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Latest updates and announcements for Amazon sellers and vendors. Updated daily from verified sources.
Effective July 12, USPS eliminates the 4-oz and 8-oz pricing tiers on Ground Advantage Commercial and applies the former 12–15.999-oz rate to all sub-pound parcels; it also rounds every dimension up to the next whole inch and cuts the dimensional divisor from 166 to 139 for shipments over one cubic foot. The net effect is an average Commercial price increase of roughly 11.8%, with sub-one-pound parcels hit hardest (8–15% of line items rerating upward depending on zone). It affects Amazon FBM and merchant-fulfilled sellers buying USPS labels directly or via Stamps, Pirate Ship, ShipStation or Shippo — only negotiated commercial rates are spared. Action items: reprice Buy Shipping and shipping-template costs for sub-1lb SKUs, and decide before Q4 whether light FBM items should shift to FBA or another carrier.
Amazon expanded its DSP Omnichannel Metrics so that offline purchases influenced by a DSP campaign are now attributed to named retailers, rather than lumped together as "outside Amazon" or shown only by category. Attribution still relies on exposure data from the Amazon Shopper Panel plus third-party signals and is, for now, US-only and limited to Amazon DSP campaigns (Sponsored Products, Brands and Display are excluded). Action items: US DSP advertisers should test the breakdown against their retail-partner mix and steer budget toward the retailers where ad exposure demonstrably converts into offline sales.
Amazon opened Q4 deal submissions on July 8, this year with markedly earlier deadlines: Prime Big Deal Days run through September 8, Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday through October 20; submitting Prime Big Deal Days deals by August 5 or Black Friday deals by September 5 saves USD 50 on the upfront promotion fee. In parallel, the holiday peak fulfillment fee applies October 15 to January 14 (averaging +USD 0.32 per unit over standard rates) with a 3.5% fuel-and-logistics surcharge stacked on top. Action items: lock in Q4 deal candidates per ASIN now and submit before the Aug 5 / Sep 5 dates to secure the discount and slots, and price the peak fee into deal margins and PPC bids for the October-to-January window.
The US Trade Representative (USTR) is proposing additional Section 301 duties of 10% or 12.5% on goods from roughly 60 countries with weak forced-labor enforcement, including China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India and Turkey; public hearings ran July 7-9 and a final decision is expected within 60 days. The surcharges stack on top of existing Section 301/232/MFN rates and hit the landed cost of many Amazon sellers directly. Action items: map every SKU to its HTS country of origin, model landed cost under three scenarios (none, +10%, +12.5%), and reset Q4 price floors per SKU before the cost shock lands.
Effective July 6, Amazon raised the minimum delivery-speed bar for Seller Fulfilled Prime and switched from regional to nationwide coverage: standard-size offers must now show a one-day date on 40% of Prime page views (up from 30%) and a two-day date on 75% (up from 70%), which for single-warehouse sellers effectively means more locations or pricier carriers. A roughly four-week grace period from June 8 pauses Prime-badge suppression; after that, offers below the threshold lose the Prime badge and exit the Prime Buy Box pool. Action items: check real two-day ZIP coverage from 90 days of shipment data, re-price SFP offers for the higher carrier cost, and decide SFP-versus-FBA per ASIN before Prime Day.
Starting July 2026, Amazon is gradually removing the upfront seller eligibility screen for the Featured Offer: offers used to be filtered by performance metrics before ranking, now all offers go straight into consideration. The selection criteria themselves (competitive price, delivery speed, seller performance) stay the same, and the rollout is global and completes by the end of 2026. Action items: nothing is technically required, but sharpen price, delivery speed and account health now, since more offers will compete directly for the Buy Box once the entry barrier is gone.
When the new FBA New Selection Program starts on July 30, ASINs enrolled under the old program keep their existing benefits — but only until the hard cutoff of October 31, 2026. Three categories are affected: referral-fee reductions stop accruing after Oct 31, coupon and Vine credits expire if unused, and storage and returns waivers also end at the deadline; any branded ASIN listed on or after July 30 automatically falls under the 2026 rate schedule from first inbound. Action items for the next 90 days: audit active legacy benefits per ASIN, front-load coupon/Vine spend before Oct 31 (Prime Big Deal Days, Q4 launches), list any August launch before July 30 to lock in legacy rates, and re-forecast Q4 margins and PPC bids before the waivers drop off.
