Value Added Resource Week In Review 1-18-26

Welcome to the Value Added Resource ecommerce news week in review!

eBay News

eBay has posted the first Seller Update for 2026, reminding clothing sellers about the Circular Fashion Fund and introducing custom landing pages for Promoted Stores ads.

eBay January 2026 Seller News: Circular Fashion Fund & Custom Landing Pages For Promoted Stores Ads, Fee Updates & More

eBay posts first Seller Update of 2026, reminding sellers to apply for Circular Fashion Fund & introducing custom landing pages for Promoted Stores ads.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

eBay's insatiable appetite for increasing advertising revenue continues as update to Promoted Stores offering expands ad capabilities to Ambassador affiliate program influencer storefronts and eBay Live livestream shopping events.

eBay Targets Ambassador Program & eBay Live With Custom Promoted Stores Ad Updates

eBay’s ad squeeze intensifies as Promoted Stores expand into influencer storefronts and eBay Live shopping

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

eBay is increasing final value fees for many sales in the UK and Germany, putting a strain on sellers who are already struggling with ad fee changes and shipping rate hikes eating into profit margins and increasing prices for consumers.

More Fees, Less Margin: eBay Raises Final Value Fees in UK & Germany

New eBay fee increases in the UK and Germany strain sellers facing higher ad costs, rising shipping rates, and shrinking margins.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

eBay UK is no longer offering customer service through Facebook and X/Twitter, redirecting sellers to Instagram for support as social media monitoring is being scaled back amidst shift to AI-powered self-service resources.

eBay UK Discontinues Customer Service On Facebook & X, Redirects Sellers To Instagram For Support

eBay UK is dropping customer support on Facebook and X, sending sellers to Instagram while shifting towards AI-powered self-service.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

eBay's social sharing tool was once again non-functional this week as sellers reported receiving errors when trying to connect to Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram to post their listings.

eBay Social Sharing Down: Sellers Report Errors Posting Listings To Pinterest, Facebook, & Instagram

eBay social sharing tool once again non-functional, sellers report errors connecting to Pinterest, Facebook, & Instagram to post listings.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

The sudden shutdown of Sendle has left Australian eBay sellers scrambling, with unanswered questions over parcels already in transit.

Sendle’s Sudden Shutdown Leaves Australian eBay Sellers in Limbo

Sendle’s sudden shutdown has left Australian eBay sellers facing uncertainty, with parcels already in transit and deliveries in limbo.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

Other Ecommerce News

Etsy has taken another step toward sealing off its seller community from public view, quietly making the Technical Issues section of its forums private as of January 12.

Etsy Locks Down Technical Issues Forum, Raising Fresh Concerns About Transparency

Etsy quietly privatized its Technical Issues forum, prompting new questions about transparency, moderation failures, & seller visibility issues.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

The Postal Regulatory Commission has moved to rein in USPS’s aggressive pricing strategy, approving new rules that limit Market Dominant rate increases to once per fiscal year and tighten controls on workshare discounts.

PRC Limits USPS Market Dominant Rate Increases to Once Per Year, Tightens Workshare Discounts

New PRC rules cap USPS Market Dominant rate hikes at once per year and tighten workshare discounts after years of semiannual increases.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

Q4 2025 earnings calls are just around the corner, track important ecommerce marketplace reporting dates with Value Added Resource!

Q4 2025 Ecommerce Earnings Call Roundup

Q4 2025 ecommerce earnings roundup: track reporting dates for Amazon, Meta, Walmart, eBay, Etsy, PayPal, Shopify & more with Value Added Resource!

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

UPDATE: The state of Indiana has filed a civil RICO lawsuit against Brett Lemieux's wife Amy, Mister Man Cave LLC and various other related business entities in sports memorabilia forgery and fraud scheme.

Search warrants were obtained and it was determined that Mister Man Cave did ~$1.8M in sales through Amazon and ~$3.3M through eBay with 21,710 items sold.

Massive Sports Memorabilia Forgery & Fraud Scheme Unravels, Leaving One Dead & Collectors In Shock

Mister ManCave founder Brett Lemieux claimed to have commited a $350M+ forged autograph & counterfeit sports memorabilia scheme before taking his own life this week.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

Reminders: USPS rate increase for Ground Advantage, Parcel Select, Priority and Priority Express go into effect today, January 18th and USPS will be closed tomorrow, January 19th, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

USPS January 2026 Rate Increase - Parcel Select, Ground Advantage, Priority Mail & More

USPS Competitive rates for Ground Advantage, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express set to increase January 18, 2026.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

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