Daily Cross-Border E-Commerce Briefing | February 24, 2026 (Covering Feb 23–24 Releases)

1. TikTok Shop Reverses Its U.S. “Seller Shipping” Crackdown (Keep Multi-Carrier Flexibility to Protect Margins)
  • Easyship reports that TikTok Shop has reversed course on its earlier plan to effectively end “Seller Shipping” and force U.S. merchants into TikTok Shop Logistics Services. For independent sellers, this is an important reminder that platform fulfillment rules can change quickly and can immediately reshape your cost structure (label pricing, pickup options, delivery SLAs) and even your ability to fulfill orders at all.

    For Shopify/WooCommerce brands running lean fulfillment (including one-piece dropshipping), the key risk is that a platform’s logistics mandate can break your proven workflow overnight: labels, tracking cadence, carrier selection, and delivery-time promises all become constrained. Even if you sell primarily on your own site, TikTok policy shifts still matter because TikTok often sets consumer expectations for “fast shipping” and “perfect tracking.” If you rely on TikTok traffic for product testing, a sudden logistics change can turn profitable ads into loss-making orders.

    What to do next: (1) keep a “platform rule change” checklist (label source requirements, tracking validity rules, late shipment penalties, cancellation rules), (2) maintain a margin buffer for policy volatility (shipping cost + dispute/return risk), and (3) keep your fulfillment setup flexible so you can switch carriers/services without rebuilding your whole ops process. If you’re testing products via dropshipping, avoid promising aggressive delivery times until you confirm the dispatch + last-mile reliability is stable under the latest platform rules.
    Source: Easyship, Published on: February 23, 2026
2. U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down IEEPA Tariffs, Creating Refund + Compliance Uncertainty for Importers (Expect Pricing Volatility)
  • BDO summarizes a major U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs, and explains how the administration moved to replace the invalidated tariff mechanism with a new surcharge framework. For cross-border e-commerce sellers, the practical impact is not just “tariffs up or down”—it’s operational uncertainty: landed costs can change fast, carrier billing and customs collection rules may tighten, and your pricing strategy can become outdated within days.

    This matters especially for sellers using simple fulfillment models (including one-piece dropshipping from China) because pricing power is often limited and margins are thin. If duties/fees suddenly increase, the first places you’ll feel pain are (a) ad efficiency (CPA rises because you must raise price), (b) refund and chargeback risk (buyers dislike surprise charges), and (c) delivery promises (customs friction can slow delivery). BDO also highlights timing details such as effective windows and “in-transit” carve-outs—these details matter for sellers who ship daily and need to avoid getting stuck with unexpected duty bills.

    What to do next: update your “landed cost” logic (product cost + shipping + duty/fees + returns risk) and refresh checkout messaging. If you sell DDP-like experiences (no surprise fees), build a buffer for policy changes. If you sell DDU (buyer pays on delivery), make the policy clear on product pages and at checkout to reduce disputes. In dropshipping workflows, confirm your supplier’s dispatch proof and tracking milestones are well documented, because disputes often spike when buyers feel shipping/duty rules are confusing.
    Source: BDO, Published on: February 23, 2026
3. U.S. Imposes a New Temporary Import Surcharge Under Section 122 (Re-check U.S. Pricing, Offers, and “All-In” Cost Promises)
  • Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg (STR) reports that the U.S. administration issued a proclamation imposing a global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, with details on scope, timing, caps, and categories excluded via annexes. For cross-border sellers, this is one of those “policy headline → checkout reality” moments: even if your product category is excluded, your supplier network, shipping quotes, and customs clearance processes can still shift as brokers and carriers adapt.

    For Shopify/WooCommerce stores, the most common failure mode in sudden duty changes is mismatched messaging: ads say “free shipping,” product pages imply a simple price, but the buyer experiences extra costs or delays. That gap drives refunds and payment disputes. This is especially risky for one-piece dropshipping, because you do not control every customs step and the buyer often blames the store when delivery is slower than expected or fees feel unclear.

    What to do next: (1) refresh U.S. market pricing rules (test price points with a tariff buffer), (2) tighten your checkout language around taxes/duties if you are not guaranteeing “all-in” delivery costs, and (3) build a simple internal decision rule: when landed cost volatility rises, prioritize products with stronger margin room and fewer compliance sensitivities (materials, claims, labeling). This is also a good time to reduce SKU sprawl and focus ad spend on products where you can consistently deliver and document fulfillment.
    Source: Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg (STR), Published on: February 24, 2026
4. Israel Rolls Back a Higher Tax-Exempt Threshold for Overseas Online Orders (Country Rules Can Change Fast)
  • The Times of Israel reports that a measure allowing Israelis to buy up to $150 of personal goods from overseas without an extra VAT charge was revoked, returning the threshold to a lower level. For cross-border sellers, the lesson is bigger than Israel: governments are increasingly recalibrating low-value import rules, especially when local retailers and tax authorities push back against growing volumes of direct-to-consumer parcels.

    If you sell internationally from a Shopify or WooCommerce site, country-level tax thresholds and VAT collection expectations can make or break conversion. When a market becomes more “fee sensitive,” customers abandon checkout unless pricing is transparent and shipping is predictable. For dropshipping sellers, the risk is amplified: you may be shipping single parcels per order, which exposes you directly to small-parcel compliance changes and buyer expectations around tax handling.

