TikTok Reverses Plan to End Independent Shipping for U.S. Sellers

TikTok has reversed course on a plan to phase out seller-fulfilled shipping in the U.S. for TikTok Shop, pausing previously announced deadlines, according to an email sent to merchants and reviewed by ADWEEK.

In the email, sent Tuesday, the company said, “At this time, Seller Shipping remains unchanged, and previously shared deadlines are not going into effect. In the meantime, please continue operating as usual”

TikTok corroborated the content of the email. “Sellers have a choice of fulfillment options, including Seller Shipping, Upgraded TikTok Shipping, Collections by TikTok (CBT) or Fulfilled by TikTik (FBT), ” a company spokesperson told ADWEEK.

TikTok had previously moved to centralize fulfillment across its U.S. marketplace, telling merchants they would be required to use the platform’s logistics services in place of handling their own shipping, as ADWEEK first reported.

“[The] logistics turned out to be far more complex than TikTok initially anticipated, which is why we’re seeing them course-correct. The model might work for smaller merchants, but for brands operating at real scale, it simply doesn’t make sense. This feels like an idea that sounded good in the boardroom, but once it met operational reality, the strategy had to change,” said Ian Blair, chief executive officer of the premium laundry brand Laundry Sauce.

Under that plan, which was set to begin rolling out Feb. 25, the company said it would phase out its “Seller Shipping” option and require merchants to route orders through its Fulfilled by TikTok (FBT) network or its upgraded shipping program, where TikTok controls labels and carrier selection.

The original plan had raised concerns among sellers, who said shifting fulfillment to TikTok could increase costs and reduce control over the customer experience, ADWEEK previously reported. 

The pause comes as TikTok’s U.S. business is now overseen by Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, signaling that the platform is recalibrating its strategy under new leadership while it scales its marketplace.