UK plans to end duty-free party for Shein and Temu

Why did the seller stop telling jokes? 

Their margins were too thin for laughs. 😐

Here’s what’s cracking sellers up (or down):

• The tricks seller agencies don’t want you to see 🤫
• Shein and Temu’s duty-free days are over 🇬🇧
• $215B in tariffs hits U.S. sellers, not China 💸
• AI now decides Amazon shopping 🛒
• Join our Facebook group for FREE ✨

ECOMMERCE NEWS

After the U.S., fast fashion’s favorite loophole may finally be getting stitched up in the U.K. 

The Industry.fashion reported that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is gearing up to scrap the “low-value imports” exemption in her November 26 Budget, a rule that’s long let ultra-fast fashion brands dodge taxes on small orders.

🧾 Goodbye, £135 tax break

Right now, anything under £135 can breeze through customs without duties. 

• Local retailers call it a rigged game, paying taxes while competitors go duty-free. 
• Reeves’ fix could save local retailers £600M a year, leveling the playing field just in time for the holiday rush. 
• The Treasury says it’s reviewing the rule amid growing pressure from retail leaders.

🌍 Following the global trend

Reeves isn’t the first to tighten the screws. The U.S. scrapped its $800 “de minimis” exemption earlier this year, and the E.U. plans to bring customs duties to low-value imports by 2028.

Without similar action, experts warn the U.K. could become a “dumping ground” for low-cost China-based goods, a wave already worth £3 billion in imports this year alone.

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BITES OF THE WEEK

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• Convincing Walmart: China urges Walmart to expand sourcing and procurement, a possible warmer cooperation.
• Down No More: After overnight DNS hiccups, all AWS systems have recovered and running smoothly again.

HOT TOPIC

Tariffs hit American sellers $215B harder than China

The U.S. is collecting record customs revenue,  just not from who you’d think.

According to Marketplace Pulse, U.S. customs revenue hit $215B in FY2025—up $120B from last year—but experts say American businesses, not foreign sellers, are bearing the cost.

💸 Who’s really paying for tariffs

Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen says the system is broken, foreign firms can ship goods to the U.S. without a local presence, often filing false declarations with little consequence. 

Meanwhile, U.S. retailers pay inflated costs while their overseas rivals skate by.

• Nike expects $1.5B in tariff costs, up from $1B earlier this year. 
• Apple racked up $1.1B in just one quarter.

⚖️ The uneven playing field

China-based sellers now make up over half of Amazon’s marketplace, giving them both scale and a loophole advantage. 

Many undervalue goods on customs forms while U.S. importers pay full freight. The result?

• Foreign sellers: lower or no duties
• U.S. retailers: higher compliance costs
• Consumers: higher prices

Trump plans to double tariffs on China-based imports starting November 1, just weeks before peak retail season. Importers are scrambling to reroute, reprice, or hope the plan changes.

🚫 Policy fix or profit drain?

Tariffs meant to curb China’s dominance are instead squeezing U.S. sellers already hit by rising fees, shipping costs, and ad spend. 

TECH MARKETING

Amazon’s AI now decides what shoppers buy

No more doom-scrolling through 200 nearly identical listings. Amazon just rolled out its latest AI-powered shopping assistant ‘Help Me Decide.’ 

🤖 Your new AI shopping buddy

Help Me Decide uses AWS-powered LLMs to analyze your shopping behavior and explain why a product fits your style, budget, and past purchases.

• It highlights key features, surfaces review insights; and 
• Acts like a personal shopper, if your shopper had all your Amazon data. 

🧭 Where to find it

The feature is now live for millions of U.S. shoppers on the Amazon app and mobile browser. 

You’ll see “Help Me Decide” under Keep Shopping For or on product detail pages after comparing similar items.

If Amazon’s AI decides what shoppers see first, visibility rules are changing fast. Sellers should:

• Sharpen listings with clear, benefit-driven copy and high-quality images (AI reads both).
• Encourage authentic reviews, they directly influence AI recommendations.
• Prioritize niche relevance over keyword stuffing; personalization now drives discovery.

In the age of Help Me Decide, sellers must optimize not just for humans, but for algorithms that already know what those humans want.