SHEIN Goes Public, Temu Plans Middle East Expansion, Mercado Libre Launches Live Shopping | 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 GWD Launches Ningbo Warehouse, Tri-Warehouse Network to Manage U.S. Line Restocking

Amazon's Global Warehouse Distribution (GWD) has officially launched its Ningbo sorting center, joining the existing Shanghai and Shenzhen warehouses to form a triangular network enabling nearby warehousing access across the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta. The monthly storage fee for the Ningbo warehouse is set at $7.91 per CBM, the lowest among the three facilities, roughly 10% lower than the $8.79 rate charged at the Shanghai and Shenzhen warehouses.

Sellers only need to ship goods to domestic sorting centers, with customs declaration, cross-border transportation, and automatic FBA restocking fully managed by Amazon. Inventory will be allocated to U.S. fulfillment centers on demand based on sales data. Sellers can continue selling products even when front-end inventory is out of stock, with no restrictions on shipment volume, no peak-season surcharges, and no long-term commitment requirements. Combined with the policy offering 30 days of free storage for goods received by December 31, GWD delivers a full domestic warehouse operation model covering China-based inventory preparation, automatic FBA restocking, and continuous stock availability.

2. Amazon Joins YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program, Creators to Earn Commissions for Product Promotions

According to foreign media reports, Amazon has officially integrated into the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program. Eligible U.S.-based creators can tag Amazon-listed products in YouTube Shorts, long-form videos, and live streams, allowing viewers to be redirected directly to Amazon to complete purchases without leaving YouTube. Compared to the previous model of placing links in description sections, this feature is expected to further unlock revenue potential for creators' channels.

3. Amazon Shipping Unveils 2026 Peak Season Surcharge Plan, Up to $0.75 Per Parcel During Peak Period

Amazon Shipping officially released its 2026 U.S. peak season demand surcharge plan on September 2, with the surcharge applicable from October 25, 2026 to January 16, 2027, priced across three tiers.

Between October 25 and November 21, and December 27 to January 16, the demand surcharge will be $0.50 per parcel, with an additional handling fee of $8.75, a large parcel surcharge of $96.25, and an overweight parcel surcharge of $530. During the peak period from November 22 to December 26, these rates will rise to $0.75, $11.90, $117.50, and $590 respectively. Overall rates have increased significantly from 2025 levels, approaching the peak season pricing of traditional courier giants such as UPS and FedEx.

4. Amazon Expands Pan-European FBA Listing Requirements, Products Must Be Available on Dutch and Belgian Sites

Amazon announced that starting September 3, sellers continuing to use Pan-European FBA must list all relevant products on Amazon's Netherlands site. A similar requirement for the Belgium site will be introduced approximately six months later. Pan-European FBA is a logistics service Amazon provides to third-party sellers, allowing them to outsource order fulfillment to Amazon. Existing requirements for the service already mandate that sellers list products on Amazon's sites in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.

【TikTok】

1. TikTok Shop Brazil Launches Local Merchant Support Program, New Sellers Joining From September Get 50% Commission Reduction for First 90 Days

TikTok Shop Brazil released a new round of local merchant support measures on September 2, 2026, targeting locally incorporated Brazilian sellers that join between September and November 2026. Benefits include a 50% reduction in category commissions for the first 90 days, commission exemptions for selected home & garden and mother & baby categories, free access to a traffic incentive pool for short video and live stream content, and free online training camps covering content editing, sales pitch skills, and product selection strategies.

2. TikTok Shop Japan Records ~50 Billion Yen GMV in First Year, Content E-Commerce Model Preliminary Validated

TikTok Shop's Japan site has completed its first full year of operation, with its content e-commerce model taking preliminary shape. Data from the Japan Digital Commerce Research Institute shows GMV reached approximately 50 billion yen between June 2025 and June 2026. As of the end of 2025, the platform had roughly 50,000 registered merchants and 200,000 content creators, with around 70% of GMV coming from live streams and short videos, making influencer distribution the core transaction driver.

3. TikTok's European and Latin American Businesses Hit $9.1 Billion Revenue in 2025, Achieve First Full-Year Profitability

Forbes cited financial documents filed by TikTok's UK entity showing that TikTok's revenue from the UK, Europe, and Latin America reached $9.1 billion in 2025, a 45.7% year-over-year increase from $4.5 billion in 2024, and more than tripling from $2.6 billion in 2022. The business also achieved full-year profitability across these regions for the first time.

4. TikTok Shop Southeast Asia Cross-Border Launches Peak Season New Merchant Access Channel, Individual Business Owners Can Join Without Prior Experience

Starting August 31, 2026, merchants holding mainland China individual business licenses can directly apply to join TikTok Shop's Southeast Asia cross-border e-commerce program without providing operating transaction records from third-party platforms or applying for additional invitation codes. Following the introduction of no-transaction-record entry for merchants with enterprise business licenses in January this year, this further relaxes access thresholds by extending the policy to individual business owners, opening up the Southeast Asian market to more small and medium-sized merchants.

