Content Warning:Mentions of Child Abuse & Gore
They called me a colic baby, meaning I was a seemingly healthy baby that was distressed for an unknown reason. The fits of crying mostly dissipated by six months, but they'd crop up every now and then into toddler-hood. When I became capable of babbling a few words, I would summarize my pain in a few words: belly hurt. Belly HURT!
My parents didn't have much money, but they took me to the doctor for a checkup anyway. After running a physical exam and blood test, they determined that I was merely an excessively gassy little girl and should probably eat a more gut-friendly diet. They also prescribed some medicine which would eliminate the gas and relieve my pain.
It was from that moment on that my parents gave me the nickname "Gas Girl" (which I despised). The name stuck for several years, and anytime I'd get a little stomach ache my mom or dad would say, "uh, oh. It's not Gas Girl returning, is it?" I'd glare at them with my arms folded and pout, saying, "I'm not Gas Girl. I'm Wonder Girl!" My parents would share a look, then burst out laughing. Just as I was about to shout a retort, my dad would open up his arms and bend down in that familiar pose which signaled liftoff, and all my childish rage detached like a racing sticker as I leaped into my dad's arms and he flew me around the living room shouting "Who is it? It's Wonder-girl! Here to save the day from Gas Girl!"
Anyway, just as the nickname wore off, the pain returned. I was about 7 or 8 when I had my first big episode. I was in second grade, and the class was cutting out shapes. The pain came on so suddenly I remember lurching back and falling out of my seat. The next few hours were a blur of adults: my teacher, the nurses, the principal, my parents. I remember how cold and alone I felt despite being surrounded by grown ups, and my stomach hurt so much I was crying pretty much nonstop.
My dad bought a bunch of OTC medicine to try and settle what he thought was a really bad gas episode. My mom laid at the side of my bed and did bicycles in the air with me. Hours passed in pain as my adolescent imagination conjured up images of an evil little elf blowing thousands of bubbles in my belly. I consciously pictured myself popping them, but every time I did, more were blown. My dad scheduled a doctor's appointment for the next morning, and my mom stayed at my side until I was able to fall asleep sometime late in the night.
I dreamed vividly a horrific nightmare. I was strapped to a black, metal box. A surgeon donning blue scrubs with white gloves and a mask entered the space in my peripheral vision. The air was cold but crisp, as if every bit of dust had been scrubbed out of existence. I could feel my breathing, my heartbeat, even my skin. The doctor stepped forward and I could see the distortion of a smirk in the folds of his mask. I expected him to say something, to tell me what he wanted, but instead he lifted my shirt so my belly was exposed. "It's cold", I said in a mumbly voice. He lifted his hand in the air, and I saw behind it off in the back of the room was what looked like the glass wall of an aquarium. I was confused for a second, but only a second. The surgeon plunged his hand into my stomach like a spear, splitting through the flesh as if it were the skin of a ripe fruit. The previously silent man began to cackle like a maniacal villain as I nearly passed out from the pain. I felt his fingers swimming through my guts like parasitic worms. My body shook as cold sweat and blood began to ooze from my pores. I wanted to scream but I couldn't make a sound. I could only lay there, paralyzed, as the evil doctor explored my insides.
Somehow I lost consciousness in the dream, but when I woke up, the memory came flooding back, and I screamed with all the force of a thunderstorm. My parents skipped the appointment and rushed me to immediate care, but by the time we arrived, the pain was gone. I explained my dream to the doctor, but he said it was normal to dream up reasons for the pain. They recommended a CT scan to screen out the possibility of an ulcer or internal bleeding. Despite my parents' scarce savings, they agreed to run the test. However, something deeply entrenched in my mind thought of the dream with the surgeon and I protested. "I don't want a test!" I screamed. "But, honey, how are we going to know what's wrong?" replied my mom. "Nothing's wrong now. I don't want a test."
Looking back now on my persistence, it should have been obvious that there was something wrong with me, but my parents, who were thinking of their finances, allowed themselves to acquiesce to my demands. The pain would continue into and throughout my teenage years, and the one benefit that I can credit to it was that it taught me how to endure pain and hide it well before puberty started. Compared to my childhood cramps, period cramps were around a B+. Very bad, but not end of the world bad. However, they'd stick around more reliably, and eventually the two began to combine until I could no longer discern between them. Occasionally I would have a nightmare and wake up with a pain that was a little higher in my stomach, almost approaching my chest, but it would always disappear by breakfast time, and the chaos of a teenage girl's life would once again reassert itself in the form of an outfit that didn't look quite right or the memory of every word of a conversation with a guy I liked or how my teacher was out to get me. Basically, I had become normal.
And then two weeks after I turned 16, my dad passed away from heart failure. Apparently the stress from a paycheck-to-paycheck life in sales added onto a bad diet and a penchant for alcohol was a recipe for disaster. He was only 49. I was crushed.
The weeks and months following his funeral were filled with teenage anger and resentment. I directed most of it at my mom, who I held accountable for not being strong enough to step up and help with the bills. One day, when I was searching the drug cabinet for some painkillers to deal with some bad cramping, I noticed a new prescription for a drug with a really long name. I looked it up. It was an antidepressant. From that moment on I stopped giving my mom shit, but I grew a bit distant from her. I started spending a lot more time with my friends. I became reckless, adopting a drinking habit and unsafe sex practices. I smoked a bit but I didn't really like it. I guess I was just trying to find a way to move on, as naive as it was.
Fast forward to my present situation, and I'm a college student. A junior to be exact. I ended up scrounging up enough money from working two restaurant jobs to see a therapist on my own dime, and managed to make peace with my mom before leaving. We both talked out all of our trauma and cried together, and from that moment on, I haven't had a drink. About six months ago I got on the pill. I was starting to see one guy consistently and I wanted to be safe, but also I wanted to know what it felt like to not have stomach cramps anymore. It was freeing. I remembered my dad lifting me up into the air as a child, and I figured it kinda felt like that. I still cry thinking about him, although I don't let anyone see.
Anyway, about a week ago I started having really bad pain again, but this time it was in my chest. I would wake up in my apartment (I share a 3-bedroom with some friends from the college) with heart palpitations. My heart felt like a snake had wrapped around it and was trying to choke it out. The pressure would give way to a burst of fast ba-dum's, then settle, then start again. I remembered my dad's prognosis and started to get really scared, so I scheduled an appointment with the on-campus doctor for the next day through the online health platform.
They told me that chest pain is no joke and scheduled to have me scanned at a nearby hospital. This was four days ago. My boyfriend, Kevin, drove me there even though I said I'd be fine going alone. I think I already knew our relationship wasn't going to work out long term, so I was kind of checked out. I felt bad about it though because Kev is actually a really good person, but our personalities just don't match. He's very introverted and doesn't like to go out, whereas I thrive in group settings. Anyway, he drove me and I ended up getting an X-ray. The doc came in to share the results and I was immediately put off by the dubious expression on his face.
"What do you mean the images are blurry?" I asked.
"Well, it's just… that. They're blurry. It's very unusual for this to happen unless you have a pacemaker or some other device implanted. Do you know if you have something like that?"
"No, never," I said with a quaver in my voice. For some reason I thought back on my childhood dream with the surgeon and felt the urge to vomit.
