This is Episode 50 of The Freight Buyers’ Club, produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group.

In this milestone episode, host Mike King is joined by three heavyweight shipper representatives to discuss how the world’s biggest retailers and technology companies are navigating today’s turbulent trade landscape.

• Ken O’Brien, President of Gemini Shippers Association, reveals how major transpacific freight buyers are handling container contracts and tariff uncertainty.
• Jess Dankert, VP Supply Chain at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), shares how America’s biggest retailers are managing inventory flows, holiday shipping, and front-loading strategies.
• Ed Brzytwa, VP International Trade at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), unpacks the legal and policy battles over tariffs, Section 232, and de minimis trade, plus what potential refunds could mean for supply chains.

Topics covered include:

• How shippers are balancing spot rates vs. long-term contracts in 2025
• The impact of tariffs, transshipment rules, and trade wars on supply chain strategies
• Why retail and tech companies are rethinking their sourcing footprint
• The future of global container shipping supply and demand

Whether you’re a BCO, forwarder, or just trying to make sense of the tariff-fuelled chaos in global trade, this episode offers rare insights directly from the people buying freight at scale.

#FreightBuyersClub #OceanFreight #AirCargo #ContainerShipping #Tariffs #TradePolicy #SupplyChain #EcommerceLogistics #RetailSupplyChain #TechSupplyChain #TranspacificTrade #GlobalTrade #Logistics

Temu, Shein, and other fast-growing e-commerce giants are facing a seismic change in how they ship to U.S. consumers. In this episode of The Freight Buyers’ Club – produced with the support of MSC Air Cargo – host Mike King is joined by three leading voices in global logistics to unpack the end of the U.S. $800 de minimis exemption, its upcoming global suspension, and the ripple effects for air cargo, forwarders, and shippers.

Guests:

• Brandon Fried – Executive Director, Airforwarders Association
• Neel Jones Shah – Senior Advisor, The Boston Consulting Group & MD at INOA Capital (former EVP at Flexport and Chief Cargo Officer at Delta Air Lines)
• Damian Brett – Editor, Air Cargo News

Discussion highlights:

• What ending de minimis means for cross-border e-commerce flows
• How integrators like DHL, FedEx and UPS are adapting
• Which trade lanes could benefit from shifting volumes
• Deep dive on key air cargo markets including the transatlantic, India, Latin America and Southeast Asia
• The role of Latin America as Chinese e-commerce pivots away from the U.S.
• New tariffs and their impact on high-value, time-sensitive air cargo
• Will peak season 2025 be muted – or surprise to the upside?

In this episode of The Freight Buyers’ Club, host Mike King speaks with Susan Williams, founder and CEO of Kalalou Inc, a Mississippi-based importer that was once a heavy shipper from China, India, Indonesia, Haiti, and more. Now, due to sweeping US tariff policies, her container volumes have nearly halved – and her company faces over $1 million in annual tariff bills.

Despite being a Trump supporter, Susan shares her growing frustration with trade policy, explains why SMEs like hers weren’t the intended target, and unveils her own profit-sharing tax credit proposal as a way to support American workers and sustain import-reliant businesses.

This is a powerful first-hand account of how logistics, supply chains, and international trade policy collide – and what one business owner is doing to push for change.

Originally featured in Episode 48 of The Freight Buyers’ Club.
️ Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group. https://dimerco.com/

#Tariffs #Trump2025 #USImports #TradePolicy #SupplyChain #HomeDecorBusiness #ShippingCosts #FreightBuyersClub #LogisticsPodcast #ContainerShipping #Kalalou #MississippiBusiness #PortLogistics #SmallBusinessTariffs #USChinaTrade #Dimerco #ImportExport #USManufacturing #SupplyChainDisruption #FreightPodcast #SMElogistics