Marketplace News

Marketplace news, week 42 2026: what changed at Amazon, Temu, Shopify, Kaufland and eBay

The week’s key e-commerce developments for Germany, the US and the EU: bevh Q3 data, the EU €2 handling fee, Amazon peak fees, Shopify Shop MCP and Kaufland Spain.

Faruk Gür · Founder, Magma Reactive·Published: 19 October 2026·8 min read

Short answer

German online retail grew 2.9% in Q3, driven by marketplaces. Temu, Shein and AliExpress lost 35.5% of their German revenue after the EU’s €3 customs duty, and a €2 handling fee follows on 1 November. Amazon’s holiday peak fees have started, Shopify opened its catalogue to every AI agent, and Kaufland launched in Spain.

About this issue: As the first edition of our marketplace news roundup, it covers the week of 12–18 October plus the key developments from early October. Future issues will cover the previous week only.

Germany: online retail grew 2.9% in Q3, driven by marketplaces

According to Q3 figures from bevh, the German e-commerce and mail-order association, German online retail revenue reached around €18.5 billion, up 2.9% year on year. The split between channels is clear: online marketplaces grew 5.0% while standalone online shops declined 0.8% (retail-news.de, bevh data).

Medicines (+15.4%), drugstore products (+14.3%) and groceries (+9.1%) led the categories; electronics (−4.6%) and furniture and décor (−5.2%) declined.

What it means for sellers: Traffic and orders in Germany are concentrating on marketplaces. For brands selling only through their own Shopify store, adding at least one marketplace such as Amazon, Kaufland or OTTO as a second channel is becoming increasingly important for growth.

Temu, Shein and AliExpress: German revenue down 35.5%

The same bevh data shows Temu, Shein and AliExpress generated a combined €566 million in Germany in Q3, a 35.5% drop year on year. Their combined market share fell from 5.3% in Q2 to 3.1%. The main reason cited is the EU’s removal on 1 July of the customs exemption for parcels under €150 (source).

What it means for sellers: The price gap to cheap imports is narrowing. Sellers who hold stock in Germany and deliver quickly get more room in price competition, especially in fashion, home and accessories. We cover this in detail in a separate analysis.

EU: €2 handling fee per item from 1 November

According to the European Commission’s customs reform page, the EU has applied a temporary €3 customs duty per item on consignments worth up to €150 imported from outside the EU since 1 July 2026. From 1 November 2026, a €2 Union handling fee per item is added. The temporary €3 duty will give way to normal customs duties once the EU Customs Data Hub is fully operational (European Commission).

What it means for sellers: Sellers shipping small parcels directly from outside the EU to EU consumers face another increase in unit cost from 1 November. Shipping from a warehouse inside the EU, such as Amazon FBA Germany or a 3PL, removes these costs.

Germany’s most popular online shops: eBay and Temu fight for second place

Statista data reported by etailment shows 75% of German online shoppers aged 18–64 bought from Amazon in the past 12 months. eBay follows with 32%, just ahead of Temu at 31%. OTTO reaches 21% and Zalando 20% (etailment).

What it means for sellers: Amazon leads Germany by a wide margin, but eBay still reaches a large customer base. In used goods, refurbished products, spare parts and collectibles, eBay remains a channel not to ignore.

Amazon US: Prime Big Deal Days drove $9.86 billion in online spend

Retail Dive, citing Adobe Analytics, reports that US online spending reached $9.86 billion during the two-day Prime Big Deal Days event in early October, compared with $9.09 billion a year earlier. Mobile accounted for $5.1 billion, or 52% of the total, and buy now, pay later payments reached $692.3 million (Retail Dive).

What it means for sellers: Numerator research cited by Retail Dive suggests more than a third of shoppers completed at least half of their holiday shopping during the event. November demand may come in softer than expected; spread ad budgets across the season rather than loading everything into Black Friday.

Amazon: holiday peak fulfilment fees started on 15 October

Amazon’s 2026 holiday peak fulfilment fees apply from 15 October 2026 to 14 January 2027. In the US the increase varies by size tier; a small standard item, for example, rises from $2.49 to $2.68, with a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on top. US FBA inbound deadlines for Black Friday and Cyber Monday are 21 and 28 October (Forest Shipping).

What it means for sellers: The fee is charged on the date a unit leaves the warehouse, so stock received before October is also subject to the peak rate. Check the current amounts for Germany in the FBA fee table in Seller Central and adjust your promotion prices.

