It used to be just Amazon vs. Ebay. Now, it’s Amazon vs. everyone else.
Platforms are evolving, competition is heating up, and the playbook is splitting in different directions. What used to be one game is now multiple—and not everyone is playing the same way.
This week’s stories break it down:
- ⚡ Amazon is finally asking sellers about its returns problem
- 📦 Walmart Marketplace is opening up new growth opportunities
- 🏆 Amazon still dominates—but the real competition is happening underneath
- 🎥 And live shopping is turning “add to cart” into “add to stream”
Let’s get into it 👇
AMAZON NEWS
Amazon might finally be listening to sellers about returns… 👀
The company is now surveying FBA sellers on how its returns system is actually performing—and how it stacks up against third-party solutions.
Returns have been messy (and expensive), and Amazon knows it.
Inside the survey, Amazon highlights that it already offers 10+ returns solutions + a dashboard to track everything.
But here’s what they really want to know:
👉 Are these tools actually helping sellers… or not?
Sellers are being asked to rate things like:
- how much value they recover from returns
- how much fees are eating into margins
- how fast returns get processed
- how easy (or painful) the system is to use
- how transparent everything feels
- and whether support is actually helpful
So basically, all the right stuff.
💡 Why this matters:
Returns are one of the biggest profit leaks in FBA. Amazon handles the process—but sellers still eat a big chunk of the cost, from processing fees to unsellable inventory.
🛒 The bigger picture:
Amazon already has tools like “returnless refunds,” resale programs, and donations to recover value… but adoption (and trust) has been mixed.
So this survey?
It’s Amazon pressure-testing whether its returns ecosystem actually works—or if sellers are quietly finding better options elsewhere. This could also mean one thing: if enough sellers are complaining, then Amazon might listen to your calls and have changes coming.
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BITES OF THE WEEK
- JD.com Expands to Europe: JD.com launched its Joybuy marketplace in six European countries with same-day delivery, directly challenging Amazon. The move brings its logistics-heavy, low-cost model into a new market.
- AI Boosts Basket Size: Walmart says customers using its AI shopping assistant, Sparky, are building carts that are 35% larger than non-AI users.
- Tariff Evasion Hits Record Levels: A reported $112B trade gap between Chinese export data and U.S. import records suggests large-scale tariff avoidance, reshaping competitive pricing dynamics for U.S. sellers.
ECOMMERCE NEWS
Amazon’s still dominating ecommerce—but the real battle is underneath
The latest e-commerce rankings are in—and Amazon is still in a league of its own 👀
The marketplace pulled in an estimated $300B in U.S. third-party sales, making it about 7x bigger than eBay and dramatically ahead of everyone else. The gap hasn’t just held—it’s widened.
But what’s more interesting isn’t the top spot… it’s what’s happening right below it.
👀 A new era of marketplaces
A new “middle tier” of marketplaces is forming, with Temu, TikTok Shop, and Walmart all clustering in roughly the same range—around $15B to $22B in GMV. They’re taking completely different approaches, too. Temu is going all-in on ultra-low prices and direct-from-China supply, TikTok Shop is turning content into instant purchases, and Walmart is leveraging its logistics and retail footprint. Different strategies, same destination: meaningful scale.
At the same time, a group of niche marketplaces is quietly thriving by not trying to compete head-on with Amazon. Platforms like Etsy, SHEIN, Wayfair, and Whatnot are doubling down on specific categories—whether that’s handmade goods, fast fashion, furniture, or live selling. Instead of being everything stores, they’re becoming category kings.
🔔 And then there’s Amazon… competing with itself.
Its AI shopping assistant, Rufus, reportedly generated $12B in sales in 2025, which means it could stand on its own as a mid-sized marketplace. Meanwhile, its budget-focused play, Amazon Haul, is already pushing millions of low-cost products and has reached around $2B in U.S. sales.
The takeaway?
E-commerce isn’t a single-horse race anymore—it’s a layered ecosystem. You’ve got one giant at the top, a fast-moving group of challengers right behind, and a growing number of niche players carving out defensible positions.
Winning today doesn’t mean beating Amazon. It means choosing a game Amazon isn’t built to dominate.
TRENDING TOPIC
Add to cart? More like add to stream!
Live shopping has gone mainstream, turning e-commerce into something more interactive, more social, and way more immediate.
Instead of browsing static product pages, shoppers are now watching livestreams, asking questions, and buying instantly—all in one place.
📱 The platforms shaping the space
Live shopping in 2026 isn’t dominated by just one player. It’s split across a few key types of platforms, each winning in different ways.
Social platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are leading on attention. They already have massive audiences, so shopping becomes a natural extension of content. TikTok, in particular, stands out by turning discovery into instant checkout within seconds.
Marketplace platforms like Amazon Live and Whatnot focus on intent. Shoppers are already there to buy—live content just helps push them over the edge. It’s more conversion-driven, less discovery-led.
Owned platforms like Bambuser or Firework give brands more control. Instead of relying on algorithms, brands can host live shopping directly on their own websites—keeping both customer data and margins.
📺️ Why live shopping works
This format is powerful because it compresses the entire buying journey.
You get product discovery, education, trust-building, and checkout all happening in real time. There’s no gap between “I’m interested” and “I bought it.”
Add in live chat, social proof, and creator influence—and suddenly, shopping feels more like an event than a task.
What’s changing in e-commerce
We’re seeing a clear shift in how people shop online.
It’s no longer just:
search → scroll → buy
Now it’s:
watch → engage → buy
That shift is subtle—but it changes everything about how products are discovered and sold.
