Cross-Border Operating Model
Sell to 200+ Countries.
Handle Zero Customs Paperwork.
HS-code compliance, customs clearance, IOSS VAT, multi-currency billing, localized last-mile couriers, and international returns — all orchestrated by one team.
Where Brands Get Stuck
Cross-Border Complexity Kills More Brands Than Competition.
HS Code Misclassification
Wrong code = customs hold, duty penalty, or destruction order. 30% of shipments go wrong here.
VAT / IOSS Confusion
EU B2C orders now require IOSS registration. Handle VAT wrong = returned packages or fines.
Customs Delays
Parcel stuck in customs 2–3 weeks. Customer refunds. Brand reputation damaged.
Return Handling
A US customer returning a product to China costs more than the product. Most brands refund without return.
Currency / Payment
Multi-currency invoicing, FX risk, merchant-of-record confusion, payment processor restrictions.
Local Compliance
Labeling (multilingual), local safety certs, country-specific product bans. Missing one = shipment rejected.
Major Trade Lanes
Five Routes That Handle 85% of Cross-Border Volume.
China → United States
Largest DTC cross-border lane. De minimis threshold at $800 per shipment. Common ports LAX, JFK, ORD.
China → European Union
EU B2C requires IOSS. We handle IOSS registration + VAT collection. Hubs: Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Liege.
China → United Kingdom
Post-Brexit rules: VAT registration + UKCA compliance. Hubs: Heathrow, East Midlands, Manchester.
China → Australia
Proximity advantage. Clear GST framework. Hubs: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane.
China → Japan / Korea
Fastest routes from China. JP: Japan Post last-mile. KR: CJ Logistics. Strict cosmetics + food regulations.
China → Rest of World
LATAM, Middle East, Africa, SE Asia. Per-country compliance review before first shipment.
Paperwork Stack
Every Cross-Border Shipment Needs 6–9 Documents.
We prepare, verify, and file them all. Your team never sees a customs declaration, certificate of origin, or MSDS unless you want to.
Tax & Duty Module
VAT, GST, Duty — Collected Upfront, Paid on Time.
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) handling means your customer never sees a surprise invoice at their door.
| Market | Tax Type | Rate | Threshold | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | Sales Tax (varies) | 0–10.25% | State nexus thresholds | Per state if nexus |
| 🇪🇺 EU (27 countries) | VAT via IOSS | 17–27% | < €150 shipments | Single IOSS number (we hold) |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | VAT | 20% | < £135 collected at sale | UK VAT number required |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | GST | 10% | Collected at purchase | GST registration required |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | GST + PST / HST | 5–15% | Varies by province | CRA GST registration |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | JCT (Consumption Tax) | 10% | Imports > ¥10,000 | Tax agent required |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | GST | 15% | < NZD 1,000 | IRD registration |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | GST | 9% | Low-value goods from Jan 2023 | OVR scheme |
Warehouse Network
Four Strategic Hubs Near Your Buyers.
Dongguan, China
- All product sourcing origin
- Direct factory network
- Primary outbound customs
- Capacity: 200,000 sqm
Hong Kong
- Flash Chain Global Supply Chain
- Contracting + banking
- 48h express air to global
- Capacity: 30,000 sqm
Los Angeles, USA
- 1–3 day US delivery
- FBA prep partner
- Return reception
- Capacity: 45,000 sqm
Frankfurt, Germany
- 2–5 day EU delivery
- IOSS fulfillment
- Multilingual labels
- Capacity: 25,000 sqm
Last-Mile Partners
Localized Carriers Per Market.
🇺🇸 US
🇬🇧 UK
🇪🇺 EU
🇦🇺 AU / NZ
🇯🇵 JP / KR
🇨🇦 Canada
Currency & Payment
One Invoice, Four Currencies, Zero FX Risk.
Customers pay in their local currency. Your store collects at the daily FX rate. We consolidate monthly, FX-lock the settlement, and pay you in your chosen currency to a HK or Singapore entity.
- Supported: USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, JPY, SGD, HKD + 12 more
- Settlement options: Net-15 or Net-30 to your HK entity
- FX hedging available for volume > $500K/mo
- No merchant-of-record arrangement — you own payment relationships
International Returns
The Return That Actually Gets Returned.
Most brands give up on international returns because they’re uneconomical. Here’s how we make them work.
Local Return Label
Customer prints a local prepaid label. Drops at any post office in their country.
Regional Hub Consolidation
Returns accumulate at our US / EU / UK warehouse. 30–50 units per batch.
Inspection & Restock
Resellable items go back to inventory. Damaged items logged + photographed.
Refund Triggered
Customer refunded through your Shopify/Amazon. Full reconciliation per SKU monthly.
Pre-Launch Checklist
15 Things We Verify Before First Shipment.
Product Compliance
Tax & Legal
Operations
Cross-Border Questions
Before You Open Your First International Market.
Do I need my own IOSS or VAT registrations?
For small-volume EU / UK sellers, we can collect VAT under our existing IOSS and UK VAT registrations — your store passes VAT through to us, we remit to authorities. For larger volumes or if you prefer your own filings, we help you obtain country-specific VAT numbers and file returns (through our compliance partner network). Each path has tradeoffs we discuss at onboarding.
How do you handle products that are restricted in certain countries?
Pre-launch check: every SKU runs through a country-by-country restriction matrix. Common issues: batteries (IATA class 9 rules), cosmetics (EU CPNP notification), supplements (varies by country), knives and lighters (air transport restricted), CBD/hemp (country-specific). If a SKU can’t ship to a specific country, we flag it; you can either exclude that country for that SKU or reformulate to comply.
What’s the difference between DDP and DDU shipping?
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): Duty + VAT collected at purchase, paid to customs by us. Customer receives package with no extra fees. DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid): Customer pays duty + VAT on delivery. Surprise fees = returns. For DTC we strongly recommend DDP — better customer experience, fewer refunds. All ASG cross-border routes default to DDP unless you specifically request DDU for B2B.
Can I use my existing carrier account?
Yes — if you have negotiated rates with UPS, FedEx, DHL that are better than ours, you can route orders through your account. We handle customs prep, labeling, and dispatch. Typically clients find our negotiated volume rates are 10–30% cheaper than their direct rates once they exceed 500 cross-border orders/mo, but you can test both.
How do I handle chargebacks on international orders?
Chargebacks remain your responsibility (between you and your payment processor), but we provide the evidence package automatically: shipping label, tracking events, POD signature, customs clearance docs, delivery photo if available. Clients typically win 80%+ of chargeback disputes when using our evidence bundle, vs ~40% industry average on cross-border.
Do you help with local listings (Shopify Markets, Amazon international)?
Shopify Markets — yes, we configure warehouse routing per market. Amazon international — yes, see our Amazon FBA page for multi-marketplace support. We don’t handle local SEO, local copy translation, or market-entry advertising — those are agency services we can refer.
What happens during port strikes or customs shutdowns?
We monitor 14 major cross-border trade lanes daily. When disruption is forecasted, we preemptively shift volume to alternative routes — e.g., during a 2024 US west coast port slowdown, we routed through Vancouver + rail to LA, adding 5 days but avoiding 3-week delays. Contingency routing is built into our service SLA.
Open Your Next Market
200 Countries. Zero Customs Headaches.
Book a cross-border strategy call. Tell us your target markets, product categories, and order volume — we’ll build a compliance + routing plan within 48h.
Book Cross-Border Call30-min call · Route + tax plan in 48h · No commitment