eBay Turns Second-Hand into a Cultural Movement

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, eBay is launching “Secondhand September” with branded collections, designer collaborations, authentication services, and AI-powered tools. Pre-loved items now make up 40% of total sales, with an annual turnover of $10 billion.
Unexpectedly, second-hand fashion is becoming a mainstream luxury trend.

📸 Amazon launches visual shopping: real-time purchases through the camera

Amazon has introduced Lens Live, a new feature that turns your smartphone camera into a tool for instant shopping. Now it’s enough to simply point your phone at any object around you — and the service will immediately suggest similar items from its catalog.

🔍 How it works

* Point the camera → get a selection of similar products.
* The built-in assistant Rufus instantly provides descriptions and answers.
* Everything happens “on the fly,” with no long loading times or extra steps.

⚙️ Technology under the hood

* AI models powered by AWS SageMaker, OpenSearch, and visual embeddings.
* Object recognition runs directly on the device, ensuring minimal delay.

📦 What this means for sellers

1. Quality of listings matters — photos, descriptions, and keywords directly affect whether your product appears in recommendations.
2. New analytics — Amazon will gain insights into what users scan most often in real life.
3. Increased competition — only the most polished listings will make it to the top of visual search results.

Lens Live is not just a “gadget” — it’s a step toward new shopping behavior:
see an item → point the camera → buy.

For sellers, this is a clear signal: prepare your listings to compete not only in text search but also in visual search.

❓What do you think: will Lens Live become a mainstream standard, or remain a feature for early adopters and tech enthusiasts?

Temu slashes prices by up to 60% to fight for U.S. market

In September, Temu sharply reduced prices on popular products — on average by 18%, and up to 60% on some items.
This aggressive discounting is part of its comeback strategy after losing ground due to tariffs and regulatory pressure.
👉 Competitors are on alert: Temu is once again positioning itself as the ultimate price killer in e-commerce.

eBay: “We don’t compete with our sellers”
At the Communacopia 2025 conference, eBay confirmed it does not sell its own products but focuses solely on being a platform for third-party sellers.
👉 Unlike Amazon and Temu, eBay bets on transparency and neutrality. But the question remains: is that enough to reignite growth?

💰 Temu to Pay $2 Million for Transparency Law Violation

The platform has agreed to a fine under the INFORM Consumers Act, which requires marketplaces to provide full information about sellers. This underscores the importance of transparency for users and strengthens regulation of online commerce.
For both sellers and buyers, it signals that legal and honest operations remain a key factor in maintaining trust on the platform.

eBay has radically simplified international returns

You no longer need to deal with the mail from different countries.

What have you done:
• eBay prints and pays for the labels for returns from abroad.
• The seller receives a notification and is not involved in logistics.
• The risks of errors and disputes are reduced.

The advantage for the seller:
Less headaches, time and risks when dealing with international orders.

🔥 5 Global Trends Worth Testing Right Now

Keeping an eye on Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and Aliexpress lets you spot future hits before your competitors. Here’s a selection of products that are growing fast overseas but haven’t flooded local markets yet:

1️⃣ Smart Water Bottles with Hydration Reminders – Popularity on Amazon: +150% this quarter – Wellness trend with low competition

2️⃣ Mini Projectors for Home and Travel – Demand on Walmart: +120% – Perfect for social media and video reviews

3️⃣ Glow-in-the-Dark Party Headphones – eBay trend: +200% – Niche product with a dedicated audience, few local sellers

4️⃣ Eco-Friendly Reusable Food Wraps – Top category on Aliexpress: “zero waste” – Works well for both marketplaces and offline sales

5️⃣ Portable Neck & Shoulder Massagers – Amazon/Walmart: +130% growth – Popular among office workers and people with sedentary lifestyles

💡 Tip: Don’t copy the product directly — adapt packaging, design, color, or kit for your local market. Early trend adaptation brings the highest profits.

♻️ eBay acquires Tise — a social marketplace from Norway

eBay is expanding its portfolio by acquiring Tise, a resale platform for fashion and home décor.
Tise stands out for its social features, making it popular with younger audiences.
This move strengthens eBay’s C2C sector and targets Gen Z, where second-hand shopping is rapidly growing.

