Amazon Seller School, How to Sell on Amazon

Amazon Sellers, this week’s headlines are a wake-up call for anyone running a serious business on the platform. From Amazon suing Perplexity over rogue AI shopping bots, to China’s new tax data-sharing rules, to fee hikes and the rollout of “Doorstep Returns,” the future of selling online just got more complicated—and a lot more interesting.  Full News: https://amazonseller.school/amazon-news-ai-battles-faster-prime-shipping-costly-returns-rip-virtual-bundles/ Let’s dig in. AI isn’t just changing e-commerce—it’s taking Amazon to court. Amazon’s lawsuit against Perplexity reveals a growing war between platforms and AI browsers that bypass ads and traditional storefronts. Sellers should be watching closely—these tools could reshape how customers find and buy products online. https://www.pcmag.com/news/amazon-sends-perplexity-a-cease-and-desist-over-its-ai-agents-shopping Data transparency just went global. Starting this quarter, Amazon will begin sharing revenue and identity data for all China-based sellers directly with the Chinese tax bureau. It’s a move that signals rising scrutiny on international sellers—and a future where no marketplace operates outside regulatory reach. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202510/16/WS68f0999ea310f735438b55e8.html Developers are getting a new bill—and sellers might feel it next. Amazon’s updated SP-API fee structure means tool providers could soon pass rising costs to users. If your business relies on data dashboards, automation, or campaign optimizers, expect subscription prices to climb in 2026. https://developer.amazonservices.com/spp-announcement Convenience always costs someone—and now it’s sellers. With Amazon Doorstep Returns, customers can ship items back from their own homes, making returns frictionless—but at the expense of seller margins. Return fraud, restocking costs, and free shipping expectations are becoming the new battlefield for profitability. https://myamazonguy.com/news/amazon-doorstep-returns/ We’ll break down what these changes mean for sellers who want to stay competitive without getting crushed by new rules, rising costs, and AI-driven chaos.

Amazon Sellers — the marketplace is shifting fast. Amazon’s new “Help Me Decide” shopping tool is changing discovery, ChatGPT is driving traffic but not sales, and AI-powered browsers are reimagining the entire customer journey. Plus, shoppers are spending again—but they’re smarter, cautious, and more value-driven than ever. Full News: https://amazonseller.school/amazon-news-new-ai-shopping-tool-holiday-spending-trends-key-seller-updates/ Let’s dig into what really moves the needle this week.  Amazon Sellers are about to face a smarter shopper. Amazon’s new Help Me Decide feature compares products, prices, and reviews automatically—rewarding clear data and penalizing weak listings. Amazon’s New AI Shopping Tool “Help Me Decide” Transforms Product Discovery https://www.fastcompany.com/91427815/amazon-new-ai-shopping-feature-is-actually-pretty-helpful Holiday spending is up, but expectations are higher. Shopify reports a 24% rise in global sales—driven by discounts, bundles, and AI-assisted shopping—but customers are demanding frictionless, multi-channel consistency. Spending Rebounds as AI Shapes the 2025 Holiday Shopping Season https://www.shopify.com/news/global-holiday-retail-report-2025 ChatGPT sends traffic, not conversions (yet). While AI referrals are growing, conversion rates still lag behind traditional search. Sellers should watch this channel closely—it’s early, but evolving fast. ChatGPT Sends Traffic, But Sales Still Lag Behind Traditional Channels https://digiday.com/marketing/e-commerce-sites-see-low-sales-from-chatgpt-traffic-new-study-finds/ Browsing just got intelligent. OpenAI’s new ChatGPT Atlas Browser embeds AI into every webpage—summarizing, comparing, and automating on the fly. If this sticks, product discovery may soon start before Amazon search. OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Atlas Browser to Challenge Chrome’s Dominance https://clickup.com/blog/hub/ai/news/openai-launches-chatgpt-atlas-browser/

