The countdown is officially on.
With shoppers already filling carts and holiday deals popping up left and right, this is the make-or-break season for sellers. Whether you’re chasing record sales, protecting margins, or just trying to keep up with demand, every move counts from here on out.
Have you started prepping for the Q4 rush?
- eBay’s in the AI selling game 🖥️
- Amazon ads are back on Google… but not for all! 👀
- Make the best 2025 smartest selling investment 🏆️
- Afraid of sudden account deactivation on Amazon? Worry no more! ❌
- Get Looped In and take the chaos out of ecommerce accounting ✉️
- We’ll link your newsletter for FREE. Send your applications here. 🤝
AMAZON NEWS
Remember when over 20 Amazon domains pulled out of Google Shopping ads? Well, they’re dipping back. But this time, ads won’t be shown in the U.S.
It may have been a marketing test as ad spend restarted for all international domains.
🔑 Key takeaways
- Traffic test: Amazon paused Shopping ads globally last month. This can be seen as a test of reliance on Google traffic.
- U.S. experiment: Ads are now back except for the U.S. This may be part of competitive analysis.
- Amazon impact: When Amazon left, ROAS dropped. This means Amazon’s presence stabilizes the ad auction, even benefiting competitors.
🖼️ The bigger picture
Amazon’s selective return shows it can maximize their ad spend as a strategic weapon. This experiment reveals Amazon’s ad play truly affects the retail ad economy.
If Amazon’s presence makes traffic more efficient even for competitors, smaller brands should keep a close eye on these shifts to optimize campaigns in real time.
TOGETHER WITH WALMART MARKETPLACE
Selling on Walmart Marketplace is one of 2025’s smartest investments
For eCommerce brands looking to diversify their sales and expand their footprint, there’s no better time to join Walmart Marketplace. Right now, Walmart’s New-Seller Savings event is offering new sellers up to $75K in incentives, which includes up to 75% off base referral fees and generous credits toward advertising and fulfillment.*
Walmart is one of the world's most recognizable brands with over 255 million customers and members shopping at Walmart online and in-store around the world each week. New-Seller Savings run from sign up to January 31, 2026, so don’t wait—the faster you start, the more opportunity you’ll have to save.
To take advantage of this unprecedented offer and the endless opportunities on Walmart.com.
Join Walmart Marketplace today
BITES OF THE WEEK
- Introducing Insights: JungleScout's Cobalt launched the Category Insights feature to help solve blind spots in Amazon category data.
- Ecommerce to the Rescue: OpenAI's high operational costs may be saved by channeling ecommerce's revenue opportunities.
- Retail Recap: Here are some ecommerce news and stats you may have missed this week.
- Must-know Inventory KPIs: There are 3 KPIs worth tracking, and SellerPulse's new Inventory KPI Benchmark Reports has you covered.
ACTIONABLE ADVICE
Amazon rolls out Account Health Assurance to protect sellers from sudden deactivation
Sellers with consistently high Account Health Ratings (AHR) now have a safety net: Account Health Assurance (AHA). The program helps keep accounts active while policy issues get resolved.
🛡️ How it works
- Eligibility: Pro sellers with AHR 250+ for 6+ months (with no more than 10 days below), plus a valid emergency contact number, are automatically enrolled—free.
- Deactivation protection: If a policy issue pops up, instead of shutting you down, an account health specialist contacts you directly.
- 72-hour response window: As long as you reply and work on fixing the issue, your account stays active.
Exceptions: Serious violations (fraud, illegal activity, deception) still trigger immediate deactivation.
📈 The importance of Account Health
Account suspensions can derail cash flow overnight. AHA gives strong sellers a buffer, buying time to correct mistakes and avoid sales interruptions—essential for keeping momentum during peak seasons.
ECOMMERCE NEWS
eBay rolls out suite of tech tools for sellers
eBay just rolled out a fresh batch of AI-powered and seller-support tools across the U.S. and U.K. This is aimed at making sales smoother, messaging easier, and cost tracking smarter.
✨ What’s new
- AI Assistant for Messaging: This opt-in tool drafts suggested replies to buyer FAQs. Best part? Sellers can review and edit these messages before sending.
- Offers in Messaging: Negotiations with buyers now get grouped in one place. It’s available in both the mobile app and website.
- Inventory Mapping API: Select U.S. sellers can manage large inventory more efficiently. The API generates optimized titles, item specifics, descriptions, and more
- Track Your Costs: Monitors merchandise expenses to guide smarter pricing. Simply add an item’s cost data in the “Your cost” field.
- Automated positive feedback: Rolling out in September for U.S. sellers.
- Item Not Received (INR): This protection launches in October—refund-proofing sellers when late packages arrive after refunds are issued.
🤖 Tech takeover
This push follows eBay’s steady AI integration (e.g., its “Magical Listing” tool and generative AI for video listings).
Competitors are in on the AI game too: Poshmark (Smart List AI), Walmart (IP monitoring), and Etsy (AI for listings and search).
With eBay layering AI into listings, feedback, and negotiations, sellers get time freed up from admin work and better protection on risky transactions. Expect more platforms to keep automating seller-side pain points to stay competitive.
