Amazon officially ends commingling on March 31, reshaping inventory management for brands and resellers alike. Meanwhile, the platform launches ultra-fast delivery options and surveys sellers about FBA returns, signaling more operational changes ahead.
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News
Amazon Ends Commingling Policy March 31 2026
Amazon officially ends commingling of pooled inventory from multiple sellers, protecting brand listings.
Why This Matters: This major policy change directly impacts inventory management workflows for resellers while giving brand owners more control over their product quality and listing integrity. Operators need immediate action on labeling processes while brands can reduce channel-locking costs.
Amazon launches 1-hour shipping in US cities to challenge Walmart
Amazon introduces new ultra-fast delivery options that could impact seller fulfillment expectations and competitive positioning.
Why This Matters: Ultra-fast delivery expectations may drive changes to FBA and MCF requirements as Amazon competes directly with Walmart’s rapid fulfillment. This signals increased platform focus on delivery speed over cost optimization.
Amazon Surveys Sellers on FBA Returns Solutions
Amazon is surveying sellers about FBA returns solutions, indicating potential policy or process changes ahead.
Why This Matters: Surveying sellers about returns processes typically precedes policy updates that could affect seller costs and inventory recovery rates. This suggests Amazon is evaluating changes to returns handling and associated fees.
Amazon Sellers Can Now Purchase Multiple Shipping Labels for Multi-Box Orders
Amazon’s Buy Shipping feature now allows sellers to purchase multiple shipping labels simultaneously for orders requiring multiple boxes.
Why This Matters: This workflow improvement reduces time spent on label purchasing for multi-box orders. Operators handling large or fragile products can streamline fulfillment processes and reduce manual shipping tasks.
Amazon updates dashboard with new returns and recovery insights for sellers
Amazon has enhanced its seller dashboard to provide improved analytics and monitoring capabilities for product returns and recovery processes.
Why This Matters: Enhanced returns analytics help operators identify patterns affecting profitability and inventory loss. Better recovery insights allow brands to optimize product design and reduce return rates through data-driven decisions.
System-wide FBA listings outage affects Amazon sellers with intermittent ASIN impacts
Amazon is experiencing a system-wide outage affecting FBA listings, with sellers reporting intermittent impacts across their ASINs.
Why This Matters: System-wide FBA outages directly impact sales velocity and inventory visibility during critical selling periods. Operators should monitor listing status and document revenue impact for potential compensation claims.
Amazon Dominates US E-Commerce with $300B in Third-Party Sales
Amazon leads with $300 billion in third-party sales, vastly outpacing eBay and newer competitors like Temu, TikTok Shop, and Walmart.
Why This Matters: Amazon’s $300 billion third-party sales dominance reinforces its position as the primary marketplace for scaling brands. This market leadership suggests continued platform investment and policy influence over competitor platforms.
Amazon expands Shop Direct with three new partners
Marketplace adds new direct-from-brand partners to Shop Direct program expansion.
Why This Matters: Shop Direct expansion creates new competitive pressures as Amazon favors direct brand partnerships over third-party sellers. This signals platform evolution toward brand-centric fulfillment models that could affect seller visibility.
Amazon reportedly planning to slash USPS shipping volume significantly
Amazon may cut USPS package volume by two-thirds, potentially affecting seller delivery options.
Why This Matters: Reduced USPS volume could impact seller shipping costs and delivery speed options as Amazon shifts logistics strategies. This may force changes to Seller Fulfilled Prime requirements and MCF delivery promises.
Court allows Perplexity AI temporary access to Amazon site
Judge grants AI shopping agent access to Amazon despite platform’s objections.
Why This Matters: This legal precedent for third-party AI access could reshape how customers discover products outside Amazon’s algorithm. Brands may need to optimize for external AI tools while operators face potential changes to platform data access policies.
UPS reduces Amazon deliveries, potential logistics impact
UPS move to reduce Amazon deliveries could affect seller shipping options and logistics strategies.
Why This Matters: UPS reducing Amazon deliveries may impact shipping rate negotiations and delivery timeframes for seller-fulfilled orders. This carrier relationship shift could affect MCF service levels and backup shipping options.
Amazon doesn’t want blame for Post Office financial troubles
Amazon distances itself from USPS financial issues amid shipping contract disputes.