【Alibaba】

1. AliExpress Brand Accelerates New Market Expansion, Multiple Key Categories Post Triple-Digit Growth in South Korea

Following a counter-trend 97% surge in the European Union, AliExpress Brand has also made breakthroughs in South Korea, emerging as a new key market for brand overseas expansion. In August this year, Brand merchants became the main growth driver for AliExpress in South Korea, with mini PC category GMV increasing more than 200% month-on-month from June, storage category growth exceeding 150%, and outdoor entertainment categories such as fishing gear also seeing explosive growth in the market.

2. Lazada Indonesia Sees High-End Brand Sales Triple Year-Over-Year in First Half, Apparel Leads Growth, Skincare Drives Beauty Category Expansion

Latest data from Lazada Indonesia shows that sales of high-end brand products on the platform tripled year-over-year in the first half of 2026. By category, high-end apparel sales grew 4x, home goods 3x, electronics 2.1x, and beauty products 1.5x. Electronics growth was mainly driven by cameras and drones, while the home category was boosted by kitchen and dining products. In high-end beauty, women's skincare, bath & body care, makeup, perfume, and men's skincare all recorded growth, with skincare emerging as the standout growth category.

3. Alibaba International Digital Commerce Launches Mobile Version of Accio AI Business Tool, Full Coverage of Mobile Scenarios

Accio, the AI business assistant for cross-border B2B sellers developed by Alibaba International Digital Commerce, has officially launched on iOS and Android mobile apps. The launch extends AI task flows, cloud-based workflows, and multi-agent collaboration capabilities previously only available on desktop to mobile devices, allowing sellers to check the progress of tasks such as data collection, sourcing, copywriting, and quotation directly while commuting, on business trips, or away from the office. They can continue executing workflows on the cloud and deploy AI agents for product selection and email follow-up at any time. Task status is synchronized in real time between desktop and mobile, enabling mobile deployment of AI-powered foreign trade teams. The product maintains Accio's 'conversation-as-workflow' positioning, extending high-frequency operations such as cross-border procurement sourcing, product information generation, and buyer communication draft preparation from fixed workstations to mobile scenarios.

【Pinduoduo Temu】

1. Temu Plans Entry Into Middle East Market, Global Site Count Expands to 27

Temu, the cross-border e-commerce platform owned by Pinduoduo, is planning to launch Middle East sites, though the specific launch date has not been publicly announced. The move marks another key milestone in Temu's globalization strategy following its entry into the Japanese and South Korean markets, with further expansion into emerging markets such as Latin America and Southeast Asia planned for the future.

To date, Temu has launched 27 overseas sites globally, covering regions including Europe and the U.S., Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. In May this year, the platform's monthly sales in North America and Australia reached $870 million, with average daily global sales exceeding $50 million.

2. Temu Signs Memorandum of Cooperation With Romanian National Post Pota Roman to Advance Local Fulfillment System Construction

Temu recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Romanian national postal operator Pota Roman to provide integrated parcel services covering doorstep pickup, sorting, and last-mile delivery for local Romanian sellers on the platform. Sellers can independently choose from multiple fulfillment options including home delivery, pickup points, smart lockers, or post office collection. The two parties will also jointly support Romanian enterprises in expanding their business on Temu. Temu's local seller program currently covers more than 35 countries globally.

【SHEIN】

1. SHEIN Officially Goes Public, Market Cap Exceeds HK$180 Billion

On September 1, Shein International Holdings Co., Ltd. was officially listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with an offering price of HK$48.56 per share, giving it an initial market capitalization of approximately HK$206.2 billion. Its latest market capitalization stands at HK$189.6 billion, with total fundraising exceeding HK$13.5 billion.

Founded in 2008, SHEIN has evolved over 14 years from a cross-border seller focused on wedding dresses to the world's third-largest fashion retailer by market share. Billed as the 'world's largest online fashion destination', SHEIN served approximately 273 million active customers across 160 markets as of 2025. The company offers more than 2 million clothing styles, adding an average of around 4,700 new styles per day.

2. SHEIN Revenue Grows 1.1% in Q1, Total Orders Reach 1.09 Billion

Also on September 1, SHEIN's prospectus disclosed that for the first quarter of 2026, SHEIN's net revenue was $8.952 billion, a 1.1% increase from $9 billion in the same period of 2025. Total orders rose to 1.09 billion from 970 million in the year-ago quarter.

In terms of profitability, SHEIN recorded a net loss of $99 million in Q1 this year, compared to a net profit of $395 million in Q1 2025, mainly due to changes in the fair value of convertible redeemable preferred shares. Gross margins have continued to improve, reaching 60.2% in 2023, 64.6% in 2024, 67.9% in 2025, and exceeding 70% in Q1 2026.

【Shopee】

1. Shopee Launches Multiple Seller Support Measures and New Operational Features Ahead of 9.9 Sale

As of September 2, Shopee's first major promotion in the second half of the year, the '9.9 Super Shopping Festival', is approaching. The promotion will offer consumer benefits tailored to different market demands, including large-value coupons, limited-time flash sales, and free shipping.

