Our Ask the Experts series is switching gears this month and taking a look at cross-border logistics and the complexities in ensuring on-time delivery for consumers, and hassle-free logistics for retailers. Trade Duty Refund spent some time with Beth Chapman, Managing Director at Starlinks Global, to better understand how to manage global logistics and how to plan for the future. Starlinks Global offers global delivery solutions for seamless cross-border trade in order to help retailers deliver to over 200 countries.

Cross-border e-commerce transactions are expected to total $2.25 trillion USD in 2025 which is an increase from $1.92 trillion USD in 2024 (The Washington Post). Around 200 billion parcels were shipped worldwide in 2024, and the projections for 2025 are around 217 billion parcels. E-Commerce plays a substantial role in this increase. In 2023, B2C shipments accounted for 59.4% of the total parcel market (Digital Commerce 360).

We asked Beth how to manage the complexities of global logistics and how to cope with a growing market.

The market data speaks for itself: global e-Commerce is growing and while this is good news for retailers, they also need to deal with cross-border logistics. How is the landscape of cross-border trade changing?

Retailers are realising that growth isn’t just about selling more to existing markets. It’s also about finding new ones that are ready to scale. At the same time, the global delivery landscape has changed. Brexit, COVID, strikes, extreme weather, and now U.S. tariff disruptions have shown how quickly things can unravel. Retailers can’t rely on rigid supply chains or one-size-fits-all strategies anymore. Flexibility and local expertise are essential if you want to stay ahead.

Social commerce is driving demand almost overnight. If your delivery setup can’t respond quickly, you miss the moment. That’s where we come in. We help retailers tailor the delivery experience for each region, avoid common pitfalls, and build trust from day one.

If you are a global retailer selling globally, what is the first thing you can do to ensure smooth delivery?

Get your data right from the start. Most delivery issues come down to bad or missing data. If you have incomplete addresses, wrong contact details, or poor product descriptions, parcels are going to get stuck. It sounds simple, but it’s where so many retailers trip up.

At Starlinks Global, we work with retailers upfront to clean and validate everything before a single parcel ships. That means fewer delays, fewer customer complaints, and a much smoother experience. The other big thing is having options. Don’t rely on a single carrier or clearance route. When something changes, and it will, you want the flexibility to pivot quickly and keep parcels moving.

How have you seen the retail returns and reverse logistics evolve with e-commerce?

Returns have become a huge part of the e-commerce experience, and there are plenty of smart solutions out there to manage them. Where we help is by preventing unnecessary returns from happening in the first place.

A lot of cross-border returns happen because parcels never arrive and become undeliverable. We focus on tracking every parcel, spotting issues early, and fixing things like bad address data or missing contact details before they cause a problem. That is how we have kept our undeliverable rates under 0.3%. Fewer missed deliveries means fewer returns, fewer WISMO calls, and fewer unhappy customers.

How is Starlinks using technology to help companies with global logistics?

Technology underpins everything we do. We track every parcel through key delivery milestones and use data to spot problems early. If we see delays building up or bad data that could cause an issue, we step in to fix it before it becomes a bigger problem.

We also screen shipments before they leave the warehouse to catch things like invalid postcodes, poor product descriptions, or missing details. That helps avoid hold-ups at customs and reduces failed deliveries. The result is fewer WISMO enquiries and a much smoother experience for the customer.

Our retailers also get real-time tracking they can brand as their own, so their customers always know where the parcel is and what is happening next. That level of visibility builds trust and stops unnecessary customer contacts.

As you know, the future of global trade is uncertain with changing tariffs and regulations. How can companies mitigate the risk that comes with a volatile global trade market?

The only certainty retailers have is that nothing is certain. We have all seen Trump’s tariff changes shift back and forth with little warning. These are the most unpredictable and unprecedented times I have known in cross-border e-commerce. The recent changes to U.S. de minimis rules are a perfect example.

In February, U.S. Customs unexpectedly removed de minimis for China-origin goods, which meant parcels that had previously cleared without issue were suddenly delayed or hit with unexpected duties. Some providers simply stopped shipping. We didn’t. We gave our retailers immediate updates, screened parcels to identify impacted shipments, and offered alternative clearance options to keep goods moving.

The scale of misinformation being circulated online has been frightening. This is a complex subject, and unfortunately a lot of retailers were given advice that was either half-right or completely wrong. Our focus was to cut through the noise and give retailers clear, factual guidance they could trust.

At the end of the day, the retailers who came through it best were the ones who had a partner by their side who could move fast, adapt to the changes, and keep their supply chain running. In global logistics, speed and clarity will always be your best defence against disruption.

In an increasingly volatile global trade environment, logistics expertise alone isn’t enough—retailers also need smart strategies to protect their margins. That’s where solutions like Trade Duty Refund come in. By helping businesses recover duties on returned or re-exported goods, Trade Duty Refund complements partners like Starlinks Global by closing the loop on cross-border cost efficiency. Together, optimized delivery and duty recovery ensure that brands can scale globally with confidence—without sacrificing profitability. ce efficiency.