We survived 2025… barely.
Here’s everything that made us laugh, cry, and reach for coffee this year.
- TikTok’s fate has everyone biting their nails 😬
- Damage control kicked into overdrive 🚨
- Amazon slams down on counterfeiters 👊
- Price pressure eases but sellers stay alert 💸
- Vanishing funds trigger a class action ⚖️
- Clean up fast or get left in the dust 🧹
BACK IN JANUARY
Damage control was in full swing
With the initial January 19 ban still looming, small businesses stand to lose over $1B in just one month.
The potential ban traces back to an April 2024 law forcing ByteDance to divest its U.S. assets over national-security concerns, something that still hasn’t happened.
As we wrap the year: If you sell on TikTok Shop, anxiety likely followed you all year. If it goes dark, sellers will need to move fast and diversify.
THEN FEBRUARY ARRIVED
Damage control was in full swing
Amazon Ads and other major platforms scrambled after an Adalytics report found ads running on problematic sites, including CSAM hosts. Brands demanded transparency, and U.S. senators weighed in.
Amazon acted fast, blocking flagged sites, refunding advertisers, and boosting reporting tools.
As we wrap the year: Trust is still the real currency in ads.
BY THE TIME MARCH CAME
Amazon cracks down on counterfeiters
Amazon's AI blocked 99% of suspicious listings before brands reported them, the Transparency program verified 2.5B units, and the Counterfeit Crimes Unit pursued 24,000+ counterfeiters, seizing 15M+ fake products in 2024.
As we wrap the year: A fully fake-free Amazon isn’t here yet, but smarter enforcement is helping sellers and shoppers.
AS APRIL UNFOLDED
Amazon eases price pressure on sellers
Sellers got a welcome break as Amazon announced it would no longer penalize price increases driven by tariffs or market shifts.
Previously, raising prices could trigger Buy Box suppression.
Now, listings with 20–25% price hikes are seeing Buy Boxes return.
As we wrap the year: CEO Andy Jassy acknowledged that passing on tariff costs is reasonable, giving sellers a rare reprieve.
MAY BROUGHT A CAUTIONARY TALE
A class action over disappearing funds
A customer returned an item at a Kohl’s kiosk, got an instant receipt, but ten days later the money vanished. Similar stories worried other customers.
Amazon says refunds can be revoked if items are damaged, incomplete, or never scanned, but sellers face more disputes, chargebacks, and frustrated buyers.
As we wrap the year: You still need to monitor returns closely to protect revenue and reputation.
JUNE SENT A CLEAR MESSAGE
Clean or fall behind
Amazon launched “Bend the Curve,” cutting 24 billion unproductive listings to shrink the active catalog and save on AWS costs.
Creation throttling now limits sellers with bloated, low-performing inventories.
As we wrap the year: Streamlined catalogs mean better visibility and efficiency for active sellers.