After Amazon Accelerate: multichannel tools and Listing Protection

Amazon’s Accelerate 2026 recap says Seller Assistant now works as an agent that can act on its own within limits the seller sets. Sellers will be able to connect eBay, Shopify, TikTok Shop and Walmart accounts to Seller Central and see orders in one place. Listing Protection keeps listings live while a violation is being resolved; it reaches all Account Health Assurance sellers in the US by the end of 2026 and rolls out worldwide in 2027 (Amazon Selling Partners).

What it means for sellers: The multichannel tools are rolling out gradually in the US store first. There is no timeline for Germany yet; for now, inventory sync through Shopify or an integrator remains the reliable route.

Shopify: Shop MCP opens the catalogue to every AI agent

Shopify announced Shop MCP, which lets any AI agent supporting the Model Context Protocol search the Shopify catalogue, build carts and check out with Shop Pay (Shopify developer changelog). Earlier in the month Shopify introduced Canvas, which lets merchants design a store by chatting with AI.

What it means for sellers: Your product data is now read by AI agents as well as search engines. Complete titles, variants, stock and prices are a precondition for visibility in this new channel. We cover this in our second analysis.

Kaufland: marketplace launched in Spain

Kaufland launched its marketplace in Spain on 6 October with more than 3,100 merchants at launch. Following its launch in the Netherlands, the move continues the expansion of Kaufland’s European marketplace network (HORIZONT).

What it means for sellers: A store selling on Kaufland can open new countries from the same account. Going live without local-language product data, realistic delivery times and a returns process puts the seller performance score at risk.

eBay OPEN 2026 Berlin: live shopping, AI and cross-border selling

eBay’s German seller event, eBay OPEN 2026, took place in Berlin on 15 October. The agenda covered livestream selling with eBay Live, AI tools, advertising, international trade and EU regulation; attendees received a €100 advertising credit (wortfilter).

What it means for sellers: eBay is pushing livestream selling in Germany. For sellers of collectibles, fashion and refurbished goods, the format can become a new traffic source.

The week at a glance: platform, change and action

Platform / body	Change	Impact	Action this week
EU	€2 handling fee per item from 1 November	Direct shipping from outside the EU gets more expensive	Recalculate unit costs for directly shipped products
Amazon	Holiday peak fees (15.10–14.01)	Lower FBA margin	Check promotion prices against the new fees
Amazon	Multichannel tools, Listing Protection	US first	Watch the timeline for Germany
Shopify	Shop MCP	AI agents as a new sales channel	Review catalogue access settings and product data
Kaufland	Spain launch	New country, same account	Prepare Spanish data and delivery times
Temu / Shein	German revenue −35.5%	Less price pressure	Review prices in categories where you compete

Key takeaways

Growth in Germany sits with marketplaces: according to bevh, marketplaces grew 5.0% while standalone online shops shrank 0.8%.
Low-value parcels from outside the EU have paid a €3 per-item duty since 1 July; a €2 per-item handling fee is added from 1 November 2026.
Amazon’s holiday peak fulfilment fees run from 15 October 2026 to 14 January 2027; update your margin calculations.
With Shopify Shop MCP your products can enter AI agents’ shopping flows automatically; check which channels you are open to.
Kaufland’s Spain launch widens the reach of a single seller account; data quality decides whether multi-country listings succeed.

Frequently asked questions

Who is affected by the EU €2 handling fee?

It applies to goods sold at a distance to EU consumers from outside the EU and cleared through customs. The European Commission will apply it from 1 November 2026 at €2 per item. Sellers shipping from a warehouse inside the EU are not directly affected; sellers shipping small parcels from outside the EU should add it to their unit cost.

When do Amazon’s holiday peak fees apply?

Amazon’s 2026 holiday peak fulfilment fees apply from 15 October 2026 to 14 January 2027. The fee is based on the date a unit leaves the fulfilment centre, not the order date. Check current amounts for your marketplace in the FBA fee table in Seller Central.

What is Shopify Shop MCP?

Shop MCP is an endpoint that lets any AI agent supporting the Model Context Protocol search Shopify’s product catalogue, build carts and complete checkout with Shop Pay. Merchants can remove catalogue access for individual channels.

Is the decline of Temu and Shein an opportunity for sellers in Germany?

Partly. According to bevh, the three platforms’ German revenue fell 35.5% in Q3 and their combined market share dropped from 5.3% to 3.1%. As the price gap narrows, sellers with local stock, fast delivery and reliable returns gain an edge, though the effect varies by category.