On July 1, Amazon discontinued prep and labelling services for Canadian FBA shipments: every unit must now arrive at the fulfillment center fully prepped and labeled. The critical part is the loss of protection — unprepped units are still processed, but there is no reimbursement claim if that inventory is lost or damaged. Options are in-house prep, third-party prep centers (roughly CAD 0.50–2.00 per unit, with Ontario/Quebec capacity filling fast), or SIPP for eligible standard-size ASINs. Action items: freeze new Canada inbound until prep is decided, contract prep capacity immediately, add the new cost line to per-SKU contribution margins, and monitor received-quantity variance and unfulfillable rate daily during the transition.
On July 2, Amazon opened Seller University to the public: the full on-demand library of 125+ topics (listings, pricing, fulfillment, advertising) is now accessible without an active selling account or login. Nothing changes functionally for existing sellers, but the open access makes the content ideal onboarding material for new team members, VAs, or support staff. Action items: fold the relevant courses into your own team onboarding and point new hires straight to the right modules instead of having to share account access.
On August 1, Amazon migrates a directly contacted group of advertisers who currently pay ad costs by credit card to proceeds deduction: advertising spend is netted against the seller balance before disbursement, ending the credit-card float some sellers used for cash flow. Anyone who does not pick a preference before August 1 is auto-switched to balance deduction, with the card kept only as a backup. Action items: in the Ads Console Billing section, actively choose 'Pay by Invoice' (Net 30) if you want to keep the cash-flow buffer, and plan around Amazon's $2,500 monthly click credits (August through December), which can temporarily distort CPCs.
Amazon now auto-assembles product videos from your existing images for Sponsored Products and switches the option on by default; separately, system-generated Virtual Multipacks are appearing in campaigns without sellers explicitly adding them. The model has flipped from opt-in to opt-out, putting both creative control and budget at risk. Action items: turn off 'Automate assembled videos' in campaign settings if you want to control your own creative, and audit your inventory and Ads Console for newly created Virtual Multipacks that may quietly drain spend.
At the Prime Day kickoff on June 23, Amazon Ads rolled out 'Alexa+ Agentic Ads' on Echo Show devices: customers complete a purchase via voice conversation directly inside the ad, with no product detail page, cart, or external checkout. This removes the classic conversion path — no PDP visit, no add-to-cart event, no post-click retargeting — so A+ content and PDP optimization lose leverage. Action items: tighten the structured product data (bullets, dimensions, Q&A) of your top ASINs since it becomes the ad copy in conversations, segment Echo Show conversions separately in PPC reporting, and re-model contribution margins against the lower in-ad average order value.
On June 23, UK supermarket Asda became the first retailer outside the US to deploy Amazon's 'Retail Ad Service': from H2 2026, brands manage Asda campaigns through the same interface as their Amazon Sponsored Products. For UK sellers this means more reach through one workflow, but adding Asda inventory to the bidding system can raise competition and push UK Sponsored Products CPCs higher. Action items: map Amazon UK ASINs to Asda GTINs, calculate margins per channel separately (Asda's economics differ), and watch UK CPC trends for auction pressure.
On June 18, Amazon announced the 2026 version of the FBA New Selection Program, going live July 30: a larger inbound-placement fee credit, 90 days of free monthly storage on the first 100 units of a qualifying parent ASIN, and reduced referral fees on the first $25,000 of revenue per new branded ASIN for 365 days. Sellers already enrolled migrate to the new terms automatically on July 30, but new ASINs only qualify if they launch after that date. Action items: review planned Q3 launches and consider holding them until after July 30, get Brand Registry and listing data for new SKUs in order now, and re-model contribution margins against the new fee structure.
Since June 12, Amazon automatically reconciles FBA inbound shipping fees against the actual package size: if dimensions, weight, or freight class measured in transit differ from what was declared, the system adjusts the charge — over-declared dimensions trigger a refund, under-declared ones an extra charge. Early reports show sellers being charged even after careful measurement, with some adjustments approaching the original shipping cost. Action items: document the dimensions and weight of every shipment precisely and monitor adjustments in the Inbound Performance dashboard so you can dispute incorrect charges.