"Well, let's run a CT scan and see if we can make anything out." He soothed.
Normally the CT and MRI dock was booked for a week out but the doctor happened to have an open space for me that same morning, so I waited about an hour and then got in the big tube machine that took pictures of my chest and abdomen. He said he should have the results by Thursday. That was Yesterday.
I was driving onto campus for my 9AM class when I got the call.
"Hello, this is Dr. **** calling for Josie **** ." (names redacted for privacy reasons)
"Oh, yes, this is Josie," I said and fit the phone between my shoulder and ear as I tried to find a comfortable posture."
"Yes, hello," the male doctor said in grave way which made me feel like this wasn't going to be a short call. "I wanted to see if you were available to come in today for some more tests."
"More tests?" I asked. "What about the first ones?" Images of blocked heart valves and cancer presented themselves on my mental screen.
"Yes, well, I wanted to discuss the results with you in person. There was a bit of a … well, an inconsistency, and I didn't want to upset you—"
"Upset me!?" I blurted, my free hand flying out over the steering wheel, swerving my car toward the curb. I corrected, then lowered my voice, "sorry, I don't mean to be …" be, what? This is completely absurd. "Could you at least give me some indication of what's wrong with me? I'm just kind of panicking here."
The doctor was quiet for a moment, then returned. "Sorry, Josie, I didn't mean to spook you. Both the X-ray scan and CT scan are picking up interference which is unusual. It's possible it's just a flaw on our end, so that's why we wanted you to come back in—to do an MRI and really verify what the issue is. This one would be free of charge and we'd get you results same-day as we feel bad about the issues with the machinery. Do you think that would be possible?"
I took a deep breath. I still felt uneasy, but at least now there was some kind of explanation I could lean on. "Okay, yeah, I can come in. I have class until 9:50AM, but I can drive over after and be there around 10:15, 10:20-ish. Would that work?"
"That would work great. We'll see you then."
I spent the whole of my communications class thinking about what could be wrong with me, doodling my ideas down on a notebook. Heart disease. Cancer. Some kind of peptic ulcer. Maybe it was the pill? The drinking? Was this some kind of cosmic retribution? I didn't know.
An hour later I was back at the hospital. I expected to be ushered into the MRI prep room, but instead I found myself in one of the normal patient rooms, sitting upright on a bed. The nurse did the preliminary height and weight measurements and medical history. I asked about the MRI, but all she said was that the doctor will discuss that with me. Before she left, she handed me an assessment to fill out. It seemed to be a list of questions about the medical history of my family, specifically about our mental health. Does your family have a history of Schizophrenia? Have there been any instances of domestic abuse? Did you have vivid nightmares as a child? Etc. I marked the boxes, then set the clipboard down.
At last I heard the fated knock on the door, and my doctor came in holding an Ipad. The door was only open for maybe a couple seconds, but I could see multiple nurses and technicians peeking their heads in my direction, as if they were trying to catch a glimpse of me. That can't be good.
"Hello, Josie," the doctor said and clicked on the little TV screen. He didn't even look at me. I could see dried sweat along his hairline.
"What's happening? I thought I was going to get an MRI…"
"Well, actually we aren't sure if that's the best course of action." the doctor said as he clicked the screen and pulled up a series of images.
"Can you look at me, please?" I snapped.
The doctor raised his head and tilted it in my direction. His mouth was agape, his eyes wide as if only realizing I was here at that moment. "I'm sorry, Josie." He took a deep breath, preparing some kind of canned presentation, then let it out and said, "It's just easier if I show you." He pulled up the first global image from what I presume was my CT scan. It was a front-shot. I could see my organs as little geometric shapes and—
"Wait, what is that?" I asked, pointing at the screen.
"That—is the problem."
I spent the next minute just staring at it. Somehow, in between all of the organs, there was some kind of cylindrical mass—I thought it was my spine at first but quickly realized it was too wide and there weren't any vertebrae—and at the head of the mass was, very clearly, a hand.
"What the fuck is that" I said in a tone that was at once forceful and pointed.
"It appears," the doctor started, looking away again. "It appears that there is a mechanical hand in your chest cavity. It's attached to a piece of a forearm that begins at your stomach, here," he pointed, "and continues up until, well, it appears to be holding your heart."
Ten seconds passed in silence. Then I was hit with the equivalent of the laughing gas they give you at the Dentist's office. All the blood in my body surged to my forehead and I felt light as the very thin hospital air. "Hahaha!!! You expect me to believe that? What kind of fucking clown-show hospital is this? Am I at the circus?' I stood up and started toward the door. The doctor body blocked me.
"Please, Josie, that isn't it."
"Oh?" I said sarcastically. "Please, do tell."
"Could you have—oh, okay, okay,, let me explain."
I stood there with my arms folded, unrelenting.
"When we first had you do the X-ray there was a big blur. It was clear that something was blocking us from seeing the image. The CT scan was able to take some actual pictures of it. I know it seems, well, unusual—"
"Wait, what the hell is that?" I asked, gesturing toward the clipboard.
"What?" The doctor looked disoriented.
"Those questions. Are you trying to insinuate that my mom and dad implanted some kind of mechanical hand in my body?"
"No," the doctor raised his hands. "We were just trying to gather some more information… Josie," the doctor said as I once again headed for the door handle. "Please, there's more. From the blood test we conducted it seems that you're pregnant."
I was so done. "I'm on the pill, asshole." I sneered and swung the door open, ignoring the sets of eyes trained on me as I scurried to the end of the hall, ran outside, and climbed into my car. I expected to see a bunch of people in white coats running after me, but there was no one. I started the car as tears began to stream from my eyes. Fuck them, I thought and sped out of the parking lot.
I couldn't return to my apartment. I ended up driving for hours, working my way back to my hometown. I spent a long time thinking about all the things I had experienced growing up. The stomach pain, slowly working its way up to my chest. The vivid dream of the surgeon feeling around my guts. Was it really that crazy to think my body was trying to tell me something? Why had I decided against having a CT scan all those years ago? Why now? I didn't—couldn't believe what was happening to me. But was that just because I didn't want to believe it?
And then there was the pregnancy. I was definitely on the pill. I knew it wasn't Kev's, or at least I was pretty sure it wasn't. We haven't been having sex for a little over a month now. But did that mean that something else didn't impregnate me? My paranoia was at its peak. I considered the possibility that maybe it was me that was Schizophrenic. None of this made any sense. I wanted my dad. I missed him. I considered going to see my mom, but despite making up with her, I still didn't feel close enough to her to own up to everything. I wanted to be alone—needed to be alone.
I ended up getting a Motel about 10 minutes away from my house. It was around 1AM when I finally opened the door to my room and laid down on the bed. After hours of thinking, a single thought occurred to me like a kind of defense mechanism: if I really am pregnant, I'm not keeping the baby. I want it out.
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard the notification sound go off on my phone, which was odd since I was sure I had set it to vibrate. I turned and grabbed it, unplugging it from its charging dock. I had received a text message from an unknown, 5-digit number: 66669. This is what it said.
66669: If you terminate my baby, I will crush your heart.
***
I haven't been able to sleep since. It's now 6AM and I've drafted this as a cry for help. Please, let me know what you think I should do. I'm too "in it" to see the details clearly. I feel alone and scared and paranoid. Someone or something is watching me. Maybe it has been my whole life.

