The hottest E-commerce Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

Amazon BUSTED for Widespread Scheme to Inflate Prices Across the Economy

BIG by Matt Stoller • 69673 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. A state attorney general says Amazon ran a broad price‑fixing scheme that pressured sellers and other retailers to raise prices, and he’s asking a court to stop it right away.
  2. Amazon allegedly uses Prime perks, the Buy Box algorithm, fulfillment fees, and secret pricing tools to force sellers not to undercut prices, which pushes costs up both on and off its site.
  3. Antitrust enforcers are stepping up with lawsuits and claims of deleted internal messages, and judges could impose injunctions that force big changes in how Amazon and similar firms operate.

Hey Paid Subscriber...

The American Peasant • 1217 implied HN points • 16 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. You can buy Exeter hammers that were recently assembled and cleaned by the staff. They are now available for sale online.
  2. A personal touch is added to each hammer with a unique stamp of a bumblebee on the handle.
  3. If you're interested, you can easily access the store to purchase these tools right now.

The Secret Behind Nubank and Mercado Libre’s Rise to Market Dominance

The Wolf of Harcourt Street • 539 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Nubank and Mercado Libre are successful because they used technological leapfrogging. This means they skipped older technology and went straight to using modern solutions, like mobile banking and digital payments.
  2. They took advantage of large numbers of people who had never used banking services before. By being mobile-friendly, they turned non-users into active customers quickly.
  3. Having low switching costs made it easy for users to adopt these new technologies. Since there were not many old systems to replace, people could easily try out and stick with these services.

Seedance, Kling and the Chinese AI Video Ecosystem

ChinaTalk • 770 implied HN points • 13 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology E-commerce
  1. China has enacted strict, preemptive rules that require visible labels and embedded metadata for AI-generated images, audio, and video, making it one of the few countries to mandate upstream identification of synthetic media.
  2. Those rules are poorly enforced in practice because many generators don’t embed compatible metadata, platforms compete to avoid being the strictest gatekeeper, and takedown efforts only address a tiny fraction of the content flowing online.
  3. The government and platforms tolerate some unlabeled AI content because generative video fuels commerce, entertainment growth, and state-friendly messaging, so economic and geopolitical incentives often outweigh strict enforcement.

Market Movers - 5 October 2024

The Wolf of Harcourt Street • 579 implied HN points • 05 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. InPost launched a rewards program called InCoins, which allows users to earn coins for using their services. This strategy aims to make delivery more fun and encourage more people to use InPost.
  2. Sea Limited opened a new fulfilment center in Brazil to improve logistics for sellers. This move is expected to help local businesses grow and provide faster service to customers.
  3. Airbnb saw a big increase in bookings in Thailand, especially for group travel and long-term stays. This growth is due to better flight options and new visa policies that attract remote workers.
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This Week in Marketing: Instagram has links, Disney is Quibi, and Perplexity exits Amazon

The Social Juice • 53 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Social platforms are racing to capture attention with new formats and creator tools, from clickable links and edit features on Instagram to Disney’s vertical 'Verts' and TikTok’s radio and podcasts.
  2. AI is reshaping content and commerce but also causing legal, safety, and trust headaches — shopping agents face blocks, deepfakes and misinformation are rising, and publishers are pushing licensing and protections.
  3. Big tech is changing business models and controls by shifting costs to advertisers, altering privacy and moderation rules, and rolling out ad and AI features that could reduce traditional traffic and revenue.

Is Better Brand Shutting Down-Company Was Once Valued at $170M?

Snaxshot • 359 implied HN points • 06 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Better Brand, once valued at $170 million, is facing allegations of being a scam as their product quality has declined significantly after raising money.
  2. Many customers cannot find Better Brand products in stores, and some have not received their orders, leading to frustrations and reports to consumer agencies.
  3. Key employees have left the company, and the founder is rumored to be hiding in Europe as the situation escalates.

Big Technology's Cyber Monday Discount!

Big Technology • 3752 implied HN points • 01 Dec 25
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Big Technology Premium is on sale for Cyber Monday at just $60 for the first year. It's a great opportunity to access exclusive perks.
  2. The package includes access to a private Discord server and bonus reporting, adding extra value to the subscription.
  3. Supporting Big Technology helps keep their reporting going, so your purchase makes a difference beyond just getting content.

Deal Ended: $89 Lifetime Lunduke Journal Subscriptions Through Tuesday, Dec 2nd

The Lunduke Journal of Technology • 2297 implied HN points • 29 Nov 25
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. The Lunduke Journal had a huge increase in new subscribers and views, hitting over 12 million views in October alone.
  2. They offered a big discount on Lifetime Subscriptions for a limited time, reducing the price from $300 to $89 if paid with Bitcoin, or $99 through other methods.
  3. If a Lifetime Subscription is not what you're looking for, there are also 50% off Monthly and Yearly subscriptions available until December 2nd.

