International shipping partners ePost Global and ShipWise are expanding their cross-border returns capabilities as merchants face rising international return rates, stricter customs rules and growing volatility in global e-commerce logistics.
The companies said merchants can now manage international returns alongside outbound domestic and global shipments through the ShipWise platform, giving retailers a single system for both forward and reverse logistics.
The expanded support is aimed at helping e-commerce merchants handle cross-border returns more efficiently while navigating increasingly complex customs regulations and data requirements.
“Returns have become a real operational risk,” said Helaine Rich, vice president of strategic sales and administration at ePost Global. “When regulations change or carriers fail, merchants feel the impact immediately. Our role is to absorb that volatility so returns and delivery remain predictable.”
Cypress, California-based ePost Global is a technology enabled global shipping solutions provider. The company has facilities in Chicago, New Jersey, Miami and Los Angeles.
Reverse logistics has become a growing challenge for global e-commerce merchants as international online shopping expands.
Return rates are rising globally while customs compliance requirements and carrier reliability issues add new layers of complexity to moving returned goods across borders.
The global reverse logistics market is projected to reach roughly $936 billion in 2026, according to Global Market Insights.
Industry estimates suggest that 20% to 30% of online purchases are returned, far higher than the roughly 8% to 10% return rate in brick-and-mortar retail. In the U.S. alone, consumers returned nearly $890 billion worth of merchandise in 2024, highlighting the growing operational burden reverse logistics places on retailers and logistics providers.
Rich said many merchants underestimate the regulatory hurdles involved in cross-border returns.
“One of the main things is that they have to understand what the commodities are,” Rich said. “Certain items can be exported from the U.S., but they may be restricted from coming back into the United States depending on regulations.”
Companies also must ensure documentation matches the original export records when items return to the U.S., she said.
“Everything has to be very clean and accurate when it’s being exported so that when there’s that cross-reference, what was declared going in is what’s declared coming out,” Rich said.