Government policy, regulations, and legal developments affecting global commerce and retail.
The Competition and Markets Authority has told UK online retailers, marketplaces and comparison sites that mandatory delivery fees must be in the price from the first screen. With Black Friday weeks away, it warns it is ready to fine businesses that keep hiding them.
The Competition and Markets Authority has opened a Competition Act investigation into whether Meta imposes unfair terms on UK publishers and businesses. It is also questioning Meta One subscription fees that cap free link posts for small firms on Facebook and Instagram.
Trading Standards has found mercury, lead, nicotine and methanol in counterfeit make-up, skincare and perfume seized across the UK, with nearly three in four fake cosmetics bought online. Here is what was found, how to spot fakes before Black Friday and how to get your money back.
The next phase of the Tobacco and Vapes Act took effect across the UK on 29 October 2026, extending the age of sale of 18 to nicotine pouches and nicotine-free vapes. Shops and online sellers now face £200 fixed penalties, and free samples, promotional discounts and vape vending machines are banned.
The Budget trebles the Income Tax trading allowance from £1,000 to £3,000 from 6 April 2027, lifting the Self Assessment threshold for small sellers too. Here is what changes for people selling on Vinted, eBay, Depop and Etsy, and what stays the same.
The National Living Wage will rise 3.9% to £13.20 an hour from April 2027, with 18 to 20 year olds getting the same 3.9% rise to £11.27. We set out what it means for shop workers’ pay, what it costs retailers per head and how trade bodies have reacted.
Commons committee chair Liam Byrne has written to Amazon and TikTok over their reluctance to send witnesses to a 3 November hearing on online marketplace safety. Here is what MPs have already heard, the rules coming for marketplaces and what it means for UK shoppers and sellers.
Which? found 40 potentially dangerous products on online marketplaces in a few hours and has taken its campaign to Westminster. Official notices show 28 of October’s 64 OPSS safety reports name a marketplace, while the government’s promised platform duty is still unpublished.
The government’s statutory Private Parking Code of Practice, laid on 20 October, freezes the £100 charge cap but adds new free cancellations for illness, childcare delays and exit queues. A BBC check finds several headline protections already existed, and the £70 debt fee survives for now.
The government has laid draft regulations that bring the DMCC Act subscription regime into force on 1 January 2027. UK shoppers get online cancellation, written renewal reminders and a new 14-day cooling-off window after free trials end.