At the same time, Shopee is further increasing its peak season incentives for sellers. In addition to universal incentives for all sellers, the platform is providing targeted support for different merchant groups including official warehouse sellers, brands, and domestic trade sellers expanding overseas, upgrading corresponding services and resources across key cross-border operation links including products, marketing, and logistics fulfillment.

2. Shopee's Self-Developed E-Commerce Large Model Compass Covers Multilingual Southeast Asian Markets

Shopee has independently developed Compass, a vertical e-commerce large language model, for its 8 markets including six Southeast Asian countries, Taiwan (China), and Brazil, to handle billions of cross-lingual search requests each month. General large models perform poorly in e-commerce scenarios using languages such as Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, Malay, Tagalog, and Portuguese, with issues including search term matching deviations, incorrect product category identification, and inaccurate buyer intent judgment, which directly affect search recommendation accuracy, customer service response efficiency, and fraud detection capabilities. The Compass v3 version adopts a Mixture of Experts (MoE) architecture, with a total parameter count of 245 billion and 71 billion activated parameters per token.

【Other Platforms】

1. Mercado Libre Launches Live Shopping Function

Mercado Libre has officially launched Mercado Livre Live, an in-app live streaming feature that allows consumers to watch live streams, learn about products, and complete purchases directly without leaving the live stream page. The new feature is open to sellers, affiliate marketers, and content creators, and is integrated into Mercado Libre's existing social e-commerce system, further combining with short videos, product recommendations, and partner content.

Mercado Libre's affiliate and creator program now has more than 9 million participants across Latin America. The platform's data shows that in the second quarter of 2026 alone, orders generated through the program in Brazil reached 208 per minute.

2. Costco Officially Shuts Down Costco Next Business, Ending Nine Years of Curated Referral Model

Retail giant Costco officially shut down its nearly nine-year-old Costco Next business on August 31. Members logging in found all related brand entrances had been removed, with the customer service page only displaying a notice that the entrance is no longer accessible and advising customers to contact suppliers for returns, exchanges, and warranty services. Many users only discovered the change when attempting to place orders.

Launched in 2017, Costco Next operated differently from Amazon's open platform model: it used buyers to curate brands, guiding members to be redirected to brand independent sites to complete transactions. Costco only provided traffic referrals and charged commissions, without involving itself in inventory management. Despite the business growing faster than the group's overall digital business and generating positive commissions, Costco decided to shut it down.

# Merchant Community

1. GoPro Sells 90% Stake for $285 Million After 99% Market Cap Drop

GoPro, the pioneer of the action camera category, announced it will sell a 90% stake to a newly established optical company under Starman Holdings for approximately $285 million. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year, eliminating roughly $92 million in debt at one time. Existing shareholders will hold a 10% stake in the merged new company, while GoPro will remain listed.

The core driver of the acquisition is Starman's interest in GoPro's more than 2,500 patents, which it plans to combine with optical communication technology to promote the reshoring of related manufacturing operations to the U.S.

2. Pop Mart Posts 5 Billion Yuan Net Profit in First Half, Overseas Revenue Drops 11.1% Year-Over-Year

Pop Mart recorded revenue of 17.173 billion yuan in the first half of 2026 (up 23.8% year-over-year), with net profit attributable to shareholders reaching 5.038 billion yuan (up 10.1% year-over-year). However, overseas business revenue fell from 5.593 billion yuan to 4.972 billion yuan (down 11.1% year-over-year).

By segment, Asia-Pacific online revenue plummeted 39.8%, Americas online dropped 45.6%, and Europe online fell 59%. Offline channels showed the opposite trend, with Asia-Pacific offline growth rising 16.2% and the number of stores expanding from 69 to 90. Against the backdrop of weakening external traffic dividends, Pop Mart is gradually shifting its overseas business focus to physical touchpoints.

# Industry Policies and Data

1. China Urges France to Repeal Fast Fashion Law Targeting Shein and Temu

Huang Ling, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, made a strong statement regarding France's anti-fast fashion law at a regular press conference on September 4, urging France to immediately stop implementing the law. China believes the law applies double standards under the guise of environmental and sustainability standards, violates WTO non-discrimination principles, and clearly discriminates against Chinese platforms. China warned that if France insists on advancing the law, it will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, with all consequences to be borne by France.

The new French law, which officially came into effect on September 2, defines ultra-fast fashion based on two indicators: the annual number of new products launched and whether the brand promotes repair over replacement. Apparel, footwear, and home textile products meeting the criteria will be taxed proportionally based on their score. Specifically, a surcharge of 0.25 to 12 euros per item will be applied starting in 2026, with the cap rising to 20 euros from 2030. The cost will be borne by producers but can be passed on to consumers via higher prices.

2. U.S. Live E-Commerce Gains Traction, TikTok Shop and Whatnot Drive Industry Expansion

According to foreign media reports, the U.S. live shopping industry continued to expand in 2026. eMarketer forecasts full-year sales will approach $20 billion, up approximately 35% year-over-year. This consumption model, which originated in China, is rapidly gaining popularity driven by platforms including TikTok and Whatnot.

This article was first published on the official Ebrun website.