Hi - I'm Paul and I follow the e-commerce industry closely for my Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter. Each week I post a summary recap of the week's top stories, which I cover in depth with sources in the full edition. Let's dive in...
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STAT OF THE WEEK: Kohl's sales have shrunk by $2.3B since 2019. During that same period of time, the company lost 1.3M customers who no longer shop with the retailer.
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BigCommerce is exploring a sale after attracting takeover interest, according to sources who chose to remain anonymous due to the confidentiality of the information. The sources said that BigCommerce asked investment bank Qatalyst Partners to solicit interest from potential buyers that include private equity firms, but that the discussions are at an early stage and no deal is certain.
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Squarespace announced that it will be going private in a $6.9B all-cash deal with private-equity firm Permira, who agreed to pay $44 per share (a roughly 30% premium). Although Squarespace never lost 90% of its share price like BigCommerce, it has experienced a tumultuous time on the market since its IPO in May 2021 — opening around $49.50 and at times trading in the low $20s. Shares rose nearly 13% to $43 in pre-market trading upon release of the news.
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ByteDance filed a lawsuit in US federal court seeking to block the new law that would force the sale or ban of the app within the country. The lawsuit challenges the law on constitutional grounds, also citing commercial, technical, and legal hurdles, as well as opposition from Beijing. Legal experts say the legal battle will play out in the courts in coming months and likely will reach the Supreme Court.
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OpenAI unveiled its newest model, GPT-4o, designed to turn ChatGPT into a digital personal assistant that can engage in real-time, spoken conversations and interact with users using text, screenshots, photos, documents, and charts. The new version of ChatGPT also has memory capabilities, which means it can learn from previous conversations. It will be available to both unpaid and premium customers alike. OpenAI also announced that it would be launching a desktop app with the GPT-4o capabilities, giving users another platform to interact with the technology outside of a web browser.
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Amazon launched in South Africa last week, marking its first marketplace in sub-Saharan Africa, and bringing its total number of marketplaces worldwide to 22. To launch the new marketplace, Amazon is offering free delivery on first orders and on subsequent orders above R500 (about $27), access to 3,000 pick-up points, status updates via WhatsApp to track orders, 30 day refunds, and 24/7 customer support. The marketplace was supposed to launch in the country in 2023, but got delayed due to changes in priorities within Amazon.
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In an unlikely partnership, Instacart is partnering with Uber Eats to expand into the restaurant delivery business. Instacart will add a new tab for restaurant delivery to its app in the coming weeks, the listings will be provided by Uber, and the food will be picked up and delivered by Uber Eats drivers. Customers will receive the same prices on both apps and Instacart will receive an affiliate commission on orders. It's a strange partnership though given that Instacart and Uber Eats actively compete on grocery delivery. Are they planning to merge? Uber says no.
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Apple's advertisement for its latest iPad Pro sparked criticism for showing an animation of musical instruments, paint cans, cameras, record players, and other symbols of creativity being crushed by a giant machine, with the output being the new iPad Pro, which the company says is the thinnest Apple product ever. In this context, “crushing” was supposed to symbolize “consolidating” and “compacting” — with the visuals meant to showcase how the new iPad Pro puts the power of all these tools into the hands of creators in one thin device. However online commenters criticized the ad as insensitive and as symbolizing a “destruction of the human experience.” The ad hit the web on Tuesday, and by Thursday, Apple issued a mea culpa and apologized for the campaign.
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Google is encouraging merchants to enable conversion annotations on their Google Shopping ads, which offer social proof that highlight a product's popularity. Conversion annotations like “best selling” or “3K shopped here recently” would provide visual cues about a product’s popularity or sales performance directly in the ad unit. Annotations like these are par for the course with e-commerce retailers including Amazon, Walmart, and Temu, which all employ similar tactics. They can provide valuable info for shoppers and also help with conversions. However they also open data privacy concerns, given that Google is not the actual retailer or marketplace selling the items, so a merchant would have to share this purchase history data from their e-commerce platform with Google — which technically most already do by giving access to GA4.
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Shein is attempting to join the National Retail Federation as it pursues regulatory approval to go public in the US. The company believes that NRF membership would boost its chances of receiving SEC approval. However so far, Shein has been rejected numerous times. An anonymous source familiar with the matter said someone with heavy influence at the NRF is strongly against the Shein's admittance. However board members who spoke to CNBC said that Shein's membership application hadn't come up in meetings, and that they aren't involved in deciding which companies are granted access.
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Amazon is leading the way with selling home goods, capturing 18.8% of consumer home furnishings spending, compared to Walmart's 7.3% market share. Notably, Amazon’s gains in the furniture category come in spite of the company’s decision to phase out two of its three furniture brands last year.
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Stanley, which is projected to do $750M in sales this year, up from $73M in 2019, after seeing its water bottles become a status symbol thanks to TikTok, is now expanding into trendier accessories. The company is launching a line of bags called the All-Day Collection which include a mini cooler, backpack cooler, and Quencher Carry-All, designed for someone to sling their Stanley over their hip.
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Jack Dorsey left the Bluesky board and deleted his account on the service he helped kickstart, claiming that Bluesky was “literally repeating all the mistakes” he made while running Twitter. Dorsey says he never intended Bluesky to be an independent company, but rather, an open source protocol that Twitter was supposed to be the first client of. He also confirmed that he is financially backing Nostr, another decentralized Twitter-like service popular among crypto enthusiasts and run by an anonymous founder.
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Amazon is deploying 50 electric trucks in California, which it claims is the largest EV fleet in the country, as part of its mission to eliminate pollution from its global operations. The trucks will be integrated into first-mile operations, moving goods from container ships at the ports to fulfillment centers, as well as middle-mile operations, transporting packages from fulfillment centers to delivery centers.
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Wix launched a new tool called AI Portfolio Creator, which allows a user to upload and organize large-scale image collections, select the type of portfolio they want, and then have the AI tool sort and generate a portfolio with clustered images, recommended titles and descriptions, and personalized layout options.
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Amazon is now requiring all dietary supplements to be verified by a third-party testing, inspection, and certification organization — which is something that not even the FDA requires. Amazon is the largest supplement retailer in the US ahead of Walmart and Target, and its new requirements are expected to put more pressure on the industry, which is being scrutinized more than ever.
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Alibaba is revamping its flagship retail website Taobao for the first time in seven years with a focus on providing a smoother search and buying process. The website overhaul comes ahead of the 618 sales event, China's second-largest annual shopping event. A few weeks ago I reported that Eddie Wu, the CEO of Alibaba Group, would now be directly overseeing its domestic e-commerce arm which includes Taobao and Tmall Group, and it sounds like he's hitting the ground running with his new responsibilities.
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Amazon is hosting its first-ever Amazon Book Sale, a new shopping event starting on May 15th that offers up to 50% off print best sellers and up to 80% off Kindle Books. The six day shopping event will exclusively run in the US, and Prime-membership is not required to take advantage of the deals.
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FTX reported that nearly all of its customers will receive the money back that they are owed, two years after the cryptocurrency exchange imploded. The company owes about $11.2B to its customers and estimates that it has between $14.5B and $16.3B to distribute to them. The caveat is that customers will receive the USD value of their holdings at the time of the exchange collapse, and not the actual crypto holdings themselves, which means that they'll miss out on all gains during the past two years during which BTC went from around $16k to now over $60k. Better than nothing though, that's for sure.
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800,000 consumers in Europe and the US were duped into sharing card details and other sensitive personal data with a network of fake online designer shops operated from China, which comprised one of the largest scams of its kind with 76,000 fake websites created. The scammers used expired domains to host its fake shops in order to help avoid detection by websites or brand owners, and more than 1M orders were processed in the past three years alone.
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Beyond Inc, which owns Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, and Zulily, reported that its Q1 net loss swelled to $72M from $10M a year ago, while its operating loss widened to $58M from $8M. The company's active customers grew to 6M, up 26% from nearly 5M a year ago, however, its average order value dropped to $173 from $220 a year earlier.
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TikTok will begin automatically labeling AI generated content when it is uploaded from certain platforms like DALL.E 3, Adobe Firefly, Photoshop, and Microsoft Copilot. TikTok will also start attaching Content Credentials to content, which will remain on the media when downloaded, allowing other platforms to read the metadata.
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eBay is testing an Add To Cart button in search results that opens a Quick View window, allowing buyers to skip the listing page. Technically the button should probably not be labeled “Add To Cart” since it doesn't perform that action, but rather, displays a quick view window with three buttons: Buy It Now, Add To Cart, View All Details. Sellers are worried that buyers will miss crucial details in the product description that may lead to increased returns and negative feedback.
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Amazon is planning to launch its fleet of drones in Tolleson, Arizona, but the city's extreme temperature is hampering its efforts. Drones can't operate in temperatures exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that Tolleson crosses for a full three months of the year.
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A US district judge dismissed X's lawsuit against Bright Data, a data-scraping company accused of improperly accessing X system and violating X terms and state laws when scraping and selling data. The judge basically said that if X owned the data, it could perhaps argue that it has exclusive rights to control it, but then X wouldn't be able to enjoy the safe harbor of Section 230, which allows the platform to avoid liability for third-party content. Can't have it both ways!
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Nintendo is discontinuing its X integration for the switch on June 10th, which means users will no longer be able to post screenshots or videos to the platform from their device. The drop in support also affects games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which had game-specific options to send out tweets. Microsoft Xbox dropped support for X in April 2023 and Sony Playstation dropped the service in October 2023 due to the increase in X's API access fees.
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Amazon claimed that its recordable incident rate — a metric that comprises all injuries requiring “more than basic first-aid treatment” — at its US warehouses has improved by 24% since 2019. However the National Employment Law Project challenged Amazon's injury data in a report last week, claiming that Amazon's overall injury rate in 2023 was 71% higher than that of other employers in the sector at 6.5 cases per 100 workers.
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Amazon Ads announced three new advertising formats for streaming TV including shoppable carousel ads, interactive pause ads, and interactive trivia ads. Amazon did not say when the new ad types would officially launch, but noted that it will formally present them at a presentation on May 14th.
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Meta is rolling out an expanded set of generative AI ad tools that can create full image variations with text overlays, expand images to fit across different aspect ratios, and generate alternate versions of headlines and other ad text. The features will become available globally to advertisers by the end of the year.
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Square introduced a tool called Square Kiosk to allow self-service ordering at fast food restaurants. The device is a combined software, hardware, and payment solution that allows customers to select exactly what they want with customization options, upgrades, and add-ons.
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The European Parliament announced new measures to make packaging more sustainable and reduce packaging waste in the EU, including reduction targets of 15% by 2040 — which sounds far away but is only 16 years away?! As part of the new rules, the EU will set maximum empty space ratios for e-commerce transportation, ban certain single-use plastic packaging types, and beverage distributors and take-away food will have to offer consumers the option of bringing their own container.
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Indians who pre-ordered Teslas in 2016 are giving up and seeking refunds of their deposits after Elon Musk canceled another visit to the country last month. Disillusioned Tesla enthusiasts in India say they will now buy a car from the company only if they see it in a showroom, or they'll buy a different electrical vehicle from a company that actually exists in the country.
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Target is limiting its Pride Month collection to select stores this year instead of rolling out the merchandise nationwide like it typically has for the past decade, due to backlash the retailer experienced last year. Last May customers in certain stores knocked down LGBTQ+ merchandise displays, angrily approached store employees, and posted threatening videos on social media from inside the stores.
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E-commerce spending from Jan 1 to April 30, 2024 rose 7% YoY to $331.6B, according to Adobe Analytics. One trend Adobe identified during the period is a shift of online spending to purchasing the cheapest goods across personal care, electronics, apparel, home & garden, furniture, and grocery.
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Plus 7 seed rounds, IPOs, and acquisitions of interest, including Shopify's acquisition of Peel, a tool that integrates with a merchant's tech stack including Klaviyo and Recharge and helps them analyze their sales data to improve customer retention.
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I hope you found this recap helpful. See you next week!
PAUL Editor of Shopifreaks E-Commerce Newsletter
PS: If I missed any big news this week, please share in the comments.

