Practical, no-fluff advice on shipping and fulfillment for small brands.
November 26, 2025
If an e-commerce brand is thinking about simplifying its merchandise mix, the latest results from Lowe’s offer a strong lesson. The home-improvement retailer is aiming to cut 15% of its SKUs by the en
Read more →November 24, 2025
E-commerce businesses may soon gain more flexibility in their delivery strategies, as the U.S. Postal Service is shifting its role in the supply chain, according to Supply Chain Dive . Under new leade
Read more →November 18, 2025
With the 2025 holiday season approaching, timing shipments strategically is crucial for ensuring customers receive their orders before December 24. Supply Chain Dive reports major carriers have releas
Read more →November 17, 2025
The United States Postal Service is pursuing a growth-oriented strategy built around expanding its first-mile and last-mile capabilities, according to Supply Chain Dive . Postmaster General David Stei
Read more →November 15, 2025
Global air-cargo spot rates continued to decline in October 2025, marking the sixth consecutive monthly drop, according to a report from Xeneta . Average spot pricing fell to roughly $2.58 per kilogra
Read more →November 14, 2025
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Nov. 5, 2025 in cases challenging whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) legitimately allowed former President Donald Trump to impose
Read more →November 12, 2025
UPS has announced a preliminary agreement with the U.S. Postal Service to revive their partnership on Ground Saver, signaling a major shift in last-mile delivery strategy, according to Supply Chain Di
Read more →November 10, 2025
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered reductions of up to 10% in air traffic at about 40 airports nationwide, a direct response to staffing shortages and the prolonged federal government shu
Read more →November 4, 2025
UPS has announced a 5.9% General Rate Increase (GRI) coming in 2026, but shippers shouldn’t take that percentage at face value. The real story is how selectively the increases are being applied. Light
Read more →November 3, 2025
As the holiday season approaches, direct-to-consumer (D2C) ecommerce brands are feeling pressure on two fronts: rising tariffs and technology limitations. In a recent industry survey by EMARKETER, 37%
Read more →November 2, 2025
A surprising coalition of Republican senators joined Democrats in an effort to block the White House’s tariffs on Canadian goods. While the resolution’s effect is mostly symbolic for now, the politica
Read more →November 1, 2025
Many small businesses are getting creative to offset rising costs driven by tariffs, especially when it comes to packaging, according to a recent article by Supply Chain Dive. One cosmetics business s
Read more →October 31, 2025
Running a small e-commerce business means shipping is more than a line item — it’s a core part of your customer experience and your margins. But the base rate you see when you print a label is only th
Read more →October 29, 2025
UPS and the United States Postal Service have reached a preliminary agreement that may restore USPS as the last-mile delivery partner for UPS’s Ground Saver service, according to Supply Chain Dive . T
Read more →October 25, 2025
For small e-commerce brands, the holiday season can make or break the year. It’s a time when demand spikes, shipping networks strain, and customer expectations skyrocket. Preparing early is essential
Read more →October 24, 2025
Amazon has begun offering doorstep pickup of returns by the United States Postal Service (USPS) for select customers, as part of its efforts to make returns more convenient. The service, launched over
Read more →October 24, 2025
Costco is leaning hard into the flexibility of its product assortment to better navigate tariff headwinds. As its executive leadership explained , the company benefits from managing a limited number o
Read more →October 23, 2025
Ocean shipping rates from Asia to the U.S. recently plunged to their lowest levels since late 2023, according to a weekly update from Freightos . The average fully loaded container rate from Asia to t
Read more →October 18, 2025
Major parcel carriers are preparing for a complicated 2025 holiday season as forecasts point to modest growth rather than a dramatic surge. FedEx, UPS, USPS and Amazon are each using a blend of automa
Read more →October 18, 2025
Former President Donald Trump confirmed plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping while simultaneously warning that current trade dynamics are untenable without dramatic tariff action. He described a
Read more →October 17, 2025
The U.S. Postal Service is launching 14 new sorting and delivery centers on November 1, seven of which are in California. These facilities will take over package and mail processing work currently han
Read more →October 11, 2025
As retailers and logistics firms brace for the 2025 holiday rush, all eyes are on peak season surcharges. Carriers including FedEx, UPS, USPS and Amazon’s own delivery arm are imposing higher temporar
Read more →October 10, 2025
The cardboard box has become an unlikely economic barometer, and the latest signals aren’t encouraging, according to Quartz. Demand for boxes has fallen sharply, prompting the nation’s largest produce
Read more →October 7, 2025
The U.S. furniture and wood products industry is bracing for a major shift as the Trump administration moves ahead with ne w tariffs set to take effect October 14, 2025. Under an executive order invok
Read more →October 4, 2025
The Trump administration is rolling out a new set of tariffs that hit sectors long considered outside the core of past trade actions. Starting October 1, kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities may see
Read more →October 2, 2025
Poshmark has updated its shipping policy so that any order containing electronics will now ship via USPS Ground Advantage instead of Priority Mail. The platform says the change applies regardless of t
Read more →September 26, 2025
UPS is add surcharges to some of its import and export services , according to Supply Chain Dive . The surcharges will apply September 28 through January 17, and so are focused on the holiday season w
Read more →September 24, 2025
Tariffs and the upcoming holidays are forcing retailers to stress test and prepare their supply chains, according to experts at a September 10 Supply Chain Dive event. Here are the top takeaways:
Read more →September 23, 2025
Sign up for The Extra Mile Newsletter to get small ecomm brand focused updates on logistics, ecomm, tariffs, and more from industry experts.
