#177 - Amazon Puts a Price on Essential Seller Tools, New Dashboard, and more
Hot News
Amazon Monetizes the Software Layer Sellers Depend On
Amazon’s introduction of API fees for third-party developers represents another margin squeeze on sellers, this time arriving indirectly through the software tools that have become essential to operate on the platform. Starting January 2026, the fees will force software companies to raise subscription prices or reduce service quality, adding costs to sellers who already pay 50-60% of revenue to Amazon in various fees.
marketplacepulse.com
Amazon Announces New Dashboard ahead of Expected January Returns Tsunami
Amazon announced a new returns dashboard for sellers to get “clearer insights into your returns and inventory recovery,” in one central location, regardless of channel. It comes at an opportune time: Amazon’s extended holiday returns policy requires that items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2025, can be returned until January 31, 2026.
ecommercebytes.com
Amazon is a more complex phenomenon than a highly successful marketplace selling its items and enabling third-party vendors to use its platform to sell its products. It is a multinational technology company relying on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Amazon enjoys a reputation as the world’s most influential economic and cultural force.
investing.com
Good to Know
In 2000, Amazon made a decision that would reshape retail forever: welcoming independent sellers to sell in our store alongside Amazon's own retail business. What began as a bold idea to expand selection has grown into one of the most transformative partnerships in the history of the retail industry. Since then, millions of entrepreneurs have partnered with Amazon to build and scale their businesses by selling in our store. Together, we’ve brought creativity, innovation, and economic opportunity to entrepreneurs of all sizes and their communities around the world.
aboutamazon.com
Amazon’s retail business now accounts for just 40.5% of the company’s total revenue, marking a new milestone in its evolution from an online bookstore to a commerce infrastructure provider. In Q3 2025, the company generated $73 billion from combined online and physical store sales, while its service businesses – third-party seller fees, advertising, subscriptions, AWS, and its ‘others’ category – delivered $107 billion. It’s a trajectory that has been consistent for years, but the milestone is nonetheless significant: 60% and rising of Amazon is now providing services rather than selling products
marketplacepulse.com
Flywheel's New Reporting Metric Lets Brands Visualize Amazon Customer Data
Omnicom’s retail agency Flywheel is launching a new measurement platform built on Amazon measurement tools, aimed at helping advertisers better allocate Amazon budgets. Flywheel’s clients can use a tool, dubbed the Return on Consumer Dashboard. The tool stitches together data from Amazon’s clean room solution called Amazon Marketing Cloud, Amazon Brand Metrics, and Amazon’s API that forecasts reach, according to Flywheel’s vp of product, Gabe Fishbein.
adweek.com
Amazon launches FBM Ship+ in Europe
Amazon has added a new shipping option for merchants in its five largest European markets. Sellers shipping from China can benefit from fast delivery at no additional cost, according to Amazon. The solution will later be available for domestic shipments as well. FBM Ship+ is designed for sellers who handle their own order fulfillment on Amazon. This is done under the Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) label, as opposed to Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA).
ecommercenews.eu
Amazon emails sellers to gauge how Trump's tariffs are affecting their businesses
Amazon is reaching out to third-party merchants, who account for the majority of products the company sells, to gauge how President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs are affecting their businesses. Members of Amazon’s seller relations team began contacting some U.S. merchants last week, according to an email viewed by CNBC. The email asks how the “current U.S. tariff situation” has impacted sellers’ sourcing and pricing strategies, logistics operations and plans to ship goods into Amazon warehouses.
aol.com
Amazon tweaks seller rates as festival sales end
The company has increased the fee it charges for storing inventory in its warehouses by Rs 5 per cubic foot per month, to Rs 50. Additionally, it is not going to reimburse sellers the closing fee for returned orders. This is what’s charged to sellers for products sold on the platform, and ranges between Rs 6 and 21 based on the category.
msn.com
The future of Amazon returns management for third-party sellers
Amazon's marketplace keeps evolving and so does the complexity of managing returns. Between stricter metrics, changing FBA rules, and growing consumer expectations for easy returns, third-party sellers must adapt or lose visibility and viability. The future belongs to sellers who embrace automation, deploy analytics, and build customer first policies balancing efficiency with trust. That evolution is happening now as Amazon raises standards for seller performance. Sellers staying ahead of changes thrive while those resistant to evolution get left behind.
retailtechinnovationhub.com
Amazon sues Perplexity over covert AI agent access to marketplace
Amazon filed a federal lawsuit against Perplexity AI on November 4, 2025, alleging the startup deployed covert artificial intelligence agents into the e-commerce platform's systems without authorization. The complaint, filed in the Northern District of California, marks the first time Amazon has taken legal action against an AI company over autonomous shopping agents.
ppc.land
Retailers are raising prices to meet tariffs. Amazon is hiking more than others
Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have given the country’s retailers another cost to manage during a period of persistent inflation. While many are navigating the change with limited price increases, marketplace giant Amazon is hiking more than others. Price increases are common for retailers trying to blunt higher costs from tariffs. Companies including Walmart and Target have said they are employing a portfolio approach to pricing following the tariff hikes, meaning they have raised prices on some items but not others.
cnbc.com
Podcasts
The AI Playbook for Amazon Sellers
n this episode, let’s talk about how AI is transforming Amazon selling, from product research and listings to ads, Rufus optimization, and TikTok Shop growth. Could AI be the game-changer for Amazon sellers striving for efficiency and scalability on a budget? Join us as Shivali Patel from Helium 10 and e-commerce expert Leo Sgovio unpack the transformative role of AI in revolutionizing e-commerce. We'll explore how AI tools are streamlining essential processes like product research, SEO, and ad creation, eliminating the need for large teams and hefty budgets.
amazon.com