A Perfect Storm for Sellers
How eBay’s acquisition of Depop, the latest Supreme Court tariff ruling, and TikTok Shop’s reversal on ending seller-fulfilled shipping in the U.S. are all shaping a highly favorable environment for sellers.
Hi friends!
Here in New York, the Outfit team is digging out from the second wave of heavy snowfall and gearing up for more in the next few days. It’s nice to have a real winter, the first in the last few years, but I think everyone can agree that the charm is quickly wearing off.
Across the social commerce space, it was bombshell after bombshell this week! Industry consolidations, Supreme Court rulings, and TikTok shop policy reversals all point to an extremely hospitable climate for sellers to thrive.
So what happened last week that made these ripe conditions even riper?
Firstly, eBay’s recent purchase of Depop is a MAJOR event for anyone who sells online. Depop currently hosts 7 million users, most of whom are under 34, while eBay has become a bit of a legacy brand in social commerce. The marriage of these two brands, and what is sure to be an expansion of cross-listing on the platforms and perhaps even live-selling integration, gives both eBay and sellers a much larger toolkit to leverage for sales.
In addition to eBay’s acquisition, last week the Supreme Court ruled the White House’s retaliatory tariffs unconstitutional. What this means for sellers is that inventory costs will be lower, and they can either purchase more inventory or put the savings into business expansion.
And finally — the cherry on top for sellers: TikTok is halting its plans to end independent shipping for U.S. sellers after major backlash from creators. The fulfillment support had been a huge selling point for power sellers. Without it, creators would’ve had to manage shipping themselves — something many weren’t willing (or prepared) to take on. That pushback appears to have worked, leading TikTok to reverse course — at least for now.
One other thing – at Sell! Sell! Sell! we’ve been tracking the rise of creators to monocultural relevance with a sharp eye. A few weeks ago, it was Super Bowl ads featuring MrBeast and Speed, and this past week, Vanity Fair profiled the current and future stars of the talk show, the names you’ll need to know as late-night television continues its slow slog to irrelevance.
(February 24th)
🛍️ eBay to Buy Depop From Etsy for $1.2 Billion
eBay aims to target a younger user base and expand its potential live-selling audience. Depop has a base of 7 million active buyers and 3 million active sellers, with most of its audience under 34.
🏛️ Supreme Court ruling could have upside for social selling
By 2030, reversing the tariffs would add more than $24 billion to US retail sales relative to the baseline; those revenues would likely be funneled into retail media investment, which was already set to grow 17.8% this year.
Without the previously imposed tariffs, firms and sellers won’t have to swallow the cost and can reinvest in other parts of the business.
📦 TikTok Shop halts plan to end independent shipping for U.S. sellers after backlash
TikTok’s e-commerce arm, Shop, has reversed course on its plan to end seller-fulfilled shipping in the U.S., telling merchants that previously announced deadlines will no longer go into effect.
🎰 Polymarket x Substack partnership suggests “journalism is better when it’s backed by live markets. 🥴Not sure about that one.
Substack will now allow users to embed prediction market data in their articles, with “native tools that make it easier to share, discuss, and debate prediction market data directly on Substack.”
Wish my grandpa were around to tell him that there is now a slot machine in your newspaper.
📑 DCK publishes its February Affiliate Intel Report. Key takeaways:
Mid-tier creators (50K-250K followers) crushing conversions on ShopMy and TikTok
TikTok leads in engagement, but YouTube crushes on conversion value and long-term revenue, with the highest average cart value at $84 - beating Instagram ($61) and TikTok ($57).
ChatGPT checkouts to take 4% cut of Shopify merchant sales
🎮 Twitch targets the wider creator economy with new Business Manager role
Twitch’s new Business Manager role allows creators to give select individuals access to their dashboard — as creators become whole businesses, Twitch has been a bit behind the curve when it comes to business tools. This update hopes to remedy that.
🍫Hershey Just Revealed a Limited-Edition Product That’s Launching First on TikTok Shop
As the Milano Cortina Winter Games come to a close, Hershey is launching its own gold medals made of milk chocolate. The limited-edition “bespoke” treat, which will cost $5.99, will be available to purchase on TikTok Shop.
Wondering if brands will follow suit with TikTok exclusives to drive engagement, traffic, and conversion down the road.
🎙️ Vanity Fair features Bowen Yang, Brittany Broski, and the 8 other hosts who are shattering the talk show format
With the late-night format in peril, these digital natives are reinventing the form and are ready to take the helm.
🔎 Cats out of the bag! Reddit is testing a New Shopping Product Experience in Search.
This is for all those people who punch “best toaster ovens for a small apartment reddit” into their search bar. Their new AI-powered search feature turns community recommendations into action.
🧠 Brand Move of the Week
Staples Baddie, @blivxx, brings life into a big box retailer on the verge of flatlining, and leadership listens
Staples Baddie — aka @blivxx — took both the internet and the marketing world by storm last week with her charismatic content about working at Staples.
The contrast is what makes it pop: her IDGAF Gen Z aesthetic (neck tattoos, piercings, acrylic nails) paired with the classic Staples uniform, name badge, and lanyard. It’s instantly eye-catching — the kind of visual that stops your scroll.
And beyond the look, she’s genuinely good on camera. She breaks down everything Staples offers beyond pens and paperclips — from printing services to custom coffee mugs with your favorite weird alien on them.
Staples’ Chief Marketing Officer, Bob Sherwin, told Fast Company, “We’re incredibly proud of our associate, Kaeden, and the passion she brings to her work.”
He added, “We’ve connected with her to share our appreciation, and we are exploring opportunities to collaborate and continue supporting her creativity and engagement with the community.”
Ok, see you next week. In the meantime, Sell! Sell! Sell! 🫡