Value Added Resource Week In Review 9-24-23

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

eBay News

eBay is pulling out the stops with end of quarter discounts from major brands in the Brand Outlet hub to try to goose Q3 GMV, but as usual, fake discounts using strikethrough pricing manipulation abound unchecked.

Are eBay Sales & Discounts Real Deals or Deception?

eBay promotes 20% off select items from Brand Outlet but once again consumers may be duped by deceptive strikethrough prices.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

eBay Germany has launched a new eBay Lokal hub to promote local buying and selling through the platform.

eBay Germany Promotes Local Shopping With eBay Lokal

eBay Germany has launched a new eBay Lokal hub to promote local buying and selling through the platform.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

Smart targeting for eBay Promoted Listings Advanced Cost Per Click ads is here, allowing sellers to "set it and forget it" with eBay completely managing ad bidding and keyword optimization.

eBay Introduces Smart Targeting For Promoted Listings Advanced Ads

eBay Smart Targeting for Promoted Listings Advanced ads - “set it & forget it” with eBay-managed bid & keyword optimization.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

However, users are increasingly reporting server loading errors that are impacting delivery of both 3rd party ads and 1st party Promoted Listings ads on the site as well as other page loading problems.

eBay Server Errors Impact Ad Delivery, Listing Page Loading

eBay users increasingly report server errors impacting Promoted Listing ad delivery & page loading across site.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

Sellers also report problems accessing the sales report page in Seller Hub, receiving an error message that says "we ran into a problem and can't show your sales metrics information right now."

eBay Sales Report Not Available 9-22-23

eBay sellers can’t access sales report, receive “we ran into a problem & can’t show your sales metrics information right now” error.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

Other Ecommerce News

 Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has announced USPS will not be adding peak surcharges this year as he touts readiness for holiday season shipping.

USPS Announces No Holiday Peak Surcharges For 2023

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy says USPS will not charge peak surcharges in 2023, touts readiness for holiday shipping.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

Amazon is backing down on plan that would have assessed additional fees on for sellers who use Seller Fulfilled Prime without using Amazon logistics services.

Amazon Backs Down On Seller Fulfilled Prime Fee For Not Using Amazon Logistics

Amazon is backing down on 2% fees for sellers who use Seller Fulfilled Prime without using Amazon logistics services.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

Amazon announced this week that buyers will now be shown a "sales trend" to highlight how many buyers recently purchased a particular product, but sellers are concerned the new feature may encourage competitors to use black hat tactics to try to game the metric.

Amazon Sellers Concerned Sales Trend Display Encourages Black Hat Tactics

Amazon to show “sales trend” highlighting number of recent purchases on an item, sellers fear it may encourage black hat competitors.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

Etsy is funding a €5 discount for eligible European buyers, looking for end of quarter GMS bump and enticing sellers to try the new Share and Save social media promotion program.

Etsy Funds €5 Discount For European Buyers To Promote Share & Save

Etsy is funding €5 discount for EU buyers, looking for end of quarter GMS bump & to promote new Share & Save program.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

Etsy seller MagicalMomentsShoppe sparked a lengthy and revealing conversation this week in the community forums with one simple question - what's not working on Etsy?

What’s Not Working On Etsy?

Etsy seller sparks revealing community discussion with simple question - what’s not working on Etsy?

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

TikTok is moving fast to expand their ecommerce market share, introducing Refurbished Electronics in the UK.

TikTok Shop Takes On Refurbished Electronics

TikTok Shop adds refurbished electronics category in the UK, will US be next?

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

TikTok Shop is also preparing to make a big Black Friday splash with steeply subsidized discounts as it looks to steal holiday thunder from Amazon and Walmart.

TikTok Shop Plans Black Friday Splash With Big Subsidized Discounts

TikTok Shop plans to back big Black Friday discounts as it looks to steal holiday thunder from Amazon & Walmart.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

And Nike is quietly expanding on their limited in-store refurbished program, making restored sneakers available to buy online at up to 50% off retail prices.

Nike Quietly Enters Pre-Owned Refurbished Sneaker Game

Nike has quietly expanded refurbished program, making restored sneakers available online at up to 50% off retail prices.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

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