Hi - I'm Paul and I follow the e-commerce industry closely for my Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter. Each week I post a summary recap of the week's top stories, which I cover in depth in the newsletter. Let's dive in...
___
STAT OF THE WEEK: Kohl's sales have shrunk by $2.3B since 2019. During that same period of time, the company lost 1.3M customers who no longer shop with the retailer.
___
BigCommerce is exploring a sale after attracting takeover interest, according to sources who chose to remain anonymous due to the confidentiality of the information. The sources said that BigCommerce asked investment bank Qatalyst Partners to solicit interest from potential buyers that include private equity firms, but that the discussions are at an early stage and no deal is certain.
___
Squarespace announced that it will be going private in a $6.9B all-cash deal with private-equity firm Permira, who agreed to pay $44 per share (a roughly 30% premium). Although Squarespace never lost 90% of its share price like BigCommerce, it has experienced a tumultuous time on the market since its IPO in May 2021 — opening around $49.50 and at times trading in the low $20s. Shares rose nearly 13% to $43 in pre-market trading upon release of the news.
___
ByteDance filed a lawsuit in US federal court seeking to block the new law that would force the sale or ban of the app within the country. The lawsuit challenges the law on constitutional grounds, also citing commercial, technical, and legal hurdles, as well as opposition from Beijing. Legal experts say the legal battle will play out in the courts in coming months and likely will reach the Supreme Court.
___
OpenAI unveiled its newest model, GPT-4o, designed to turn ChatGPT into a digital personal assistant that can engage in real-time, spoken conversations and interact with users using text, screenshots, photos, documents, and charts. The new version of ChatGPT also has memory capabilities, which means it can learn from previous conversations. It will be available to both unpaid and premium customers alike. OpenAI also announced that it would be launching a desktop app with the GPT-4o capabilities, giving users another platform to interact with the technology outside of a web browser.
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Amazon launched in South Africa last week, marking its first marketplace in sub-Saharan Africa, and bringing its total number of marketplaces worldwide to 22. To launch the new marketplace, Amazon is offering free delivery on first orders and on subsequent orders above R500 (about $27), access to 3,000 pick-up points, status updates via WhatsApp to track orders, 30 day refunds, and 24/7 customer support. The marketplace was supposed to launch in the country in 2023, but got delayed due to changes in priorities within Amazon.
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In an unlikely partnership, Instacart is partnering with Uber Eats to expand into the restaurant delivery business. Instacart will add a new tab for restaurant delivery to its app in the coming weeks, the listings will be provided by Uber, and the food will be picked up and delivered by Uber Eats drivers. Customers will receive the same prices on both apps and Instacart will receive an affiliate commission on orders. It's a strange partnership though given that Instacart and Uber Eats actively compete on grocery delivery. Are they planning to merge? Uber says no.
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Apple's advertisement for its latest iPad Pro sparked criticism for showing an animation of musical instruments, paint cans, cameras, record players, and other symbols of creativity being crushed by a giant machine, with the output being the new iPad Pro, which the company says is the thinnest Apple product ever. In this context, “crushing” was supposed to symbolize “consolidating” and “compacting” — with the visuals meant to showcase how the new iPad Pro puts the power of all these tools into the hands of creators in one thin device. However online commenters criticized the ad as insensitive and as symbolizing a “destruction of the human experience.” The ad hit the web on Tuesday, and by Thursday, Apple issued a mea culpa and apologized for the campaign.
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Google is encouraging merchants to enable conversion annotations on their Google Shopping ads, which offer social proof that highlight a product's popularity. Conversion annotations like “best selling” or “3K shopped here recently” would provide visual cues about a product’s popularity or sales performance directly in the ad unit. Annotations like these are par for the course with e-commerce retailers including Amazon, Walmart, and Temu, which all employ similar tactics. They can provide valuable info for shoppers and also help with conversions. However they also open data privacy concerns, given that Google is not the actual retailer or marketplace selling the items, so a merchant would have to share this purchase history data from their e-commerce platform with Google — which technically most already do by giving access to GA4.
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Shein is attempting to join the National Retail Federation as it pursues regulatory approval to go public in the US. The company believes that NRF membership would boost its chances of receiving SEC approval. However so far, Shein has been rejected numerous times. An anonymous source familiar with the matter said someone with heavy influence at the NRF is strongly against the Shein's admittance. However board members who spoke to CNBC said that Shein's membership application hadn't come up in meetings, and that they aren't involved in deciding which companies are granted access.
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Amazon is leading the way with selling home goods, capturing 18.8% of consumer home furnishings spending, compared to Walmart's 7.3% market share. Notably, Amazon’s gains in the furniture category come in spite of the company’s decision to phase out two of its three furniture brands last year.
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Stanley, which is projected to do $750M in sales this year, up from $73M in 2019, after seeing its water bottles become a status symbol thanks to TikTok, is now expanding into trendier accessories. The company is launching a line of bags called the All-Day Collection which include a mini cooler, backpack cooler, and Quencher Carry-All, designed for someone to sling their Stanley over their hip.
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Jack Dorsey left the Bluesky board and deleted his account on the service he helped kickstart, claiming that Bluesky was “literally repeating all the mistakes” he made while running Twitter. Dorsey says he never intended Bluesky to be an independent company, but rather, an open source protocol that Twitter was supposed to be the first client of. He also confirmed that he is financially backing Nostr, another decentralized Twitter-like service popular among crypto enthusiasts and run by an anonymous founder.
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Amazon is deploying 50 electric trucks in California, which it claims is the largest EV fleet in the country, as part of its mission to eliminate pollution from its global operations. The trucks will be integrated into first-mile operations, moving goods from container ships at the ports to fulfillment centers, as well as middle-mile operations, transporting packages from fulfillment centers to delivery centers.
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Wix launched a new tool called AI Portfolio Creator, which allows a user to upload and organize large-scale image collections, select the type of portfolio they want, and then have the AI tool sort and generate a portfolio with clustered images, recommended titles and descriptions, and personalized layout options.
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Amazon is now requiring all dietary supplements to be verified by a third-party testing, inspection, and certification organization — which is something that not even the FDA requires. Amazon is the largest supplement retailer in the US ahead of Walmart and Target, and its new requirements are expected to put more pressure on the industry, which is being scrutinized more than ever.
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Alibaba is revamping its flagship retail website Taobao for the first time in seven years with a focus on providing a smoother search and buying process. The website overhaul comes ahead of the 618 sales event, China's second-largest annual shopping event. A few weeks ago I reported that Eddie Wu, the CEO of Alibaba Group, would now be directly overseeing its domestic e-commerce arm which includes Taobao and Tmall Group, and it sounds like he's hitting the ground running with his new responsibilities.
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Amazon is hosting its first-ever Amazon Book Sale, a new shopping event starting on May 15th that offers up to 50% off print best sellers and up to 80% off Kindle Books. The six day shopping event will exclusively run in the US, and Prime-membership is not required to take advantage of the deals.
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FTX reported that nearly all of its customers will receive the money back that they are owed, two years after the cryptocurrency exchange imploded. The company owes about $11.2B to its customers and estimates that it has between $14.5B and $16.3B to distribute to them. The caveat is that customers will receive the USD value of their holdings at the time of the exchange collapse, and not the actual crypto holdings themselves, which means that they'll miss out on all gains during the past two years during which BTC went from around $16k to now over $60k. Better than nothing though, that's for sure.
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800,000 consumers in Europe and the US were duped into sharing card details and other sensitive personal data with a network of fake online designer shops operated from China, which comprised one of the largest scams of its kind with 76,000 fake websites created. The scammers used expired domains to host its fake shops in order to help avoid detection by websites or brand owners, and more than 1M orders were processed in the past three years alone.
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Beyond Inc, which owns Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, and Zulily, reported that its Q1 net loss swelled to $72M from $10M a year ago, while its operating loss widened to $58M from $8M. The company's active customers grew to 6M, up 26% from nearly 5M a year ago, however, its average order value dropped to $173 from $220 a year earlier.
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TikTok will begin automatically labeling AI generated content when it is uploaded from certain platforms like DALL.E 3, Adobe Firefly, Photoshop, and Microsoft Copilot. TikTok will also start attaching Content Credentials to content, which will remain on the media when downloaded, allowing other platforms to read the metadata.
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eBay is testing an Add To Cart button in search results that opens a Quick View window, allowing buyers to skip the listing page. Technically the button should probably not be labeled “Add To Cart” since it doesn't perform that action, but rather, displays a quick view window with three buttons: Buy It Now, Add To Cart, View All Details. Sellers are worried that buyers will miss crucial details in the product description that may lead to increased returns and negative feedback.
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Amazon is planning to launch its fleet of drones in Tolleson, Arizona, but the city's extreme temperature is hampering its efforts. Drones can't operate in temperatures exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that Tolleson crosses for a full three months of the year.
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A US district judge dismissed X's lawsuit against Bright Data, a data-scraping company accused of improperly accessing X system and violating X terms and state laws when scraping and selling data. The judge basically said that if X owned the data, it could perhaps argue that it has exclusive rights to control it, but then X wouldn't be able to enjoy the safe harbor of Section 230, which allows the platform to avoid liability for third-party content. Can't have it both ways!
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Nintendo is discontinuing its X integration for the switch on June 10th, which means users will no longer be able to post screenshots or videos to the platform from their device. The drop in support also affects games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which had game-specific options to send out tweets. Microsoft Xbox dropped support for X in April 2023 and Sony Playstation dropped the service in October 2023 due to the increase in X's API access fees.
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Amazon claimed that its recordable incident rate — a metric that comprises all injuries requiring “more than basic first-aid treatment” — at its US warehouses has improved by 24% since 2019. However the National Employment Law Project challenged Amazon's injury data in a report last week, claiming that Amazon's overall injury rate in 2023 was 71% higher than that of other employers in the sector at 6.5 cases per 100 workers.
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Amazon Ads announced three new advertising formats for streaming TV including shoppable carousel ads, interactive pause ads, and interactive trivia ads. Amazon did not say when the new ad types would officially launch, but noted that it will formally present them at a presentation on May 14th.
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Meta is rolling out an expanded set of generative AI ad tools that can create full image variations with text overlays, expand images to fit across different aspect ratios, and generate alternate versions of headlines and other ad text. The features will become available globally to advertisers by the end of the year.
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Square introduced a tool called Square Kiosk to allow self-service ordering at fast food restaurants. The device is a combined software, hardware, and payment solution that allows customers to select exactly what they want with customization options, upgrades, and add-ons.
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The European Parliament announced new measures to make packaging more sustainable and reduce packaging waste in the EU, including reduction targets of 15% by 2040 — which sounds far away but is only 16 years away?! As part of the new rules, the EU will set maximum empty space ratios for e-commerce transportation, ban certain single-use plastic packaging types, and beverage distributors and take-away food will have to offer consumers the option of bringing their own container.
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Indians who pre-ordered Teslas in 2016 are giving up and seeking refunds of their deposits after Elon Musk canceled another visit to the country last month. Disillusioned Tesla enthusiasts in India say they will now buy a car from the company only if they see it in a showroom, or they'll buy a different electrical vehicle from a company that actually exists in the country.
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Target is limiting its Pride Month collection to select stores this year instead of rolling out the merchandise nationwide like it typically has for the past decade, due to backlash the retailer experienced last year. Last May customers in certain stores knocked down LGBTQ+ merchandise displays, angrily approached store employees, and posted threatening videos on social media from inside the stores.
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E-commerce spending from Jan 1 to April 30, 2024 rose 7% YoY to $331.6B, according to Adobe Analytics. One trend Adobe identified during the period is a shift of online spending to purchasing the cheapest goods across personal care, electronics, apparel, home & garden, furniture, and grocery.
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Plus 7 seed rounds, IPOs, and acquisitions of interest, including Shopify's acquisition of Peel, a tool that integrates with a merchant's tech stack including Klaviyo and Recharge and helps them analyze their sales data to improve customer retention.
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I hope you found this recap helpful. See you next week!
For more details on each story and sources, see the full edition: https://www.shopifreaks.com/bigcommerce-for-sale-openai-gpt-4o-instacarts-unlikely-partnership/
What else is new in e-commerce? Share stories of interesting in the comments below (including in your own business) or on shopifreaks.
-PAUL Editor of Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter
PS: Want the full editions delivered to your Inbox each week? Join free at www.shopifreaks.com

