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First week after CNY... anyone else basically just doing customer service?
Got back after the Chinese New Year break thinking I'd start testing new creatives this week. Nope.
Been spending most of my time replying to customers about late deliveries. A bunch of orders placed right before the holiday are showing up way later than expected and people are (understandably) not happy.
Refund requests, "where is my package" emails, disputes starting to trickle in. Haven't even opened my ad manager yet.
I feel like this happens every single year. The first week back is never about scaling, it's just damage control until everything stabilises again.
Curious if anyone else is dealing with the same thing or if you've found a way to get ahead of it. I keep telling myself next year I'll pause earlier or set better expectations on shipping times but then I never do lol.
Got back after the Chinese New Year break thinking I'd start testing new creatives this week. Nope.
Been spending most of my time replying to customers about late deliveries. A bunch of orders placed right before the holiday are showing up way later than expected and people are (understandably) not happy.
Refund requests, "where is my package" emails, disputes starting to trickle in. Haven't even opened my ad manager yet.
I feel like this happens every single year. The first week back is never about scaling, it's just damage control until everything stabilises again.
Curious if anyone else is dealing with the same thing or if you've found a way to get ahead of it. I keep telling myself next year I'll pause earlier or set better expectations on shipping times but then I never do lol.
3:08 PM · Mar 26, 2026
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I ran into the same issue last year. Our mistake was continuing to scale the ads even though shippings were already starting to slow down.
Customer support quickly became overwhelming for us.
In my opinion, if you want peace of mind and avoid upsetting customers, it’s better to slow down the ads and offer impatient customers a small partial refund (around 10–15%) as an apology for the delay.
You can explain that you’re receiving an increasing number of orders and that
Customer support quickly became overwhelming for us.
In my opinion, if you want peace of mind and avoid upsetting customers, it’s better to slow down the ads and offer impatient customers a small partial refund (around 10–15%) as an apology for the delay.
You can explain that you’re receiving an increasing number of orders and that
I ran into the same issue last year. Our mistake was continuing to scale the ads even though shippings were already starting to slow down.
Customer support quickly became overwhelming for us.
In my opinion, if you want peace of mind and avoid upsetting customers, it’s better to slow down the ads and offer impatient customers a small partial refund (around 10–15%) as an apology for the delay.
You can explain that you’re receiving an increasing number of orders and that your team is doing its best to keep up with the higher demand.
Customer support quickly became overwhelming for us.
In my opinion, if you want peace of mind and avoid upsetting customers, it’s better to slow down the ads and offer impatient customers a small partial refund (around 10–15%) as an apology for the delay.
You can explain that you’re receiving an increasing number of orders and that your team is doing its best to keep up with the higher demand.
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this was basically me last year.
orders were still coming in, but my inbox was already filling up with “where is my order” emails and it made me really hesitant to run ads again.
nothing was actually broken with the store or the product. but once support starts piling up it just makes everything feel unstable. like technically you could push more traffic, but it feels risky when you’re still dealing with the last batch of customers.
i ended up just slowing down for about
orders were still coming in, but my inbox was already filling up with “where is my order” emails and it made me really hesitant to run ads again.
nothing was actually broken with the store or the product. but once support starts piling up it just makes everything feel unstable. like technically you could push more traffic, but it feels risky when you’re still dealing with the last batch of customers.
i ended up just slowing down for about
this was basically me last year.
orders were still coming in, but my inbox was already filling up with “where is my order” emails and it made me really hesitant to run ads again.
nothing was actually broken with the store or the product. but once support starts piling up it just makes everything feel unstable. like technically you could push more traffic, but it feels risky when you’re still dealing with the last batch of customers.
i ended up just slowing down for about a week or so until things settled. wasn’t really a strategy, more like waiting for things to feel normal again.
orders were still coming in, but my inbox was already filling up with “where is my order” emails and it made me really hesitant to run ads again.
nothing was actually broken with the store or the product. but once support starts piling up it just makes everything feel unstable. like technically you could push more traffic, but it feels risky when you’re still dealing with the last batch of customers.
i ended up just slowing down for about a week or so until things settled. wasn’t really a strategy, more like waiting for things to feel normal again.
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0
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They changed where the game is played.