On June 10, Amazon announced that from July 27, 2026, product titles in every category except media will be capped at 75 characters including spaces, down from the previous 200. A new searchable 'Item Highlights' field (up to 125 characters) launches alongside for secondary details, and over-length titles will then be gradually rewritten by Amazon's AI — Brand Registry owners get a 14-day review window, other sellers do not. Action items: trim titles yourself now, keep the brand plus the primary keyword inside the 75 characters, move materials and comparison terms into Item Highlights, and avoid editing during Prime Day (June 23-26).
On June 8 the European Commission published guidance and the legal text: from July 1, 2026 the €150 customs-duty exemption for non-EU imports is abolished and replaced by a temporary flat €3 duty per item (not per parcel), in force until July 1, 2028. For sellers importing low-value goods from China and similar origins into the EU, landed costs rise noticeably, since a single parcel with several tariff lines can trigger the €3 fee multiple times. Action items: re-model import costs and retail prices before July 1, prepare suppliers and logistics partners for the new declaration, and assess whether holding stock inside the EU now pays off.
Amazon has revamped the Seller News section inside the Amazon Seller app: featured and recent updates now sit together on one homepage, articles can be filtered by date and topic, important posts can be bookmarked, and a 'Join the Conversation' link ties each article to the Seller Forums. It lives under the new 'Stay informed' tab at the top of the app homepage. Action items: open the app, set topic filters that match your account, and bookmark deadline-critical announcements so policy and fee changes don't slip past you on mobile.
Amazon has rolled out 'Brand Gallery', a new Sponsored Brands creative that replaces individual product listings with lifestyle imagery, custom copy, and a carousel of three to five Brand Store categories, sending shoppers to the Brand Store rather than a product detail page. It is live in 19 markets including Germany, self-service via the Ads Console and Ads API, and is aimed especially at Reserved Share of Voice (RSOV) buys on a brand's own keywords. Action items for brands: ensure an active, well-organized Brand Store, prepare lifestyle assets (not standard product photos), and reserve branded terms before launch — once a deal hits 'proposed' status it can no longer be edited.
Amazon DSP has opened a new Studies interface that lets advertisers discover, configure, fund, and retrieve results from 50+ third-party measurement studies themselves — without the managed-service step that previously added weeks of delay. Partners include NCS (offline sales lift), DISQO and Kantar (brand lift), and Integral Ad Science (viewability, invalid traffic); it has been rolling out since May 15, 2026 across 30+ countries including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Action items for DSP advertisers: review region-specific options on the Studies page, pick study types matching the campaign goal, and choose between Amazon-managed billing or vendor billing for existing relationships — brand and sales lift can now be measured without an account manager.
On May 21, Amazon raised the minimum delivery-speed thresholds for Seller Fulfilled Prime, effective July 6, 2026. Standard-size items must now show one-day delivery on 40% of Prime page views (up from 30%), two-day on 75% (up from 70%), and five-day on 90%. Oversize moves from 10% to 15% for one-day and adds an 80% five-day requirement; Extra Large jumps from 15% to 25% for two-day with a 60% five-day floor. The existing performance gates (93.5% OTDR, 0.5% pre-fulfillment cancel, 99% VTR) stay the same. In September 2026 Amazon will add a new tool letting SFP sellers publish shipping times, weekend availability, and cut-off times at the individual ZIP-code level — feeding more precise customer-facing delivery promises. Action items: audit carrier coverage by region, tighten weekend operations and cut-off times, or rerun the FBM/FBA-mix math without the Prime badge on slow-moving ASINs.
On May 22, Amazon announced several changes to the Customer Service by Amazon program. Return-less refunds are now restricted to three defined scenarios (undelivered packages, damaged/defective non-returnable items, and items unsafe to return) — cutting unnecessary SAFE-T claim work. SAFE-T claims on 'claims protected' labels via Amazon Buy Shipping or Veeqo are now covered automatically by Amazon, and Goodwill refunds are reimbursed without seller action. On free access, Amazon dropped the 95% valid tracking rate requirement and added automatic free eligibility for low-volume sellers with fewer than 30 orders per quarter; the 90-day free period and the 3% contacts-per-unit threshold remain. Action items: verify shipping label provider enrollment for automatic claims coverage, review the new contacts-per-unit dashboard and AI-categorized contact reasons in the insights dashboard, and watch Buyer-Seller Messages for follow-up notifications instead of email.
