Did the algorithm turn against this seller?

First came the rush of success. 🎉

Then came the ghost town. 

What happened next has sellers wondering if Amazon decides when the party’s over.

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SELLERBITES INBOX

An Amazon seller (OP) asked: How can a product go from selling out in a week to not moving a single unit?

Their story started like every FBA dream come true. 

• OP shipped 36 units of an eye care product to Amazon, sat back, and watched them vanish in less than a week. 
• Clean, quick, and profitable, the kind of result that makes you believe you’ve cracked the code.

So OP did what any confident seller would do: doubled down. Actually, multiplied down, 320 more units, roughly $8,000 worth. 

Same product. Same listing. Same Buy Box. Even the price was lower. 

Yet somehow, OP’s listing flatlined. Not a single unit moved.

🌀 Momentum mysteriously stalls

Sellers in the thread scrambled for answers, each theory wilder (and more plausible) than the last.

• Vanished visibility. Some said it could be a temporary listing suppression or one of Amazon’s “quiet” algorithm shifts.
• Stock in transit. Others suspected the 320 units were still mid-transfer between warehouses, technically “available,” but not yet fully sellable.
• Ranking reset. Once a product goes out of stock, it can lose sales velocity, dropping it out of Amazon’s search rotation. 🔃
• Saturated competition. Fresh sellers flood in, prices spiral down, and Buy Box share evaporates faster than your margins.

But a few sellers insisted it goes deeper, that Amazon’s system doesn’t just follow logic; it controls it.

🧩 Inside Amazon’s invisible hand

Veteran sellers didn’t hold back, offering explanations that ranged from algorithmic fine-tuning to full-blown marketplace manipulation.

• The algorithm effect. Restocking may trigger a recalibration period where Amazon “tests” demand again before restoring visibility.
• Logistics lag. Even when stock is “live,” scattered inventory can cause shipping delays that nudge you out of the Buy Box. 📦
• Competition churn. New sellers in ungated categories create price chaos — and the algorithm loves chaos.
• The cynical theory. Amazon’s AI could be spreading sales across sellers to keep prices low and ad budgets high, optimizing for Amazon’s profits, not yours.

🪞 Facing the unpredictability

Nobody cracked the algorithm, maybe nobody ever will. But one truth holds: momentum is temporary. Smart sellers restock conservatively, monitor performance shifts, and never assume success repeats itself.

Because on Amazon, predictability isn’t part of the Prime package.

TOGETHER WITH STACK INFLUENCE

Outrank Competition This Holiday Season with Micro-Influencers

The holidays are Amazon’s most competitive stretch - ad costs surge, placements tighten, and only brands that break through early win lasting rank visibility.

Most sellers face the same issues:

• PPC costs spike 30–50% in Q4
• Rankings freeze on page 2
• Reviews trickle in too slowly

That’s where Lenny & Larry’s were stuck - until they used Stack Influence. We activated 1,560 influencers who each:

1. Bought the product on Amazon (a verified purchase)
2. Shared honestly on social media
3. Left organic UGC that the brand could repurpose

The result? 🚀 11× sales, ⭐ 525 reviews, 👀 2.3M impressions - momentum ads can’t buy.

Get ahead of Q4 competition. Outrank your category before Black Friday hits.

See how Stack Influence works

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Amazon’s algorithm works in mysterious ways, mostly against your expectations.

You’ve got to pivot faster than it changes.

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