SHEIN's Hong Kong Listing Filing Approved; TikTok Shop US Mid-Year Sales Event Sees 200% YoY Growth | Cross-Border E-Commerce Weekly Report

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

# Platform Dynamics #

[Amazon]

1 Over 55% of Top 10,000 Sellers on Amazon US are from China, Overtaking US Sellers for the First Time

According to the latest monitoring by a US e-commerce intelligence and data company, the turnover rate for spots among the Top 10000 sellers on Amazon US has remained largely unchanged compared to seven years ago. 68.6% of current top sellers were in a similar position a year ago, and 49.6% were already top sellers three years ago, indicating that top sellers are holding their positions for longer periods than in 2019.

The seller composition has shifted significantly. From July 2020 to the present, Chinese sellers have gained 1,342 spots among the Top 10000 sellers, increasing their share from 42.5% to 55.9%. During the same period, US sellers lost 1,320 spots, with their share dropping from 53.7% to 40.5%. The time when Chinese sellers surpassed US sellers in the top seller count came approximately two years earlier than when they surpassed them in the overall number of active sellers globally. In just the past 12 months, the share of Chinese sellers among top sellers increased by 3.8 percentage points.

2 Amazon's Global Warehousing and Distribution (GWD) Hubs Land in Shanghai and Ningbo, Extending 'Sell Globally from Launch' Model to Yangtze River Delta

Amazon's Global Warehousing and Distribution (GWD) hubs have officially launched in East China, with facilities in Shanghai and Ningbo now operational. The Shanghai hub will open for seller inventory starting July 16, and the Ningbo hub will open in Q3 of this year. Concurrently, services like the 'Auto Replenishment' function and support for FOB trade terms have also been launched.

For new product supply, the Auto Replenishment feature automatically calculates and executes replenishment orders, reducing the risk of stockouts for sellers. The replenishment inventory is not subject to FBA storage limits. This also frees up sellers from repetitive manual tasks, allowing them to focus on product selection and listing optimization. The FOB trade terms make it more convenient for sellers to apply for export tax rebates. The hybrid warehouse model adopted by GWD supports various scenarios, such as tax rebates upon warehousing and flexible warehouse returns, simplifying the return and rebate processes.

[TikTok]

1 TikTok Shop UK Sees Over 250% YoY Growth in Books Category, Livestreaming a Key Driver

According to foreign media reports, the books category on TikTok Shop UK has grown over 250% year-over-year in the past 12 months. This growth is driven by the BookTok community, livestream shopping, and sustained channel investment from major publishers. Reportedly, the UK's four largest publishers—Penguin Random House UK, Hachette UK, HarperCollins UK, and Pan Macmillan—have all established a presence on TikTok Shop.

Livestream shopping is a core driver of this category growth. TikTok Shop UK hosts over 6,000 livestream shopping sessions daily, with 3 books sold every minute on the platform. When HarperCollins UK joined in November 2022, it listed only 40 titles. It now has over 23,000 titles in stock and has accumulated nearly 100,000 followers, consistently ranking as the top publisher on TikTok Shop UK since its entry. The team hosts a regular 2.5-hour livestream every Wednesday, presented by team members familiar with the books, which has built a loyal viewership.

2 TikTok Shop US Mid-Year Sales Event Results: 200% YoY Growth, Number of Brands with $1M+ GMV Doubles Compared to Last Year's Black Friday

On July 10, it was announced that TikTok Shop's Mid-Year Sales Event in the US has concluded. Overall business for the event grew 200% year-over-year. Cross-border POP business in the US grew nearly 200% YoY, and Full Fulfillment business in the US grew 150% YoY.

Notably, top brands achieved new breakthroughs: the number of cross-border POP brands surpassing $1 million in sales nearly doubled compared to last year's Black Friday. In the content arena, livestreaming and AIGC became new growth engines: cross-border POP content-driven business grew 200%, and livestream business grew 340% compared to the same period last year. With the help of AIGC content, product business under the Full Fulfillment model grew nearly 200% compared to pre-event levels.

[Alibaba]

1 AliExpress Expands Merchant Recruitment for Healthcare Category

AliExpress has announced it will expand merchant recruitment for the healthcare category, officially opening global sales for in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) reagents such as multi-test strips for influenza A/B, COVID-19, RSV, Helicobacter pylori test strips, and fecal/urine occult blood test strips. For the US market, products require FDA registration and actual photos of outer packaging labels. The EU market requires Class B products to provide IVDR certificates and EUDAMED inclusion proof. The Brazilian market requires an ANVISA registration number, while South Korea requires a medical device import license. Other markets have no special qualification requirements, allowing direct listing.