Amazon DSP turned on 'Automatic Deal Selection', an ML feature that curates Streaming TV deals throughout a campaign without manual intervention — adding high-performing deals and removing underperforming ones across the entire flight. The launch is U.S.-only for self-service advertisers via the ADSP Self Service console or the Amazon Ads Public API, and only for Streaming TV campaigns configured with an Awareness goal and Reach KPI; curation source type is 'AMAZON_CURATED_AGENT', with performance exposed via the DealPerformance and DealPlanningMetrics entities. For DSP brands the takeaway: Awareness setups get materially leaner — no more manual deal hygiene — with expansion to other goals and formats announced but undated; EU rollout is open, but the U.S. pilot is worth running now to inform Q3 awareness budgets.
A day after sellers reported blocked EUR balances, Amazon issued an official statement: a small subset of EU sellers were not technically migrated to DD+7 as planned, the issue is fixed, and the affected accounts have been moved to the standard policy. Practical detail: Amazon says 95% of sellers are already on the 7-day window, and 'Disburse on Demand' remains active — but only funds whose delivery date is more than seven days back are withdrawable. That corrects yesterday's 'working as designed' framing into a confirmed bug for a subset of accounts. Action items: check inbox for Amazon's mail with the updated migration timeline, verify release dates under 'Deferred Transactions' in Seller Central, and adjust cash-flow planning to the 7-day hold.
Two weeks after Amazon activated DD+7 daily payouts (Payout on Request), sellers report a hidden catch: payout requests routinely return 'EUR 0 available' despite substantial visible balances — in one documented case EUR 38,000 was displayed but nothing could be withdrawn. According to Wortfilter, the basis for the payout is not the displayed balance but only the portion whose delivery date is more than seven days back — a detail Amazon's original seller email omitted. Amazon support has so far framed the behaviour as 'working as designed'. Sellers should recalibrate liquidity planning: recent sales proceeds stay locked for seven days post-delivery, so the first days after migration deliver effectively no cash.
In May 2026 Amazon Ads moved four data infrastructure pieces into production: the Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) API hit general availability on May 1 across 14 markets (incl. DE, FR, IT, ES, UK) with six new brand-group management endpoints; the Geographic Insights & Activation (GIA) API reached GA on May 4 with a simplified workflow (postal-code data inline at creation, no more multi-step process); on May 18 Benchmarks Reporting goes globally GA across 18 marketplaces — adding Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey, and Egypt — with eight metrics including CTR, CPC, and new-to-brand purchases. A new NationalAsinEngagement data file (in the MMM feed since May 7) adds daily/weekly add-to-cart signals at the ASIN level by country. For brands and agencies: multi-market reporting, postal-code-level bid adjustments, and retail engagement signals can now be standardized programmatically across all major DSP markets — update media-buying setups and BI dashboards accordingly.
On May 15 Amazon released an independent study on EPR registration under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR): registering in 10 EU countries requires 64 distinct data fields (11 in Belgium/Spain, 20+ in Sweden, 16 on average), 55% are country-specific, and 73% exceed what the PPWR Implementation Act actually mandates — with processing times of 2 to 6 weeks per market. Amazon argues for interoperable digital infrastructure: standardized fields, API-enabled national registers, single registration with automated cross-border distribution, and online marketplaces acting as 'EPR intermediaries' (citing its 'Pay on Behalf' program, already live in five countries supporting 300,000+ sellers). Practical takeaway for SME sellers: no relief rollout is in sight short-term, so EPR compliance stays a market-by-market job; medium-term it's worth tracking the lobbying position, since marketplaces are actively pushing Brussels for a unified solution.
On May 14, Phil Christer, Managing Director of Amazon Ads UK, confirmed that advertisers can overlay Amazon Audiences onto Netflix ad inventory bought through Amazon DSP across the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain starting May 18 — the EMEA activation of an integration first disclosed in March 2026 and launched in the US on April 13. Buyers apply the shopping-behavior segments (searches, purchases, browsing) at line-item or campaign level via managed or self-service workflows, allowing Netflix to be combined with other CTV inventory in a single data-driven DSP buy for the first time. For Amazon brands running DSP, the takeaway: premium streaming reach plus Amazon retail signals without fragmented media buys — set up pilot learnings now, before Q3 budgets are locked.
