On the evening of July 2, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he had reached a trade agreement with Vietnam after weeks of intensive diplomatic negotiations.

The agreement stipulates that all goods exported from Vietnam to the U.S. will be subject to a 20% tariff, and goods transshipped to the U.S. via Vietnam face a 40% tariff, although the U.S. side has yet to announce a specific list of goods to which the 40% tariff will apply.

Zhongjing cross-border e-commerce logistics first combed through the core of the policy, the impact on sellers, as well as the most practical response program, hoping to help you stabilize profits and seize the first opportunity.

01 Policy focus: these 3 directly related to your cost 

According to the latest policy on July 2nd:

✅ Base tariff 20%: All goods shipped directly from Vietnam to the US (e.g. textiles, sportswear, etc.) are subject to an additional 20% tariff at the time of importation.

✅ Transshipment 40%: If goods are transshipped from a third country (e.g., China, other countries in Southeast Asia) to the U.S. via Vietnam, the tariff rises directly to 40%.

✅ Vietnam “concessions”: in exchange, Vietnam will cancel all tariffs on U.S. imports (but this has a limited impact on Chinese sellers).

It is worth noting that the U.S. had previously planned to impose 46% tariffs on Vietnam, and then adjusted downward to 10% as a negotiation buffer, the final landing 20%, mainly for Vietnam's trade surplus with the U.S. of up to 123.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, which is concentrated in the textile and sports apparel industries with the most significant impact on the OEMs of brands such as Nike, lululemon, and so on.

02 3 major “pain point warnings”: attention of Amazon sellers 

If your supply chain involves Vietnam, or relies on the “third country - Vietnam - U.S.” transshipment model, the following risks must be taken seriously .

✅ Soaring costs: profit margins are compressed 

Take a sports T-shirt made in Vietnam and priced at $50 as an example, the original tariff is assumed to be 5% ($2.5), and after the implementation of the new policy, you will need to pay an additional $10 (20% tariff), which directly increases the cost of a single piece by $10; and if you use Vietnam's transshipment mode, the cost will increase by $20 (40% tariff). Calculated on the basis of 1,000 pieces of sales scale, the profit will be reduced by $10,000, and small and medium-sized sellers are facing serious challenges to their profitability.

✅ Supply chain fluctuation: the risk of delivery delays increases dramatically 

After the implementation of the new tariff policy, the customs clearance process in Vietnam ports is expected to be significantly extended, and the risk of cargo backlog increases significantly. The original 2-day transportation cycle may be extended to 30-40 days, and in case of out-of-stock situation, it will not only affect the sales ranking of the goods, but also may trigger bad comments and returns from buyers, which will damage the reputation of the store.

✅ Weakening of market competitiveness: price advantage is no longer 

Due to rising tariff costs leading to higher selling prices of goods, if competitors adjust their supply chains in advance of the layout, they will seize the market share by virtue of their price advantage. In the long run, sellers may face customer loss, brand influence decline and other issues.

03 Cross-border logistics response strategy: Zhongjing cross-border e-commerce logistics 

“Change leads to success, and success leads to longevity.” With years of experience in cross-border logistics, CK Cross-border E-commerce Logistics has customized diversified logistics solutions for Amazon sellers to help sellers open up a path in the changing situation.

In response to the new trade policy in Vietnam, we recommend that sellers re-evaluate the choice of logistics channels.

1, for the third country through Vietnam to the United States of goods facing 40% high tariffs, we recommend that sellers re-planning transit routes. We have an extensive global logistics network, familiar with the customs policies and trade rules of various countries, and can help sellers find a better transshipment program to reduce the cost of transshipment.

2. Sellers are advised to reserve part of the goods to the U.S. overseas warehouse in advance to realize local delivery. In this way, the goods do not need to go through the Vietnamese port clearance, avoiding the backlog of goods due to the prolongation of the customs clearance process and the prolongation of the transportation cycle.

Overseas warehouse shipment can greatly reduce delivery time and improve customer satisfaction. For example, if the goods are shipped from the overseas warehouse in the US, they can be delivered to customers in the US mainland within 1-3 days, which is a significant increase in distribution efficiency compared to direct domestic shipment. It not only helps to improve the sales ranking of the goods, but also reduces the bad comments and returns from buyers due to the long waiting time, and maintains the good reputation of the store.

Zhongjing cross-border e-commerce logistics has overseas warehouses in many strategic cities in the U.S. With advanced warehouse facilities and standardized management, we are able to provide sellers with a full range of warehousing services. We have a professional warehouse management team and adopt advanced warehouse management system to realize accurate inventory management and fast in/out operation of goods. Sellers can check the inventory situation in real time through our system, replenish goods in time according to the sales data to ensure the continuous supply of goods.

* Sellers are advised to pay close attention to the subsequent progress, make a good coping strategy in advance, and adjust the business layout in time in order to reduce potential risks. @ Zhongjing Cross-border E-commerce Logistics will also continue to track the latest news for you.