E Commerce
103 episodes · Page 4 of 5
#3606: The Secret World of Dumpster Diving
What people really find in dumpsters—from $4,000 espresso machines to historical love letters.
#3487: Where Your Packages Sleep: Inside Air Cargo’s Hidden Hubs
Memphis moves more cargo than Heathrow. Anchorage is a bigger air freight hub than Shanghai. Here’s why.
#3387: How Airport Bookstores Actually Work
The surprising supply chain, real estate, and psychology behind every book you see in a terminal.
#3277: The Store That Stocks Nothing That Breaks
Can a store succeed by selling only things that last forever? The economics of durability vs. disposable culture.
#2972: How Pallets Make Global Trade Work
The humble pallet is the unsung hero of global trade. Here’s how consolidation works from factory floor to container ship.
#2915: The Barcode That Changed Everything
MPNs, UPCs, ASINs, and the secret hierarchy of product codes that engineers use to buy the right thing.
#2874: China's Invisible Megacities: Linyi, Yiwu, and More
Cities larger than London or Paris that most Westerners have never heard of. Meet China's second-tier giants.
#2490: How to Read Trade Statistics Like a Skeptic
Why Ireland’s $87B US trade deficit is a tax fiction — and how to actually read balance of trade data.
#2460: Shopping in a Fragmented Market
The real challenges of building an AI agent that navigates Hebrew e-commerce, geographic shipping quirks, and whitelist curation.
#2447: Why Netflix Shows Differ by Country
Why your Netflix library differs by country — and how territorial licensing funds the movies you love.
#2275: From Catalogs to TikTok: The Psychology of Remote Shopping
Explore how remote shopping, from mail-order catalogs to TikTok Shop, taps into the same psychological impulses across eras.
#2087: Why Refill Stations Haven't Gone Mainstream
We explore the technical and economic friction preventing refill-on-the-go from replacing single-use packaging in Western supermarkets.
#1916: The Clerics of the Global Economy
A 7,000km international package beats a 60km local one. How do these invisible architects pull it off?
#1915: Why Cargo Planes Fly at 3 AM
While you sleep, massive freighters land every 90 seconds at secret hubs like Memphis, moving the global economy.
#1895: Why QVC Thrives in the Age of Amazon
Forget the death of TV shopping. QVC and catalogs are a $12B powerhouse. Discover why seniors and millennials are choosing phone calls over clicks.
#1489: Why an IKEA Shelf Costs More in Israel Than Sweden
From the "Billy Paradox" to electric delivery fleets, we dissect how IKEA balances global scale with local costs and sustainability.
#1369: The End of the $4 Miracle: AliExpress in a Post-Tax World
The era of cheap international shipping is over. Discover how AliExpress is pivoting its business model to survive new global trade taxes.
#1237: Ghost Flights and Legacy Code: Why Travel Tech is Broken
Ever wondered why that flight vanished while booking? Explore the 1960s mainframes and cryptic protocols holding the travel industry together.
#1173: Digital Borders: The Economics of Geo-Restricted Content
Why is your favorite show still blocked in your region? We dive into the complex world of global licensing and the escalating war on VPNs.
#815: The Digital Twin of a $4 Package
How does a $4 item travel across the globe in just eight days? We unpack the high-tech logistics making rapid shipping possible.
#806: Digital Litter: The War on Automated Email Sequences
Tired of 20-part email sequences? Explore the legal and technical battle against aggressive digital marketing and "cognitive inbox fragmentation."
#708: The Long Tail of Tech's Environmental Burden
Discover why mixing power cables can fry your PC and how a lack of industry standards creates a massive environmental and safety crisis.
#655: The Headache Tax: When Price Stops Mattering
Why is it so hard to find good service? Corn and Herman explore the "Headache Tax" and a new framework for rewarding excellence in Israel.
#640: How to Sidestep the Bank's Currency Tax
Tired of losing 4% every time you pay for OpenAI or Claude? Herman and Corn break down how to stop the "currency conversion tax" for good.