On May 13, Amazon retired the standalone Rufus chatbot and merged Rufus with Alexa+ into 'Alexa for Shopping' — an agentic AI assistant embedded directly in Amazon's search bar, available to all U.S. customers (no Prime membership required) on the app, website, and Echo Show devices. New capabilities include side-by-side product comparisons, dynamic shopping guides, a full year of price history, automated price-triggered purchases, and seamless context transfer between app, web, and devices. Implication for sellers: industry research already showed Rufus compressing the traditional 50-result page down to roughly five recommended products — with the US-wide rollout completing within a week, Sponsored Prompts (billable since March 25) and AI-ready listing content (bullets, A+ content, reviews) become essential to stay in the recommendation set. EU rollout not yet announced.
On May 12, Amazon notified solution providers by email that the SP-API fees announced in November 2025 (annual base fee + usage-based charges) are permanently scrapped — after industry pushback and a March postponement. The fee-preview dashboard will be removed and stored payment methods can be deleted via the Solution Provider Portal. For sellers, the upshot: tool vendors (ERPs, repricers, JTL, Helium10, Amalyze, etc.) who justified price hikes by citing SP-API costs now have to defend those increases on the merits — a good moment to renegotiate vendor terms and archive any usage dashboards before they go offline.
At its May 11 Upfront 2026, Amazon Ads launched Dynamic TV Creative for Interactive Video Ads (IVA) on Prime Video. From a single base asset the system auto-personalizes four elements per viewer — product imagery, CTA ('Add to Cart', 'Send to Phone', 'Save to Cart', 'Visit Brand Store'), headline (awareness vs. consideration), and detail layer (rating, Prime benefit, price) — depending on the viewer's funnel stage and prior exposure. Pilot is U.S. only and limited to select advertisers in CPG, fashion, and electronics; broader access plus live sports and Prime Video Channels is slated for Q3 2026. The takeaway for Amazon brands running DSP: one strong master creative is enough — sequencing and funnel logic run on Amazon's authenticated graph (claimed 90% U.S. household reach). EU rollout not yet confirmed, but it's worth banking U.S. pilot learnings now.
German inflation rose to 2.9% in April, with diesel up 6.1% month-on-month and fuel costs +26.2% year-on-year. The big carriers (DHL, DPD, GLS, Hermes) are passing the increase through via fuel surcharges — meaning meaningfully higher per-shipment cost for FBM and Pan-EU sellers. Consumer sentiment stays cautious, so fully passing costs to customers risks conversion drops. Short-term moves: review free-shipping thresholds, rerun the FBA vs FBM math for heavy/bulky ASINs, consolidate restock shipments, and tighten inventory planning to avoid double-shipping cycles.
At its May 11 Upfront at the Beacon Theatre, Amazon Ads shifted its pitch from inventory to AI-driven, outcomes-led full-funnel advertising. Headline items for advertisers and sellers: Full-Funnel Campaigns (launched Q1 2026) with natural-language setup and AI-assisted creative, audience strategy, and continuous optimization across streaming TV, audio, display, online video, and sponsored ads in a single buy; Prime Video Insights (beta) as a measurement layer linking first-party data with viewing behavior to identify which genres, shows, or audiences drove sales; and interactive ad formats expanding to a third-party streaming environment for the first time (Samsung TV Plus). Alan Moss: 'Agentic shopping is not a new frontier — it's happening now.' Amazon's Authenticated Graph claims 90% US household reach. For Amazon brands the takeaway: pilot full-funnel campaign workflows now and start treating AI agents as the next checkout layer.
On May 8, the Higher Administrative Court of North Rhine-Westphalia (OVG NRW) dismissed IDO's appeal and permanently blocked its registration as a qualified business association under the German UWG (Case 4 A 3451/25). The court found that the association failed to prove it does not primarily pursue profit through cease-and-desist activity. For Amazon, eBay, and webshop sellers, this is meaningful relief: one of Germany's most active warning-letter operators is now permanently barred from sending UWG-based cease-and-desist notices or collecting contractual penalties. IDO may file a constitutional complaint, but that only delays the outcome. Sellers with open IDO cases should have counsel review whether outstanding claims remain enforceable.