Hey guys, need some space and some money so got some things for sale. All prices include shipping and Paypal G&S fee. Will ship Wednesday 5/15, tracking provided after. All records are VG+/NM, happy to provide pictures on request. US only, not looking to trade. Will make deals on multiples. DM if interested, thanks for looking!
Streets of Rage 2 OST (clear vinyl) $55 https://www.discogs.com/release/10754030-Yuzo-Koshiro-Streets-Of-Rage-2-ベアナックルII
Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (white vinyl) $70 https://www.discogs.com/release/12254701-Coldplay-A-Rush-Of-Blood-To-The-Head
Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party (orange translucent) $50 https://www.discogs.com/release/12699396-Oingo-Boingo-Dead-Mans-Party
Oingo Boingo - Good For Your Soul (orange and yellow splatter) $55 https://www.discogs.com/release/20247373-Oingo-Boingo-Good-For-Your-Soul
Isis - Wavering Radiant (blue and white splatter) - $80 https://www.discogs.com/release/9808123-Isis-Wavering-Radiant
Iced Earth - The Dark Saga (blue vinyl) $80 https://www.discogs.com/release/3574056-Iced-Earth-The-Dark-Saga
Lena Raine - Celeste OST (pink/purple, first pressing) $50 https://www.discogs.com/release/11762151-Lena-Raine-Celeste-Original-Soundtrack
Cynic - Traced in Air (blue transparent) $80 https://www.discogs.com/release/5951941-Cynic-Traced-In-Air
Austrian Death Machine - Total Brutal (yellow-orange vinyl) $70 https://www.discogs.com/release/23379425-Austrian-Death-Machine-Total-Brutal
Guilty Gear OST - Daisuke Ishiwatari (red opaque black pinwheel/blue opaque black pinwheel) $70 https://www.discogs.com/release/24706784-Daisuke-Ishiwatari-Takahiro-Uematsu-Guilty-Gear
Guilty Gear Xrd Sound Live 2014 Archives (red with black swirl) $85 https://www.discogs.com/release/8851814-Daisuke-Ishiwatari-Guilty-Gear-Xrd-Sound-Live-2014-Archives
Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies (Irish flag splatter) $55 https://www.discogs.com/release/24191498-Flogging-Molly-Drunken-Lullabies
Church of Misery - Master of Brutality (gold sparkle) $50 https://www.discogs.com/release/13734450-Church-Of-Misery-Master-Of-Brutality
Run the Jewels - RTJ Stay Gold Collector's box (RSD 2018, includes outer cardboard box and all inserts) $70 https://www.discogs.com/release/11888448-Run-The-Jewels-RTJ-Stay-Gold-Collectors-Box
Mother 2/Earthbound OST (translucent yellow with red splatter) $70 https://www.discogs.com/release/11451220-Keiichi-Suzuki-Hirokazu-Tanaka-Hiroshi-Kanazu-Mother-2-ギーグの逆襲
Interpol - Antics (15th anniversary edition white vinyl) $50 https://www.discogs.com/release/14168323-Interpol-Antics
Queen+Paul Rodgers - The Cosmos Rocks (boxset, sealed) $75 https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/4872184?ev=rb
Czarface & MF DOOM - Czarface Meets Metal Face (numbered random one of a kind colors edition) $55 https://www.discogs.com/release/14937435-Czarface-MF-Doom-Czarface-Meets-Metal-Face
Lite - Phantasia $65 https://www.discogs.com/release/2088958-Lite-Phantasia
David Bowie - Blackstar $60 https://www.discogs.com/release/8110650-David-Bowie--Blackstar

