Breaking News
Shein: the IPO hype is nowhere to be found
A week after its shaky Hong Kong debut, Shein‘s stock is still trading around 17.5% below its offer price – at a valuation of $26.5 billion, barely a quarter of its 2022 peak. That raises the defining question early: can Shein grow when tariff and customs changes in the US and Europe are attacking the very pricing model that fueled its rise in the first place? Read more CNBC and Reuters (Background)
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EU leaves JD’s MediaMarktSaturn takeover undecided
Brussels must rule by October 2 on whether JD.com‘s takeover of Ceconomy, MediaMarktSaturn‘s parent, gets approved, conditioned, or blocked, with the European Commission investigating whether Chinese state subsidies shaped the bid. The deal reaches further than German electronics retail alone: through Ceconomy’s stake in Fnac Darty, JD could become the second-largest electronics e-tailer in several European markets, per ECDB. Find out more on Exciting Commerce (EU) and ECDB (Background)
EU customs rules hit cross-border sellers ahead of Q4
The EU’s new customs rules are hitting British retailers hard: alongside the €3 fee per product category, sellers face additional costs from incorrect tariff classifications, administrative overhead, and inefficient returns. From October and November, the rules tighten further with IOSS monitoring and mandatory product identifiers – just as retailers prepare for the peak season. See more on ChannelX
eBay tightens non-payment rules
eBay now requires payment within four calendar days across Europe, with repeated non-payment triggering purchase limits or account restrictions. At the same time, sellers can send targeted best offers to interested buyers – Shop subscribers can even automate them by category or price range. Read more on Onlinehändler News
LPP Group launches Sinsay marketplace
Poland’s LPP Group is opening its budget fashion brand Sinsay to external trading partners for the first time, turning it into a marketplace. The goal is to expand the assortment with complementary categories, growing the platform to over 100,000 products by 2027. Sinsay has so far focused on affordable fashion for the whole family and is one of LPP’s fastest-growing revenue drivers. Get more details on LPP
CDON expands retail media within its own marketplace ecosystem
Nordic marketplace CDON Group is now integrating sponsored product advertising directly into its own platform. Instead of retrofitting a generic ad system with marketplace features, CDON opted for infrastructure built from the ground up for marketplaces, plugging directly into shoppers’ real-time purchase signals. Read more on Business Wire
Momentum News
Live shopping catches on in the US
The U.S. live shopping market is set to reach nearly $20 billion in sales in 2026, up 35% year over year. TikTok Shop reports that live shopping sales more than doubled in the first half of 2026 versus the same period last year, with sessions up over 60% and live hours up more than 80%. Whatnot, now valued at $20 billion, generated $8 billion in sales in 2025 – the majority of which, by its own account, came from the U.S.See th full story on CNBC
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