Amazon Sellers — the competition just raised the bar again. Walmart’s AI-powered ChatGPT checkout goes live, Amazon experiments with price transparency, and ad spend frustration is hitting a boiling point. Add reshoring trends and new marketplace dynamics, and the seller landscape is shifting fast. Full News: https://amazonseller.school/amazon-news-prime-fatigue-fee-hikes-and-ai-competition-shape-the-future-of-e-commerce/ Let’s break down what really matters for your business today.  Walmart just went all-in on AI. Shoppers can now browse and buy directly inside ChatGPT — making frictionless, conversational commerce a reality. Walmart Launches AI-First Shopping Experience: Checkout Within ChatGPT https://www.pymnts.com/partnerships/2025/walmart-launches-ai-first-shopping-experience-customers-can-checkout-within-chatgpt/ Amazon ads are burning cash and patience. Sellers reveal just how hard it’s become to drive sales without pouring money into PPC — and not all clicks convert. Amazon Sellers Reveal Pay-to-Play Reality as Advertising Campaigns Fail to Generate Sales https://www.indexbox.io/blog/amazon-sellers-reveal-pay-to-play-reality-as-advertising-campaigns-fail-to-generate-sales/ Reshoring is gaining traction again. More brands are moving production closer to home for speed, control, and the “Made in USA” edge. Reshoring Is Supply Chain Flexibility https://www.practicalecommerce.com/reshoring-is-supply-chain-flexibility Amazon is testing a new kind of transparency. The new “Price History” feature lets shoppers see past pricing — meaning sellers will need consistent, defensible discounting strategies. Amazon Tests “Price History” Feature — Transparency Just Became a Pricing Strategy https://www.linkedin.com/posts/raya-gurnett_new-amazon-feature-alert-the-price-history-activity-7385887309126127616-dkmV/  

Amazon Sellers — this week’s headlines hit everything from policy power plays to predictive breakthroughs. From new appeal tools and rising FBA fees to AI that knows what shoppers will buy before they do—this one’s packed with strategy-shifting updates you don’t want to miss. Full News: https://amazonseller.school/amazon-news-fba-fee-hikes-new-dd7-payouts-prime-growth-q4-deadlines/ Let’s dive into what’s really shaping the marketplace this week.  Amazon Sellers finally get a second chance. The new Seller Challenge lets AHA-eligible sellers dispute unfair enforcement decisions in just 48 hours. It’s fast, limited, and worth using wisely. Listing Unfairly Flagged? The New Amazon Seller Challenge Benefit Lets You Dispute Rulings https://myamazonguy.com/news/amazon-seller-challenge-benefit/ FBA fees are climbing again. Starting January 2026, fulfillment, storage, and removal rates all tick up—while Amazon slows delivery for low-volume products. Plan for thinner margins and sharper inventory control. Amazon FBA Raises Fees, Changes Delivery Promises https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/abblog/blog.pl?/pl/2025/10/1760648210.html AI just got creepily good at predicting what people buy. New research shows language models can forecast purchase intent with 90% accuracy—no training needed. Product validation may never look the same. AI That Predicts What Shoppers Will Buy? It’s Already Here https://www.linkedin.com/posts/emollick_this-paper-shows-that-you-can-predict-actual-activity-7382423499325464576-gluw/ Temu’s getting a visit from regulators. Germany’s cartel office is investigating the marketplace for allegedly influencing third-party merchant pricing—raising the stakes for global e-commerce competition. German Cartel Office Investigating Temu Over Merchant Price Influencing https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/german-cartel-office-investigating-temu-over-merchant-price-influencing-2025-10-08/

Amazon Sellers — the headlines this week are a reality check. Prime Day fizzled, Washington is taxing digital ads, Amazon rolled out new refund tools, and critics are calling out fee creep as margins shrink. Full News: https://amazonseller.school/amazon-news-prime-day-disappoints-ad-taxes-rise-returns-tighten-q4-challenges-ahead/ Join me today as we cut through the noise and focus on what actually hits your bottom line.  Amazon Sellers, October’s Prime Day fell flat. Shoppers bought basics, not splurges—signaling Q4 demand will be harder to capture. Washington State just expanded taxes on digital ads and tech services. This adds costs for campaigns, development, and staffing, with lawsuits already underway. Amazon’s new “Add to Delivery” feature lets shoppers bundle items into existing orders. That means bigger baskets for Prime-eligible products. Critics say Amazon has gone “past its prime.” Sellers face higher fees, mandatory programs, and search results cluttered with ads—while Amazon keeps more of every dollar. And sellers now get more control with partial refunds on FBA returns. This change cuts return costs and gives sellers more flexibility across six major markets. Here’s what we’ll cover today: Amazon’s October Prime Day Underwhelms Shoppers, Signaling Caution For Holiday 2025 https://bitcoinethereumnews.com/finance/amazon-october-prime-day-underwhelms-shoppers-signaling-caution-for-holiday-2025/ Washington to Tax Digital Ads and Tech Services https://www.avalara.com/blog/en/north-america/2025/07/washington-digital-ad-tech-tax.html Washington’s Digital Advertising Tax – An Assault on Innovation https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/washingtons-digital-advertising-tax-an-assault-on-innovation Amazon Now Lets Prime Members Add Items to Completed Orders https://www.theverge.com/news/790703/amazon-prime-add-to-deliver-mobile-app-online-store Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish? https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/05/way-past-its-prime-how-did-amazon-get-so-rubbish Manage FBA Returns with Partial Refunds https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/5935f007-115c-47f2-8ea9-49d8d8c441c4

