This Week in M&A Issue #201
September 8, 2025
Howdy! đź¤
Today’s trend of the week is “incontinence products”.
Incontinence may not be a topic people openly discuss, but it’s a growing global market that should not be overlooked. Roughly half of adult women experience it at some point, and many men are also affected. With aging populations on the rise, demand for products that manage these conditions is climbing quickly.
Spending on adult diapers alone is expected to hit $9.7 billion in 2025, while treatment devices already account for more than $4 billion annually and are growing even faster, per Crunchbase. Search interest reflects this, with the term “adult diapers” searched nearly 280,000 times last month, an 8% year-over-year increase.
Investors are paying attention too. Since 2024, over a dozen startups in incontinence and urinary health have raised more than $500 million in funding.
For business owners looking to break into this market, consider selling discreetly packaged diapers, pads, and skincare products with subscription options that create recurring revenue.
Today we have for you:
- Google avoids breakup but faces new limits in antitrust case
- Why business buyers are acquiring marketing agencies
And:
- Walmart targets European sellers to expand in the Americas
- The pricing strategy that helps sellers maximize their exit
- Why eBay still matters for third-party sellers after 30 years
Alright, let’s dive in.
Image Source: Giphy (Judge Judy)
Judge Spares Google From Split, Orders Data Sharing to Boost Competition
Google has sidestepped a breakup in its high-profile monopoly case, but it won’t walk away unscathed.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the company can hold on to Chrome, Android, and its ads business, rejecting calls from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to spin them off.
Instead, the court is imposing new guardrails to chip away at Google’s dominance in online search. Google can no longer sign exclusive deals that make its search engine or apps the default in exchange for payments or revenue-sharing. The company can still pay partners like Apple and Samsung to feature its services, but not in ways that effectively shut out competitors.
Perhaps the biggest shift is in data. Google must share parts of its search index and user-interaction data with “qualified competitors,” giving smaller firms a chance to improve their own search tools. Ads data is excluded, and Judge Mehta emphasized that the requirements are tightly focused on addressing Google’s anticompetitive behavior. Google must also provide search and text ad syndication on fair commercial terms so rivals can deliver results while building their own systems.
In a blog post, Google welcomed the rejection of divestitures but voiced concerns about forced data-sharing, warning it could affect user privacy.
Investors cheered the decision. Alphabet’s stock jumped 8% in after-hours trading, while Apple rose 4%, reassured that its multibillion-dollar deal with Google will continue.
The order follows Mehta’s 2023 decision that Google illegally maintained a monopoly in search. A final judgment is still pending. Google and the DOJ must submit a revised version by September 10. If approved, the remedies will last six years, with oversight from a technical committee.
For regulators, the ruling is a compromise: no breakup, but meaningful limits. For Google, it’s just one battle in a series of antitrust fights. With appeals likely to stretch into 2027 or beyond, Google’s legal battles over its market power are far from over.
The Opportunity podcast
![Why Business Buyers are Acquiring Marketing Agencies [Ep.187]-min](https://1745913.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/1745913/Why%20Business%20Buyers%20are%20Acquiring%20Marketing%20Agencies%20%5BEp.187%5D-min.png)
Have We Entered the Golden Age of Marketing Agencies?
For years, many agency owners mistakenly believed that marketing agencies couldn’t be sold. But that myth is fading fast, and buyers are hungrier than ever to acquire agencies.
In this episode, Greg Elfrink explains why he thinks we’re in the golden age of marketing agencies.
He dives into why buyers are actively hunting marketing agencies, whether AI is a threat or a blessing to this business model, and why agencies are entering a profit renaissance, with more opportunities than ever to scale and succeed.
Greg also breaks down the three main reasons why agencies struggle to sell and what founders can do to fix them.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your agency has real exit potential, or if you’re curious why investors are piling into this space, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.
ecommerce
Walmart Is Helping U.K. and European Businesses Go Global
Walmart is stepping up its push to bring U.K. and European businesses onto its online marketplaces in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Chile, making it easier for sellers to reach millions of customers across the Americas.
