The carefree era of “frictionless global commerce” is officially over. In 2025, a massive tariff wave—specifically a 10% duty on most Chinese goods and the removal of the crucial de minimis exemption for low-value imports—has jolted the e-commerce and wholesale sectors.

For e-commerce brands, the supply chain has gone from “just-in-time” speed to a slow, expensive grind.

• The loss of de minimis is a direct hit: small, direct-to-consumer shipments now face longer customs delays and higher landed costs, creating a tight cash flow crunch as duties must be paid upfront.
• The immediate response is a frantic sourcing scramble. Companies are racing to diversify suppliers into regions like Southeast Asia and Mexico to dodge the new duties. They’re also consolidating small shipments into bulk freight and shifting inventory to domestic warehouses to bypass customs bottlenecks.

Wholesale distributors, operating on razor-thin margins, are feeling a similar squeeze. They must grapple with rising inventory costs, frantically renegotiate supplier contracts, and strategically pass along selective price increases while fighting to preserve customer loyalty.

Beyond the direct financial hit, the most damaging factor is uncertainty. Policy shifts, the threat of trade retaliation, and opaque rollout timelines have made businesses hesitant to commit to long-term sourcing or pricing decisions.

The result is a forced supply-chain reset that accelerates nearshoring and re-regionalization. While these models are more resilient, they are also costlier. For both e-commerce and wholesale, 2025 has made one thing clear: Adaptability is no longer a competitive advantage—it’s the bare minimum required for survival.