Supreme Court slams Trump, and he hits back hard

Nothing like starting your week with a 10% tariff surprise, especially after the Supreme Court already threw a wrench in the plan.

• Walmart makes it easy to scale 🚀✨
• 10% tariff hits everything 💸
• Should you run Amazon or Shopify? 🤔
• Deliver more, pollute less 🌱

HOT TOPIC

After a legal setback at the Supreme Court of the United States, President Donald Trump announced a sweeping trade shift: a temporary 10% global import tariff.

Coupled with the end of duty-free de minimis shipments (one of cross-border ecommerce’s biggest cost advantages), cash flow could feel the squeeze again.

📦 What’s changing right now

Here’s the quick-hit breakdown:

• A 10% tariff applies to most imports starting Feb. 24, 2026.
• The surcharge lasts up to 150 days under Section 122 authority.
• Existing tariffs still apply on top of the new duty.
• Duty-free de minimis entry is suspended globally.
• Even small parcels now face duties, taxes, and customs paperwork.
• Some goods remain exempt, including pharmaceuticals, energy resources, certain agriculture products, vehicles, and strategic raw materials.

📊 Bigger ripple effects

For marketplaces built on inexpensive imports, especially FBM sellers shipping direct to U.S. buyers, fulfillment math could change overnight.

• Higher landed costs lead to price hikes or thinner margins.
• Domestic sourcing suddenly looks more attractive.
• Retail competitors may adjust pricing as costs climb.
• Consumers may see fewer ultra-cheap imports and slower delivery timelines.

The administration says it targets trade imbalances and boosts domestic production.

For sellers, it’s less political and more operational: Recalculate sourcing, pricing, and shipping, fast, before costs quietly stack up.

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ECOMMERCE NEWS

Half of US ecommerce belongs to two giants

According to Marketplace Pulse, Amazon pulled in roughly $440B in U.S. ecommerce sales in 2025, claiming 35.7% market share. Shopify isn’t far behind at 14%, putting the pair at nearly half of all U.S. ecommerce (49.7%).

🤹 More platforms, more playbooks

Two giants. Two very different strategies for sellers:

• Amazon: Built for discovery, traffic, and logistics scale, but platform rules always come first.
• Shopify: Built for ownership, brand control, customer data, and direct relationships.

More sellers are now running both: Amazon for acquisition, Shopify for DTC resilience.

🌎 Why that matters

Nearly every other marketplace is scrambling for the remaining half of ecommerce.

• Walmart is the closest large-scale challenger, but GMV still trails far behind.
• eBay is bouncing back, focusing on collectors and niche audiences.
• TikTok Shop is scaling fast, while low-price giants Temu and Shein face pressure after losing key tariff advantages.

Ecommerce isn’t consolidating into a single winner. It’s splitting between marketplace scale and brand ownership, and sellers increasingly need both to thrive.

ACTIONABLE ADVICE

Why smart brands grow green

Scaling your ecommerce business doesn’t have to scale your carbon footprint.

Every extra order adds emissions, not just through delivery, but via warehousing, packaging, returns, and the wider supply chain. Brands can grow responsibly by making smart choices early.

🌱 Scale sustainably

Here’s how to grow without leaving a giant carbon trail:

• Position stock closer to customers: Multi-hub inventory reduces last-mile emissions and speeds up delivery.
• Right-size and recyclable packaging: Smaller, recyclable boxes cut waste, lower transport costs, and help you stay ahead of packaging taxes.
• Pick greener carriers: Electric vehicles, optimized routing, and sustainable courier networks all shrink your delivery footprint.
• Consolidate shipments: Batch orders going to the same area to reduce trips and emissions.
• Choose the right fulfilment partner: Look for B Corp certification, ISO 14001, verified carbon reporting, and recyclable packaging as standard.

Smart operational choices at 500 orders a month create scalable systems that still pay off at 5,000 or 50,000 orders. 

Sustainability isn’t just eco-friendly, It’s a long-term business advantage, protecting margins, brand reputation, and compliance.