Logistics is a very important part of cross-border e-commerce business, which directly determines whether the seller's goods can reach overseas consumers safely and on time. If there are problems in the logistics process, such as delays, lost goods, etc., the losses caused to the seller are also very significant. Especially since the epidemic, logistics has been under constant pressure, and the frequency of problems has increased. At the same time, new problems are also constantly emerging.
Recently, a seller approached YiEn.com and claimed that their entire container of goods had disappeared in the United States. Lost goods are not uncommon in cross-border logistics, especially in chaotic logistics environments, but the loss of entire containers is very rare.
As is well known, logistics prices have been pushed to high levels nowadays, and port congestion is still ongoing. In this situation, the theft of such a large amount of goods is undoubtedly adding insult to injury for sellers. As the Spring Festival approaches, sellers have also shipped all the goods they should, but they are worried about the logistics situation next year and the uncertainty of their business in the coming year.
The entire container of goods is missing in the United States, and there is still no explanation after more than four months
Our goods have been stolen, and it's the whole thing40HQ stolen Recently, a seller approached YiEn.com and said that it has been 5 months since their goods were confirmed to have been stolen in the United States, but the issue of compensation has not been resolved. "This is a huge disaster for small and medium-sized sellers, and now we are also struggling on the brink of bankruptcy
The seller claims that,On April 30, 2021, he entrusted Amazon Global Logistics (AGL) to sea freight a 40HQ full container of goods to the Amazon ONT8 warehouse in the United States. The goods arrived at the port of Los Angeles on May 19 and were pre dispatched to the warehouse on May 26, butafterThere have been no updates since then. During this period, customer service was urged multiple times a week, but the response was a new delayed delivery time, and they were informed that due to the busy warehouse, the scheduled delivery time would be delayed.
untilOn September 14th, they received a new message via email, "AGL informed us that our entire container of goods has been stolen from the transit warehouse in the United States
The seller didn't expect it and waitedFor over three months, it was a "bad news" that came. It is reported that the entire container is worth 900000 yuan, with a shipping cost of over 36000 yuan. While shocked, they quickly applied for compensation, but the road was also exceptionally difficult.
Firstly, when shipping, the seller has already entrustedAGL helped purchase insurance, and AGL also claimed that the demand had been recorded. However, in August, AGL informed the seller that the insurance had missed the purchase time and was not purchased. Therefore, it was clearly not feasible to seek compensation from the insurance company.
Secondly, as of press release,AGL also did not provide a compensation or solution. "We provided various materials according to their requirements, wrote no less than 40 emails, and communicated over the phone no less than 20 times. Each time, we were informed that different departments were communicating and the leaders were discussing, and the results were given next week. Then, we pushed next week, and there was no progress from next week to next week
The seller stated that it was out of trust in Amazon that they passed theAGL transports goods, and their goods have always been transported through this channel. However, it is unexpected that there has been a theft of the goods and there is no way to claim compensation.
Sellers know that loss of goods can cause a chain reaction. In addition to loss of goods, it can also lead to issues such as out of stock, decreased storage scores, and loss of shopping carts. The impact of whole container loss is even more severe.
The seller has gone through all of the above, and at the same time, he has discovered something infuriating and absurd among the sellers he is selling.Starting in September, he discovered that there were gradually American local sellers selling their listings on Amazon. As the product itself was a private model, one also obtained a US appearance patent. In order to make complaints more successful, the seller directly bought several products they were selling and found that this was the product they had stolen“Even the barcode of our product hasn't been torn off, it's just simplelandOverwrite!”
The seller said:When it comes to selling up to 15 items, all of them are FBA goods,The stolen goods in the hands of Amazon Logistics are being sold on the Amazon platform, and the stolen goods are located in Amazon warehouses.
With conclusive evidence, Amazon's handling has disappointed sellers:We started seeking help from various departments on Amazon in September to handle this matter, and it wasn't until December that we, with the assistance of AGL, removed the products we were selling together
In addition, during the period of selling at low prices to grab shopping carts, and after restocking later, in order to win back the shopping cart, the seller had to sell at a loss at a lower price12000 products, resulting in a loss of over 600000 yuan.
Based on the previous and subsequent calculations, the seller suffered nearly a loss due to this incident1.6 million yuan. And due to a shortage of goods in the middle, it affected peak season sales and left a pile of inventory. The product that was stolen is our main link, and cross-border e-commerce has already accumulated a lot of funds. As small and medium-sized sellers, we have been struggling on the brink of bankruptcy after all this turmoil
Under the epidemic, cross-border goods have been frequently looted, and sellers have expressed distress
In fact, it is very common to lose goods. In various forums and industry groups, you can often see such roast from sellers:
XXX advises everyone not to use it and to throw away items crazily;
——Headache, the freight forwarder lost the goods and still hasn't paid compensation. What should I do;
——It's really a big mistake. The recently changed freight forwarder not only delayed and refused, but also said the goods were lost for various reasons
Recently, many sellers have even reported that their goods have all arrived at Amazon warehouses, but they still disappear inexplicably. One of the sellers stated that they recently discovered that Amazon has been experiencing a continuous shortage of listings. The waybill number shows signed for, and the invoice is also provided. However, Amazon refuses to acknowledge or compensate, resulting in a total loss of valueMore than 20000 yuan.
