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SellerBites Branding

The internet went dark because Amazon did

By SellerBites
October 20, 2025


No, your Wi-Fi didn’t betray you, Amazon Web Services did. The outage hit early this morning and took a good chunk of the internet with it.

What a way to start the week!

  • What’s holding back your growth? 📉
  • The internet broke because Amazon did 🫠
  • TikTok wants more and sellers foot the bill 🔥
  • Amazon’s $2K coupon cap 🙌
  • Join our Facebook group for FREE

BLACK MARKET

If Alexa ignored your morning command or your seller dashboard froze mid-refresh, you can blame Amazon Web Services (AWS).

According to The Verge, AWS had a major outage early Monday that took down parts of the internet, and yes, that includes tools and services many sellers rely on daily.

🌊 Why you felt the shockwave

AWS isn’t just Amazon’s playground, it powers thousands of ecommerce tools, from listing automation software to analytics suites.

So when AWS blinks, your repricer, ad tracker, or data feed might go dark too.

Sellers coped by joking about “unplugging and replugging Amazon’s servers,” because honestly, who hasn’t tried that?

🕵️ Still digging for answers

Amazon says they’re “actively working to mitigate the issue and understand the root cause,” but details are still MIA. What we do know: this isn’t new.

The disruption began around 3 a.m. ET in the US-EAST-1 region—a hotspot for major outages in 2020, 2021, and 2023. Each time, it sends ripple effects across ecommerce systems.

So if your inventory sync lagged, ads paused, or orders delayed this morning, this just isn’t the week testing your patience.

If this morning’s outage had you stressing, here’s a little comic relief:

TOGETHER WITH SELLER INTERACTIVE

What’s really holding your Amazon growth back?

You’ve optimized listings. You’re running PPC. You’ve read all the blogs. So… why isn’t it translating into real growth?

That’s where Seller Interactive comes in.

We’re not here to sell you a magic hack. We’re here to show you exactly what your current strategy is missing.

From underperforming keywords to untapped ad opportunities, our team of Amazon experts will walk you through what’s actually going on inside your account—and where your next wins are hiding.

Our full-service team manages over $2M in monthly ad spend across categories like health & wellness, home & kitchen, supplements, and more. And we don’t just launch ideas—we back them with data, test them, and scale what works.

Think of us as the partner who brings clarity and execution to your Amazon strategy.

Book a free Discovery Call

BITES OF THE WEEK

TikTok’s growth goals come at a cost to sellers

TikTok’s playing it cool on the outside, but behind the scenes, it’s getting really pushy. 

According to Digital Music News, the platform is asking brands and agencies to boost ad spend by 25–35% year over year, even as its U.S. fate hangs in political limbo.

💸 Spend more or lose your perks

TikTok’s message to advertisers is blunt: loyalty comes with a price tag

Still, some advertisers are holding the line, betting on TikTok’s 170 million U.S. users. That kind of attention is too valuable to walk away from, no matter how unpredictable the parent company gets.

⚖️ Higher targets, fewer rewards

While Washington debates who gets the algorithm, TikTok’s business machine isn’t slowing down. It’s expanding TikTok Shop and rolling out AI ad automation, signaling that it’s pushing forward, sale or no sale. 

Not every brand’s buying into the hype, though. Some brands aren’t fully buying in yet, treating “TikTok USA” as a test run under uncertain ownership.

Amazon sets $2K cap on coupon fees

Amazon’s quietly tweaking how sellers pay for coupons, and the timing’s no coincidence. 

Starting November 5, 2025, the platform will add a 2.5% variable fee on coupon sales, capped at $2,000 per campaign.

No matter how viral your coupon goes, your variable fees won’t climb past that ceiling.

🎟️ What’s changing and why it matters

Right now, coupon campaigns charge sellers two costs:

  • The discount itself (the amount you shave off your sale price)
  • The redemption fee ($0.60 per use in the U.S.)

📆 Tweak before the storm

Amazon’s calling it a move for “more predictability.” You could also call it damage control before coupon chaos season. Either way, sellers get a clearer view of potential promo costs heading into Q4.

Small and mid-sized sellers likely won’t hit the cap, but larger brands running multi-ASIN campaigns could finally see coupon costs level off instead of spiraling.

Author : SellerBites

Faith began working on SellerBites in 2021, a weekly newsletter that provides sellers with the latest news and updates in FBA. With first-hand experience in managing various seller and vendor accounts, she understands what sellers face on this platform. Her background led to the conception of SellerBites, which main goal is to help people become better, more informed entrepreneurs in the Amazon marketplace.


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