We are a Datto RMM + Autotask ship (1500 endpoints across 10 customers). We Cove Data Protection for backups for server infrastructure (10 Vhosts and 60 virtual machines). Just got the Kaseya 365 sales pitch. Not interested in the EDR offerings from them at this time but I am intrigued by some potential savings by moving to the Kaseye Endpoint backup. I haven't had any issues with Cove but we are paying a pretty penny for it.
I realize Kaseya's price may go up in the future but as it stands right now we would be able to save a hefty sum if we moved from Cove to Kaseya Endpoint backup.
I haven't really ever looked into Kaseya's backup option so curious on peoples thoughts that have used both.
I know Kaseya is not this sub's favorite company but we really haven't had any issues with them since we have been using Datto/Autotask for the past 5 years.
​
Thanks!

Hey y’all, I’m looking into some ford focus STs and was told on this Reddit and by people in general that I should do a compression test while looking at these cars. Is there any way to test the compression without hooking it up to a compression machine? Seems like a lot to do while possibly meeting up for a potential private sale. I do have an advanced code reader, is there a program that can do the same thing through the OBD port? Thanks for any and all answers. I know the fact is that it shouldn’t feel like it’s a lot of work for a car I’m paying 10,000 plus for but if there’s any other way of doing it I would like to know. Thank you in advance!

Hi all,
Have some stuff for sale that's no longer being used. Need to get rid of it soon so feel free to send offers. Bundle discounts available.
Please comment before PM - I do not reply to Reddit Chat messages. PM for further details, questions, bundle discounts, local pickup and negotiations etc. Local is Chicago, IL. Thank you.

Name/Timestamp	Price (Shipped/Local)	Condition/age	Description/reason for sale/etc
Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 NC700 carrying case with white Bose USB-C to USB-A cable and white 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable	$40/$30	9.5/10, purchased in December 2023	DOES NOT INCLUDE HEADPHONES - only the case and cables. Got these with the Bose NCH700 headphones. They are in excellent, like-new condition and come with the original white color charging and audio cables.
Surface Pro 6 with i7 8650U and 16GB RAM & 512GB SSD. Bundled with Alcantara Signature Type cover, Surface Dock, 2x genuine Surface 65W chargers	$360/$340 $335/$310	Tablet: 8.5/10; Type cover: 7/10	This Surface has the 0.4GHz bug (CPU doesn't boost beyond 0.4GHz). The fix for this is to keep ThrottleStop running in the background with BD PROCHOT disabled. I can guide you through setting it up so that this bug doesn't affect usage of the laptop. There is also a slight haze in a dime-size area near the bottom of the screen which is visible when the screen is pitch black but not in bright/white screens. Check last 2 pics in the album to see examples of thee same. Was been using it as a secondary device to watch movies, listen to music and as an occasional Steam Machine. The type cover is one of the best chiclet keyboards I've typed on, and the dock is supremely useful to connect it in a snap to a bigger display (especially when streaming games)!
Genuine Surface Go Charger	$25/$15; free if you buy stuff worth $60 or more	7/10	Surface Go Charger. Works.
Genuine Apple 67W USB-C Power adaptecharger with Apple Type-C cable	$45/$35	10/10 like-new	Got this sometime in early 2023 to use as a single charging solution for my laptop and phone, but never ended up using it. Only taken out of box and used once jusut before taking pics to confirm that the combo works
Acer AH101 VR Headset with rechargeable NiZn AA batteries	$130/$105 $120/$95	9/10	Got this from a fellow hardwareswap user sometime in 2022. Has hardly been used for 20 hours since. Everything is in excellent condition and works well. Had purchased high capacity rechargeable cells which never actually drained lol. Will be sanitized and disinfected before sale, and will be shipped in the original box.
iWalk Secret 4500mAh portable Lightning charger	$20/$10; free if you buy stuff worth $60 or more	BNIB	Got this as a gift sometime in 2023 but I don't have a Lightning iPhone/iPad. The black leather looks pretty sick actually.

Hi -
Have 3 kids under 4 and, now that I’m done with babies, I’m ready to get back into working out a lot. However, this time around I’m doing it in a homegym so my kids can be exposed and I don’t have to leave….
Willing to spend up to $10k but prefer the $4-7k range. I plan on using this daily and it’s an important investment I don’t mind dumping money into.
Just finished a home gym. Literally didn’t even know good treadmills existed outside of peloton and sole until this group enlightened me. I went to a local store that had a variety of precors (which seem to be a top brand?) and tried them out. Thanks for enlightening me!
I use the peloton bike and really enjoy it but rent it from peloton so if it breaks or I decide one day I don’t want it, I just send it back. Low mental load.
Deciding between:

Precor TRM 835 ($8-10k) Peloton Tread+ ($6k + $40/month)

Whats important to me: - durable, doesn’t shake when I run - reliable customer service if something goes wrong - I enjoy the peloton classes but also don’t mind just doing those on my iPad
Guy at the precor said it has a lifetime warranty so I’m basically buying it for life and the store managers any maintenance for me. Sounds like a good perk. He also said the motoeverything is killer and much better than peloton. Again, he was the sales guys at precor.
Peloton felt a lot sleeker to run on but both felt pretty solid. I think I’d enjoy the classes and don’t mind the extra $$$ but I’ve heard that I could expect the precor to last 15+ years but the tread+ isn’t as well made and would last 5-8… and customer service for issues is a nightmare.
If anyone has experience with these two machines, I’d be super grateful for your $.02!!

