Value Added Resource Week In Review 1-7-24

Welcome to the first Value Added Resource ecommerce news week in review of 2024!

eBay News

The new year is typically a time for reflection, commitments to "do better" and turning over new leaves, but unfortunately stopping fake discounts and shady strikethrough shenanigans doesn't seem to be on eBay's New Year's Resolution list for 2024.

New Year, Same Fake eBay Coupon Discounts With Shady Strikethrough Pricing

The new year is a time for resolutions to “do better”, but when it comes to eBay coupons & discounts, shady fake strikethrough pricing continues.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

Head of Business Development, Kohl Perkins, is moving on after almost 7 years at eBay, taking an exciting new position as Senior Director of Business Strategy at Walmart Marketplace.

eBay Loses Head of Business Development To Walmart Marketplace

eBay’s Head of Business Development, Kohl Perkins, is moving on after ~7 years, taking Sr Director Business Strategy role at Walmart Marketplace.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

eBay appears to be sneaking in a stealth USPS rate increase effective January 8th, 2024 with no warning, despite previously saying they "try" to give sellers two weeks' notice of shipping price changes.

eBay Sneaks In USPS Shipping Increase Effective January 8, 2024

eBay sneaking in stealth USPS rate increase 1-8-24 with no warning, despite previous promise to “try” to give two weeks notice of changes.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

Major updates are being made to eBay's Price Guide and Collection beta for first time since it launched in August 2021, providing enthusiasts with more ways to organize their card collections and access new features for the eBay Vault.

eBay Updates Price Guide & Collection Tool For Trading Card Enthusiasts

eBay is making updates to Price Guide & Collection tool, providing more ways to organize card collections & access new features for eBay Vault.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

3 years after Standard Envelope launch, eBay has finally published a full list of categories & subcategories that qualify for the service.

eBay Publishes Full List Of Categories Eligible For Standard Envelope Shipping Service

3 years after eBay Standard Envelope launch, eBay finally publishes full list of categories & subcategories that qualify for the service.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

UPDATE - eBay scrubbed community forum posts that shared screenshots of proposed additions for phase two of the new View Item Page design, but don't worry, Value Added Resource and the Internet Archive Wayback Machine have you covered!

eBay Quietly Unveils Final New View Item Page Design

eBay’s new View Item Page design has been finalized after 9 months of testing, with silent pre-holiday launch - get your first look here!

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

Other Ecommerce News

Etsy is making major changes to take their community forums private, blocking public viewing for most posts, and limit certain public API use as sellers have been inundated with spam and scams - are they trying to avoid public scrutiny from media, analysts & shareholders too?

Etsy Takes Community Forum Private, Limits API Access To Protect Users From Scams

Etsy is restricting access to community forums over security concerns, but will it shield the company from public scrutiny too?

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

On that note, Etsy sellers took to the community this week to share some strong suggestions for CEO Josh Silverman's "Vital Few" initiatives heading in to 2024 - just the sort of important commentary that will no longer be publicly visible once those community changes take effect.

Etsy Sellers Sound Off On “Vital Few” Initiatives CEO Should Prioritize In 2024

Sellers have some strong suggestions for Etsy CEO Josh Silverman’s “Vital Few” initiatives in 2024.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

TikTok Shop hit the ground running in 2023 with low initial fees and promotional fee waivers, but watch out - a major fee hike is in store for 2024!

TikTok Shop Announces Major Fee Hike In 2024

TikTok Shop hit the ground running in 2023 with low initial fees & promotional fee waivers, but a major fee hike is in store for 2024!

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

And finally, Pitney Bowes and PackageHub have announced the launch of a national returns drop-off network to enable no-box and no-label returns with no additional cost to retailers or consumers at nearly 1,000 locations across the country, with hundreds more coming soon.

Pitney Bowes & PackageHub Partner On National ‘No-Box/No-Label’ Returns Drop-off Network

Pitney Bowes & PackageHub launch national returns drop-off network to enable no-box & no-label returns at 1,000 locations across the US.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

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