Newsroom
Press, partnerships, and company announcements.
Policy & Trade
August existing-home sales fell 2.0% to a 3.98 million annual pace while listings rose to 1.62 million, the most supply since 2015. Turnover, the number furniture demand follows, got slower even as the shelf got fuller.
Policy & Trade
A 25-state coalition led by Oregon, Arizona and California has asked the Court of International Trade to strike down the Section 301 duties of 10% and 12.5% on 60 trading partners and refund what has been collected. The duties stay in force while the case runs.
Technology
Since July 22, product images, lifestyle shots, videos and A+ Content that show a photorealistic AI-generated person must carry a contains-synthetic-performer tag before upload, a rule Amazon adopted after New York's synthetic performer disclosure law took effect.
Marketplaces
Amazon's second-quarter results show advertising revenue up 26% to $19.8 billion against 16% growth in what it charges third-party sellers, and the gap is a measure of how much more visibility now costs on the marketplace.
Marketplaces
From September 30, seller-fulfilled shipments to Amazon Business customers must arrive during the buyer's operating hours at least 90% of the time over a rolling 14 days, or the offers can be deactivated for business buyers from October 30.
Marketplaces
Walmart beat Wall Street on revenue and earnings, but 2.6% US comparable sales growth, its slowest in about six years, sent the stock down 9% and now stands as the clearest signal yet that everyday American spending is cooling.
Logistics
The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed since late February, and Iran's latest demands pushed a reopening further out this week. Diesel is running $1.51 above year-ago levels, and fuel is now the line item reshaping ground and freight costs across every mode.
Marketplaces
Enforcement began August 3 after a one-week delay, with 984 million titles already revised. Listings still over the limit are being replaced with Amazon's own AI-generated titles, and brand owners get 14 days to review before the change sticks.
Policy & Trade
New Section 301 duties of 10% or 12.5% took effect July 24 across 60 economies, with Vietnam and China at the higher rate. They stack on top of existing tariffs, and in-transit relief covered ocean freight only.
Marketplaces
Chargeback rate, order defect rate and Voice of the Customer complaints stop working as a pass or fail check and become inputs inside a single ranking formula. The rollout began in July and completes globally by the end of 2026.
Logistics
Drewry's World Container Index climbed 5% in a week to $4,166 per 40ft container, its highest reading since September 2024, with Shanghai to Los Angeles up 12% as tariff-deadline front-loading collides with early peak season and stacked carrier surcharges.
Marketplaces
Walmart ran its weeklong Deals event June 22 to 28, directly across Amazon's first June Prime Day, and the results tell two stories: a record $26.4 billion in US online spend, and a shopper who browsed less, spent less per household, and bought staples over splurges.
Marketplaces
Amazon has set a four-day Prime Day for late June, moving the tentpole event well ahead of its recent July slots and compressing the prep window for sellers.
Policy & Trade
After the Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA tariffs, CBP's refund portal is live, and importers can recover duties paid between February 2025 and February 2026, though the furniture-specific Section 232 tariffs stay in place.
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