THE BUSINESS BRIEFING / UK SELLERS & SMALL BUSINESSES
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Context photoeBay and the UK Government’s Business Academy are hosting a free online seller webinar on 11 November, 3–4pm, covering how eBay Live works, setup and selling to buyers in the UK and abroad.
If you are curious about live selling, use the session to judge the time, stock and presentation it would take before committing to a regular schedule.
Context photoA GOV.UK listing published 9 November describes four to ten hours of tailored coaching over up to six months for qualifying Worcestershire businesses with up to four workers.
If your business is based in Worcestershire and has traded for at least a year, check the programme’s current eligibility and use coaching to work on one practical sales or margin goal.
Context photoThe government-backed International Trade Week runs from 9 to 13 November, with online business sessions, an export-support hub and an export-planning workshop on Friday.
If you are considering overseas sales, use a session to test one product, destination and delivery cost before committing stock.
Context photoeBay’s November UK Seller News says an order tag can flag buyers with multiple orders that may ship together, and sellers can reply to messages from the Active Listings page.
Check order details and postage rules before combining parcels, and use the listing-page shortcut to answer buyer questions promptly.
Context photoShopify’s 5 November changelog says store owners can review app security status, sensitive-data permissions, expiring access tokens and enforced IP restrictions in Settings > Apps.
Use the new admin view to review apps you still need, what data they can access and whether any access tokens or IP restrictions need attention.
Context photoWalmart says that from January 2027, products with high rates of seller-accountable returns may receive a warning or be temporarily unpublished, even when the account-level return rate meets its standard.
Use the new Seller Center item-level return insights to find repeat issues and improve product information before enforcement starts.
Context photoTikTok announced that its German deal weeks will run from 11 November to 16 December, with the busiest campaign phase scheduled for 23–30 November.
If you already sell on TikTok Shop Germany, pick the products and order volume you can support before booking livestreams or agreeing creator commissions.
Context photoWalmart’s 5 November release notes describe new bidding options and automatic daily budget increases for its Search Engine Marketing campaigns.
Set a spending limit for your test and review whether the extra sales leave enough profit after fees and returns.
Context photoThe government refreshed its country trade and investment factsheets on 6 November. They can help you compare markets before you price a trial shipment.
Use the factsheets to pick a market to investigate, then work out the cost of shipping and supporting one product there.
Context photoWalmart’s 5 November release notes say seller-fulfilled offers with a return policy exemption no longer qualify for the Walmart+ badge. Walmart lists 19 October as the effective date.
Check the offers flagged in Seller Center and compare the cost of accepting standard returns before removing an exemption.
Context photoFigures published on 5 November put the UK’s private sector business population at about 5.6 million at the start of 2026, down 1.8% from a year earlier.
Use the national figures for context, then check what your own customers and local market are doing.
Context photoWalmart’s 5 November release notes say customers can now buy eligible seller-fulfilled offers as gifts. Walmart decides which offers qualify, so sellers do not need to enrol.
Check where gift details appear in Seller Center and make sure your packing slips leave out prices.
Context photoThe Bank of England announced a quarter-point rise in Bank Rate to 4% on 5 November. The effect on an individual business depends on its borrowing terms.
Check which debts are fixed or variable, and ask your lender when any revised payment starts.
Context photoThe ONS reported that, among businesses with at least 10 employees, 31% were concerned about international conflict affecting supply chains and 21% about shipping disruption over the next year.
Identify the one delivery or supplier problem most likely to stop you shipping orders, then test a fallback.
Context photoThe government confirmed on 3 November how it intends to fund part of its industrial electricity relief scheme. The scheme is planned for April 2027 and applies to eligible manufacturers.
Check eligibility and keep your current electricity budget in place until you know what applies to your business and when.
Context photoShopify’s 30 October update expands Track with Shop prompts to buyers shipping to Japan or Singapore when the store is eligible and has the feature enabled. Shopify also added Japanese language support in Shop.
If you already ship to either market, check the order confirmation and tracking journey before changing your customer instructions.
Context photoProposed energy broker rules put automatic renewals in focus. Here’s how Bionic describes its service, what happened when one business owner missed the email, and what to check before your next renewal.
Check whether your broker can sign for you, when you can stop a renewal, and what the standing charge adds up to over the full term.
Context photoAn Innovate UK competition that opened on 2 November has up to £5 million for advanced materials projects. Eligible UK businesses need backing from an approved investor partner as well as a strong research proposal.
Read the project scope and confirm whether a selected investor will back the proposal before spending time on the application.
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