2 Lazada Joins Meta's Alliance Partner Program, Enabling Product Links on Facebook

Southeast Asian e-commerce platform Lazada has officially joined Meta's Alliance Partner Program. Content creators in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines can now directly add Lazada product links to their Facebook content, allowing users to complete purchases with a click. It is reported that this feature will also be extended to more of Meta's social products.

3 Lazada Cross-Border Stores to Gradually Launch 'Store Health Center' from July 12

Lazada Cross-Border Stores announced that the 'ASC-Store Health Center' will be gradually launched starting July 12, 2026. The entry point is located in 'Seller Center > Store > Store Health Center'. This feature aims to help merchants view their store's compliance status and fulfillment performance in real-time. The section mainly consists of three parts: Penalty Management displays non-compliance points, store health ratings, and penalty details, and supports online appeals; the Seller Protection Program shows assessment metrics like cancellation rate and fast fulfillment rate, while also providing a download function for detailed order violation records; Store Metrics dynamically tracks core performance indicators over the past three months, helping sellers promptly identify anomalies and optimize operations.

4 AliExpress Holds First Offline Merchant Recruitment Event in Tokyo, Japan, with Overseas Fulfillment Mode Offering 0 Deposit, 0 Commission

AliExpress Japan plans to hold its first offline, all-category merchant recruitment event in Japan on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at the TKP PREMIUM Kyobashi in Tokyo. This event will focus on introducing the 'Overseas Fulfillment' light-operation partnership model.

This model requires merchants to only stock inventory locally in Japan and fulfill orders within approximately 72 hours. The platform will be responsible for store pricing, marketing, Japanese customer service, and post-sale dispute handling. It is primarily suitable for brands, wholesalers, and trading companies with warehousing and fulfillment capabilities in Japan.

Regarding recruitment policies, AliExpress Japan is offering a 0 deposit, 0 commission, 0 service fee entry plan. Eligible new merchants can receive traffic support, expedited fund settlement (funds settled on the 1st and 15th of each month in Japanese Yen, 2-15 days after order confirmation), and 1-on-1 category support services.

[Pinduoduo Temu]

1 PPC: Temu and SHEIN Significantly Cut Google Shopping Ad Spend in Europe

On July 10, according to data monitored by PPC and Smarter Ecommerce (smec), Temu and SHEIN have significantly reduced their Google Shopping advertising expenditure in Europe since March 2026. Among sampled advertisers, the proportion of accounts facing competition from Temu has dropped to about half. SHEIN's share of shopping ads had nearly dropped to zero by the end of June, indicating it has essentially exited this advertising channel.

2 TEMU Joins Italy's National Anti-Counterfeiting Plan

TEMU announced it has become the first cross-border e-commerce platform to join Italy's national anti-counterfeiting plan 'VER.O – Verifica l’Originale (Verify the Origin)'. The plan is funded by the Italian Ministry of Made in Italy and the Ministry of Business (MIMIT) and is jointly promoted by the Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM), the Financial Police, and the Agri-food Anti-Fraud Inspectorate.

[SHEIN]

1 SHEIN US Recruits POD Sellers for Semi-Fulfillment Model, Requires US Factory and Over $300K Annual GMV

On July 7, it was reported that SHEIN US has opened recruitment for Print-on-Demand (POD) sellers under its Semi-Fulfillment model. Regarding merchant qualifications, it requires having a factory in the US with the capability for local US custom product production, possessing secondary processing equipment and corresponding base product stock; being able to meet semi-fulfillment requirements, shipping from the US locally within specified timeframes; having the ability to design and develop custom products (with a certain number of design staff); and having capabilities in graphic design, product/store visual presentation, and detailed store operation (with a certain number of operations and design staff). Notably, SHEIN has set a hard revenue threshold for this recruitment, requiring annual POD sales on other platforms to exceed $300,000.

2 SHEIN Receives Listing Filing Notice, Hong Kong IPO Imminent

On July 10, the International Cooperation Department of the China Securities Regulatory Commission disclosed the 'Filing Notice for Overseas Listing of SHEIN Global Holdings Limited'. The company plans to issue no more than 341,613,000 ordinary shares for overseas listing and list on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. SHEIN has successfully obtained the filing from the CSRC.

[Other Platforms]

1 Doubling Down on Instant Retail: Shopee Indonesia Launches 1-Hour Express Delivery Service

Shopee announced the official launch of its '1-Hour Express Delivery (Instant Shopping 1 Hour Tiba)' service in its largest single market, Indonesia. This move aims to further enhance the platform's instant delivery capabilities in response to consumer demand for faster and more convenient online shopping experiences. Shopee also simultaneously launched a 'Late Delivery Free Voucher' guarantee program. If an order is not delivered within the promised time, users will receive a voucher as compensation according to the relevant terms.

