Warehouse Wisdom, Weekly. 09/11/2026

INTRODUCTION / SEPTEMBER 11 2026

Happy Friday!

Getting packages from Point A to Point B wasn’t exciting enough this week. An Amazon cargo plane crashed in Miami, while halfway around the world, shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped into the single digits. Considering Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical shipping chokepoints, that’s the kind of traffic report that makes supply chain managers reach for something stronger than their morning coffee.

Beyond the drama, we’re updating you on tariffs reshaping global trade, record-setting container volumes and U.S.-Mexico trade, holiday shipping fees, Amazon’s growing delivery ambitions, changing return policies, warehouse technology, and what our latest survey says about warehousing and fulfillment costs in 2026. Let’s dive in!

GLOBAL LOGISTICS
Tariffs reshape global trade while Mexico smashes records

Tariffs continue to put the squeeze on U.S. businesses, and apparently no industry gets a hall pass. New analysis shows the growing tariff burden is hitting companies across sectors, forcing businesses to rethink sourcing, pricing, and supply chain strategies. For SMBs without the purchasing power or supplier flexibility of the big guys, absorbing those added costs is about as appealing as paying an unexpected accessorial charge.

And the trade tensions aren’t stopping at the border. The White House is escalating its trade dispute with Canada through additional tariffs and import restrictions, adding another wrinkle for businesses sourcing products and materials from one of America’s largest trading partners. The takeaway for SMBs is fairly straightforward: keep a close eye on where your products and components originate, because landed costs can change quickly when trade policy gets involved.

Zoom out a little further and shipping nations are sounding alarms about broader changes to global trade. Between tariffs, geopolitical conflicts, shifting trade routes, and disruptions at major shipping chokepoints, companies are being forced to reconsider supply chains that were once largely built around cost and efficiency. Redundancy and supplier diversification might not be the cheapest options on paper, but neither is discovering your Plan B was actually just Plan A wearing a different hat.

China provides a good example of that shift. Chinese exports to the U.S. declined again in August as trade tensions continue reshaping traditional sourcing relationships. For businesses that have historically relied heavily on China, the continued shift is another reminder that sourcing diversification is moving from supply chain buzzword to actual operating strategy.

Meanwhile, Mexico continues moving in the opposite direction. U.S.-Mexico trade reached a monthly record of nearly $95 billion, reinforcing Mexico’s increasingly important role in North American supply chains. For SMBs considering nearshoring, Mexico’s continued growth as a U.S. trading partner provides another reason to investigate whether moving portions of the supply chain closer to home makes sense.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER
A quick note

FREIGHT AND SHIPPING
Container volumes break records as holiday shipping fees arrive

If anyone was waiting for global trade to take a nap, apparently it didn’t get the memo. The Port of Los Angeles handled a record 2.9 million TEUs during its latest three-month period and is eyeing a strong finish to 2026. Strong port volumes are generally good news for commerce, although businesses importing through Southern California should continue watching capacity and transit times as freight keeps flowing.

And Los Angeles isn’t alone. Global container volumes reached a record 17.3 million TEUs in July, with year-to-date volumes through July up 5.1% compared with 2025. Unfortunately, freight prices have been joining the party too. The Container Trade Statistics Global Price Index climbed 47% from the beginning of the year through July. Record volumes are nice. Record-ish shipping bills? Slightly less festive.

Some relief is emerging elsewhere. Suez Canal revenue is rising as more vessel traffic returns to the waterway, an encouraging development after disruptions sent many carriers around the much longer Cape of Good Hope route. Greater normalization through the Suez could eventually help improve transit times and capacity on affected global trade lanes.

Closer to home, peak-season parcel surcharges are coming, because apparently the holidays weren’t expensive enough already. USPS, FedEx, UPS, and Amazon are rolling out their 2026 holiday delivery fees, making this an important time for SMB shippers to compare carriers, understand peak surcharges, and check whether their shipping mix still makes financial sense before holiday volumes kick into high gear.

