Eastern Plays — Sourcing and shipping from Asia, for the people buying from it

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  1. Shipping Suez Return: How Gemini's Route Shift Changes Asia-Europe Lead Times Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are sending more Gemini services back through Suez. Here is what changes for importers, and what to keep on the slower timeline.
  2. Offshore Teams 13th Month Pay for Offshore Teams: Philippines Deadline and Vietnam Tet Bonuses Philippine 13th month pay is due by December 24 and Vietnamese staff expect a Tet bonus. Here is how to calculate, accrue and pay both.
  3. Quality Control EU Product Liability Directive 2026: What Importers From Asia Must Document From December 9, 2026, an EU importer can be sued first for a defect made in an Asian factory. Here is the quality file, contract and inspection plan to build now.
  4. Sourcing US-China Tariff Cut List: 77 Chinese Product Categories and How Importers Should Prepare The U.S. and China agreed to cut tariffs on about $30 billion of goods each. Here is what is known, what is not, and how to protect your next order.
  5. Sourcing Section 301 Forced Labor Duties: Rates by Country for Asia Sourcing in 2026 A 10% or 12.5% duty now sits on goods from 60 economies. Here are the rates for China, Vietnam, India and more, how they stack, and what to change in your costing.
  6. Tariffs & Customs Customs User Fees for FY2027: How the New MPF Minimum and Maximum Hit Landed Cost CBP raised the merchandise processing fee floor to $34.58 and the cap to $670.86 on October 1. Here is the math, the split-shipment trap and who is exempt.
  7. Sourcing Section 232 Furniture and Cabinet Tariffs in January 2027: A Sourcing Calendar Duties on upholstered furniture and cabinets are due to rise on January 1, 2027. Here is how to count back from the entry date and decide what to rush.
  8. Tariffs & Customs EU €3 Customs Duty on Low-Value Parcels: What Asia-Based Sellers Must Change The EU now charges €3 on parcels worth up to €150. Here is how it works, what it does to small orders and how to keep direct shipping profitable.
  9. Shipping Container Freight Rates From China After Golden Week 2026: Budget Your Landed Cost Shanghai to Los Angeles is near $7,900 per container. Here is what it does to your cost per unit and how to protect margin on Q4 orders.
  10. Tariffs & Customs Section 301 Exclusions Expire November 2026: What Importers Should Do Now Roughly 178 China tariff exclusions are set to lapse on November 9 and 10. Here is how to find out if your products are on the list and what a lapse would cost.
  11. Quality Control Chinese New Year 2027: A Production and Inspection Timeline for Importers Chinese New Year falls on February 6, 2027, eleven days earlier than this year. Work backward from that date to lock your orders, inspections and shipments.
  12. Sourcing China Plus One in 2026: How to Vet a Vietnam Factory So Your Goods Keep Their Origin Moving orders to Vietnam no longer cuts your tariff bill the way it did. Here is how to check a factory, its inputs and its paperwork before you pay a deposit.