Sent Items #222: SCOOP: Is XB Next?+ Rates Drop 7% & Viva Las Vegas

Welcome to the February 8th edition of Sent Items.

I am currently en route to Las Vegas for Manifest, beginning to feel the struggle after my 4th flight in as many days…but nothing like curing that than 4 days in Vegas, right?!

Tonight is our co-hosted Super Bowl Party with The New Warehouse, Spotwork, and Conduit. We had nearly 500 registrations for just 80 spots. If you are one of the lucky few with a confirmation (I was not in charge!), I’ll see you there. If not, catch me on the floor this week - it’s going to be a busy one.

While we are heading to the desert, the ocean freight market is finally cooling off (down 7%), Amazon is getting faster (again), and USPS is opening up its network.

But before we get to the headlines, here’s the latest unboxing. Note, our marketing team is away, so this is my ~unfiltered~ unboxing... let me know what you think 😆 featuring some of my favorite jeans of all time from Mugsy 🙌 

Let’s get into it.

— Matt

Ocean Rates Cool Down: WCI Drops 7% After a nervous start to the year, the spot market is softening. The latest Drewry World Container Index (Feb 5) shows a broad decline across major lanes as the pre-Lunar New Year rush fades.

• Composite Index: Down 7% to $1,959

• Shanghai to LA: Down 8% to $2,239

• Shanghai to NY: Down 5% to $2,819

• Shanghai to Rotterdam: Down 9% to $2,164 The Takeaway: The "2026 Spike" might have been a false alarm. Demand isn't holding up, and carriers are already blanking sailings to stop the bleeding.

USPS Opens the DDU: What You Need to Know The Postal Service is officially soliciting bids for direct access to its Delivery Units (DDUs). Supply Chain Dive breaks down the new portal, which allows high-volume shippers and 3PLs to bypass upstream network injects and drop directly at the "last mile" facility. This is a massive opportunity for consolidators to lower costs—if they have the density to make the sortation work. Source: Supply Chain Dive

Amazon's "Speed Wars" Continue If you thought 2-day shipping was the standard, you’re already behind. Amazon announced in its Q4 2025 earnings that it achieved its fastest delivery speeds in history last quarter. By regionalizing inventory and bypassing sort centers, they are pushing "Same-Day" and "Next-Day" to record levels. For 3PLs, the bar just got raised (again). Source: Supply Chain Dive

The State of E-Commerce: A $10 Trillion Beast Marketplace Pulse released a staggering stat this week: Global e-commerce GMV has passed $10 trillion. But the growth isn't evenly distributed. The market is increasingly concentrated among a few giants (Amazon, TikTok, Shein/Temu), leaving independent retailers to fight for the scraps. Source: Marketplace Pulse

Fighting Fraud with X-Rays? Returns fraud is an $80 billion problem, and startups are getting creative. The WSJ profiles a new wave of tech companies using AI-powered X-ray scanners to look inside returned packages before they are opened. The goal? Catch the "brick in the box" scams without slowing down the refund process. Source: WSJ

Gamification in the Warehouse Gartner predicts that by 2028, gamification will be a standard feature in high-performing warehouses. It’s not just about leaderboards; it’s about using real-time feedback loops to drive engagement and retention in a labor market that is only getting tighter. Source: Supply Chain 24/7

📊 Amazon Hits $800 Billion GMV A key stat from my latest monthly report: Amazon's annual GMV has officially surpassed $800 billion in 2025. To put that in perspective, that is larger than the GDP of Switzerland. Source: Marketplace Pulse

🇲🇽 SCOOP: Is XB Fulfillment Next? If you thought Quiet and Veyer were the only dominos falling, look south. I am hearing from multiple sources that XB Fulfillment—the poster child for Mexico-based, Section 321 fulfillment—is winding down operations. Despite raising $100M in growth capital just a few years ago, the model appears to be buckling under the weight of aggressive new tariffs and tightening de minimis regulations. The Lesson: Building your entire supply chain on a single regulatory loophole is a gamble, not a strategy. Source: Matthew Hertz LinkedIn

Have a great week - and looking forward to seeing many of you in Vegas!

- Matt

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