Amazon Sellers — the battlefield just shifted again. Full News: https://amazonseller.school/amazon-news-ai-shakeups-payout-controversy-holiday-sales-wars/ AI isn’t just talking about your products, it’s now selling them. Walmart, Etsy, and Shopify are catching a wave of AI-driven traffic while Amazon tightens its walls with Rufus. Meanwhile, China-based sellers now make up more than half of Amazon’s seller base, and Amazon itself is pushing a new grocery brand where almost everything is under $5. That’s not all—ChatGPT’s new instant checkout is already moving stock for Etsy and soon Shopify. Deals, traffic, and competition are changing fast, and sellers need to keep pace. Join me as we break it all down. News We’ll Cover: ChatGPT is now 20% of Walmart’s referral traffic — while Amazon wards off AI shopping agents https://www.modernretail.co/technology/chatgpt-is-now-20-of-walmarts-referral-traffic-while-amazon-wards-off-ai-shopping-agents/ AI Effect: Etsy Pops 16% as OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Instant Checkout https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/29/chatgpt-instant-checkout-etsy-shopify.html ChatGPT Checkout Isn’t for Every Purchase https://www.linkedin.com/posts/juozas_chatgpt-checkout-is-for-boring-and-expensive-activity-7379504585335459840-DcDu/ China Reaches Global Majority on Amazon https://www.marketplacepulse.com/articles/china-reaches-global-majority-on-amazon Amazon Debuts New Grocery Brand With Nearly Everything Under $5 https://www.fastcompany.com/91414414/amazon-debuts-new-grocery-brand-with-nearly-everything-under-5

Amazon Sellers  — this week’s headlines are packed with platform shifts, regulatory pressure, and rising competition. From Amazon’s Accelerate 2025 announcements to Alibaba courting brands, the landscape is moving fast. Full News: https://amazonseller.school/amazon-news-ftc-settlement-ai-seller-tools-new-fees-walmart-counterfeits/ I’ll break it down today so you know what matters before Q4 heats up. 🎯📦 Amazon’s Accelerate pitch was loaded with AI demos, but the biggest cheer came when they killed commingling. For sellers, that means less liability, fewer counterfeits, and $600M in potential savings. There’s also a new FBA Business fee discount. Multi-unit orders now bring better margins if you apply volume pricing. Meanwhile, Amazon just agreed to a $2.5B FTC settlement. Prime’s “hard to cancel” tactics are being scrapped, and sellers should take note: regulatory pressure is ramping up. Alibaba is luring Amazon brands with cheaper fees and shipping. Europe and LATAM are in their sights, and that could tempt sellers looking beyond Amazon. And Walmart’s marketplace growth is under fire. A CNBC report shows fake storefronts, stolen IDs, and counterfeit goods are slipping through—something Amazon sellers can use to highlight compliance as a competitive edge. Here’s what we’re covering today: Takeaways from Amazon’s pitch at its annual conference for third-party sellers https://www.modernretail.co/operations/what-amazon-pitched-at-its-annual-conference-for-third-party-sellers/ Amazon Introduces FBA Multi-Unit Fee Discount for Business Orders https://www.linkedin.com/posts/vanessaamazonproblemsolver_amazon-fba-amazonfba-activity-7377090701043429376-WQVu/ Amazon to pay $2.5B in FTC settlement over ‘deceptive’ Prime tactics https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/25/amazon-to-pay-2-5b-in-ftc-settlement-over-deceptive-prime-tactics/ How Alibaba (BABA) Is Trying to Win Over Well-Known Amazon Sellers https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/topstocks/how-alibaba-baba-is-trying-to-win-over-well-known-amazon-sellers/ar-AA1N53Sv Walmart Marketplace Growth Tied to Lax Vetting, Counterfeits, and Stolen Seller Identities https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/19/walmart-marketplace-fakes-scams-investigation.html Sharp, direct, and focused on seller impact—not headlines that don’t matter.

