Sent Items #200: Sunday, August 24, 2025

We made it! My 200th issue of Sent Items! What a journey.

I wrote my first issue on November 3, 2017 - almost 8 years ago.

Writing is hard, it’s consuming, especially when it’s done free-form and not leveraging AI. Believe it or not, it takes time and effort to put these together every week’ish, and takes even more muscle and grit when doing so “for free”. But I enjoy writing and the feedback and comments I’ve gotten over the years.

I’ve made mostly friends. A few enemies. I’ve helped readers make $$$ on my one and only public stock pick ($SHOP). I’ve won clients in my consulting business, and I met someone who became an investor in Third Person.

Thank you to all my subscribers - especially the 58% of you who open this email every week (I see who you are!)

Cheers to another 200 issues …. my gosh I’ll be old.

No new unboxing videos this week, but definitely subscribe to our YouTube channel below to stay up to date. Some excellent content ahead.

Speaking of content:

This coming Tuesday (not Wednesday, per usual) I am hosting another Matt’s Chats Webinar series. You can register here (link). Tuesday’s session will be featuring Wally Shaw (CEO of Red Stag Fulfillment), Charlie Carlisle (COO & Co-Founder of Rorra) and Avi Moskowitz (CEO & Co-Founder of PrettyDamnQuick).

You know this one will be great because Charlie has a dog in his picture and Wally has spent decades in the pet space 😂 🐶

You can register using this link (link).

I joined my friend Nate Shutes on his Podcast Bootstrapper's Guide to Logistics.

You can check out the full episode on Apple: https://lnkd.in/e_U8zGn9 or on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ekcGe5-Q

U.S. Foreign Trade Zones Draw New Demand as De Minimis Ends (WSJ). E-commerce brands are turning to warehouses with an obscure federal designation as they brace for the end of a popular tariff exemption.

Logistics companies say more online merchants are seeking out warehouse space within so-called Foreign Trade Zones across the U.S. that allow companies to defer tariffs until goods are shipped out to U.S. customers.

Congress authorized the creation of the zones in 1934—four years after the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act raised duties on imports—to encourage foreign trade and help companies control their exposure to tariffs. Businesses can store goods within the zones and defer duties until they sell the items, which helps spread out the payment of tariffs. They also can import parts and materials to manufacture finished goods within the zones to pay a single levy on a final product instead.

Importers are typically charged the tariff rate as of the date the goods entered the FTZ. FTZ-designated space is becoming more popular as companies prepare for the suspension of the de minimis provision at the end of this week.

If you’re not already following Alex Yancher on LinkedIn, please do so now. He has been on top of all the changes in cross-border e-commerce, tariffs, de minimis … all the things. He has been sharing updates on something unprecedented happening in the market: effective immediately, many of the largest national posts have told the Postal governing authority, known as the Universal Postal Union (UPU) that they are going to stop carrying goods destined to the US. This includes China Post, Hong Kong Post, bpost/Belgium Post, Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany and others. I assume the other majors like Australia Post, Royal Mail and possibly Canada Post will follow suit soon.

Now that de minimis is ending for the entire world, many postal entities are ceasing Postal operations into the United States. This is a major disruption for low-value ecommerce heading to the US. This volume will eventually find a home with a non-Postal shipping provider (like Passport or FedEx) but at higher prices and disarray.

Meanwhile, Canada to scale back retaliatory tariffs for US imports on Sept. 1 (link). Canada will lift levies on goods compliant with the USMCA while maintaining sector-specific duties on steel, aluminum and cars. In March, Canada installed 25% tariffs on nearly $60 billion worth of U.S. goods in response to levies by the Trump administration. Carney said he is lifting some of those duties to create a “good foundation” for future trade discussions, including the review of the USMCA next year.

Finally, I wanted to share a quick blurb from my friend Keivan Shahida, CEO of Response. He’s built a really fascinating business and just raised $4M to replace your procurement hire. Their “Digital Procurement Officer” automates everything from purchase requests to invoice matching – without adding headcount. Finance gets real-time visibility and control, while ops gets procurement off their plate (all you need to do is text/Teams/email “need more boxes”). Think of it like a really effective, AI-driven ULINE. They’ve already got major 3PLs signed up. Check it out here (link) and let me know if you want an intro. [Disclosure: I have zero financial interest in their success.]

Thanks for reading! Have a great week!

- Matt

Share this newsletter with friends and colleagues (link). Hit reply with any feedback and add me on LinkedIn and Twitter and follow us on on YouTube.