Why This Matters: USPS contract disputes could lead to shipping cost increases and delivery delays that affect seller operations. This suggests potential instability in last-mile delivery options for smaller sellers who rely on USPS rates.
Amazon Introduces AI-Assisted Advertising Tools for Sellers
Success on Amazon will increasingly depend on strong content architecture and clear product storytelling rather than just large advertising budgets.
Why This Matters: AI-assisted advertising tools will shift competitive advantage from budget size to content quality and strategic targeting. This levels the playing field for smaller brands while requiring operators to invest more in content creation and optimization.
Amazon Acquires Swiss Robotics Startup Rivr for Last-Mile Delivery
Amazon quietly acquired Rivr, developing four-legged delivery robots to automate doorstep package delivery from vans.
Why This Matters: Robotics acquisitions signal Amazon’s continued investment in delivery automation that could eventually reduce fulfillment costs. This long-term infrastructure development may improve FBA economics and delivery reliability for sellers.
Seller Tips & Tricks
Technical SEO Strategies for Amazon FBA Ranking Optimization
My Amazon Guy provides technical SEO tactics to improve FBA product rankings and drive sales.
Why This Matters: Technical SEO tactics can improve organic ranking without increasing advertising spend. These optimization strategies help operators maximize visibility while brands build sustainable competitive advantages through better search positioning.
Improve Amazon Product ChatGPT Rankings Through Citation Enhancement
Amazon seller improved product ranking from 9th to 3rd in ChatGPT recommendations by enhancing citations and content.
Why This Matters: AI search tools like ChatGPT are becoming product discovery channels that bypass Amazon’s algorithm entirely. Optimizing for AI recommendations could drive external traffic and reduce dependence on Amazon advertising.
Guide Explains How to Resolve Amazon Seller Support Tickets and Escalate Issues
Ecommerce Intelligence provides practical strategies for Amazon sellers to break ticket loops and properly escalate support issues.
Why This Matters: Efficient support escalation saves time and prevents revenue loss from unresolved account issues. These tactics help operators maintain account health while brands protect their platform relationship during critical problems.
eBay’s Automated Feedback System Offers Ideas for Amazon Sellers
Comparison of eBay’s new automated feedback features with Amazon’s seller feedback systems.
Why This Matters: Cross-platform feedback automation strategies could improve Amazon seller ratings and reduce manual customer service tasks. Understanding competitor platform features helps operators identify gaps in Amazon’s feedback management tools.
Amazon Seller Profitability in 2026: What Your Numbers Hide
SellerLabs analysis reveals hidden factors affecting Amazon seller profitability and financial performance metrics.
Why This Matters: Hidden profitability factors help operators identify cost leaks and margin optimization opportunities. These insights allow brands to make better inventory and pricing decisions based on true unit economics.
TikTok Shop Affiliate vs Amazon Associates: DTC Brand Comparison 2026
Analysis comparing TikTok Shop and Amazon Associates affiliate programs for direct-to-consumer brands.
Why This Matters: Affiliate program comparisons help brands diversify traffic sources and reduce Amazon dependence. Understanding competitive affiliate structures allows operators to optimize multi-channel customer acquisition strategies.
Strong Opinions
Amazon experiences AI-induced operational hiccups
Report details Amazon’s operational challenges from AI implementation that could affect seller services and performance.
Why This Matters: AI implementation problems at Amazon directly impact seller support quality and platform reliability. These operational issues suggest sellers may face continued service disruptions and should prepare backup workflows for critical business functions.
Video of the Week
Watch This Week’s Featured Video
Todd’s Top Tip
Commingling Ends March 31. Here Is What to Do Before the Cutoff.
Use this week to check your barcode setup and inbound workflow before Amazon stops pooling inventory from different sellers on March 31.
For over a decade, Amazon fulfilled orders by grabbing the closest matching unit in its network, regardless of which seller sent it in. Two sellers shipping the same product with the same UPC had their inventory mixed together. That is commingling, and it ends on March 31, 2026 for all new inbound shipments.
The impact depends entirely on your seller type.
If you are a brand owner with the Brand Representative role in Brand Registry: This is a win. You no longer need to apply FNSKU stickers to products that already carry a manufacturer barcode like a UPC or ISBN. Amazon estimated that sellers spent roughly $600 million last year on re-stickering just to opt out of commingling. That cost is gone for qualifying brand owners. You can now ship to Amazon using your manufacturer barcode and keep that same inventory flexible across other channels.
