Valentines spend or get blackout?

We share quick bites of Amazon seller news, tips, and other goodies every other week. Here is a quick roundup of seller snacks to munch on:

Valentine’s Day Spending Expected to Hit Record $27.5 Billion

Valentine’s Day 2025 by the Numbers:

  • Total expected spending: $27.5B (up from $25.8B in 2024)
  • Average consumer spend: $188.81
  • Participation rate: 56% of Americans

Top Gifts:

  • Candy: 56%
  • Flowers & Cards: 40% each
  • Evening out: 35%
  • Jewelry: 22%

Shopping Preferences:

  • Online: 38%
  • Department stores: 34%
  • Discount stores: 29%

As for the rest……

Read the article here.

Loophole Closed: End of Ultra-Cheap China Retail?

The US has closed the Section 321 “de minimis” loophole, which allowed Chinese e-commerce giants like Temu and Shein, and even Amazon Haul to ship low-cost goods duty-free. The move ends a period of ultra-cheap, direct-from-China retail that grew from $9.2 billion in 2016 to $54.5 billion in 2023, with Chinese sellers making up nearly 60% of shipments.

Move over, Young Sheldon

Impact:

  • Chinese platforms must now pay same import taxes as US retailers
  • Companies must choose between absorbing costs or raising prices
  • Levels playing field for US retailers after years of price disadvantage
  • Challenges Amazon Haul’s recent entry into direct-from-China retail
  • Could reshape global e-commerce landscape built on ultra-low pricing

Read the full article here.

Important Amazon Seller Updates Fo Yo’ Bad Self

Amazon to Set Minimum Thresholds for Order Handling Capacity – Amazon will be automatically setting your minimum threshold for order handling capacity starting February 7, 2025. This number shows you a conservative estimate of the volume capacity you can handle based on your average daily orders over the past 30 days.

Amazon will be recalculating this number every week based on your historical data, and will automatically adjust your threshold to what you can handle should you fall below the minimum order handling capacity.

Learn more here.

Amazon Vine Now Offers More Flexibility in Enrollment Tiers – Amazon Vine, Amazon’s review program, now allows you to move up to a higher enrollment tier within the first 30 days by enrolling more units for the same ASIN.

Learn more here.

Create Bulk Listings with Your Own Custom Spreadsheet Template – Amazon just launched a new feature on the Spreadsheet option of the “List Your Products” page which enables you to create bulk listings with your own custom spreadsheet template. You can now easily list products with catalog files you already maintain, or files downloaded from other Amazon stores.

Amazon Edges Walmart in Revenue for the 1st Time

Amazon is set to surpass Walmart in quarterly revenue for the first time, marking a major shift in retail dominance. While Walmart has held the top spot for revenue each quarter for over a decade, Amazon is expected to report $187 billion in Q4 revenue, compared to Walmart’s $180 billion.

Walmart, though, still leads in annual sales, with expected revenue of $681 billion for the latest fiscal year, but Amazon, with its projected revenue of $638 billion in 2024, is closing in fast. This is the first time Amazon’s revenue has exceeded $600 billion.

Amazon’s growth is mainly driven by Amazon Web Services (AWS), which has more than doubled in revenue since 2020. AWS now makes up 17% of total sales. The Covid pandemic of 2020 also accelerated online shopping, causing Amazon’s North American sales to double since 2019.

Read the full article here.

Amazon Flex: 9 Billion Next-Day or Same-Day Deliveries for 2024

Amazon achieved its fastest delivery speeds in 2024, delivering over 9 billion packages via same-day or next-day shipping. Prime members worldwide saved nearly $95 billion on fast, free delivery, with US members saving an average of $500 – nearly four times the annual membership fee.

Amazon expanded its same-day delivery sites by over 60%, now covering 140 metro areas. US prime members placed nearly 100 orders on average in 2024.

Read the full article here.

OA News, Tips, & Tricks

  • The Truth about Amazon Loans – Amazon loans SEEM like a good idea when it comes to scaling your OA business – fast approvals, quick cash on hand, jacked-up inventory. However, there’s a dark side to it. Before pulling the trigger, read this to see how Amazon loans can disrupt your cash flow.
  • 500+ Suppliers for OA – Looking for a large base of potential suppliers for your OA business? This list of proven and reliable suppliers from 2021 still checks out.
  • Business Killers – IP complaints, suspensions, account holds, legal disputes – these are some of the legal traps that can kill your Amazon OA business. Learn how to protect yourself here.
  • Ungating 101 – Want to get ungated for major brands and various Amazon categories? Click here to learn about three important websites you can easily use to get ungated.
  • Rufus Now Showing Product’s Price History – According to this post on X, Amazon’s AI shopping assistant Rufus now shows shoppers the price history of a product. Will this hurt OA sales, or will it actually discourage price tanking? We’ll keep you posted.

This Week in Seller School

Blog Posts:

  • Amazon Seasonal Sales Strategy: Tips for Valentines Day, Super Bowl and Beyond by SellerEngine
  • How to Analyze FBA Return Reasons and Improve Performance by eComEngine
  • How Do You Get Banned from Amazon as a Seller by Adbadger
  • Order Up! Serving Up Fast Order Processing Times by amz prep

YouTube

  • Amazon Suspension Trends: When to Skip the Lawyer by ecommerceChris

Other Quick Clicks

Happy Heart’s Day everyone!

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