    What to do next: keep a lightweight “market compliance snapshot” for your top countries (tax threshold, typical delivery time, restricted categories, return expectations). On your store, reduce surprises: show clear tax language, avoid exaggerated “no fees” claims, and consider simplifying your country targeting if you cannot reliably support the required tax and delivery experience. Operational discipline (accurate declarations, consistent tracking updates, and realistic delivery windows) becomes a competitive advantage when policy shifts create confusion.
    Source: The Times of Israel, Published on: February 23, 2026
5. Container Shipping Pressure Stays High but Continues Cooling (Watch Delivery Promises and Shipping Fee Tables)
  • Container News reports that its CN Index remains in “High Pressure” territory but is easing incrementally as freight rates soften across major East–West lanes. Even if your business primarily ships small parcels, ocean market direction still matters: upstream carrier behavior, surcharges, and broader logistics confidence can flow into cross-border shipping quotes and service reliability—especially during periods of capacity management and rerouting.

    For independent stores, the practical value is planning discipline. When logistics conditions are shifting, “default settings” become dangerous: shipping fees, free-shipping thresholds, and delivery-time banners often stay unchanged while real-world cost and transit time move underneath you. For one-piece dropshipping, the goal is not to chase the fastest promise—it’s to promise what you can consistently deliver, so you reduce refunds, chargebacks, and negative reviews that kill ad performance.

    What to do next: revisit your shipping policy and delivery messaging once per week during volatile periods. If your suppliers quote variable shipping costs, build a pricing buffer and avoid locking a single global “free shipping” offer that quietly destroys margin. Also, keep proof-of-fulfillment tight (dispatch confirmation, tracking scan milestones) because dispute cycles often tighten when macro logistics headlines become noisy.
    Source: Container News, Published on: February 23, 2026
6. Drewry World Container Index Snapshot Highlights Ongoing Rate Softness (Good Moment to Re-test Offers)
  • Ever.Ag’s “Chart of the Day” highlights the Drewry World Container Index as a quick signal of container rate direction. Rate softness can create a short window where landed costs improve or at least stop rising—useful for sellers who rely on stable margins to scale ads, test bundles, or offer “free shipping over $X” promotions.

    Even if your fulfillment is primarily parcel-based, improving container conditions can still influence upstream supplier logistics, replenishment costs, and the general shipping environment. For dropshipping sellers who test products frequently, small improvements in cost structure are valuable because they let you run cleaner experiments: you can test price elasticity and shipping thresholds with less risk of margin collapse.

    What to do next: run a focused “offer refresh” test. Examples: test a slightly higher free-shipping threshold, test a bundle price that increases AOV, or test a shipping insurance/guarantee message that reduces anxiety. Do not overpromise speed—use rate softness to improve profitability and consistency, not to create risky delivery claims.
    Source: Ever.Ag Insights, Published on: February 23, 2026
7. Packaging Costs Dip in February (Small Sellers Should Watch Unit Economics on “Box-Heavy” Products)
  • Packaging Dive reports that North American containerboard prices fell in February, which surprised industry participants and could affect packaging producers’ planned price hikes. For cross-border e-commerce sellers, packaging is often an invisible cost driver that shows up later as “unexpected margin erosion,” especially for products requiring larger boxes, extra padding, or higher dimensional weight.

    For Shopify/WooCommerce brands (including one-piece dropshipping models), packaging costs hit you twice: (1) direct packaging material costs inside supplier quotes, and (2) shipping costs driven by package size (dim weight). When packaging prices or availability shift, suppliers may quietly change packing methods, which can increase dimensional weight and raise shipping cost per order—often without an obvious alert.

    What to do next: for your top-selling SKUs, confirm packaging dimensions and weights with your supplier and keep them stable. If your product is “box-heavy,” avoid scaling ads until your dimensional weight is verified, because a small size increase can wreck CPA economics. Also, keep product-page messaging realistic for fragile items (damage and return risk), and make sure you have photo evidence and packing standards to reduce refund disputes.
    Source: Packaging Dive, Published on: February 23, 2026
8. Trade Lawyers Outline Tariff Refund and Next-Step Risks (Documentation and Timing Become a Competitive Advantage)
  • Ropes & Gray provides an importer-focused breakdown of the Supreme Court ruling, which tariffs are affected, and why refunds and administrative processes may remain uncertain. For e-commerce sellers, the most actionable takeaway is operational: when trade policy is unstable, clean documentation becomes a real advantage, not a “nice-to-have.” Customs, carriers, payment disputes, and customer support all become more demanding at the same time.

    In practical terms, sellers should expect more questions about duties, delivery delays, and pricing changes. If you cannot quickly produce supporting records (order confirmation, dispatch proof, tracking scan history, declared value documentation), your dispute outcomes get worse and your ad accounts suffer because refunds rise and customer satisfaction drops.

    What to do next: build a lightweight “trade volatility folder” for your business: (1) a weekly snapshot of key policy changes impacting your target markets, (2) a standardized set of fulfillment evidence you can export per order, and (3) updated product-page and checkout disclaimers that match your real delivery and duty handling model. For dropshipping sellers, this is especially important because the store owner is often the only party the customer can reach—and the one who absorbs dispute losses when expectations are mismanaged.
    Source: Ropes & Gray LLP, Published on: February 23, 2026