On May 7, Amazon launched Alexa+ in Germany and Austria via a free Early Access program; invitations roll out over the coming weeks. Alexa+ is now live in nine markets (U.S., Canada, Mexico, UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Ireland). The assistant can complete tasks end-to-end ('order a present for mom', reservations, smart-home actions) and was tuned for German language nuance and humor. Voice shopping is not explicitly confirmed at the Germany launch and the named integrations (OpenTable, Spotify, Philips, Bosch/Siemens, Ring) are non-commerce — but the agentic architecture and proximity to Rufus point clearly in that direction. For Amazon.de sellers: listings, bullets, A+ content, and reviews become the knowledge base AI assistants draw on — clear, benefit-led copy without keyword stuffing matters more than ever in 2026. Post-Early-Access pricing: included with Prime, otherwise €22.99/month.
Amazon Seller Central staff clarified compliance guidance in late April: sellers must check approval requirements before listing, obtain a Letter of Authorization (LOA) from the brand owner when reselling branded products, and source exclusively from manufacturers or authorized distributors with invoices dated within the last 180 days. The post effectively codifies existing practice, but the enforcement signal is clear — liquidators, retail arbitrage, and gray-market sources become high-risk. Resellers without direct manufacturer or distributor relationships should audit sourcing documents now, secure LOA templates, and rethink sourcing strategy; the pressure follows the end of FBA commingling and the UPC barcode tightening (both March 31).
Amazon Ads and LinkedIn announced on May 7 that advertisers can now buy LinkedIn CTV Ads directly through Amazon DSP — initially only in the U.S. The deal-based integration brings LinkedIn first-party signals from 1B+ member profiles (job title, industry, seniority) onto streaming-TV inventory (via Microsoft Monetize) and lets buyers combine them with Amazon audiences in a single DSP campaign, eliminating fragmented media buys. For B2B brands selling on Amazon (office, pro, industrial), this is a meaningful upper-funnel upgrade for decision-maker targeting; the launch lands four days before Amazon's Upfront 2026 (May 11). EU rollout not yet announced — brands should pilot in the U.S. now to bank learnings before a likely EU expansion.
Amazon activated 'Payout on Request' for all sellers already migrated to the DD+7 payout schedule, enabling daily withdrawals instead of waiting for the standard billing cycle. Three conditions apply: a positive available balance, an active bank account in Seller Central, and a 24-hour gap between requests. The move noticeably eases the liquidity squeeze from the DD+7 transition — sellers still facing forced migration should prepare proactively to avoid being stuck in an extended payout backlog during peak season.
On May 5, Amazon announced its largest-ever investment in France: over €15B between 2026 and 2028 and 7,000+ permanent jobs across four new fulfillment centers in Illiers-Combray, Beauvais, Colombier-Saugnieu (all 2026), and Ensisheim (late 2027). The build-out densifies Amazon's logistics footprint in southeast and northern France, bringing FBA inventory closer to shoppers — expect faster delivery promise times and potentially better Pan-EU routing over time. EU sellers should monitor the impact on FBA and Pan-EU placement strategy starting Q3 2026.
On May 4, Amazon launched Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS), unifying freight (ocean, air, ground, rail), distribution & fulfillment, parcel shipping (2–5 day), and AI forecasting under one portal at supplychain.amazon.com — available to any business, not just Amazon sellers. Initial enterprise customers include Procter & Gamble, 3M, Lands' End, and American Eagle. For FBA and MCF sellers, the move signals Amazon stepping into direct UPS/FedEx competition — expect broader MCF-style options for off-Amazon channels over time, but note the optical contrast with the 3.5% fuel surcharge that just took effect for existing marketplace sellers (FBA April 17, MCF/Buy with Prime May 2).
