🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Sea keeps its Latin America bet on Brazil, even as it leaves Colombia and Chile

• Sea Limited, Shopee’s parent and a Singapore consumer internet firm, posted Q2 2025 results with Brazil as the main driver 1. Monthly active buyers rose over 30% year over year as logistics costs fell 15%, with GMV up plus more than 100 well-known brands added 1.
• The wind-down of cross-border in Colombia and Chile looks tactical, with Brazil holding lower logistics costs and faster delivery than rivals 1. Sea kept its Latin America focus on Brazil, and unit cost benefits from higher volume are kicking in 1.
• Cross-border can yield thinner margins than local fulfillment due to longer shipping times and higher costs. Exiting these markets frees capital for instant delivery and VIP membership in core countries, which management called early-stage growth drivers without heavy margin pressure 1.

Displaced sellers open a lane for logistics integrators tied to Mercado Libre

• Mercado Libre, Latin America’s largest ecommerce marketplace, gives cross-border sellers targeting Colombia and Chile a ready path via Global Selling 2. The program bundles logistics, lets listings plus collection be in USD while buyers pay locally, and reaches 65 million buyers across 18 countries 2.
• Integrators can simplify Mercado Libre onboarding, since Global Selling is invite-only and requires an application 3. Sellers need help with Excel or API listing, category fees that vary by country, and automated language translation for Spanish or Portuguese markets 3.
• Colombia and Chile sit within Mercado Libre’s 18-country footprint 2. Target sellers with a proven Colombia-Chile record on Shopee, then deliver full migration that includes Mercado Envíos Full, its warehousing service, plus payments setup to limit disruption 2.