Just wondered if there were any knitting machine engineers or knitting programmers on this subreddit who had any experience of knitwear manufacturing using modern computerised flatbed knitting machines.
I want to start manufacturing knitwear so I'm seriously considering investing in a machine from either Stoll or Shima Seiki (specifically the knit and wear and wholegarment ranges).
My knowledge is limited to what little I can find online about each company's machines, their sales materials and some quick demos.
If anyone had any practical experience working with either company it would be really helpful.
Specifically, I'd be really grateful to know any thoughts on things like each company's:

• prices
• machine capabilities/limitations
• machine reliability
• learning curve
• which company has better design software
• training
• after sale support etc

Any advice for someone just starting out in this would be really appreciated!

I want to start manufacturing knitwear so I'm seriously considering investing in a machine from either Stoll or Shima Seiki (specifically the knit and wear and wholegarment ranges).
My knowledge is limited to what little I can find online about each company's machines, their sales materials and some quick demos.
If anyone had any practical experience working with either company it would be really helpful.
Specifically, I'd be really grateful to know any thoughts on things like each company's:

• prices
• machine capabilities/limitations
• machine reliability
• learning curve
• which company has better design software
• training
• after sale support etc

Any advice for someone just starting out in this would be really appreciated!

hello! i have the following for sale:
5x 7x Optiplex 5000 SFF: * i5-12600 * 16GB DDR4 * 512GB M.2 NVME SSD * Power adapter * vPro * 3 more years of extended warranty (ProSupport)
picture. i can take more pictures if anyone wants!
pricing: $400 shipped per machine
local pickup is 94549 - Bay Area.

LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE

• Total budget (in local currency) and country of purchase. Please do not use USD unless purchasing in the US: 1000 USD. On this note, do sales usually mean there's something Off with the stock in question? See parenthesis in next...
• Are you open to refurbs/used? Not here (after getting burned by my year-old machine evidently having a flawed/failing motherboard already...)
• How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life? No interest in 2-in-1, and no familiarity with the ultrabook concept. Of the others, build quality takes some priority, than battery life, finally performance.
• How important is weight and thinness to you? Moderate importance, as I expect to be carrying this in my backpack to and from work a fair bit. It does not need to be ultrathin, mind.
• Do you have a preferred screen size? If indifferent, put N/A. 15.6" so it's likely to fit in a typical backpack.
• Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run. FFXIV Dawntrail, Guild Wars 2, and WoW War Within are the top priority. Also to consider: Age of Wonders 4. (Other games I eye have what I think are lower requisites than FFXIV, most notably Grim Dawn, Civilization VI, and Wrath of the Righteous.)
• If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want? At least 7-out-of-10 ratings, I think.
• Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)? I'll be wanting to make sure there's a decent number of USB-A slots. Unfortunately I don't know how much variance there is. But I'll definitely be wanting good build quality. I just hope that's not difficult to come by for $1,000.
• Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion. How typical are 1TB SSDs for laptops at this time? If possible, that's where I want to aim, although if need be, I may consider going up to $1,100 to get at such.

I know this sub is mainly about domestic machines but wondered if anyone here had experience of modern industrial, computerised, flat-bed knitting machines.
I'm seriously considering investing in an industrial knitting machine from either Stoll or Shima Seiki (specifically the knit and wear and wholegarment ranges).
My knowledge is limited to what little I can find online about each companies' machines, their sales materials and some quick demos.
If anyone had any practical experience working with either company it would be really helpful.
Specifically, I'd be really grateful to know any thoughts on things like each company's:

• prices
• machine capabilities/limitations
• machine reliability
• learning curve
• which company has better software
• training
• after sale support etc

Any advice for someone just starting in this would be really appreciated!

In the bustling world of e-commerce, efficiency is king. Amidst the myriad strategies retailers use to optimize their operations, automated dropshipping systems stand out as a beacon of innovation and practicality. This model not only streamlines the sales process but also minimizes the risks associated with inventory management. Here's a deep dive into what automated dropshipping systems that are offer Selpway Trading Ltd Company are and how they are transforming the e-commerce landscape.

Understanding Dropshipping

Dropshipping is a retail fulfillment method where a store doesn't keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, when a store sells a product, it purchases the item from a third party—usually a wholesaler or manufacturer—and has it shipped directly to the customer. This bypasses the traditional retail model of buying goods in bulk and storing them until they are sold.

The Role of Automation

Automation brings this model into the 21st century by integrating sophisticated software tools that streamline the entire process. Automated dropshipping systems manage various aspects of the business model, including inventory management, order processing, and customer service, without requiring manual oversight for every transaction. This system uses technology to connect retailers with suppliers and customers seamlessly, ensuring that each part of the supply chain communicates effectively and efficiently.

Key Components of Automated Dropshipping Systems

1. E-commerce Platform Integration

Automated systems are often integrated with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Magento. This integration allows retailers to automatically sync inventory levels, track order statuses, and update product information across all sales channels in real time.

2. Supplier Coordination

One of the critical challenges in dropshipping is maintaining a reliable network of suppliers. Automated systems help retailers connect directly with suppliers' databases, allowing for real-time visibility of stock levels and lead times. This ensures that the retailer can offer accurate information to customers and process orders with suppliers without delay.

3. Order Processing and Tracking

Once a customer places an order, the automated system kicks in by forwarding the order details directly to the supplier. The system updates the retailer and customer on the order status, from processing to shipment to delivery, enhancing transparency and customer satisfaction.

4. Automated Payments and Invoicing

These systems can also handle financial transactions automatically, ensuring suppliers are paid on time and invoices are generated and sent to customers without manual input.

Benefits of Automated Dropshipping

Reduced Operational Costs

By automating routine tasks, businesses can operate with fewer overhead costs related to inventory and warehouse management.

Scalability

Retailers can add or remove products from their portfolio without worrying about inventory space or initial capital outlay for new stock.

Enhanced Customer Experience

Faster order processing and real-time updates improve the overall customer experience, leading to higher satisfaction and repeat business.

Increased Flexibility

Retailers can test new markets and product lines without significant upfront investment, adjusting their strategy based on real-time market feedback.

Challenges to Consider

While automated dropshipping systems offer numerous advantages, they are not without their challenges. Dependency on third-party suppliers can lead to issues with product quality, fulfillment delays, or inventory discrepancies. Moreover, as the retailer is not handling the product directly, customer service challenges can arise.

The Future of Automated Dropshipping

As technology continues to evolve, so too will automated dropshipping systems. Advances in AI and machine learning could lead to even more sophisticated systems that predict trends, automate marketing, and personalize customer interactions. For many e-commerce businesses, embracing automated dropshipping may well be a glimpse into the future of retail.
Automated dropshipping systems represent a significant shift in how retailers manage their businesses. By leveraging technology, they can eliminate many traditional barriers, allowing them to focus more on growth and less on logistics.