2 Mercado Libre Launches 'Seller Growth Navigation Plan': New Seller Support, Tiered Benefits, Long-Term Effective Activities

Latin American e-commerce platform Mercado Libre recently officially launched the 'Seller Growth Navigation Plan', aimed at helping cross-border sellers efficiently overcome initial bottlenecks from registration and store setup to advanced growth. The plan is open to two types of sellers: newly registered sellers whose stores are ready but not yet operational, and sellers who have been operating for some time and are seeking guidance for the next stage.

Sellers joining the plan receive step-by-step guidance from the official AI assistant at each operational stage and can directly receive system backend notifications through the AI assistant to reduce information omission and improve operational efficiency.

3 SHOPLINE and Shopify Officially Settle Intellectual Property Lawsuit! Over Two Years of Dispute Ends, Merchant Rights Protected

The copyright lawsuit between Shopify and SHOPLINE, which lasted over two years, has finally concluded. Recently, global smart retail solution provider SHOPLINE issued a statement announcing it has reached a comprehensive settlement agreement with Shopify. According to the agreement, all lawsuits filed by Shopify against SHOPLINE merchants will be completely withdrawn. Merchants can continue using the disputed theme templates without substantial changes, and business operations will be completely unaffected.

4 eBay's 'Sail With eBay' Plan Launches New Seller Benefits for Q3: Up to 100% Final Value Fee Rebate

eBay announced it will continue the 'Sail With eBay' new seller support policy in Q3 2026. The activity runs from July 1 to September 30. Participants are valid business accounts that have a dedicated account manager and have completed the 'Sail With eBay Brand Plan' certification by September 30. The activity covers eight sites: the US, UK, Germany, Australia, Italy, France, Spain, and Canada. During the activity period, eligible sellers can receive corresponding Final Value Fee rebates based on cumulative transaction volume: a 50% rebate for reaching $60,000 or more; a 70% rebate for reaching $150,000 to $500,000; and a 100% rebate for exceeding $500,000. The maximum rebate amount per quarter is $10,000.

5 Germany Clears JD.com's Massive Acquisition of Ceconomy: Deal Expected to Complete All Regulatory Approvals in Second Half of Year

Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs has given the green light to Chinese e-commerce company JD.com's ?2.2 billion acquisition of Europe's largest consumer electronics retailer, Ceconomy, albeit with certain conditions attached. JD.com welcomed the approval and expects this large-scale cross-border acquisition to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals in the second half of 2026, thereby finalizing the transaction.

# Investment and Financing #

1 Snapmaker Completes New 1 Billion RMB Financing Round, with Meituan Investment and Meituan Longzhu Participating Heavily

Snapmaker, a global leader in consumer-grade 3D printing, has completed a new financing round of 1 billion RMB. This is one of the largest single funding rounds in the consumer hardware sector since 2025. This round was led by Cathay Capital, with participation from TAL Education Group's strategic investment. Existing shareholders including Meituan Investment, Meituan Longzhu, Gaorong Capital, and Shunwei Capital significantly increased their investments. Gaohu Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor.

# Industry Policies and Data #

1 Strict Controls on AI Chat Toys for Children! New Laws Established in New York and California, with More US Regions Following Suit

As generative AI hardware rapidly iterates and penetrates the consumer market, multiple US states are pushing for new regulatory measures targeting AI companion products for children. Among them, New York and California have proposed sales suspensions or other restrictions on 'AI-powered toys with conversational capabilities for children'. States like Washington and Oregon have also begun formulating regulations concerning the transparency of AI companion chat programs, risks of emotional dependency, and minor protection.

The S9408A bill currently advancing in New York is considered one of the most aggressive regulatory measures in the US against AI chat toys. The bill aims to prohibit the manufacture, exchange, distribution, and sale of children's toys with chatbot functionality within New York State. It proposes a five-year temporary sales ban mechanism to allow time for regulators and researchers to assess associated risks.

2 France Legislates to Counter 'Ultra-Fast Fashion' E-commerce: Proposes ?6 Fine Per Item

Recently, the French parliament passed a new bill deciding to impose per-item fines on 'ultra-fast fashion' retailers and ban their advertising. This move aims to curb the negative environmental impact of low-cost, mass-produced clothing and strengthen oversight of Chinese e-commerce platforms flooding the European market. Companies identified as 'ultra-fast fashion' will face fines of up to ?6 per item starting this year, with this cap gradually increasing to ?10 per item by 2030.