Recently, the uncertainty surrounding the US small-value exemption policy has brought unprecedented challenges and opportunities to overseas warehouses in the cross-border e-commerce industry.
The demand for overseas warehouses has surged sharply. Numerous customers have inquired about the storage space availability of US overseas warehouses, prompting many overseas warehouse enterprises to rapidly expand their warehouse areas to meet market demand. An industry expert revealed that the overseas warehouse business is currently extremely booming, and many warehouses are operating at full capacity.
However, beneath this prosperous scene lies the concerns of practitioners. They worry that once the US small-value exemption policy is officially cancelled, the market situation of overseas warehouses may undergo significant changes. The squeezed profit margins of merchants will directly affect the development prospects of overseas warehouses.
The Executive President of the Shenzhen Cross-border E-commerce Association stated that the US has frequently sent signals and conducted pressure tests by canceling and restoring the T86 customs clearance model. It is expected to resolve customs technical and system issues within the next 6 to 8 months. Although this time window has temporarily alleviated the anxiety of merchants, it has also prompted more merchants to choose overseas warehouses for advance inventory stocking.
There are mainly two reasons why merchants stock goods in overseas warehouses in advance: first, to avoid goods being detained at the customs inspection center; second, to take advantage of the time difference before taxes are fully implemented. However, despite the increased demand, the overall prices of overseas warehouses have not increased significantly, only fluctuating slightly due to rising warehouse rents and land prices.
Facing this wave of dividends, overseas warehouse enterprises have seized the opportunity and actively solicited goods. However, there are quite a few customers in this situation. Many Chinese sellers are uncertain about the future and only dare to lease warehouses on a short-term basis.
Although the current demand in the overseas warehouse market is strong, industry insiders point out that this boom may be only temporary. After the small-value exemption policy is cancelled, the popularity of the overseas warehouse market may decline. Compared with small package direct shipping, the cost advantage of overseas warehouses is not obvious, and the future market is highly uncertain.
For merchants using small package direct shipping, adopting the overseas warehouse model actually increases costs. The extended supply chain leads to increased time costs, reduced turnover rates, and higher capital operation costs. The increased tariff and customs clearance costs will squeeze the profit margins of merchants.
Among the three types of overseas warehouses, third-party overseas warehouse service providers face the most urgent market demand. Data shows that the proportion of sellers using third-party overseas warehouses has increased from 63% to 73%, and the demand is still growing further. However, the intense market competition has led to fierce price competition, and the profit margins of third-party overseas warehouse enterprises have been gradually compressed year by year.
In order to reduce costs, overseas warehouse enterprises have been seeking intelligent solutions to save labor costs. For example, the intelligent warehouse of Gucang Overseas Warehouse uses robot collaboration, doubling the operation efficiency, and becoming a magic weapon for enterprises to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
In terms of expanding supply chain scenarios, overseas warehouse enterprises are gradually expanding from simple warehousing services to full-link and full-process services. By mastering the entire process and implementing information management, they can avoid supply chain disruptions and retain customers. Enterprises such as Gucang Overseas Warehouse and Legrand Overseas Warehouse are trying to expand their first-mile and last-mile delivery businesses to increase profit margins.
With the adjustment of tariff policies, the business thinking of cross-border merchants is also changing. They are now pursuing high-profit premium products instead of simply focusing on scale. This change will drive overseas warehouse enterprises towards more professional and refined services. For example, setting up specialized warehouses for different product categories to meet the needs of different merchants.
More and more overseas warehouse enterprises are starting to lay out in markets outside the United States. Regions such as Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East have become new market opportunities. However, the development priorities of different regions vary, and enterprises need to adapt to local conditions and formulate appropriate market strategies.