Amazon Sellers, this week’s updates are reshaping how we sell, advertise, and fulfill. From Amazon’s push into agentic AI to the long-awaited death of commingling, the landscape is shifting fast. Add in a Netflix ad partnership and FBA powering Walmart orders, and you’ve got a recipe for disruption. Full News: https://amazonseller.school/amazon-news-ai-tools-no-more-commingling-netflix-ads-holiday-prep/ Join me today for the details and strategies that matter. The age of agentic AI is here. Amazon’s new Bedrock-powered assistant goes beyond automation—taking on pricing, ads, and even account health. Commingling is finally dead. Your inventory stays yours, counterfeit risk drops, and sellers save an estimated $600M in relabeling. Then there’s Netflix teaming with Amazon Ads. Programmatic access to Netflix inventory could be your new storytelling channel. And Amazon’s Multi-Channel Fulfillment just leveled up. Now it covers Walmart, Shopify, and SHEIN—one inventory pool fueling multiple sales channels. Here’s what we’re covering live today: AI Takes the Helm: Agentic AI Transforms the Amazon Seller Experience https://markets.financialcontent.com/wral/article/marketminute-2025-9-18-ai-takes-the-helm-agentic-ai-transforms-the-amazon-seller-experience

Amazon sellers 🚨 — the platform is shifting fast. Deals are outperforming coupons, AI is sending more traffic than ever, and new product discovery tools are redefining how customers shop. Full News: https://amazonseller.school/amazon-news-deals-beat-coupons-virtual-multipacks-launch-and-usps-shake-up/ I'm diving into this week's most critical updates so you're not left behind in Q4 prep. Tune in — we'll break it down together, data and all. Amazon Shoppers Like Deals Better Than Coupons https://www.newsbreak.com/coupons-in-the-news-2337435/4222970197595-it-s-official-amazon-shoppers-like-deals-better-than-coupons Gen AI drives a 4,700% surge in traffic to shopping sites in the US: Adobe https://www.retailbrew.com/stories/2025/08/25/gen-ai-drives-a-4-700-surge-in-traffic-to-shopping-sites-in-the-us-adobe Amazon Rolls Out Virtual Multipacks. How Will Your Business Adapt? https://myamazonguy.com/news/amazon-rolls-out-virtual-multipacks/ Introducing Amazon Lens Live: Instant scanning, real-time product matches, and insights from Amazon’s AI Shopping Assistant https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/search-image-amazon-lens-live-shopping-rufus

Amazon Sellers — this week’s headlines are packed with retail power plays and platform strategy shifts. Full News: https://amazonseller.school/amazon-news-variation-policy-reversed-macys-ads-via-amazon-rising-fba-costs/ We’ll dive into Walmart’s latest push into brick-and-click commerce, a billion-dollar Amazon seller face-off, and what a reversal on variation cleanups means for Q4 prep. 🚨 Join me as we break it all down with no fluff—just strategy. Amazon Sellers — Walmart’s aiming to put your listings in their aisles. The retail giant is testing QR codes in stores that promote third-party marketplace listings—bringing online-only products into the physical world, without added fees. This is a big step for multichannel sellers watching Walmart as a rising force. https://www.modernretail.co/technology/walmart-is-testing-a-new-way-to-show-off-products-from-third-party-marketplace-sellers-in-stores/ Two billion-dollar Amazon strategies go head-to-head. Pattern (reseller model) vs. Anker (brand builder). One IPO, one household name. This isn’t just about business models—it’s about what type of Amazon success the market is willing to reward. https://www.marketplacepulse.com/articles/pattern-the-anti-anker Amazon buyers are shifting their dollars to essentials—but they’re paying more. Searches in Health & Household and Grocery are up. Electronics and Apparel are slipping. If you’re in essentials, this is your pricing opportunity. For the rest, it’s time to rethink your value narrative. https://www.momentumcommerce.com/amazon-search-price-analysis/ Variation chaos averted. Amazon reversed its variation theme cleanup policy after seller backlash. Only variations with zero sales in the last 12 months are now at risk. If your variation structure still drives traffic—breathe easy. For now. https://ppc.land/amazon-halts-variation-theme-cleanup-after-seller-backlash/#google_vignette Let’s dig into what these moves mean for your margins, marketplace strategy, and fourth-quarter game plan.