Read more →September 19, 2025
There are three major trends changing global supply chains for Chinese companies, says the Institute of Supply Chain Management in a new article . Each trend has implications for American companies to
Read more →August 26, 2025
Top takeaway LTL freight classifications are changing! Classification (and charges) is based on density of freight: heavier items are more expensive to ship, but increased volume is a pricing factor a
Read more →August 21, 2025
C.H. Robinson is crediting AI for some of its market share gains as they begin rolling out more AI tools, according to Supply Chain Dive . Q2 marks the ninth consecutive quarter that the company has e
Read more →August 13, 2025
Shopify is strategically positioning itself for the agentic age of commerce , where AI interfaces become the primary touchpoint for shoppers. This move helps merchants remain discoverable and accessib
Read more →August 8, 2025
Besides the usual fee increases and holiday surcharges, UPS is revising its dimensional weight calculation policy. Starting August 18, 2025, any fractional measurement in a package’s length, width, or
Read more →July 31, 2025
After months of bluster and negotiations, tariffs on imports from the EU are set at 15%.
Read more →July 30, 2025
Amazon is discontinuing prep and item labeling services for all FBA inventory sent to their fulfillment services as of January 1 2026.
Read more →July 25, 2025
In a world of boring brown boxes, brands are increasi ngly sending products in mor e colorful and personalized packaging .
Read more →July 24, 2025
A study by GrowthSRC Media reveals that the click-through rate (CTR) for the top organic Google result dropped significantly—from 28% to 19%, a 32% decline—coinciding with the rollout of Google's AI O
Read more →July 23, 2025
AI is affecting online marketing - webpages and copy now need to attract eyeballs and also be optimized for AI screening and searching, according to Search Engine Journal . It’s called Generative Engi
Read more →July 18, 2025
Amazon saw a 28% drop in packages using single use packaging during 2024, according to Supply Chain Dive.
Read more →July 17, 2025
FedEx plans to raise its holiday/peak‑season surcharges across multiple services, with some charges jumping more than 10% compared to last year, according to Supply Chain Dive. Holiday shipments jump
Read more →July 16, 2025
FedEx is implementing its Network 2.0 changes. This is resulting in layoffs and station closures, according to Supply Chain Dive.
Read more →July 12, 2025
Instacart and Pinterest unveiled a strategic partnership announced on June 16, 2025, aimed at redefining retail media and CPG advertising through the integration of accurate purchase data with visual
Read more →July 11, 2025
U.S. warehouse vacancy rate reached 7.1% in Q2 2025, up from 6.9% in the previous quarter and 6.1% a year earlier, according to the Wall Street Journal. This is the first time inventory availability h
Read more →July 9, 2025
In early June, ocean container rates from China to the U.S. West Coast plummeted by more than 50% , falling from a peak of around $6,000 to roughly $2,500 per 40-foot container, according to Reuters.
Read more →July 8, 2025
Global supply chains are shifting from dealing with occasional disruptions to navigating a constant state of crisis , according to Freight Waves. This “compound disruption” environment—marked by overl
Read more →July 7, 2025
Maersk estimates that effective U.S. import tariffs on containerized goods are averaging about 21%— a sharp drop from a peak of 54% in early April after President Trump announced sweeping tariffs. Thi
Read more →July 3, 2025
E-commerce entrepreneurship continues to be a way to get ahead, and get away from that office job. Entrepreneur Magazine conducted a survey and found people are still excited to be finding their own t
Read more →July 2, 2025
The US has been experiencing a road freight recession for nearly 40 months, with no clear recovery in sight. The recession is expected to continue as the market still has excess carrier capacity and l
Read more →July 1, 2025
Reshoring jumps as businesses deal with new trade realities Reshoring is an option for any US business producing overseas, but a screaming necessity for some of them. Reshoring (bringing physical prod
Read more →July 1, 2025
Tariff strategy is a new headache for business leaders Tariff uncertainty is disrupting small business innovation. Time is money - and strategizing around tariffs takes business leaders’ time as they
Read more →June 27, 2025
Tariffs impacting customers' ship costs Retailers are scaling back free shipping to help absorb rising costs from newly imposed tariffs—10% on most countries and much more on Chinese imports—alongside
Read more →May 8, 2025
Top takeaway Everyone has advice for how you should respond to the new normal level of uncertainty. You should be taking in webinars and informing yourself from a wide range of audiences. You can regi
Read more →May 2, 2025
Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter, where we share our knowledge to help ecommerce brands improve their business. At Middle Mile, we love ecommerce brands and the things their founders bri
Read more →