EU gets serious about small parcel tax
From July 2026, the EU plans to levy a flat-rate tax of €3 on all imported small parcels worth up to €150. The tax is intended as a transitional measure. From 2028, all imports will be subject to customs duty from the first euro. The abolition of the de minimis rule will primarily affect low-cost platforms such as Temu, Shein, and AliExpress. More on Euronews

More News

France refrains from blocking Shein completly
Following a hearing before a Paris court, the French authorities have withdrawn their demand for a three-month suspension of Shein. The suspension was related to selling prohibited weapons and child-like sex dolls. Instead, Shein is now required to implement age filters and prove that the items it sells comply with the law. See more on RetailGazette

Pure players grow faster than marketplaces in German Christmas business​
In October and November, German online retail grew by 2.9%. This points to surprisingly strong Christmas sales. It is striking that online pure players, with growth of 4.8%, are significantly ahead of marketplaces. Marketplaces grew by 3.6%. Furniture, household appliances, and drugstore items are particularly driving growth. Nevertheless, Amazon is the first port of call for Germans when it comes to Christmas shopping. Around two-thirds shop there, while 15% shop on Chinese platforms. The British also rely heavily on marketplaces. More at bevh (Pure Players, German) , Ecommercenews I (Amazon) , and Ecommercenews II (UK)

How AI selects retailers
AI agents focus heavily on a small group of retailers, creating a new competitive reality. This is according to an analysis of purchase recommendations by ChatGPT in the US, UK, Germany, and France. At the same time, the selection varies from country to country. Amazon dominates even more clearly in Germany than in other countries, but local players also have a strong presence. This means that AI models often reflect real consumer ecosystems. At the same time, the vast majority of smaller retailers receive only a tiny fraction of AI-generated traffic. See the full story on LinkedIn

eBay issues new policy for AI agents
With new guidelines, eBay regulates how AI agents and large language models can interact with eBay. Namely, they cannot. The new “Robot and Agent Policy” states: “Automated scraping, purchasing agents, LLM-driven bots, or any end-to-end processes that attempt to place orders without human review are strictly prohibited.” Find out more on Modern Retail

Brand Protection News

Temu wants to expand brand protection
More than 1,500 brands work directly with Temu as part of the Brand Guardian Initiative. Temu therefore intends to further expand the program. The program was launched in April 2024 and will be expanded with additional resources and strengthened enforcement mechanisms. The framework regulates cooperation with rights holders in order to better protect brands and intellectual property. This applies regardless of whether these brands are actually sold on Temu. More on LinkedIn

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Der Beitrag Marketplace Universe News 15.12.2025 – Parcel fee coming in July / No Christmas without marketplaces /Temu emphasizes brand protection erschien zuerst auf Marketplace Universe.