Xuất khẩu gian lận

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 11143 implied HN points • 25 Dec 23
đź•ą Technology E-commerce
  1. Tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Meta have dedicated teams to combat fraud from Vietnamese individuals.
  2. Individuals from Vietnam have been involved in creating fake online accounts and engaging in various forms of online fraud, causing significant financial losses.
  3. Vietnam has a reputation for fraud and account takeover schemes in the global community, leading to distrust and higher trading costs for the country.

Are Brands Coming For The Group Chat?

Total Rec • 2236 implied HN points • 27 Apr 24
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Substack chats provide a space for genuine conversations and personalized recommendations, free from traditional algorithms and commercial pressures.
  2. The influx of brands into these organic spaces raises concerns about maintaining authenticity while allowing brands to engage profitably.
  3. Exploring the idea of creating online spaces that prioritize values like community, collaboration, and enrichment over the pursuit of vast wealth and success.

How Onlyfans Took Over The World

Knowingless • 7901 implied HN points • 26 Jan 25
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. OnlyFans changed the way adult entertainment works by creating a sense of individual connection between creators and fans. This makes users feel like they're having a personal experience, even when there are a lot of other guys involved.
  2. The platform allows creators to reach a wider audience without much advertising support. Instead, users have to market themselves, which leads to a huge increase in the number of ads for OnlyFans across the internet.
  3. Agencies have become a big part of OnlyFans, managing content and interactions for creators. They help maximize profits by taking care of marketing and customer interactions, letting creators focus on content.

How two insurgents are taking on Twitter

Platformer • 6053 implied HN points • 14 Apr 23
đź•ą Technology E-commerce
  1. Alternative social networks are challenging Twitter with new features and approaches.
  2. Artifact is experimenting with a TikTok-like news reading app with a focus on social sharing through comments.
  3. Substack's new Notes feature resembles Twitter but lacks the depth in conversation found on Artifact.

This Week in Marketing: The New Age of Influencers vs. AI’s Irish Exit from Ads.

The Social Juice • 63 implied HN points • 22 Feb 26
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Creator marketing is shifting — traditional influencers are losing ground while platforms and brands push subscriptions, gifting programs, and creator-first monetization. Brands will need better tracking and UGC management to prove real impact.
  2. AI is upending advertising and trust as companies struggle with moderation and harmful or hallucinated content; some firms are even dropping ads to protect credibility. Regulators and platforms are racing to limit or control AI-generated content and its monetization.
  3. The platform and ad ecosystem is being reshaped by major tech moves — Meta, Google, TikTok and others are rolling out new AI tools, ad products, and policy changes that shift attention and ad dollars. Marketers must adapt to new formats, measurement tools, and growing regulatory scrutiny.

Amazon Faces a Complex China Calculus as Trade War Continues

Big Technology • 2376 implied HN points • 11 Jul 25
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Amazon is increasingly relying on Chinese sellers, with over 60% of its sellers based in China now, compared to just 10% a decade ago. This shift has helped Amazon provide more products at lower prices.
  2. Recent tariffs from the U.S. government have made it more expensive for Amazon to sell Chinese goods. These costs will likely be passed on to customers, making products more expensive.
  3. Despite these challenges, Amazon can navigate through its strong seller relationships and logistics capabilities. The situation may even lead to some positive changes in how Amazon does business.

Lessons from $1/day challenge

Kenny’s Sub • 299 implied HN points • 22 Jul 24
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Haggling often doesn't work well in the long run. It's better to stick to your price and negotiate on other terms if needed.
  2. $1 can feel expensive to some people. They may not see the value in what they are buying or find it too much effort for a small price.
  3. You need to have products ready to sell. Without anything to offer, it's tough to make money. Planning ahead is crucial.

OpenAI's Ad Business Is Misunderstood

Enterprise AI Trends • 189 implied HN points • 17 Jan 26
đź•ą Technology E-commerce
  1. Negative sentiment is causing investors to underprice OpenAI’s ad opportunity, treating ads as a sign of desperation instead of a strategic revenue hedge.
  2. OpenAI created a new ad format—sponsored products shown alongside answers—that could reshape direct-response advertising and drive big e-commerce revenue.
  3. The rollout is limited and privacy-forward (Free and Go in the U.S., paid tiers ad-free, ads don’t change answers), so ads are more likely to help OpenAI win market share from incumbents than to alienate users.