All original pressings unless noted Grading is sleeve/vinyl $7 flat shipping
Nice batch of of gems for sale including early Johny Cash, rare Stevie Nicks "Unoffical Rumours" set on red vinyl, Iron Maiden, Zeppelin, Modern Sounds "Hank Williams Rock-Acid", & more.
photos / https://imgur.com/a/kIbmbFz
AC/DC - Fly On The Wall (VG-/VG+) club press $10 SOLD
Beatles - White Album (VG/VG) w/ poster $40
Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (VG+/VG+) green label, w/ inner $30
Blue Oyster Cult - Spectres (VG+/VG+) white label promo, misprint $15 SOLD
Johnny Cash - With His Hot & Blue Guitar (VG/VG-) $40
David Bowie - Station To Station (VG+/VG) w/ inner $20
Deep Purple - Machine Head (VG+/VG+) w/ lyric insert $30
Doors - The Soft Parade (VG/VG+) 1970 club press, RL $15
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited (VG/VG-) $20
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (strong VG/strong VG) in shrink w/ hype, w/ poster $20
George Harrison - All Things Must Pass (VG-/VG+) w/ all inners & minty poster, box lays flat $65
Stevie Nicks - Uncirculated Rumours (NM-/NM-) unreleased demos, complete set of 3, red vinyl $220
Iron Maiden - Powerslave (VG/VG+) club press, w/ inner $50
James Gang - Rides Again (VG+/VG+) $15
Billy Joel - Greatest Hits Vol. I & II (VG+/NM) $50
Judas Priest - Sin After Sin (VG/VG+) $15
King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King (VG+/VG+) 75 press $25
King Crimson - In The Wake Of Poseidon (VG+/VG+) $20
King Crimson - Beat (VG+/NM-) club pressing, w/ inner $13 SOLD
Kiss - Alive II (VG/VG) w/ inner sleeves $15
Kiss - Gene Simmons (VG/VG) w/ inner $10
Kiss - Paul Stanley (VG/VG) w/ inner, signed $95
Led Zeppelin - II (VG+/VG+) $25
Led Zeppelin - IV (VG+/NM-) w/ inner sleeve, 1971 club pressing $25
Love - De Capo (VG/strong VG, glossy) gold label, stereo $20
Van Morrison - His Band & The Street Choir (VG+/VG+) palm tree labels, w/ misprint, w/ company sleeve $10
Van Morrison - Tupleo Honey (VG+/NM-) palm tree labels, w/ company sleeve $25
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (VG/VG+) w/ 1 poster $40
Prince - Purple Rain (VG+/VG+) in shrink w/ hype, w/ poster & inner; top copy $40
Rolling Stones - Goats Head Soup (NM-/VG) in shrink, w/ hype stickers, w/ inner & poster $15
Steely Dan - The Royal Scam (VG+/VG+) w/ inner, w/ company sleeve$25
Steely Dan - Countdown To Ecstacy (VG+/VG+) 77 press, w/ insert & company sleeve $20
Steely Dan - Aja (strong VG/strong VG) w/ lyric inner $20
Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill (VG+/strong VG) 74 press $20
Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic (VG/VG+) yellow label, w/ company inner $15
Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense (VG+/NM-) club press, very clean copy, w/ inner $50
The Who - Who's Next (VG/VG+) $15
Neil Young - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (VG+/VG+) 75 press $15
Neil Young - On The Beach (VG+/VG+) w/ inner $35
Frank Zappa - Ruben & The Jets (VG/+VG) $10
Modern Sounds - Hank Williams (In Modern Rock-Acid Sound) (VG/VG) $40

This dark area has appeared on my monitor. I tried restarting and it’ll be fine for a couple minutes and it’ll go back. I’ve tried reinstalling my game driver too.

AutoLead researches, nurtures, qualifies, and delivers high-intent B2B leads right in your calendar.
Whether you’re a B2B company, agency, investor, recruiter, integrator, or else, AutoLead will reduce your meeting acquisition costs by x10, help you better understand your market, forecast your sales growth, and help your sales team focus on… selling.
📈 Forecast- The company is expected to grow to a multi-million ($) valuation by 2025. Not only because the addressed market is consequent (all the B2B companies) and our approach faces almost no concurrence yet, but also because the solution will be able to obtain meetings with its own potential customers. Yes, very practical.
As an early core member, **you would get shares** of the company and so **direct exposure** to this growth.
*📍Current Stage *- We're currently 80% finished with the research phase and are looking for more developers to lead and accelerate the release of a v1 (scheduled for release in Q3 2024).
*🌱 Team culture *- On a human-level, our foremost goal is to see our team members thrive and grow through their experience with us. We create a supportive environment where open communication of feelings and needs is encouraged. This ensures that everyone is always engaged in meaningful and enjoyable work. Additionally, we place great importance on fair value distribution, emotional caring, environmental respect, authentic relationships, and maintaining a positive, light-hearted culture.
💻 Technical requirements - For this Data Engineer role.

• Proficiency in at least 8 of the following:
  
  • Python, Node.js, Typescript, Bash, SQL
  • ETL pipelines design
  • Dagster, Apache Airflow
  • LLMs Prompt Engineering
  • Embeddings and ANN vector search
  • Column-oriented DBMS
  • Data Mining
  • Data Sourcing & Traceability
  • Query optimization (indexing, etc.)
  • Real-time Data Processing
  • Advanced Web Scraping
• Experience in any of the following is a plus:
  
  • Machine learning & Forecast models
  • B2B big data
  • Data Science

Only those passionate about making a real impact should apply. Startup life can be challenging, but the rewards are profoundly fulfilling.
Compensation: Initially, this role is equity-based, with specific percentages tailored on an individual basis(as we grow, you grow with us).
As we secure funding, the role offers a temporary monthly salary ranging from $3,500 to $5,000 USD. Post-funding, we will review and adjust salaries to align with individual experience and prevailing market rates.
Application Deadline: We aim to fill this position by June 1st, 2024.
Interested? Please direct message me and include a link to your LinkedIn profile. Looking forward to hearing from you!

If anyone has any vinyl for sale, I am looking for all pre Sun Machine vinyls.

Job Title	Company	Location	Country	Skills
Sales Operation Data Analyst	Edifecs	India	India	Business Intelligence, Modeling, Machine Learning
Data Engineer	OneMagnify	Detroit	United States	Scala, AWS, Python
Alternance - Data Scientist - Jedha H/F	Jobmania	Paris	France	Machine Learning
Data Analyst- Full Time ( Remote) - Beginner Level	Diverserec	Canada	Canada
Machine Learning Engineer - Smart UAV’s (Permanent...	Jooble	Greater Portsmouth Area	United Kingdom	Machine Learning
Junior , Data Analyst- Remote	Diverserec	United States	United States
Data Analyst Associate Manager	myGwork - LGBTQ+ Business Community	Greater Buenos Aires	Argentina	Data Visualization
Data Scientist	Thermo Fisher Scientific	Monza	Italy	Machine Learning
Data Analyst	Lendingkart	Ahmedabad	India	Python, SQL
SQL Data Engineer	Experis UK	Cannock Wood	United Kingdom	SQL, ETL
Data Engineer (6200 USD/Mes)	Listopro	Argentina	Argentina	Python, Pandas
Data Scientist, Marketing	Dropbox	Canada	Canada	Modeling, SQL, Hadoop
Data Analyst - Product Analytics	Reuters News Agency	Hyderabad	India	Machine Learning
Data Analyst	Citizens	Hartford	United States	SQL, Tableau
Data Engineer H/F	Groupe Télégramme	Morlaix	France	SQL
Data Analyst - Industrie Maritime H/F	Kariera.fr	Marseille	France	SQL
Senior Machine Learning Engineer	Warner Music Group	Toronto	Canada	Machine Learning, Modeling
Data Engineer	Jooble	Enschede	Netherlands	Python, AWS, SQL
Data Analyst- Full Time ( Remote) - Beginner Level	Opinion Focus Panel LLC	Canada	Canada
Data Analyst- Junior- Full Time - Remote	Diverserec	United States	United States

Hi, here are 20 New Data Science, Data Engineering and Machine Learning jobs.
For more, check our Google sheet with more opportunities in Data Science and Machine Learning (updated each week) here
If you want to take some Data and ML courses, click here
Let me know if you have any questions. Cheers!