🌐 Amazon to Pay $2.5 Billion Over Prime Subscription Controversy

Amazon has agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle a U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit accusing the company of misleading users with its Prime subscription service.
The FTC claims Amazon used “dark patterns” to encourage sign-ups and made it difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions.
As part of the settlement, Amazon will improve transparency around subscription terms and simplify the cancellation process. Users who signed up for Prime between June 2019 and June 2025 and used fewer than three benefits will receive compensation of $51 each.
This is the largest civil settlement in FTC history.

eBay: Shopping Trends and Popular Categories in 2025

eBay is seeing growing demand in technology, fashion, and lifestyle product categories.
Key trends include:
Electronics and accessories: dominating sales.
Fashion and lifestyle: steady buyer interest.
Collectibles: continue to attract collectors’ attention.

🌱 Shein Caught for “Greenwashing”
Italy’s antitrust regulator fined Shein €1 million.
The reason: the company advertised its clothing line as “eco-friendly,” but it didn’t meet the claimed environmental standards.

⚖️ In the ESG era, greenwashing is no longer just a marketing trick — it’s a real legal risk.
👉 Should stricter sanctions be introduced for false eco-claims by brands?

⏳ Fake Discounts and Timers: Shein Accused of Manipulative Tactics
European regulators are examining Shein for deceptive marketing practices:
fake countdown timers creating a false sense of urgency;
complicated return rules;
opaque algorithms and recommendation systems.

📑 The company must comply with the Digital Services Act.
👉 Have you noticed these tricks on marketplaces?

The FTC fined Temu $2 million for violating the INFORM Consumers Act, citing insufficient transparency for buyers regarding sellers and suspicious items.

📌 Lessons for sellers:
Product listings (titles, images, seller data) must be fully transparent.
Fewer questions from buyers → fewer complaints and lower risk of account suspension.
Regulatory pressure in the US is growing — other markets may follow.

⚠️ If you sell on Temu, double-check how your store info and listings look.

🤝 eBay and OpenAI teach sellers how to use AI

eBay and OpenAI are rolling out AI Activate in the UK.
The goal: train up to 10,000 small and medium businesses to use ChatGPT Enterprise and custom GPTs for:

✍️ writing product descriptions

📸 analyzing photos and content

📊 running analytics and forecasts

For sellers, this is a free entry into AI tools that actually save time and boost CTR.

👉 Looks like marketplaces are turning into training grounds for the “sellers of the future.”

🛒 Amazon Launches “Prime Big Deal Days” — Kicking Off the Holiday Sales Season

Amazon announced its second Prime sale of 2025, running October 7–8. Expect discounts of up to 65% on both everyday and seasonal products. Competitors like Target and Walmart are also launching promotions from October 6–12. Analysts say these sales are becoming a key indicator of consumer sentiment ahead of the holiday season.

💰 55,000 Amazon Sellers Surpassed $1M in Sales — A “Middle Class of Brands” Is Emerging

At Amazon Accelerate 2025, the platform announced that over 55,000 sellers have surpassed $1 million in annual sales, marking a record milestone in Amazon’s history.

📈 The company notes that a new segment of entrepreneurs is forming — the so-called “middle class of brands”, independent sellers who manage to scale successfully without large investments or corporate infrastructure.

🔍 The key growth drivers include FBA automation, adoption of AI-powered analytics, and improved product content quality.

For small businesses, this is a clear signal: the game has changed. Competing with big brands is now possible for those who can quickly adapt to Amazon’s algorithms and build smart, data-driven growth strategies.

💥 Record Discounts and the Lowest Prices of the Year

During Prime Big Deal Days 2025, Amazon hit a record with discounts of up to 53% on major brands.
Shoppers rushed to grab AirPods, Dyson vacuums, Philips products, and even gaming consoles.

🔥 Many of these deals were labeled “Lowest price ever” — meaning the best price in Amazon’s history.

💡 Interestingly, Amazon also heavily promoted its own products: Fire TV, Echo, and Kindle all made it into the top 10 bestsellers.

Looks like this October, Amazon became its own biggest competitor.