The AI is eating itself

Platformer • 3419 implied HN points • 27 Jun 23
đź•ą Technology E-commerce
  1. Generative AI is dramatically impacting the internet with a variety of changes to platforms and services.
  2. The increasing use of AI-generated content poses challenges such as misinformation, disruption, and a dilution of human wisdom.
  3. Research shows that relying on AI systems to generate data can lead to degradation and collapse of models, raising concerns for the future of the web.

New cracks emerge in Elon Musk's Twitter

Platformer • 3164 implied HN points • 24 Feb 23
đź•ą Technology E-commerce
  1. Twitter employees faced disruptions like Slack going down and Jira not working, causing frustration and questions about payment.
  2. Elon Musk announced plans to open source Twitter's algorithm, but doubts arise among employees about the transparency and actual release of the code.
  3. Twitter's performance has been degrading, with issues like increased latency during peak usage times, including events like the Super Bowl and a Twitter outage in Asia.

Is Ssense hurting the cool-clothes ecosystem?

Blackbird Spyplane • 4875 implied HN points • 20 Jun 23
🪞 Fashion & Beauty E-commerce
  1. Ssense's heavy focus on data drives its business decisions and influences small designers with large wholesale orders.
  2. Ssense's pricing strategies, like frequent markdowns and reliance on algorithms, impact both small retailers and independent designers.
  3. Ssense's practices raise concerns about the impact on the cool-clothes ecosystem, from the narrative of brands to the market dynamics of the fashion industry.

Amazon Should Acquire PayPal

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 27 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Buying PayPal would give Amazon an instant, global payments and crypto platform—including peer-to-peer payments and merchant acquiring—and let it compete more directly with Apple and Google while deepening Prime’s customer lock‑in.
  2. Amazon has the balance sheet and liquidity to move fast with an all‑cash bid and could potentially buy PayPal at an attractive valuation after its stock slide, shortening or avoiding a prolonged bidding war.
  3. Significant risks remain — board decisions, financing, and regulatory review could block a deal — but Amazon might face fewer antitrust objections than a direct payments competitor attempting the same acquisition.

Now anyone can pay for a Substack subscription in iOS

Substack • 775 implied HN points • 18 Aug 25
đź•ą Technology E-commerce
  1. Substack now allows in-app purchases on iOS, making it easier for users to subscribe directly within the app.
  2. Over 30,000 Substack publications have this feature, helping to increase paid subscribers due to simpler payment options.
  3. Apple takes a cut from in-app purchases, but Substack adjusts prices to ensure creators earn about the same as they would from web-based subscriptions.

Why Most Online Advertising Benchmarks Are BS (And What To Do Instead)

Nail It and Scale It • 119 implied HN points • 22 Jul 24
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Many online advertising benchmarks are unreliable because they don't account for differences in pricing and offers. This means you might be comparing apples to oranges, leading to wrong conclusions.
  2. To get better benchmarks, focus on two key metrics: Cost-Per-Click (CPC) and Conversion Rate. These give you a clearer picture of how your ads are performing compared to others.
  3. Joining groups or talking to industry experts can help you find more accurate conversion rates for your products. Sharing data with peers is a good way to understand what's normal in your field.

Reflecting on 2025 + Reader Survey | #318

Boundless by Paul Millerd • 115 implied HN points • 30 Dec 25
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Prioritized family and creative projects over chasing business growth; spending lots of time with a young child was the year's highlight and brought real joy.
  2. Betting on a premium hardcover and direct-to-reader sales paid off—about 325 copies sold and the launch covered much of the upfront cost, making future sales mostly cash flow positive; expanding store bundles and collectibles looks promising.
  3. The business kept operating but felt like treading water with lower income year-over-year, so the plan is to simplify, experiment with formats and the community, and take a mini-sabbatical to regain focus and momentum in 2026.

Why xAI's revenue could be a key indicator of the AI bubble

Alex's Personal Blog • 98 implied HN points • 12 Jan 26
đź•ą Technology E-commerce
  1. xAI’s valuation is astronomically high compared to its current revenue, so whether it can rapidly grow sales will be a key signal of whether AI valuations are a bubble or justified. If xAI can’t scale into that price, investors may have overpaid heavily.
  2. AI labs are aggressively moving into healthcare and developer tooling, and firms are competing to lock customers into their platforms and standards to capture profitable enterprise use cases. These moves show the market is shifting from novelty to revenue-driven battles for control.
  3. A proposed California billionaire tax that treats voting control like ownership could push founders and capital out of the state and weaken Silicon Valley’s position. The policy risks being punitive and may incentivize relocation to lower-tax states.

