Country: United States
Category: business

Tighter tariff treatment on small parcels that formerly sailed under de minimis thresholds is reshaping unit economics for cross-border DTC sellers. Carriers now face longer clearance cycles, more exceptions, and customer-service overhead as duties surprise end-buyers. Merchants are testing new playbooks: moving inventory into domestic fulfillment, shifting to DDP terms to reduce cart abandonment, and re-pricing SKUs to defend contribution margins. Marketplaces will feel the ripple in returns and subscription models where shipping was the silent subsidy.
Why it matters: B2C parcel margins are razor-thin; small duty changes can flip lanes from profitable to loss-making. Expect consolidation among lightweight cross-border players and renewed interest in nearshore stockholding.