SF Express no longer accepts Douyin returns.

```

Author | Wang Xiaojuan

Editor | Huang Yu

The cake that courier industry giant SF Express voluntarily gave up may also be a tough bone to chew.

Recently, there has been market news that SF Express did not participate in the 2026 Douyin e-commerce return service, and that it voluntarily gave up this business market. On December 19th, SF Express responded, stating that the contract for cooperation on Douyin e-commerce return business had expired naturally, which is a normal commercial act.

It is understood that starting from mid-December, the Douyin platform began a large-scale re-tendering for return service providers. The orders originally handled by SF Express were split among multiple companies, forming a multi-regional subcontracting cooperation model.

According to the plan, five logistics companies—JD Express, Zhongtong, Yuantong, Yunda, and China Post—will handle Douyin e-commerce return services in different regions across China, with JD Logistics positioned as the platform’s bottom-line provider. Some regions have already started the switch as of December 16, and nationwide service handover is expected to be completed before January 1, 2026.

In the early stages, SF Express provided reverse logistics services for Douyin e-commerce, becoming the core carrier for platform returns. After 2022, cooperation between the two parties deepened, and SF Express successively integrated Douyin’s “Yin Xu Da” and other services, strengthening its return fulfillment capabilities.

However, after only three years of deepened partnership, this collaboration came to an end, also reflecting the rapid turnover in the return industry.

This business adjustment by SF Express is part of its overall strategy. In 2025, SF Express will implement a “growth plan” to optimize its client structure: focusing on expansion into emerging markets in the first half of the year, and on improving gross margins in the second half, gradually eliminating unprofitable clients and renegotiating with clients whose gross margins are declining.

Meanwhile, as Douyin e-commerce rapidly becomes a leading e-commerce platform, its return rate remains high, and cost considerations are becoming ever more stringent.

According to industry sources, Douyin’s GMV for all of 2025 will surpass 4 trillion yuan, approaching the scale of e-commerce giant Pinduoduo. With such a massive transaction volume, even minor fluctuations in logistics costs will be significantly magnified.

Moreover, Douyin e-commerce and traditional shelf-based e-commerce face fundamentally different challenges regarding return logistics.

Traditional shelf-based e-commerce returns are relatively stable, with users placing orders after comparing and considering, and most returns are due to non-conformity or quality issues. Logistics providers for these platforms usually adopt large-scale, standardized processing methods.

Live-streaming e-commerce, however, relies on host recommendations and instant promotions, leading to a higher proportion of impulsive purchases. This consumer mode results in a return rate higher than that of traditional e-commerce platforms. Return pressure during peak periods can erupt suddenly, requiring logistics providers to be highly flexible and resilient.

Data monitored by the E-commerce Research Center for 2025 shows that return rates for live-streaming e-commerce generally range between 30% and 60%, with some women’s clothing categories reaching as high as 80% during the “618” shopping festival.

High return rates themselves mean a larger business volume for couriers, but the requirements of return services impose even greater pressure on logistics firms.

Take Douyin’s return business for example: according to insiders, Douyin’s return orders require “first response within five minutes, pickup code verification within one hour, and shipment on the same day,” which are high service standards requiring couriers to set aside ongoing deliveries for special pickups, disrupting the original low-cost operating rhythm.

SF Express’s exit from the Douyin returns market will trigger multiple ripple effects.

For the Douyin platform, there may be a risk of declining service quality. New logistics providers taking over will also face severe challenges. Although JD Logistics ensures service quality, its direct-operated model has high operational costs and inadequate end-point delivery capability in non-core commercial zones and lower-tier markets. The “Three Tong and One Da” franchise system is better at low-cost, large-scale forward e-commerce delivery; their end outlets mainly rely on delivery fees to survive, making it difficult to meet the high timeliness and service demands of return orders.

Over the past few years, the national courier volume of e-commerce returns and exchanges has grown from 3.6 billion items in 2019 to 8.2 billion items in 2023; and according to Hive Box’s prospectus, by 2028, reverse e-commerce orders are expected to grow to 20.9 billion items, exceeding an average of 50 million items per day. The massive size of the market means return logistics is far from being a mere “hot potato.”

The curtain has already risen on this service transition. Return orders numbering in the millions per day will test the new logistics providers’ capabilities, and will also reshape the landscape of e-commerce reverse logistics.

As the e-commerce market enters an era of stock competition, the return and exchange experience has already become a key factor influencing consumer decisions. This forces courier companies to find a new balance between service and cost, and also tests how e-commerce platforms can improve the satisfaction level of the products themselves, so as to achieve a healthy return rate.

Risk Warning and DisclaimerThe market has risks, and investment must be cautious. This article does not constitute personal investment advice, nor does it take into account the individual user’s special investment objectives, financial situation, or needs. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article are appropriate for their particular situation. Investment based on this article is at your own risk. ```