1688 launched a free AI sourcing agent AlphaShop (Ao Xia) that takes a product image or competitor link and returns market data plus matched factories. Aimed squarely at small cross-border sellers who don't have a sourcing agent on retainer. So what: Useful for the first-pass sou…
Announced April 29: Shopify merchants can now sync products, inventory, and orders to Whatnot directly, with live shows on Whatnot routing fulfillment back to Shopify. Live in US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Australia. Beta cohort of ~30 businesses…
From July 1, 2026, every item category inside an under-€150 parcel sent direct to EU consumers will carry a €3 flat customs duty (interim, until the EU customs data hub goes live in 2028). Council gave final approval on Feb 11, 2026. Why it matters: The math kills sub-€10 SKUs sh…
US Customs launched Phase 1 of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool inside ACE on April 20. Per CBP, ~$166B in IEEPA duties were collected from 330,000+ importers across 53M shipments, with ~$127B (incl. interest) eligible for refund in Phase 1. R…
Per Marketplace Pulse seller reporting, Crocs cleared roughly $52M GMV and Hey Dude over $30M on TikTok Shop over the trailing 12 months — the only two footwear brands above $30M. Insight: The viable footwear angle is clog/slip-on at sub-$45 with a strong UGC hook. Hard sneakers…