The company’s “major push” gives European sellers access to a central platform that simplifies cross-border operations. Businesses can manage listings in multiple countries, advertise products, and use Walmart Fulfillment Services, including fast two-day delivery. This streamlined setup is designed to help sellers scale quickly in new markets.
To provide extra support, Walmart has opened a dedicated seller office in London. The office offers tools and services to help European businesses launch and expand internationally. Walmart will also host the UK Walmart Seller Summit in London on September 9. The event will provide manufacturers and exporters with practical guidance on selling abroad, insights into cross-border growth, and opportunities to connect with other merchants.
Walmart is also expanding its omnichannel capabilities, offering pickup and delivery services across most international markets through Walmart International, Walmart U.S., and Sam’s Club.
With these initiatives, Walmart is making it easier than ever for European sellers to tap into the Americas, combining local support with global reach to help businesses grow and strengthen Walmart’s international ecommerce footprint.
Read All About It!
🌎 Top 100 Google searches for September: most popular searches worldwide
đź’¬ Microsoft CEO’s top 5 ChatGPT prompts: Satya Nadella’s AI habits revealed
🛍️ Best retail Affiliate programs: the complete guide for 2025
⬆️ eCommerce returns to its COVID peak: represents 16.3% of total retail sales
YouTube
Three Pricing Mistakes That Cost Sellers an Average of $47,000
Roughly 85% of business owners walk away disappointed with how much they sold their business for.
We wanted to know why. So Greg analyzed over 80 real business sales on our marketplace and uncovered the key reasons why so many sellers leave money on the table, and how you can avoid the same fate.
In this video, he reveals the 3 crucial pricing mistakes that cost sellers an average of $47,000, and shares the premium positioning strategy that can help you maximize your exit.
Watch now to learn how to sell smarter and walk away with the exit you deserve.
ecommerce
Image Source: Statista
Three Decades Later, eBay Remains a Quiet Giant in eCommerce
eBay turns 30 this year, marking three decades as one of the most enduring names in eCommerce.
Launched on September 3, 1995, by Pierre Omidyar as “AuctionWeb,” the platform quickly transformed the way people bought and sold goods online. By the late 1990s, it had expanded internationally and gone public, cementing its place as a major player in online retail.
Today, eBay remains a powerful, though sometimes overlooked, marketplace. It ranks as the fourth-largest platform in the world for third-party gross sales volume and the third-largest eCommerce player in the United States when combining first and third-party merchandise. Its global footprint and continued popularity among independent sellers highlight eBay’s enduring appeal: a platform where almost anyone can sell almost anything, from collectibles to everyday goods.
While Amazon has become a massive vertically integrated retailer and tech powerhouse, eBay has largely stayed true to its original model, focusing on facilitating peer-to-peer and small-business sales rather than building sprawling infrastructure. This has allowed it to maintain profitability and relevance, even as the eCommerce landscape has become fiercely competitive.
In 2024, eBay’s gross merchandise volume reached $75 billion, a far cry from Amazon’s $638 billion in net sales, yet its niche focus and loyal user base continue to make it a go-to platform for sellers seeking a flexible, low-barrier entry into online commerce.
As eBay celebrates its 30th anniversary, it’s a reminder that while the eCommerce world has grown and changed dramatically, there’s still room for platforms that empower individuals and small businesses. Its longevity, steady performance, and unique marketplace model prove that eBay is far from just a relic of the dot-com era, it’s a quietly influential force in today’s online retail ecosystem.
Money Nomad
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Amazon FBA, eCommerce | Sports
This is an eCommerce brand in the golf accessories space, selling through both Amazon FBA and a Shopify storefront. The product line includes golf towels, head covers, ball markers, and gloves, with the flagship towel product boasting nearly 400 Amazon reviews and a 4.7-star rating. The brand has built a solid foundation with quality products, positive customer feedback, and efficient logistics, and now sits ready for someone to scale it further. The included inventory (approx. $50,000 in stock) allows for immediate fulfillment and growth. Also included is a trademark for the brand. Learn More
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