“Buy now, pay later” transactions, which are essentially zero-interest, short-term loans, topped $1 billion for the first time this past Cyber Monday.

Annemarie Conte at Wirecutter bought a 450-pound mystery pallet of returned Amazon goods. Inside, she found a lot of polyester and a lot of info about why consumers return.

Paid and free users of ChatGPT can hit the buy button for single Etsy or Shopify purchases without navigating out of the chat.

Consumers lost more than $1 billion to fraud on social media in the first six months of this year, almost 10 times what it was five years ago.

Retail sales data show non-store spending (think: e-commerce) grew about 2% in August, and was up more than 10% year-over-year.

The end of a shipping loophole means that packages under $800 are subject to duties. That’s created chaos for consumers. 

Some international carriers are suspending U.S. shipments altogether until it’s clear how the new system works.

Some call shifts in the industry a retail apocalypse as more companies close locations or file for bankruptcy.

Deborah Holtschlag, owner of Plant Traps, says she “managed to take back control of the brand” after suing hundreds of sellers.

Closures and bankruptcy filings have ticked up this year despite relatively steady consumer spending.