The Trend Of Cross-border E-commerce Is Changing! Temu And Shein's Semi Custodial Wealth Password Model

 

The trend of cross-border e-commerce is changing! Temu and Shein's semi custodial wealth password model

 

 

As Temu and Shein, the two major cross-border e-commerce giants, shift their strategic focus to semi custodial models, an industry revolution centered around the reconstruction of human and goods yards is quietly unfolding. As the drawbacks of the fully managed model become increasingly prominent, the semi managed model has become a new favorite in the field of cross-border e-commerce due to its release of seller autonomy and integration of platform resources. And POD (Print on Demand) customized products, with an innovative model of "artist copyright+overseas factory direct delivery", have injected new vitality into this transformation.

 

Semi custodial model: a new path for the transformation of cross-border e-commerce

 

The fully managed model, relying on the platform's control over the entire operation chain, achieved rapid expansion in the early stages of cross-border e-commerce. However, with the development of the industry, problems such as the lack of seller autonomy and high platform operating costs have gradually been exposed. In this context, the semi custodial model has emerged as a "two-way redemption" for platforms and sellers.

 

Temu has been actively exploring the semi custodial mode. On April 25, 2025, multiple merchants reported that their semi palletized pipes in the US market will open up the domestic direct delivery mode. This adjustment is particularly crucial under the pressure of tariff costs caused by the closure of T86 channel on May 2nd. It eliminates the transit costs and local operating expenses of overseas warehouses, providing valuable buffer space for sellers.

 

 

Shein officially launched a semi hosted model in early May 2024, focusing on US sites. This mode requires merchants to independently select products for listing, and the products must have inventory locally overseas to achieve local fulfillment and delivery. In terms of pricing, a flexible mechanism of "merchant led+platform assisted" has been formed, with merchants reporting and platform operations assisting in pricing.

 

It is worth mentioning that Shein's semi custodial model has zero commission and no monthly rent. The payment is settled through a corporate US dollar account and supports third-party payment service providers. The payment cycle is 7 days after the delivery, with an overall delivery time of about half a month. This significantly reduces the financial pressure on sellers and has become an important advantage in attracting sellers to settle in.

 

POD customized products: unique advantages that fit the semi custodial model

 

1. Copyright Empowerment: Building Difficult to Copy Design Barriers

 

The deep copyright cooperation between POD customization and artists has created a solid product moat for sellers. The exclusive licensing model is a typical representative of this. A certain home furnishing brand has reached a digital copyright cooperation with the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands and obtained official authorization to use the "Van Gogh Starry Sky" series of customized carpets launched through Shein semi hosting.

 

2. Overseas warehouse direct delivery: shorten the fulfillment cycle and enhance consumer experience

 

POD customized products can significantly shorten the "customization delivery" cycle by leveraging the advantage of direct shipping from overseas warehouses. In response to Shein's semi custodial "local warehouse quick response" demand, pre authorized artist patterns can be entered into the overseas warehouse digital production system in advance, and the pattern printing can be completed within 2 hours after the consumer places an order, which is 70% faster than the traditional process.

 

3. Zero inventory advantage: reducing operational risk

 

The "demand driven production" of POD customization completely breaks the traditional logic of "local inventory", achieving "zero inventory, zero backlog, and zero loss" of three zero operations, effectively reducing the operational risks of sellers.

 

 

Joining Hands to Explore a New Future: HICUTOM Helps Cross border Sellers with Lightweight Operations

 

In the face of such industry changes and opportunities, HICUTOM, as a platform focused on the POD field, covers the entire process of product selection and production, with flexible customization of product selection (quick generation of SKUs, differentiated development), on-demand production customization (minimum order of one piece, high on-time delivery), intelligent logistics, high delivery rate, fast after-sales response, and long cycle, allowing sellers to focus on operations.

 

Multi platform integration is convenient: connecting 15+mainstream platforms, supporting multi-mode operations, helping to explore emerging platforms, reducing the cost of opening stores on multiple platforms, and achieving a comprehensive layout.

 

Local shipping cost advantage: With a global layout of factories covering multiple regions and categories, we offer one-stop shipping without the need for overseas stockpiling. Our production capacity is sufficient, shipping is fast, and inventory and operating costs are reduced.

AI drawing creativity is strong: our self-developed tool HIMAGE has full functions (such as text, image, etc.), which can optimize patterns, generate materials, connect creativity to the product process, and empower product selection design with new energy.

In the future, as POD customization upgrades from "simple printing" to "artistic empowerment", the semi custodial model will not only be an efficiency tool, but may also become a connector for the global creative economy. From Van Gogh's starry sky to street graffiti, every customized product with copyright labels will become a carrier of cultural and commercial resonance, opening up a new paradigm of "art commerce" in cross-border e-commerce. HICUTOM will also leverage its own advantages in this process to bring more high-quality customized products and services to sellers and consumers, promoting the continuous development and innovation of the cross-border e-commerce customization field.