What actually happened
On April 9, Amazon launched its first Global Warehousing & Distribution (GWD) centre in Shenzhen.
On the surface:
— Store inventory in China
— Ship to US when needed
But underneath:
They pulled fulfillment upstream into the factory layer itself.
This is not logistics.
This is control.
🧠 What Amazon is really doing
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Amazon didn’t just open a warehouse in Shenzhen.
They changed where the game is played.
What actually happened
On April 9, Amazon launched its first Global Warehousing & Distribution (GWD) centre in Shenzhen.
On the surface:
— Store inventory in China
— Ship to US when needed
But underneath:
They pulled fulfillment upstream into the factory layer itself.
This is not logistics.
This is control.
🧠 What Amazon is really doing
1)
📦 Amazon just moved the battlefield… back into China
Amazon didn’t just open a warehouse in Shenzhen.
They changed where the game is played.
What actually happened
On April 9, Amazon launched its first Global Warehousing & Distribution (GWD) centre in Shenzhen.
On the surface:
— Store inventory in China
— Ship to US when needed
But underneath:
They pulled fulfillment upstream into the factory layer itself.
This is not logistics.
This is control.
🧠 What Amazon is really doing
1) They are collapsing the entire supply chain into one system
Factory → warehouse → customs → freight → US fulfillment
All inside Amazon’s infrastructure.
👉 No more fragmented:
— supplier
— agent
— freight forwarder
— 3PL
It becomes one controlled pipeline.
2) They are killing the biggest inefficiency in ecommerce
Old model:
— Ship bulk to US
— Guess demand
— Tie up cash
— Overstock or stockout
New model:
— Hold bulk in China
— Replenish dynamically based on real sales
👉 Result:
— Up to 45% storage cost reduction
— Faster restocking
— Lower working capital pressure
3) They are copying what Temu / Shein already figured out
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— Demand signals control flow
— Speed comes from system design, not courier choice
Amazon is not innovating.
They are catching up.
4) They are preparing for global replication
This Shenzhen node is not the end.
It’s the prototype for:
— China → US
— China → EU
— China → Japan
👉 A global upstream inventory network.
⚠️ What dropshippers need to understand (this is the important part)
1) The old model is quietly dying
The classic play:
— Find product
— List on Shopify
— Ship from AliExpress
That model depends on:
— cheap parcels
— slow shipping tolerance
— low compliance
All 3 are breaking at the same time.
2) Logistics is becoming the moat
Look at what’s happening across the board:
— JD.com building EU warehouses + last mile
— Cainiao doubling warehouse productivity with robots
— Amazon moving upstream into China
👉 Everyone is investing in infrastructure, not products.
3) Speed is no longer about courier choice
Most dropshippers still think:
“Use faster shipping line = win”
Reality now:
— Speed = inventory positioning
— Speed = system integration
— Speed = data + replenishment
Not just YunExpress vs 4PX.
4) Compliance is becoming non-negotiable
At the same time:
— EU tightening product + tax rules
— US removing loopholes
— Platforms increasing liability
👉 Meaning:
— Random supplier = risk
— No documentation = risk
— No control = risk
5) Returns are being solved (this changes unit economics)
China just expanded nationwide customs return handling.
👉 Historically:
Returns = nightmare
Expensive / slow / messy
👉 Now:
Reverse logistics becoming smoother.
Enables real DTC models, not just “ship and forget”.
🧠 The deeper shift (most people miss this)
This is not about Amazon.
This is about where value is moving in the stack.
Old value:
— product sourcing
— price arbitrage
New value:
— supply chain design
— inventory flow control
— compliance + infrastructure
🚨 What dropshippers should be cautious about
1) Depending fully on AliExpress-style fulfillment
You are:
— slow
— exposed to policy changes
— replaceable
2) Ignoring inventory strategy
If you don’t control:
— stock levels
— replenishment timing
You will lose to people who do.
3) Treating logistics as a backend problem
It is no longer backend.
It is your core competitive advantage.
4) Not preparing for policy changes
— De minimis changes
— EU fees
— platform liability
These are not “news”.
They are margin killers.
