Cross-border Daily 2026-06-18

📋 Cross-border Seller Daily | 2026-06-18

⏰ 30-Second Glance

• •Profit margins are severely squeezed by the dual blow of surging tariff costs and tax audits
• •Amazon Prime Day starts today, but listings must be urgently revised to comply with the new 75-character rule
• •TikTok presents a window of opportunity in the US market, with search ads and mid-to-low price goods becoming new growth areas
• •EU AI labeling regulations take effect in August, mandating disclosure for virtual models and synthetic ads
• •Some sellers have received US customs refunds; check immediately if you are on the refund list

🔴 Key Focus

Survival Guide for 104% Tariff Hike: The Profit Defense Has Begun

The US tariff policy has raised rates on some goods by 104%, severely eroding profits while sellers face the dual pressure of competitors cutting prices to grab orders. This demands that sellers immediately abandon a pure price war mindset and shift to efficiency competition. It is advised to recalculate the latest tariff costs for all SKUs, decisively raise prices or optimize supply chains for loss-making products, and accelerate expansion into new markets such as Europe and Southeast Asia to diversify risk.

Amazon Title Rule: Effective July 2, Act Now

Amazon will limit product titles to 75 characters, effective July 2. With Prime Day today, any listing that exceeds the character limit could be demoted or removed by the system, directly missing out on promotional traffic. It is recommended to immediately use AI tools to batch-rewrite all over-limit titles, placing core keywords at the front, while using the ‘Product Highlights’ feature in the backend to supplement key product information, ensuring traffic acquisition is unaffected during the promotion.

TikTok Seller’s Best Window of Opportunity: Last Chance to Catch the $15–$30 Boom

With Trump signing an executive order to delay the ban, TikTok has gained a valuable window for US operations. The platform’s winds have shifted: search ad conversion rates have surged 6x, and $15–$30 products have become the core hot-selling tier, indicating that precise traffic and cost-effective products are the current dividends. It is advised to immediately apply for search ad functionality and focus product selection on mid-to-low price, visually striking items to seize this wave of traffic dividends.

Cross-border Tax Retrospective Storm: Related-party Transactions Under Spotlight

Xinghui Co. was penalized nearly RMB 2 million for historical transfer pricing issues, signaling that multiple tax authorities are strengthening retrospective reviews of related-party transactions and transfer pricing. This is no longer a risk exclusive to large sellers; any seller with a Hong Kong company or overseas entity structure may face audits. It is advised to immediately review the compliance of related-party transaction pricing over the past three years, prepare contemporaneous documentation for verification, and do not take chances.

⏰ Consequences are immediate; self-audits must be launched now.

EU AI Rules 45 Days Countdown: Virtual Models Face Delisting if Not Labeled

The EU Artificial Intelligence Act takes effect on August 2, requiring mandatory labeling of all AI-generated virtual models and synthetic advertising scenes in e-commerce. This is the world’s first comprehensive AI regulation, and non-compliance carries high costs. If your EU listings use AI-generated model or scene images, you must immediately instruct the design team to add clear ‘AI-generated’ labels to all relevant images and update advertising materials to avoid product delisting or fines.

Prime Day Kicks Off Today: Risks and Opportunities Amid 30% Order Decline

The 2026 Prime Day takes place from June 23–26, but since mid-June, orders on Amazon US have generally dropped 30%–70%, with traffic severely diverted by the World Cup, Temu, and TikTok. This requires sellers to compete more aggressively for traffic during the promotion. It is recommended to immediately increase Prime exclusive discounts and coupons, tilt ad budgets toward high-converting precise keywords, and leverage external social media to drive traffic to make up for the platform’s traffic shortfall.

Nearly RMB 150 Billion in Tariff Refunds Being Distributed, Check Your Account Now

US Customs processed over RMB 148.4 billion in tariff refunds in May, resulting from retroactive adjustments to Section 301 tariff exclusions; some sellers have already received funds. This is a direct cash flow supplement for sellers battered by tariffs. It is advised to immediately contact your customs broker or logistics provider to verify if you are on the refund list and proactively follow up with US Customs on the claim progress to secure the funds as soon as possible.

📌 Worth Noting

Platform Updates

• •TikTok Southeast Asia Product Compliance Review — Product information must be rectified by June 20 or face penalties. (AMZ123)
• •TikTok Shop Thailand TISI Mandatory Certification — Starting June 30, 150 categories of home appliances and auto parts without certification will face direct account bans. (AMZ123)
• •Shopee Vietnam to Withhold 1% Income Tax from July — Corporate sellers’ profits will be directly impacted; adjust pricing models. (AMZ123)
• •Mercado Libre Launches CBT Pro Advanced Seller Recruitment — Cross-border stores can now be linked with local stores for more flexible Latin American operations. (AMZ123)
• •eMAG Plans to Recruit 20,000 Chinese Sellers by 2028 — A new channel in the Central and Eastern European market; pay attention to onboarding policies. (AMZ123)

Compliance & Regulations

• •TEMU Bans All E-cigarettes — New compliance policy upgrade; related categories must be delisted immediately to cut losses. (AMZ123)
• •New Russian E-commerce Regulation — Strengthens seller rights protection; pay attention to new platform liability and dispute resolution terms when operating in Russia. (AMZ123)
• •Surge in US Law Firm TRO Lawsuits — Over 50,000 Chinese seller accounts frozen in one year; strictly guard against infringement in product selection and copywriting. (AMZ123)

Market Trends

• •TikTok Search Ads Launched — Some sellers have seen conversion rates soar 6x; a new high-return traffic source. (Cifnews)
• •Dark Bath Healing Economy Gains Traction — TikTok shower lights sold 750,000 units in two months; emotional value products become new hot items. (AMZ123)
• •World Cup ‘Watch Party Spending’ Explodes — Weekly sales of jerseys on TikTok exceeded 7,000, and fixture posters surpassed 8,400. (AMZ123)
• •Vietnam Child Safety Seat Sales Surge — TikTok Shop up 209% year-on-year; a niche market with huge potential. (AMZ123)

Logistics & Warehousing

• •Cainiao to Build Fulfillment Center in the Netherlands — European logistics efficiency expected to improve; can optimize delivery costs and lead times. (36Kr)
• •Major Freight Forwarder Suddenly Holds Goods — Cross-border logistics risks intensify; it is advised to diversify logistics partners to avoid over-concentration. (AMZ123)
• •Ozon Opens Uzbekistan Market to Chinese Sellers — New blue ocean in Central Asia; leverage platform logistics to expand quickly. (Cifnews)

💡 Today’s Insight

Today’s information reveals a core trend: Cross-border e-commerce is shifting completely from ‘wild growth’ to ‘compliance refinement’. Compliance costs such as tariffs, taxes, AI labeling, and product certifications are becoming a more critical profit watershed than traffic.

All sellers, especially those with multi-platform and multi-market layouts, must immediately do two things: First, establish a ‘compliance cost accounting’ mechanism, factoring in all potential costs like certifications, labeling, and withholding taxes at the product selection and pricing stage. Second, diversify risks by shifting supply chain and market layouts from ‘single dependency’ to ‘multi-country, multi-location’. Sellers who focus only on GMV while ignoring compliant profits will be quickly eliminated in this reshuffling.

Intelligently generated by AltoSea | Covering 10 overseas news sources

👉 Full report: https://aitosea.ai/daily-reports/2026-06-18