Tariffs dropped to 30% just in time for Q4

Ever wondered how many people screenshot your posts? 🤔

Screenshots have become one of the sneakiest (yet strongest) signals of real engagement, often spreading your content way beyond the app itself—and Instagram’s Adam Mosseri says tracking them is officially on his radar.

• Tariffs tumble to 30% ahead of Q4 🎁
• Walmart Marketplace named a top 2025 seller play 🛒
• Why is the White House suddenly on TikTok? 📱
• Checkout fixes to stop cart abandonment 🚀
• Get Looped In and take the chaos out of ecommerce accounting ✉️
• We’ll link your newsletter for FREE. Send your applications here. 🤝

AMAZON NEWS

Trump just handed Amazon sellers a rare holiday gift: a 90-day suspension of tariffs on China-based imports. 🎁

According to a LinkedIn post, rates are rolling back closer to 2024 levels. What does that actually mean? Imagine a container of goods that cost $225 at peak tariff rates now costs $130. 

🥂 The big wins

For most sellers, this rollback is more than a discount—it’s what keeps them alive in Q4.

• Cost reset: Tariffs drop from a brutal 125% down to 30%.
  • At 125%, a $100 product lands at $225.
  • At 30%, that same product lands at $130—nearly $100 saved per unit.
• Stock-up mode: Brands are rushing to stash historic levels of inventory at 3PLs before the window closes.
• Reality check: As My Amazon Guy warns, China-based sellers still hold an edge with undervalued declarations and currency perks.

The clock’s ticking—the pause ends mid-November 2025. After that, the political winds could blow anywhere. 🤷

📦 So, what should you do? 

If your cash flow has any breathing room, stock for Q4 and Q1 2026. Don’t treat this like a permanent policy shift—it’s a 90-day flash sale on survival.

One wrong political move, and we’re back to triple-digit tariffs overnight.

Opinions on the rollback vary, but one comment summed it up in two words. Do you agree?

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.

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Join Walmart Marketplace today

BITES OF THE WEEK

• Watchmakers Hit Hard: The 39% Swiss import tariffs make it harder for independent watch brands.
• Metal Tariff Expansion: Steel and aluminum tariffs now include over 400 consumer goods, including baby gear.
• Dashboard Web Refresher: Facebook's Professional Dashboard updated its web experience, introducing new insights and metrics.
• Counting Threads: Forget adding "1/n" on your posts; Threads will count related posts automatically.

HOT TOPIC

The White House joins TikTok while ban looms

The White House just dropped its first official TikTok post—five years after Trump originally tried to ban the app. The Guardian reported that Trump himself is now TikTok’s biggest political influencer. 

🎭 TikTok’s plot twist 

Politics really does move fast. One minute TikTok’s the “biggest threat to national security,” the next it’s the White House’s latest stage. 

Here’s how the drama is unfolding:

• White House debut: The new account pulled in over 4,500 followers in its first hour. Meanwhile, Trump’s TikTok still flexes 15.1M.
• Ban on ice: A federal law required TikTok to be sold by January 2025, but Trump hit snooze three times. The latest extension expires in mid-September.
• Popularity play: With 170M U.S. users, TikTok is basically the world’s biggest voter funnel. Trump himself credits it for helping him win Gen Z.
• ByteDance’s bind: The parent company is stuck between U.S. pressure and China’s approval—making a sale easier said than done.

🌀 TikTok drama, seller karma

Politics aside, TikTok is the place where products go viral overnight. 

The White House showing up makes the platform feel safer—for now. That’s good news for sellers riding TikTok’s algorithm to spark demand.

SELLER REFRESHER

How to cut friction from checkout

Nothing kills a sale faster than a checkout process that feels like filing taxes. Every extra click, form field, or confusing step is an open invitation for your customer to bail.

Amazon shared tips on making checkout smooth enough to keep carts from being abandoned. 🛒

• Keep it simple. Cut the clutter—fewer steps mean fewer drop-offs. Show a progress bar so buyers know how close they are to done.
  • Tip: Let people check out as guests. 
• Pay your way. Offer a buffet of payment options—PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, maybe even Klarna or Afterpay for the buy-now-pay-later crowd. 💳
  • Tip: Add visible trust badges to keep customers confident at checkout.
• Cart that converts. Show costs early and keep an order summary visible so buyers know exactly what they’re getting. ⚡
  • Tip: Make quantity edits easy, and sneak in a smart upsell or two (related products, bundles).

Checkout is where all your hard work either pays off—or doesn’t. Don’t let a clunky flow be the pothole between you and a conversion. Smooth it out, and your customers (and your bottom line) will thank you.