Amazon made Rufus significantly more agentic: the AI shopping assistant now shows 365 days of price history (up from 30/90) for 50M+ shoppers in the U.S., UK, and India, and customers can set auto-buy and price-alert tasks like 'buy this sweater when it drops under $30' — orders stay active for six months and save shoppers ~20% on average. Amazon also launched Scheduled Actions for recurring purchases and a cross-merchant 'Shop Direct' capability. Implication for sellers: those who inflate list prices before promotions and then 'discount' will be exposed by the longer reference window — stable pricing and honest promo cadence become a competitive edge, and ad and listing strategy should increasingly optimize for Rufus conversations rather than keyword search alone.
Amazon launched Canvas inside Seller Central — an AI-powered visual workspace where sellers ask a question (or pick a suggested prompt) and get personalized dashboards with performance insights, trends, and recommended actions. Built on Amazon Bedrock and Claude, Canvas combines seller data with Amazon's 25 years of marketplace expertise; use cases span inventory decisions, marketing optimization, and product launch planning. The feature is live today at no cost for all sellers in the U.S. and U.K., with more countries and languages planned for 2026 — EU sellers should track the rollout and start auditing data hygiene so they can act on AI insights when Canvas arrives in their market.
Amazon Ads booked $17.2B in Q1 2026, up 22% year-over-year, with trailing 12-month revenue topping $70B. CEO Andy Jassy highlighted three growth drivers: Creative Agent — Amazon's AI ad-creation tool — is now available in seven additional countries, Rufus brand integrations are keeping over 20% of shoppers in continued brand conversations, and new partnerships with Netflix and Comcast expand the premium streaming inventory. Jassy framed agentic commerce as a structural ad opportunity: multi-turn shopping conversations create multiple surfaces for organic and sponsored product placements — brands should pilot Creative Agent now and optimize listings for AI conversations.
Amazon released its 2025 Small Business Empowerment Report: more than 75,000 independent sellers surpassed $1M in sales in 2025, a 36% increase year-over-year, while U.S. sellers averaged over $375K in annual sales. Generative AI tools produced 12 million sales-ready listings, and the agentic Seller Assistant reached 230,000 monthly users with sellers accepting over 90% of its recommendations. Sellers not yet using AI for listing optimization and account management should evaluate the tooling now — adoption is mainstream and Amazon is investing heavily in agentic seller workflows.
Amazon officially confirmed that Prime Day 2026 will run in June, pulling the event forward from its traditional July window. The simultaneous launch covers 26 markets including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, UK, US, and Canada, with Australia, Brazil, India, and Japan participating later in the summer. EU and US sellers should rebudget ad spend and FBA inventory for June rather than July, hit the April 30 early-bird deal submission deadline, and prepare listings for traffic spikes four to six weeks earlier than prior planning.
Amazon expanded its "Hear the highlights" AI audio feature with "Join the chat": U.S. shoppers can interrupt the audio summary on product detail pages to ask text or voice questions and get real-time answers. The AI draws on listing content, customer reviews, and publicly available web information. For sellers, this means bullets, A+ content, and reviews are now the knowledge base behind purchase decisions — listings should read clearly, lead with benefits, and avoid keyword stuffing so the AI surfaces the right answers. Rolling out today on iOS and Android in the U.S.
Amazon reports that 100,000+ EU SMEs surpassed €40B in sales on Amazon in 2025, with cross-border exports reaching €17B (up €2B year-over-year). On the policy side, Amazon is calling on the EU to extend the Deemed Supplier rule to all marketplace sales, so the platform collects VAT regardless of where the seller is based. The change would cut compliance burden across 27 national VAT regimes for EU sellers and close the gap with non-EU sellers who already benefit from simplified collection. Relevant for EU seller planning; actual implementation depends on EU legislation.
Amazon Prime Day 2026 is expected in late June. Sellers submitting Best Deals or Lightning Deals by April 30 save $50 on the $100 upfront fee per promotion. The final deal submission window closes May 26, with FBA inventory cutoffs of May 27 (minimal shipment splits) and June 5 (Amazon-optimized splits). Missing the early bird date means paying the full fee.
Amazon launched the Summer Beauty Event 2026 running April 27 through May 10, featuring deals on makeup, skincare, sunscreen, and lip care. Sellers with beauty and personal-care products should quickly set up coupons, Lightning Deals, and Brand Promotions in Seller Central to capture the elevated traffic and promotional visibility during the 14-day window. Adjust inventory and ad budgets accordingly.
