Below is your eCommerce News Cart for June 26th, 2018:
In the News:
States Cleared to Charge Sales Tax on Online Purchases Thanks to the Supreme Court — The Supreme Court ruled that states can make online businesses collect sales taxes, even if they don’t have a physical presence in that state.
- Ruling opens the door for increases in state revenue…and a compliance nightmare
- Overturns a precedent that was set in 1992
- Ruling was not strictly along party lines
Etsy Significantly Raises Transaction Fees — Etsy significantly raised fees for sellers from 3.5% to 5%, a jump of 42%
- Fees go into place on July 16
- Additional fee also applied toward the shipping charges levied on orders
- Stock price surged upward 26% on the news. Merchants were less excited.
Trump Announces Tariffs on $50 billion Worth of Chinese Goods — President Trump announced that the United States will impose a 25% tariff on $50 billion of Chinese exports.
- Applies to roughly 1,100 exports targeting aerospace, robotics and auto industries.
- Goes into affect July 6
- The Dow was down 300+ points Monday on fears of more trade actions against China
Trump Administration Puts Limited Health Insurance Plans in Place — President Trump issued a finalized rule that will enable millions of Americans to buy leaner health insurance plans that do not comply with key Obamacare coverage requirements.
- Allows small businesses and self-employed to buy cheaper plans with fewer benefits
- Plans do not comply with ACA requirements
- Opponents worry they will attract the healthy, making insurance more expensive for the sick
Facebook Introduces Native Subscription Groups — Facebook piloted subscriptions to give support to Facebook group admins.
- Allows Facebook group owners to monetize their existing audiences
- Currently available to a small pilot group
- No plans for the eCommerceFuel Forum to migrate to them
Top Forum Discussions:
(Subscription required to access. Not a member? Apply to join our vibrant community of 7-figure store owners today.)
- Supreme Court Sales Tax Ruling
- Save the Date for ECF Live!
- Updating Dates/Content on Older Blog Posts to Improve Rankings
- Annual Expert Update: Importing in 2018
- Our EOS Journey
- Share Your Amazon Boost Notes
Interesting Reads:
Life in the Silicon Prairie: Tech’s great migration to the Midwest — Startups and investors are increasingly foregoing Silicon Valley for the Silicon Prairie — and with good reason
The Amazing Psychology of Japanese Train Stations — Despite being among the most crowded public transit in the world, commuters in Japanese subways flow calmly and orderly. It’s not all by accident.
How to Change Your Mind (Book/Audible) — Michael Pollan explores how psychedelic drugs like LSD and magic mushrooms are increasingly being used to treat mental disorders, additions and more.
Top Jobs:
(Compelling opportunities from the eCommerceFuel Job Board. Find your dream job or post your own job opening right here.)
Associate Software Engineer for Decks Direct. Benefits include: PTO, insurance, awesome environment, even more awesome people, only average ping pong players, office kegerator, heavy sarcasm, retirement stuff, probably some fun, definitely some hard work, and 3 bald dudes.
For this role you’ll need:
- 1+ years of systems integrations
- Experience and proficiency with Magneto
- Based in Brooklyn Center, MN
eCommerce Customer Service Representative for Tactical Gear Heads
For this role you’ll need:
- Previous experience with customer service; in-store retail, online retail, restaurants, etc.
- An attitude for experimenting, failing fast and iterating rapidly.
- Location: Indianapolis, Indiana or Remote
Email Marketing Manager for Kettle and Fire
For this role you’ll need:
- 2+ years experience in email marketing with a track record
- Highly data driven and experience with ESP software (Klaviyo a plus)
- Remote or Austin, TX
Director of Customer Service for Patagonia, Inc.
For this role you’ll need:
- 7+ years of experience leading customer facing teams in a multi-channel environment .
- College degree or MBA preferred, or equivalent experience.
- Based in Reno, NV
Interesting Stuff My Friends Are Doing
- A Marketplace and Review Platform for 3PLs – from Aaron Rubin at ShipHero
- Go Brand Win – A platform for building your email list through contests from Steve Chou and Toni Anderson.
Andrew’s Musings
This week Andrew talks about a prank he played on a college professor. To listen, click the play button on the audio player above.
