The back-and-forth trade policies, as businesses prepare for more disruptions in an already difficult retail market.
several days later.
Just let it be - otherwise, what else can be done?" Li said. "We can only wait for the plan to be finalized and actually implemented before knowing for certain how we can manage the policy changes.
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He stated that neither of these communications provided him with new guidance on how to handle the new US policies.
On February 7, President Trump signed an executive order, delaying new tariffs on lower-value packages from China, specifying that the "de minimis" exemption will be removed only when the commerce secretary notifies him that "adequate systems are in place to fully and promptly process and collect applicable tariff revenue".
It would continue to receive all mail and packages from mainland China and Hong Kong, reversing a decision made just a day earlier to halt such services.
They implemented higher prices after Trump first announced the tariffs - some companies had been adding 35 percent more for textile shipments and 25 percent more for other merchandise to cover duties and customs clearance costs.
YunExpress, a cross-border logistics service provider based in Shenzhen, announced on February 8 that it would fully refund the 30 percent tariff deposit and the 20 yuan (approximately $2.70) customs clearance fee for all deliveries made that week.
Our company has experienced significant disruptions to our cross-border e-commerce supply chain over the past week due to the frequent updates to US customs clearance policies, resulting in substantial cost fluctuations," the company stated in a notice. "We strongly advise our seller partners to develop the ability to promptly adapt to these tightening policies and rapid changes.
The de minimis policy, which permits small shipments valued at less than $800 to enter the US duty-free, has significantly contributed to the growth of China's cross-border e-commerce industry. Approximately half of all packages shipped under the de minimis policy originated from China, as stated in a US congressional committee report in June 2023.
Removing the exemption means that goods from Temu, Shein, and other Chinese-backed cross-border e-commerce players will be subject to US duties on Chinese imports, which already exceed 20 percent in some industries.
Although the reprieve has been granted, the threat of higher tariffs still hangs over the cross-border e-commerce sector, which has become a vital component of China's highly profitable export industry.
Li said the new US tariffs had made him even more resolute than ever to exit this industry, as he anticipated the policies to erode the already tight profit margins of selling low-cost products on platforms such as Shein and Temu.
They will only add more challenges for the industry this year.
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