If you are a reseller or a wholesaler currently using stickerless commingling: This requires immediate action. After March 31, every new inbound shipment must have FNSKU labels applied. No exceptions. If your workflow relies on shipping manufacturer-barcoded inventory without Amazon labels, that workflow breaks in six days. Inventory already inside FBA warehouses is grandfathered. No retroactive action needed on existing stock. But anything you ship on or after March 31 must be labeled.
One detail that trips people up: enrolling in Brand Registry with a Reseller role does not qualify you for the manufacturer barcode exemption. Only the Brand Representative role counts. Check your Brand Registry dashboard in Seller Central if you are not sure.
Your play:
- Log into Brand Registry and confirm your role. Brand Representative gets the exemption. Reseller does not.
- To switch eligible products to manufacturer barcode, go to Manage FBA Inventory. If a SKU has zero inventory in FBA and nothing in transit, you can convert it directly. Look for the conversion notification when creating shipments. If you have inventory in the system, you will need to create a new SKU for that ASIN, choose “manufacturer barcode” on the barcode selection page during setup, and phase out the old FNSKU-based SKU as that stock sells through.
- If you are a reseller, get your FNSKU labeling process locked in now. That means printed labels matching Seller Central’s exact format, with 0.25 inch white space on sides and 0.125 inch on top and bottom. If you use a prep center or 3PL, confirm they are ready for the switch.
- For any SKU where you have multiple FNSKUs pointing to the same ASIN (from past label or packaging changes), decide now whether to consolidate into a single FNSKU going forward. Messy FNSKU setups create problems with inventory tracking and fee calculations.
The bigger unlock for brand owners: Once you drop FNSKU labels and move to manufacturer barcodes, your inventory is no longer channel-locked. The same units can go to Amazon, your DTC warehouse, wholesale accounts, or retail partners without relabeling. That changes how you plan inventory. Instead of pre-allocating separate pools per channel, you can run a single pool and shift units based on where sell-through is strongest. Fewer labels, less waste, more flexibility.
If you need help restructuring your inbound workflow or evaluating 3PL partners for labeling, amazonstoragepros.com
Top Upcoming Amazon Events
- Shoptalk Las Vegas 2026 | March 24-26, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV, United States | Ecommerce
- Ecom Mastery AI featuring BDSS 2026 | April 8-12, 2026 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Amazon Seller
- IAB Connected Commerce Summit | April 14, 2026 | New York, NY, United States | Ecommerce
- Sellers Summit 2026 | April 21-23, 2026 | Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States | Amazon Seller
- eTail Toronto 2026 | May 4-5, 2026 | Toronto, Canada | Ecommerce
- B2B Online Chicago 2026 | May 4-6, 2026 | Chicago, IL, United States | Ecommerce
- Miami Sellers Conference 2026 | May 8-9, 2026 | Miami, FL, United States | Amazon Seller
- Seller Sessions Live 2026 | May 9, 2026 | London, United Kingdom | Amazon Seller
- eTail Connect Miami 2026 | May 12-14, 2026 | Miami, FL, United States | Ecommerce
- IRX&eDX Birmingham 2026 | May 19-20, 2026 | Birmingham, United Kingdom | Ecommerce
- Shoptalk Barcelona 2026 | June 9-11, 2026 | Barcelona, Spain | Ecommerce
- Sellers United 2026 | August 4-5, 2026 | Atlantic City, NJ, United States | Amazon Seller
- eTail Boston 2026 | August 10-12, 2026 | Boston, MA, United States | Ecommerce
- eTail Connect Melbourne 2026 | September 22-23, 2026 | Melbourne, Australia | Ecommerce
- Amazon Accelerate 2026 | September 22-24, 2026 | Seattle, WA, United States | Amazon Seller
- White Label World Expo Las Vegas 2026 | September 23-24, 2026 | Las Vegas, NV, United States | Amazon Seller
- eCommerce Expo London 2026 | September 23-24, 2026 | London, United Kingdom | Ecommerce
- Amazon & Ecommerce Masters Summit 2026 | October 1-2, 2026 | London, United Kingdom | Amazon Seller
- Cross Border Summit 2026 | November 3-5, 2026 | Chiang Mai, Thailand | Ecommerce
- White Label World Expo London 2026 | November 11-12, 2026 | London, United Kingdom | Amazon Seller