🧩 What smart operators will start doing now
— Move toward private agents / direct factory sourcing
— Test inventory staging in China (not just direct ship)
— Add light overseas stocking for winners
— Build repeatable supply chains, not one-off products
— Think in systems, not products
Final thought
Amazon didn’t build a warehouse.
They made a statement:
"The future of ecommerce is not who finds the product.
It’s who controls the flow of goods."
Most dropshippers are still playing the old game.
The platform players already moved on.
Amazon didn’t just open a warehouse in Shenzhen.
They changed where the game is played.
What actually happened
On April 9, Amazon launched its first Global Warehousing & Distribution (GWD) centre in Shenzhen.
On the surface:
— Store inventory in China
— Ship to US when needed
But underneath:
They pulled fulfillment upstream into the factory layer itself.
This is not logistics.
This is control.
🧠 What Amazon is really doing
1) They are collapsing the entire supply chain into one system
Factory → warehouse → customs → freight → US fulfillment
All inside Amazon’s infrastructure.
👉 No more fragmented:
— supplier
— agent
— freight forwarder
— 3PL
It becomes one controlled pipeline.
2) They are killing the biggest inefficiency in ecommerce
Old model:
— Ship bulk to US
— Guess demand
— Tie up cash
— Overstock or stockout
New model:
— Hold bulk in China
— Replenish dynamically based on real sales
👉 Result:
— Up to 45% storage cost reduction
— Faster restocking
— Lower working capital pressure
3) They are copying what Temu / Shein already figured out
— Inventory stays closer to factories
— Demand signals control flow
— Speed comes from system design, not courier choice
Amazon is not innovating.
They are catching up.
4) They are preparing for global replication
This Shenzhen node is not the end.
It’s the prototype for:
— China → US
— China → EU
— China → Japan
👉 A global upstream inventory network.
⚠️ What dropshippers need to understand (this is the important part)
1) The old model is quietly dying
The classic play:
— Find product
— List on Shopify
— Ship from AliExpress
That model depends on:
— cheap parcels
— slow shipping tolerance
— low compliance
All 3 are breaking at the same time.
2) Logistics is becoming the moat
Look at what’s happening across the board:
— JD.com building EU warehouses + last mile
— Cainiao doubling warehouse productivity with robots
— Amazon moving upstream into China
👉 Everyone is investing in infrastructure, not products.
3) Speed is no longer about courier choice
Most dropshippers still think:
“Use faster shipping line = win”
Reality now:
— Speed = inventory positioning
— Speed = system integration
— Speed = data + replenishment
Not just YunExpress vs 4PX.
4) Compliance is becoming non-negotiable
At the same time:
— EU tightening product + tax rules
— US removing loopholes
— Platforms increasing liability
👉 Meaning:
— Random supplier = risk
— No documentation = risk
— No control = risk
5) Returns are being solved (this changes unit economics)
China just expanded nationwide customs return handling.
👉 Historically:
Returns = nightmare
Expensive / slow / messy
👉 Now:
Reverse logistics becoming smoother.
Enables real DTC models, not just “ship and forget”.
🧠 The deeper shift (most people miss this)
This is not about Amazon.
This is about where value is moving in the stack.
Old value:
— product sourcing
— price arbitrage
New value:
— supply chain design
— inventory flow control
— compliance + infrastructure
🚨 What dropshippers should be cautious about
1) Depending fully on AliExpress-style fulfillment
You are:
— slow
— exposed to policy changes
— replaceable
2) Ignoring inventory strategy
If you don’t control:
— stock levels
— replenishment timing
You will lose to people who do.
3) Treating logistics as a backend problem
It is no longer backend.
It is your core competitive advantage.
4) Not preparing for policy changes
— De minimis changes
— EU fees
— platform liability
These are not “news”.
They are margin killers.
🧩 What smart operators will start doing now
— Move toward private agents / direct factory sourcing
— Test inventory staging in China (not just direct ship)
— Add light overseas stocking for winners
— Build repeatable supply chains, not one-off products
— Think in systems, not products
Final thought
Amazon didn’t build a warehouse.
They made a statement:
"The future of ecommerce is not who finds the product.
It’s who controls the flow of goods."
Most dropshippers are still playing the old game.
The platform players already moved on.
0
0
