GoodsFox Daily Insights – December 11, 2025: Global E-Commerce Update: Pet Birthday Spending Boom, Temu Outage, Japan Tax Shift, and Shopee Policy Changes
- Pet Birthday Spending Surges Over 400% as Gen Z Drives a New Consumer Trend
- Temu Faces Major U.S. Outage as 18,000 Users Report Errors
- Japan Removes Tax Exemption for Low-Value Imports; All Goods to Face 10% Consumption Tax Starting 2026
- Shopee Indonesia to Raise Seller Administration Fees Starting 2026
- Shopee Philippines Removes Penalties for High Pre-Order Ratios but Adds 2% Service Fee
1. Pet Birthday Spending Surges Over 400% as Gen Z Drives a New Consumer Trend
The “pet birthday economy” is becoming a major growth driver in the global pet-care market.
About 64% of pet owners now celebrate their pets’ birthdays, pushing sales of related products higher on Amazon and TikTok.
The trend reflects a shift toward emotional spending. Consumers are moving from basic supplies to full party kits, photo-ready decorations, and interactive toys. They want stronger “ritual experiences” and content to share on social platforms.
The hashtag #dogbirthday has passed 600 million views on TikTok, accelerating category visibility. Product design now focuses on safe materials and personalization. This shift is turning the category from individual items to complete “scene-based solutions.”
2. Temu Faces Major U.S. Outage as 18,000 Users Report Errors
Temu experienced a large-scale system outage on December 9.
More than 18,000 users reported access issues, while sellers said they could not log in to the U.S. dashboard or process orders. Multiple sites showed continuous interruptions.
At the same time, Temu tightened compliance rules for semi-managed toy products in the U.S. market. Sellers must pay a USD 4,200 security deposit and submit test reports from designated agencies. Products without approved reports will be removed from January 1, 2026.
The deposit may temporarily increase to USD 7,000. With a testing cycle of 15–30 days and rising fees, sellers now face operational disruptions and higher compliance costs.
3. Japan Removes Tax Exemption for Low-Value Imports; All Goods to Face 10% Consumption Tax Starting 2026
Japan’s ruling party recently proposed a tax reform that removes the current exemption for imported goods priced under 10,000 yen.
Starting in 2026, all imported items entering Japan will be subject to a unified 10% consumption tax.
The reform also cancels the rule allowing individuals to be taxed at 60% of the overseas retail price. Tax will instead be calculated based on the full transaction value.
Cross-border platforms with annual sales above 5 billion yen must take on tax-collection responsibilities.
The new policy directly targets Chinese cross-border sellers, who account for nearly 90% of Japan’s small-parcel imports in 2024. The volume of such goods has increased fivefold in five years, reaching 170 million packages.
As the low-price advantage fades, platforms must invest heavily in tax compliance. Large platforms with annual sales over 10 billion yen may see operating costs rise 30%–50%. This marks the end of the “low-price advantage era” in global cross-border trade and pushes Chinese sellers toward brand-driven and higher-value categories.
4. Shopee Indonesia to Raise Seller Administration Fees Starting 2026
Shopee Indonesia will adjust its seller administration fees beginning January 2026. Rates will vary by seller type and product category.
Non-Mall sellers and Star/Star+ sellers will face fees between 2.5% and 10%.
Shopee Mall sellers will face 2.5% to 11.7%.
For non-Mall sellers, Lifestyle products will have the lowest rate at 2.5%, while Electronics and FMCG categories will reach up to 10%.
For Mall sellers, Lifestyle and FMCG categories may reach 11.7%.
Shipping fees, product discounts, and coupons are not included in the calculation. The adjustment also excludes the current 1,250 IDR order processing fee and fees for Xtra Free Shipping and Xtra promotions.
5. Shopee Philippines Removes Penalties for High Pre-Order Ratios but Adds 2% Service Fee
Shopee Philippines announced that it will remove restrictions and penalties on pre-order product ratios starting January 1, 2026.
All completed pre-order transactions—excluding custom and personalized goods—will incur a unified 2% service fee to support the feature’s expanded operations.
Shopee defines pre-order products as items requiring seven or more days to prepare for shipment. These are usually made-to-order products or items needing special handling.
Even with penalty removal, Shopee recommends keeping pre-order products below 10% of a store’s active listings.
Before the policy change, non-priority and non-official sellers exceeding that threshold were limited to 100 active listings.
Sellers are encouraged to optimize product structures early by increasing ready-stock items and reducing pre-order listings to maintain visibility and smooth operations.
For more marketing insights and tools, visit GoodsFox.
