Surprise(!), USPS can bill you for customs fees long after fulfilling orders...

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Happy Monday, 10,000+ Shopify rockstars!

Ada here, with your weekly dose of ecommerce insights designed to boost your store’s sales by at least 1% this week.

Here is what is inside today’s edition:

• Industry: USPS can now bill you for foreign customs fees.

• Growth Hack: Stop selling everyday products as life-changing.

• Weekly Challenge: Find your switching reason in 60 minutes.

• Trend: Hojicha Latte

Let’s get into it, but just before we delve in, how’s your organic traffic doing?

USPS can now bill you for customs fees after delivery. Here is what to check before BFCM.

Selling internationally just got a little more complicated for US Shopify merchants.

The US Postal Service has introduced new rules requiring we sellers to pay, or reimburse USPS for, unpaid customs duties, taxes and import fees on international packages….starting October 19. (So, there’s a good chance some of us might get backdated bills)

Why now? The EU scrapped its low-value import duty exemption on July 1, prompting postal operators to introduce new requirements. Some now require shipments to use Delivered Duty Paid (DDP), meaning the seller pays the applicable import charges upfront.

Here's the sting: if customs charges aren't paid and the destination postal operator comes back to USPS for the money, USPS can invoice the sender. You remain responsible even if the parcel is lost, damaged or returned. Dispute the bill and you still have to pay USPS first. Late payments can also attract 6% annual interest, plus collection costs.

What this means for your store: If you ship internationally from the US, review your shipping arrangements for each destination. Check whether DDP is required, make sure customs declarations are accurate, and understand who is responsible for duties and fees before accepting an order.

The days of treating international customs charges as someone else's problem are getting shorter. Build them into your shipping process before they become an unexpected cost.

Finally, a Monday that doesn’t feel like one.

Imagine a Saturday where you're not catching up on the CRM you didn't touch all week. 

HubSpot's new self-updating CRM doesn't wait for you to log back in. Friday's calls are already logged. The deal that needs a nudge Monday morning is already flagged. The automation you set up once keeps running without you thinking about it. None of it needed you over the weekend. 

Customers are already seeing it pay off: 45% more deals closed. Finally, you start Monday caught up, not behind.

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Growth hack: Captions turn UGC videos from collosal failure to winner

UGC videos on product pages can look great, but there's one simple tweak worth testing: add a short, benefit-led caption underneath each video like Arijan found.

Why? Not everyone watches with the sound on, and shoppers often need a reason to hit play. A caption tells them exactly what they'll learn or why the video matters.

Try adding:

For customer reviews:

• "This replaced my entire skincare routine"

• "Finally, a cream that tackled my dark circles"

• "Here's why I bought it again"

For product demonstrations:

• "See how easy it is to use"

• "Unboxing: everything you get"

• "How to get the best results"

Don't just label the video "Customer review" or "Product demo". Sell the reason to watch it.

Your challenge: Pick three UGC videos on your best-selling product page and add a short caption beneath each. Make the benefit clear, then monitor video engagement and conversions to see if shoppers respond.

Trend: Hojicha Latte

Hojicha lattes blend roasted hojicha tea with milk. Hojicha comes from the same green tea leaves as matcha, but the leaves are roasted instead of steamed, which gives it a dark chocolate colour and a nutty, caramel flavour.

To make a latte, powdered hojicha is whisked in hot water and poured over milk, and most people drink it iced. Starbucks Japan sells it, but it isn’t on any US menu yet, so people are making it at home. Searches for “hojicha powder” have risen sharply, and creators are posting recipes and how-to videos, with #hojicha at 273K Instagram posts and 51K TikTok posts. It sits inside the Matcha Everywhere trend, the same one that brought us strawberry matcha.

3 ways to cash in on this trend:

Sell the powder, then the starter kit. The product people are searching for is hojicha powder. Add a whisk, a bowl and a milk frother and you have a ready-to-make kit that gives a first-time buyer everything in one order.

Lead with flavour and recipes. Hojicha tastes nutty and caramel-like, which is easier to sell than the tea itself. Put a simple recipe card in the box and publish how-to videos, and skip any health claims.

Bundle with the rest of the matcha shelf. Shoppers already exploring matcha will compare the two. Offering hojicha next to matcha powder and instant mixes gives them an easy way to try both.

Till next Monday,

Ada