customs Clearance

Recently, President Putin signed a bill to establish the Eurasian Economic Union Goods Import Pre-Confirmation System (SPOT), effective June 1. Operated by Russian tax authorities and supervised by customs, the system requires importers to declare goods in advance and pay a security deposit to obtain a product barcode, aiming to curb grey imports and tax evasion. Initially covering road-transported goods, the system will grant exemptions to certain entities and products. It is designed to regulate border trade and safeguard tax revenue.

4 Greater Bay Area's 9 Mainland Cities See 19.7% Import-Export Growth in Q1

According to statistics from the Guangdong Sub-Administration of the General Administration of Customs: In the first quarter of this year, the import-export value of the nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area reached 2.45 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 19.7%, setting a new historical high for the same period. Exports were 1.48 trillion yuan, up 14.4%, while imports were 976.27 billion yuan, up 28.7%. The import-export value of these nine cities accounted for 20.7% of China's total foreign trade value, an increase of 0.8 percentage points from the same period last year, contributing 26.1% to the national foreign trade growth.

5 Global E-commerce Platforms Hold 83.4% Market Share; Independent Sites' Share Continues to Shrink

Data shows that global e-commerce platforms contribute 83.4% of online transaction value, while the share of brand-owned independent sites has shrunk from 19% to 16.6%. Regional differences are significant: platforms account for 60.8% in Europe but a staggering 97.0% in Asia. Analysis suggests that Asian e-commerce platforms built their trade infrastructure early, leading to a highly concentrated market structure that continues to squeeze the viability of independent sites.

6 EU PPWR Regulation Takes Effect in August, Accelerating EPR Registration for Sellers in the Region

The EU's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will officially come into force on August 12, 2026, unifying environmental requirements for packaging across the EU. The new regulation mandates that all cross-border sellers complete packaging EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) registration and filing in each country where they sell. Non-compliant merchants will face high fines, product removal, and account restrictions.