Effective April 26, 2026, USPS imposes a temporary 8% surcharge on Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select — running through January 17, 2027. First-Class stamps are unchanged. Amazon FBM sellers shipping via USPS should review shipping templates in Seller Central, recalculate Buy Shipping pricing, and factor the increase on top of the 3.5% FBA fuel surcharge when modeling Q2 promotional margins.
Starting April 23, 2026, a submitted List Price must be substantiated by real transactions — either actual Featured Offer purchases on Amazon at that price, or recent pricing at another retailer. Without valid proof, the strike-through display and savings percentage disappear entirely from the listing. Sellers should audit all ASINs now and ensure their List Prices reflect genuine, verifiable market prices before the change takes effect.
Amazon has announced Pet Days 2026 running May 11–15, expanding the event to five full days for the first time (previously two days). Sellers with pet products should create deals, coupons, and promotions in Seller Central now to capture the increased buyer traffic. The event targets Prime members during National Pet Month and covers pet food, toys, grooming, apparel, and health care products.
Amazon has expanded several FBA programs specifically for sellers with products priced above $50: automatic reimbursements for missing inbound units without manual claims, Amazon Product Support allowing up to 50% partial refunds to cut costly returns, and FBA Grade & Resell for professional inspection and relisting of returned items. Sellers in this segment should also leverage FBA New Selection benefits — a 10% sales rebate and three months of free storage — to reduce launch risk.
Hundreds of high-revenue Amazon sellers paused their ad campaigns for 24 hours on April 15. Organized by Million Dollar Sellers (700+ members, ~$14B collective revenue), the boycott targeted three simultaneous changes: the DD+7 payout rule, automatic ad cost deductions from proceeds, and the 3.5% fuel surcharge. Amazon responded immediately by deferring the ad billing change to August 1, 2026 — a rare public concession.
Amazon has paused its planned switch to automatic deduction of advertising costs from seller account balances, pushing the change to August 1, 2026. The decision followed significant seller backlash — many cited the concurrent FBA fuel surcharge and fee increases as making the timing especially burdensome, with some organizing a one-day ad boycott on April 15. Sellers now have additional time to set up their payment method via account balance or Pay by Invoice.
Starting April 15, 2026, Amazon automatically deducts advertising costs from retail proceeds for a subset of advertisers instead of charging credit cards. Affected sellers are those still paying via credit card — the majority are already on this model. 'Pay by Invoice' with Net 30 payment terms is available as an alternative; credit cards remain a backup option.
Amazon announced the acquisition of Globalstar to expand its Project Kuiper satellite network. Relevant for sellers: Kuiper aims to improve logistics and delivery to remote areas long-term.
Amazon published an updated guide on how sellers can maximize their chances of winning the Featured Offer (formerly Buy Box). Key factors remain price, availability, and seller performance.
Amazon is adding a 3.5% surcharge on FBA fulfillment fees in the US and Canada starting April 17, 2026. On average, this adds $0.17 per unit. Reason: elevated fuel and logistics costs. Starting May 2, the surcharge also applies to Multi-Channel Fulfillment and Buy with Prime.
From May 1, 2026, Amazon charges FBA remission and disposal fees per unit at the time of remission instead of as a lump sum after completion. Sellers should adapt their accounting systems as more individual transactions will occur.
From June 1, 2026, Amazon calculates VAT at shipment level instead of per unit to comply with EU e-invoicing requirements. Invoice amounts may differ slightly for multi-unit purchases. Sellers with custom accounting systems should review the transition.
Since March 26, 2026, qualifying sellers in the EU receive credits up to EUR 47,250 within one week instead of the previous month-long timeline. EU stores (DE, FR, IT, ES) are now treated separately from the UK store, allowing independent bonus qualification.
Amazon testified before the New York City Council on the proposed Delivery Protection Act. The legislation could introduce new regulations for delivery services and last-mile logistics that would also affect FBA deliveries in NYC.
Heat-sensitive FBA products (chocolate, candles, etc.) must be removed from Amazon warehouses by April 20, 2026. Starting May 1, Amazon will dispose of remaining units at a fee. Sellers with seasonal meltable products should create removal orders immediately.