Agentic e-commerce is a HUGE deal

Enterprise AI Trends • 189 implied HN points • 02 Dec 25
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. AI shopping agents are driving a major shift in how people discover products and could become the dominant top-of-funnel for research-heavy purchases, with models like OpenAI’s positioned to aggregate many retailers’ catalogs.
  2. Agentic shopping will help most with high-price, research-intensive categories (electronics, furniture, hardlines) but won’t replace softlines or consumables, and it faces real conversion hurdles because users still compare prices, resist new merchant accounts, or prefer faster fulfillment.
  3. The market is splitting into an Amazon-controlled, closed experience and a Chatbot-led discovery layer, which benefits big platforms and OpenAI while threatening affiliate publishers and many startups, and forces retailers to partner or risk losing visibility.

2024

THREE SEVEN MAFIA • 1139 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. The author's account on Stripe was under scrutiny, affecting content production
  2. The issue was resolved after the author communicated directly with Stripe
  3. The author plans to expand to a new platform while continuing to post on Substack

Pssst! Medium Will Soon Have 1 Million Paying Members and More Insights You Need to Know

Kristina God's Online Writing Club • 819 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Medium is gaining popularity with over 100 million readers and is about to hit 1 million paying members. This shows it has a strong audience for writers.
  2. The main age group using Medium is 25 to 34 years old, with more male users than female users. Understanding the audience can help writers connect better.
  3. Technology is the most popular topic on Medium, with lots of articles written about it. Writers should consider focusing on trending subjects to engage with readers.

đź’ˇ7 Pricing Insights

First 1000 • 1316 implied HN points • 23 May 23
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Forever plans are usually priced at 2.8 times higher than the next tier.
  2. Yearly plans are often marked as equivalent to 6 weeks or 10 months.
  3. Common price points are $4.99 weekly, $9.99 monthly, and $59.99 yearly.

AI Roundup 150: Empire State Defiance

Artificial Ignorance • 88 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology E-commerce
  1. New York passed the RAISE Act forcing big AI companies to publish safety protocols, report serious incidents quickly, and face stiff penalties. It directly challenges federal efforts and could make state rules the de facto industry standard.
  2. Nvidia struck a $20B licensing deal with Groq to gain low‑latency chip designs and talent, showing a playbook of absorbing specialized rivals instead of fighting them head‑on. That move fills a gap for fast inference workloads and helps Nvidia protect its market lead.
  3. Autonomous AI shopping agents threaten to cut retailers like Amazon out of customer relationships and margins, so Amazon is blocking bots, suing scrapers, and building its own agent tools. The technology is still early, giving Amazon a narrow window to influence how agentic commerce develops.

Putting the (Insta)cart before the Grocery (horse): A COVID Favorite's Reality Check!

Musings on Markets • 1059 implied HN points • 19 Sep 23
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Instacart's upcoming IPO shows that its value has dropped significantly since the peak days of the pandemic. What was once thought to be worth over $50 billion is now expected to be valued around $9 to $10 billion.
  2. The grocery business is generally slow-growing and has very low margins. This affects how much Instacart can charge for its services and makes it tough for them to grow dramatically.
  3. Instacart now faces tough competition from grocery stores that have started their own online services. This competition is likely to limit Instacart's market share and growth in the future.

The end of the content farms

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 499 implied HN points • 10 Jul 25
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Content farms, which used to thrive on SEO-driven articles, are becoming obsolete due to advancements in AI and changes in how people consume media. This shift can lead to better quality content focused on what readers really want.
  2. Tech companies are buying media outlets to improve their customer engagement and lower marketing costs. It's easier for these companies to acquire established brands than to build their own from scratch.
  3. The landscape of journalism and media is changing, with more emphasis on subscription-based models and unique content creation strategies. Creatives are finding new ways to monetize their work, like selling products directly to their audiences.

Fred Smith Built a Great American Company. What Made Him Tick?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 524 implied HN points • 24 Jun 25
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Fred Smith came up with the idea for FedEx while at Yale, despite not doing well in school. He didn't let that grade stop him from building a huge company.
  2. FedEx changed how people expect deliveries with its promise of overnight shipping. Smith had to navigate many rules to make this vision a reality.
  3. As the internet grew, Smith adapted by expanding into ground shipping, helping FedEx stay strong against competitors like UPS and Amazon.

The Jeff Bezos Playbook

The Generalist • 1080 implied HN points • 13 Feb 25
đź’Ľ Business E-commerce
  1. Be customer-obsessed, going above and beyond to meet their needs can lead to long-term benefits, even if it means sacrificing short-term profits.
  2. Always be willing to innovate and don't fear failure; it’s a crucial part of success in business.
  3. Sometimes, it's smart to work with your competitors for mutual benefit, as this can set you up for future advantages against them.