In addition to the sporadic issue of lost goods and items, like the sellers mentioned above, it is not uncommon for the entire container of goods to be stolen.In April 2021, a 40 foot container sent by four sellers to Toronto, Canada was brazenly stolen along with the cargo and vehicle. When the local police found the stolen container, the goods were mostly empty. In addition to the theft of whole boxes of goods, there are occasional cases of lost goods or items.
A recent survey by Safewise found that over 200 million packages are stolen every year across the United States, with Amazon's express delivery accounting for 53.9% of the total, FedEx ranking second with 15.5% of packages, and UPS ranking third with 11%.
In international trade, the risks of goods being stolen and lost are already higher than those in China. Under the pandemic, the cross-border logistics environment is chaotic, and these risks have skyrocketed.
American mediaOn January 13th, it was reported that freight containers on the Los Angeles rail have been ransacked consecutively recently, with thousands of broken packages scattered throughout the areapackageEither it is already empty or damaged. Some packaging bags left on site can still be clearly seenThe word 'prime'. It is reported that most of these packages are goods shipped from companies such as Amazon and UPS to residents on the west coast.
Any running train can experience theft incidents, and the goods piled up in the port are even more dangerous. Due to the decrease in the loading, unloading, and transportation capacity of containers at ports, a large number of containers have piled uptoSome illegal elements have provided opportunities.
There are increasing incidents of cargo theft in Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. According to foreign media reports, in theIn the first nine months of 2021, the amount of stolen goods at the West Coast port reached $45 million. In the third quarter, the amount of stolen goods was $5 million, 42% higher than in 2020. Most of the stolen goods were electronic products and refrigerated food. Moreover, similar incidents have also increased in ports in Texas and Florida.
Overall, after the goods are shipped, it is difficult for sellers to control them, especially in cross-border trade. As long as the goods do not reach consumers for a day, various accidents may occur in the process. In this process, in addition to selecting a high-quality and responsible logistics provider,The establishment of "insurance awareness" is also very important. In international trade, purchasing insurance for one's own goods can not only compensate for some losses for the seller in case of accidents, but also eliminate the need for logisticsmerchantTo argue with each other.
Rolling in the logistics industryFang Zhenming, a 16-year-old logistics person and founder and CEO of Yunwujie, stated that when goods are lost or stolen, sellers hope to transfer the risk to the logistics company. In the early stages, the logistics company also promised that the seller would compensate, but in the end, they often enter a state of dispute, especially for high value products, Many sellers require logistics companies to accompany them all, but logistics companies usually only earn 10% of the profit, making full compensation impractical. If they only compensate tens of thousands of yuan, they can earn it back in a few months, and they may have the ability to compensate. However, if they want to compensate hundreds of thousands, then no one will be willing
He said that the healthy development of the cross-border e-commerce industry should be implanted with insurance to handle claims, rather than letting a logistics company without the ability to bear the promise of having insurance handle claims in the event of a loss of goods. This is a good way for both logistics companies and sellers to avoid risks and prevent later disputes.
But there is a problem with this processneedNote that the seller must handle the relevant matters of insurance purchase on their own,By doing so,On the one hand, to prevent sellers like beforeAppearing like thatLogistics company missed insurance purchaseThings aboutOn the other hand, logistics companies purchase insurance, transport their own goods, and then the goods are lost in their own hands. In the insurance company's claims process, everything is caused by their own actions, and the insurance company will face many difficulties in claims settlement, making it difficult to compensate.
However, although many sellers also understand the importance of insurance, they still do not choose not to purchase insurance. On the one hand, they hold a lucky mentality and feel that they will not be so unlucky; On the other hand, purchasing insurance is too cumbersome, the premium is expensive, and few insurance companies are willing to deal with sellers' scattered insurance.
Obviously, in this situation, it is very necessary to connect the logistics and insurance agency channels. Like buying a flight ticket, sellers can choose their preferred airline on one platform, and if there is a need to purchase insurance, they can also purchase it with just one click. In the cross-border e-commerce industry, the same applies. Only by connecting with the logistics system can convenience insurance purchases be formed. In the case of the same platform and a large volume, the premium may also decrease.
In 2022, freight rates will remain high and congestion will continue to exist
In addition to making goods more susceptible to theft and loss, sellers are also overwhelmed by rising logistics prices and congested global logistics during the pandemic. As the Spring Festival approaches, the seller has already shipped out their pre year goods, but they are concerned about the logistics situation next year.
In the seller's main market, the United States, although some speculate that the most severe period of supply chain disruptions may have ended, port officials have stated that,stayAt the beginning of the 2022 New Year, there is no sign of an end to the surge in imports. Although some ports have indicated that they can successfully handle the backlog of container ships, there is no sign of a decrease in the number of ships heading to Southern California ports.
