The reshuffle of the cross-border logistics industry is accelerating in 2026.

From unpaid freight charges and stranded cargo to payment demands for cargo release and disappearances, logistics provider collapses have become frequent. Incomplete industry estimates show that in the first eight months of this year, more than 25 freight forwarder failures occurred in Shenzhen alone.

Cases include Shenzhen Ou*Tong’s stalled European air-express line in January; a Shenzhen blacklist naming 22 freight forwarders in April; Mei* Cross-border Supply Chain (Shenzhen) owing 3 million yuan in freight fees in July, leaving over 17,000 parcels stranded; and in August, another Shenzhen logistics company’s Russian overseas warehouse suddenly suspending operations with no recovery date.

By September, the “thunder” had not stopped.

AMZ123 learned that on September 15, two affiliated Shenzhen freight forwarding companies issued a winding-up notice.

The notice said the account of Shenzhen *Xing International Supply Chain Co., Ltd. was judicially frozen on March 11, 2026, and the European account of its affiliate Shenzhen Tong*Ou International Supply Chain Co., Ltd. was frozen on August 5, 2026. The two companies could not pay logistics fees and had arrears at terminals, overseas warehouses, and customs clearance.

The disclosed liabilities include European terminal fees of 1 million yuan, U.S. warehouse rent of 1 million yuan, frozen funds of 450,000 yuan, expected receivables of 1.2–1.5 million yuan, plus booking agency debts of 450,000 and 830,000 yuan, U.S. customs clearance agency debt of 400,000 yuan, overseas warehouse agency debt of 750,000 yuan, and European customs clearance fees of up to 7 million yuan, with a total gap exceeding 10 million yuan.

According to the notice, the two companies stopped taking orders on September 1 and no longer collected payments. They expected to finish European warehoused cargo by September 25, while four employees would continue handling U.S. cargo.

At least 25 containers are affected: 9 at U.S. terminals, 12 in European overseas warehouses, and 4 at European terminals.

Public records show Shenzhen *Xing Supply Chain was established in 2018 with registered capital of 10 million yuan and now has an abnormal operating status, while Shenzhen Tong*Ou Supply Chain was established in 2024 with registered capital of 5 million yuan and remains open. Both are registered in Bao’an District, Shenzhen, with the same legal representative, Chen.

An AMZ123 investigation found that sellers had reported in early September that goods shipped through the involved forwarders could not be delivered normally and were asked to pick up cargo from a German overseas warehouse. German warehouse agents also revealed that the forwarders had outstanding payments.

According to industry sources, the rights-protection group already has more than 100 members, including upstream and downstream service providers and cargo owners.

As of press time, the forwarders had not announced the specific reason for closure. Previous collapses suggest that as the reshuffle accelerates, the first to exit are often small and medium forwarders with weak capital reserves, poor risk resistance, and inadequate compliance.

As the market clears, regulatory measures are also landing.

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AMZ123 learned that on September 18, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officially launched enhanced verification procedures for Importer of Record (IOR) identity information.

Under the announcement, if CBP determines that Form 5106 information filed by the importer (IOR) is missing or inaccurate, it will invalidate the IOR number so it cannot be used for U.S. import declarations and related business. Form 5106 mainly includes: importer name, EIN/SSN tax number, mailing address, physical business address, phone number, and email address.

Image source: CBP document - No. FR Doc. 2026-16911

As early as June, the White House issued an executive order on strengthening customs enforcement, requiring CBP to reform the “importer of record” rules and crack down on underreporting import values, concealing declaration and cargo information, and evading tariffs. On August 18, CBP announced that enhanced IOR verification would begin 30 days later.

Now that the new rules are in effect, industry discussion is heating up.

Two items in Form 5106 have drawn high attention: the EIN/SSN tax number must belong directly to the IOR entity, and borrowing or attaching to others’ tax numbers is strictly prohibited; and the actual business address—CBP lists several unacceptable types such as third-party registered addresses, virtual offices in bulk, and addresses unable to receive official customs correspondence.

In the past, many small and medium forwarders occupied a market niche by “handling everything for sellers”—using borrowed IORs, shared bonds, and vague dual-duty-inclusive declarations to package complex customs clearance into low-price quotes.

Under the new rules, this is not compliant. If IOR information is invalidated by CBP, the relevant containers cannot be released at ports, and prepaid terminal fees, warehouse rent, and return deposits may become sunk costs overnight.

Logistics insiders say some providers suspended accepting cargo before the rules took effect. Some analysts believe the industry may enter a painful compliance transition and a wave of forwarder collapses.

The rules have just taken effect and future CBP enforcement remains unclear, but compliance has become the top priority for going overseas.

AMZ123 reminds U.S.-route sellers to verify the authenticity and compliance of IOR information with logistics partners in advance, diversify logistics channels, and avoid concentrating inventory on a single provider to reduce risk.

What do you think? Welcome to share your views in the comments.

Seller Home Review

Cross-border logistics collapses occur frequently. Sellers should be wary of low-price traps, check forwarder qualifications and payment terms first, diversify risk, and avoid losing both goods and money.

Source: AMZ123 Cross-border E-commerce
Original link: https://www.amz123.com/t/bCWTAcW5