Value Added Resource Week In Review 4-16-23

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

eBay News

General Manager eBay Canada Robert Bigler has received a major promotion, taking over as the new CEO of trading card marketplace subsidiary TCGPlayer.

The move comes after TCGPlayer founder Chedy Hampson agreed to step down last month in the wake of a contentious unionization battle with authentication employees that racked up multiple unfair labor practice complaints and raised serious questions about due diligence and disclosures in the TCGPlayer acquisition.

GM eBay Canada Robert Bigler Will Be Next TCGPlayer CEO

eBay-owned trading card marketplace TCGPlayer has a new CEO as GM eBay Canada, Robert Bigler, gets a promotion.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

eBay released their preliminary 2023 proxy statement this week, revealing executive pay was down and the company's focus on ESG (environmental, social, and governance) initiatives and increasing advertising revenue was up in 2022.

eBay Exec Pay Down, Focus On ESG Up In 2023 Proxy Statement

eBay proxy statement reveals exec pay down, focus on ESG & ad revenue up ahead of annual stockholder meeting.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

Major changes were made to Promoted Listings ad attribution on March 30th that have left some sellers scratching their heads about how to determine which ad fees come from direct sales vs what eBay is now calling "halo" sales.

eBay Promoted Listings Direct vs Halo Sales - How Can You Tell?

eBay Promoted Listings ad attribution & reporting - here’s what you need to know about Direct vs Halo sales.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

eBay Canada is running a 70% Off Final Value Fee promotion to try to entice sellers to list "pre-loved" items for Earth month in effort to boost sales and promote environmental and sustainability initiatives.

eBay Canada Runs Earth Month Fee Promotion For Used Items

eBay Canada promotes Reduce, Resell, Recycle for Earth month with 70% Off Final Value Fees for eligible sellers.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

Other Ecommerce News

CEO Andy Jassy has released his yearly letter to Amazon shareholders, acknowledging "short term headwinds" for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and announcing a major investment in Generative AI.

Amazon CEO Sees AWS Headwinds, Touts AI Investment In Shareholder Letter

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s letter to shareholders reveals headwinds for AWS & investment in Generative AI.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

Amazon will now charge a $1 fee for some returns at UPS Store locations in an effort to encourage buyers to use Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh grocery store or Kohl’s return locations instead.

Amazon Looks To Cut Costs Of Free Returns

Amazon’s cost cutting moves continue with a new policy that will charge a fee for some return options that used to be free.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

USPS is raising prices again with First Class Mail set to increase about 5.4% in July.

Another USPS Price Increase Coming In July 9, 2023

USPS proposes to raise First Class Mail prices about 5.4%, effective June 9, 2023.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

As postage rates continue to increase, so does the problem of counterfeit stamps being sold online.

Should marketplaces do more to stop fake postage sales on their sites?

USPS Cracks Down On Fake Forever Stamps As Prices Continue To Rise

USPS cracks down on fake postage with new rule, should online marketplaces do more to stop counterfeit stamp sales?

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

Poshmark has partnered with Cequence Security to stop malicious automated bot attacks via API that were compromising security and safety on the site.

Poshmark Partners With Cequence Security To Prevent Account Takeovers

Poshmark has partnered with Cequence Security to stop malicious bot attacks from compromising accounts.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

Facebook is introducing videos to Marketplace listings to help buyers feel more secure in their purchases.

Facebook Marketplace Adds Video Capability For Listings

Facebook introduces videos to Marketplace listings to help buyers feel more secure in their purchases.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

And finally, the Artisans Cooperative continues to make progress towards its goal to create an alternative marketplace for artisan and handmade items by earning a spot in the 2023 cohort of the Start.coop Accelerator Program.

Etsy Alternative Artisans Cooperative Joins Accelerator Program

The Artisans Cooperative continues plans to create alternative handmade marketplace, earning spot in Start.coop Accelerator Program.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

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