Southern California Ocean Exchange（The first New Year report from the Marine Exchange of South California also confirmed that little progress has been made in reducing the backlog. The report shows that there are 16 ships located at anchorage or within a 40 mile radius outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Another 89 ships registered their arrival times and slowly sailed towards Southern California. There are a total of 105 container ships sailing to the terminals of two ports.
In addition, American mediaOn January 6th, the message was displayed,Co-ownership71000 empty containers are docked on the dock, and 10000 standard containers are docked on the yard outside the dock. More than two-thirds of containers have a dwell time of 9 days or more.
Ocean intelligenceThe data of sea intelligence shows that,The congestion level at major container ports in the United States and Europe has reached a new high, and due to the continuous growth of demand for goods outside of Asia, there is no sign of improvement in the congestion situation.
The maritime data companyIn a statement on January 11th, it was stated that the latest data shows that globally, 11.5% of operational capacity was unavailable in November 2021, with a decrease of less than 1% that month. This is higher than the normal 2% standard.
The congestion level at European ports is particularly severe, as it has been since last yearSince October, it has been increasing and there are no positive signs.
As flight delays and terminal deceleration increase, freight rates also increase. Proctor's Container Freight IndexAfter falling from a historical high in the fourth quarter, the Platts Container Rate Index has been on an upward trend since mid December and has risen by 7% since December 14th. On January 11th, PCRI assessed it at $7140.17/FEU, a year-on-year increase of nearly 65%.
So many sellers expectThe logistics prices will significantly decrease in 2022, and there is a possibility that they may even return to 2019, which is unlikely to be achieved. Fang Ke, the general manager of Shenzhen Anjun Logistics Co., Ltd. with over ten years of work experience, is deeply impressed by this.
Fang Ke believes that high prices cannot be changed in the short term,Whether it's renting a ship or buying a ship, or renting an airplane or buying an airplane, the prices have not come down. For example, the price of renting an airplane in 2021 has increased to 2-3 times that of 2019, and the cost is here. Moreover, the price of crude oil is also at a high level. To achieve a large-scale recovery, it is impossible to complete it within 1 year of 2022
Especially in the United States, where the epidemic is recurring and the number of infected individuals is increasingIn early January, it continued to reach new highs. Under the impact of the epidemic, its domestic low-end production chain was difficult to recover, and the supply chain was not sound, so it still needed to rely on China. Therefore, Fang Ke believes that the supply-demand relationship has not fundamentally changed, which is also the reason why logistics prices cannot fall in the short term,However, it will have a fluctuation value, that is, the price reduction will not be lower thanThe price increase of 25% in 2021 will not exceed 20%.
Fang Zhenming also expressed the same view,High prices have become a norm and will not change as quickly as 2022. Shipping companies are the main players in the soaring freight rates, and the high profits in recent years have been too tempting for shipping companies, so prices will not quickly return to their previous passive state.”
Previously, shipping companies used to look for customers with their positions everywhere, but now where else do they need this? "In Fang Zhenming's view, now that shipping companies have turned passivity into initiative, they will not easily give up
Although with the increasing number of cross-border logistics practitioners and fierce competition, there is a phenomenon of price cutting in order to attract customers, from the perspective of the dealer, prices will not decrease. Fang Ke predicts that the real decline in logistics prices will occurIn 2023, there may be a situation where the epidemic may not be fully controlled, but Europe, the United States, and Latin America will restore their own supply chains. In this case, dependence on Chinese products will be reduced, and freight rates will gradually decrease
And on the issue of port congestion, they also expressedThere will be improvements in 2022, but there will not be a fundamental solution.
Among them, Fang Zhenming stated that the current logistics congestion problems are mainly in foreign countries, such as the United States, and in the long run, they will also see problems that affect people's livelihoods,The epidemic will not change, and people can adapt to it. Therefore, after two years of sedimentation, under normal circumstances, people will adapt to it and gradually adapt to the actions inside the epidemic, but the effect will not be very good, just to say that there is improvement
Write at the end:
In 2021, many cross-border people will use the word "difficult" to summarize logistics: the Suez Canal is blocked, the congestion at Los Angeles/Long Beach Port, container rates are soaring, and some ports in Yantian Port and Ningbo Port have been closed due to the epidemic... All of these are a great challenge for cross-border sellers and logistics providers. Not only did it not improve as expected in 2020, but during this process, due to tight transportation capacity, freight rates continued to rise, and at the same time, many problems were exposed, such as air freight to sea freight, and Meisen's adoption of conventional ships.
However, although the epidemic has disrupted the overall flow of goods, what it brings to cross-border e-commerce sellers is the same, everyone is from the same starting point, soIn 2022, the most important thing for sellers is to calm down, not blindly compete at low prices, and plan their operations. At the same time, it should be noted that it is necessary to adjust the stocking strategy based on the logistics situation, make a good shipping plan, and adapt to the new shipping environment under the epidemic.
In addition, during the pandemic, many countries in Europe and America are experiencing a downward trend in their economies. In addition, Westerners lack the concept of saving money, and a poor economic environment can lead to unemployment and lack of savings. Therefore, strikes, protests, and other activities still occur from time to time. In this case,Delays, theft, and robbery are particularly prone to occur, and sellers should pay attention to developing preventive measures.