China exports lots of stuff to the USA and those containers go back empty. They can easily be filled up with stolen iPhones and catalytic converters for recycling, so that they aren’t all empty.

Power tools probably not though.

I thought the empties carried all of the stolen cars to their new homes.

That’s way too much trouble, and Chinese customs is really serious about their 100% tariff for DIY car imports. Stolen iPhones and cats are much easier to smuggle in, and have little value outside of Chinese recyclers.

You seem to think that a ship can't pull into a different port in a different country on the way back to China.

None of those countries are overseas from the US.

Maybe there's a case to be made for Venuzeuela and Colombia because of the Darien Gap, but that's pushing it.

You seem to be ignoring concavity.

For whatever reasons, my mind equates overseas with Europe and even Eastern Europe more specifically when it comes to trading in illicit wares. In my mind, any where in the Americas just isn't overseas.

But you are absolutely right in that a lot of stolen items do end up in that part of the world.

Also a lot of power tools are battery operated, chop saws, skill saws, sds drills, etc. All you'd need for overseas is a charger.

I bet most of those chargers operate on 90-250 VAC 50-60Hz since they're switching supplies. You'd just need an adapter.