According to a post by Ecommerce Bytes, sellers have reported that Amazon has significantly reduced their FBA storage space in fulfillment centers.
One seller tweeted that Amazon lowered his storage space in the US and Canada by 30% despite increased sales. Other sellers shared that Amazon slashed theirs by 30%-40% - some even reduced by 75%! This is alarming for sellers preparing their inventory for the holiday season.
The reason for this remains to be determined. It may be due to a worker shortage rather than a space shortage in fulfillment centers (FCs). But limiting storage isn't new to Amazon. They typically restrict allowable inventory before the holidays, however, seller reports didn't suspect this as a factor.
Amazon has doubled the capacity of its US fulfillment network since the pandemic started, but excess capacity has become a problem this year. There were even reports of Amazon looking to sublease their FCs.
Millions of sellers use FBA to help them survive the hectic holiday shopping season. But as it quickly approaches, sellers need storage space to accommodate the increase in demand. So, if this issue isn't addressed quickly enough, holiday sales could be significantly affected for some.
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Sellers are taking advantage of how customer reviews are more important now than ever. Amazon continues to fight fake review systems with new legal actions, as reported in an Amazon press release this month. This includes filing the first criminal complaint in Italy and the first civil complaint in Spain.
Along with these two proceedings in Europe, Amazon launched ten new lawsuits in the US, targeting businesses that operate over 11,000 websites and social media groups. Amazon claims that these businesses are responsible for arranging fake reviews on Amazon in exchange for money or free products.
Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon's Vice President of Selling Partner Services, states that the company will continue catching those engaging in review abuse. He says, "there's no place for fake reviews on Amazon or anywhere else in the industry."
Amazon's first criminal complaint in Europe targets a high-profile broker in Italy who sells fake reviews. They claim to have a network of people willing to purchase Amazon products and leave 5-star reviews in exchange for a full refund.
Additionally, Amazon issued warning letters to five German-based websites that allegedly led visitors to a fake review broker. All five websites have since agreed to stop after signing a cease and desist letter.
Mehta added, "we continue to improve our proactive controls, invent new technologies and machine learning to detect bad actors, and find new ways to hold them accountable." Through this, customers can be confident while shopping on Amazon.
Are you struggling to manage ad campaigns on Amazon? In a post shared on Reddit, a user explains their plans to get their PPC campaigns to the next level while managing other aspects of the business, including developing new products with lower costs.
This is a common crosspoint for many sellers once you get to a certain point in your Amazon business- you might even have similar questions on how to approach this. Other Reddit users weighed in by sharing some valuable tips on getting their PPC campaigns on track:
It's easy to feel overwhelmed trying to achieve immediate results with your PPC campaigns. However, it's important to remember that learning the process and building a foundation is a time-consuming investment that will benefit you in the long run.
Q4 has always been a hectic time for Amazon sellers. With holidays always around the corner, sales are getting started, and Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the events to kick it all off on November 25 and 28.
Right now, sellers are doing everything to increase their chances for sales during this high-traffic event. Here are some ideas from JungleScout's compilation of tips for maximizing your Black Friday marketing strategy:
1. Set inventory priorities so you can prepare your FBA shipment as needed
2. Organize and optimize your product listings
3. Optimize your PPC campaigns to boost your advertising
4. Plan promotions
5. Monitor sales and performance
Now is your time to prepare for one of the most significant sales opportunities of the year- good luck to us all!