Value Added Resource Week In Review 2-9-25
Welcome to the Value Added Resource ecommerce news week in review!
eBay News
eBay's big plans for this week were foiled by technical misexecutions and failures to launch as pre-owned clothing condition changes were postponed, UK Buyer Protection Fee roll out hit more than a few snags, and a forced app update caused an uproar.
First, on Monday eBay quietly announced a last minute change to plans for the UK Buyer Protection fee, switching to a phased rollout starting on February 4th in Electronics and expanding to more categories "in the following weeks."
Liz Morton
But when the 4th arrived, users were perplexed as there did not seem to be any evidence of buyer fees in sight. eBay support took ~24 hours to confirm the launch had been delayed until February 6th, though they offered no explanation for the delay.
Liz Morton
In possibly related news, eBay pushed a forced automatic app update for both Android and iOS this week, leaving many buyers using older devices in the dark and unable to access the mobile app experience.
Liz Morton
And changes to pre-owned clothing conditions that were also supposed to go live on February 4th were instead postponed until "mid-February."
Liz Morton
Just two days into the launch, sellers say the Buyer Protection Fee math doesn't add up, with eBay apparently taking 3p less than they should on every transaction.
Liz Morton
And it didn't take long for savvy buyers to start finding and sharing workarounds to try to avoid the new fee.
Liz Morton
eBay owned TCGPlayer collectible card game marketplace has updated their Direct Seller Agreement, no longer allowing sealed products in the program as regulatory scrutiny heats up.
Liz Morton
eBay has officially closed their acquisition of Caramel and is moving quickly to hire an Integration Director specifically tasked with operational leadership over Caramel business unit integration into eBay Motors division.
Liz Morton
The Top Star buyer loyalty program for sneakers is abruptly coming to an end amidst broader strategy shift away from focus verticals and back to core consumer to consumer market.
Liz Morton
And users reported costs for shipping from the UK to the US through eBay's Global Shipping Program suddenly skyrocketed in a two part issue involving both a technical glitch on eBay's side and confusion driven by sudden tariff and de minimis changes enacted by President Trump this week.
Liz Morton
Other Ecommerce News
Those executive orders also caused USPS confusion, with a notice announcing suspension of acceptance for inbound parcels from China reversed a day later.
Liz Morton
Etsy sellers outside the US also struggled to comply with tariff requirements, bringing new light to an old problem as labels purchased from the platform don't allow changes to be made to the Country of Origin.
Liz Morton
President Trump reinstated the $800 de minimis exemption for items from China on Friday, but it's only a temporary reprieve to allow time for systems to be put in place to clear the backlog of packages coming into the country and to handle incoming packages going forward - so one way or another, marketplaces will eventually need to make sure their international sellers can navigate compliance to continue engaging in cross border trade.
Mercari reported financial results for the most recent quarter ending December 2024 with gross merchandise value (GMV) below expectations for both Japan and US Marketplaces as security issues and fee missteps stymie growth.
Liz Morton
And as part of their efforts to increase security, Mercari is getting rid of Public Comments on listings effective February 10th in effort to curb spam, security risks, and negative interactions on the platform.
Liz Morton
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