WAREHOUSE QUICK DELIVERIES
Holiday sales top $1 trillion and Amazon faces a warehouse lawsuit

THE FULFILLMENT ADVISOR NEWS
WarehousingAndFulfillment.com is now TheFulfillmentAdvisor.com

For more than 20 years, WarehousingAndFulfillment.com has helped brands find their ideal third-party logistics (3PL) partners through unbiased, data-driven matchmaking.

Today, we’re proud to introduce our next chapter: TheFulfillmentAdvisor

After two decades in the industry. we felt it was time for a creative refresh that better reflects our expanded capabilities. In addition to continuing our unbiased 3PL matchmaking services, we are now licensed to provide:

LOGISTICS VITALS
What warehousing and fulfillment really costs in 2026

We recently released our annual Warehousing and Fulfillment Costs & Pricing Survey, based on responses from 500 warehousing and fulfillment providers across the U.S. and Canada. So, what should businesses expect to pay for outsourced warehousing and fulfillment in 2026? Here are some of the most important pricing benchmarks:

While fulfillment companies increased prices by an average of just 3.68%, the bigger takeaway is how many individual charges can make up the total fulfillment bill. Pick-and-pack might grab your attention on a proposal, but storage, minimums, receiving, returns, setup, and account management can quickly change the math. If you’re comparing 3PLs, make sure you’re comparing the total expected monthly cost, not just whichever line item has the prettiest number.

SMALL PARCEL FREIGHT
Amazon delivers more itself while retailers make returns

Amazon apparently looked at its already enormous logistics network and decided it could use a little more Amazon. The company projects that more than 86% of its U.S. packages could be delivered through its own logistics network next year as it continues reducing its reliance on USPS, UPS, and other carriers. Amazon cautions that the internal forecasts are preliminary, but the direction is clear. For SMB shippers, another major parcel player controlling more of its own volume could continue reshaping carrier capacity and competition across the market.

At the same time, the days of treating e-commerce returns like an all-you-can-eat buffet may be fading. Sixty-eight percent of retailers now charge return fees at least some of the time, up from 43% five years ago, while processing a return costs retailers an average of 27% of the original purchase price. Retailers are responding with shorter return windows, mail-in fees, and closer inspections. For SMB ecommerce companies, the challenge is balancing the very real cost of reverse logistics against the equally real possibility of irritating customers. Apparently, “free returns forever” wasn’t much of a business model after all.

A QUICK WORD FROM US
Stop Playing Warehouse Matchmaker Roulette

We match businesses with thoroughly vetted 3PL warehouse and fulfillment companies - with try no fee for the outsourcer (unlike others that promise but charge under the table commissions). We are truly unbiased.

WAREHOUSE TECH
AI, Alexa and shipping tech push

Warehouse software consolidation continues as Descartes acquired Extensiv, adding technology used by 3PLs and fulfillment operations to its logistics platform. For smaller warehouse operators, the deal is another sign that fulfillment technology is consolidating around platforms designed to connect inventory, orders, warehouse operations, and shipping under fewer roofs. Whether the software eventually becomes simpler is another question entirely.

Amazon is also adding another dose of AI to e-commerce with Alexa’s new “update me when” shopping feature. Consumers can ask Alexa to proactively notify them when certain shopping events happen, continuing the march toward commerce where customers spend less time actively checking products themselves. For merchants, getting product information, inventory availability, and fulfillment promises right is becoming increasingly important as AI starts doing more of the shopping legwork.

ShipStation, meanwhile, has global ambitions. The shipping software company plans to expand internationally through acquisitions and other investments while broadening the transportation options available through its platform. It has already begun adding LTL freight into the same workflow merchants use for parcel shipping. For SMB e-commerce companies juggling multiple carriers and modes, having parcel and freight under one technology roof could make shipping operations considerably easier.

And all that automation puts more pressure on something decidedly less glamorous: the product detail page. As shoppers and AI assistants increasingly make purchasing decisions using online product data, retailers need those pages to accurately communicate inventory, compatibility, delivery timing, services, warranties, and returns. In other words, your product page isn’t just marketing copy anymore. It’s increasingly an operational promise, and blaming the chatbot when the package arrives late probably won’t impress the customer.