New Pricing Rule for Pan-European FBA Sellers
The Build International Listings tool features a new pricing rule specifically designed for Pan-European FBA sellers. Called “Fulfilment fee adjustment”, the pricing rule adjusts a seller’s price to account for differences in local fulfilment fees. It can be activated at any time from the Build International Listings tool.
FBA Returns Processing Fee on Select Fashion Goods
It’s official: as of Nov. 20, 2017, the Amazon Returns Processing Fee applies to all FBA customer returns for items in the Clothing or Shoes categories. However, there is one exception: if Amazon takes responsibility for the return, then the fee is waived.
New Restock Inventory Page
The newly-revamped Restock Inventory page was designed to help sellers replenish their stores with popular and profit-making goods. Amazon has recently sent out an email to sellers reminding them of its benefits. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, this may be a good time to browse your Inventory Dashboard.
Valid Tracking Rate Display Live on Amazon DE
The Account Health section in German Seller Central accounts is being revamped. As of Dec. 5, 2017, it features a new metric: Valid Tracking Rate. This calculates the percentage of times you enter a valid tracking number for your orders, as explained here.
Unlike Amazon.com sellers, German sellers will not see a change in their performance evaluations due to this new metric. However, odds are that it will have a bearing on their performance evaluations in the near future, in line with current Amazon.com standards.
Seller University Ramp-Up
These past few weeks, Seller University has been designing new educational resources on topics exclusive to the Amazon Marketplace. Check out the latest infographics, guides, and webinar recordings here (SellerCentral sign-in required). Alternatively, if you don’t have access to your seller account, browse the latest videos uploaded by Amazon Seller University on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUG5BEHfTZXPLwSHl4NSy3Q
Orders Shipped to Washington State Will be Taxed in 2018
Amazon recently announced that it will start collecting sales tax for all orders shipped to customers in Washington State. Tax will be collected automatically from Jan. 1, 2018 due to a new internet sales tax law.
So, what’s changed? The previous law would have made Amazon sellers pay taxes to Washington State only if they had a physical presence there. Starting next year, though, tax will be levied for every order delivered to this particular state.
Amazon JP Shortens Estimated Delivery Times for MFN Items
Amazon has taken it upon itself to include Sundays as operation days for some sellers. Japanese sellers notified of this change will see their estimated delivery times automatically shortened to entice buyers and improve their chances for the Buy Box. If you’ve been confirming your shipments on Sundays too, you may see your estimated delivery times change.
Note: It’s not yet clear whether this change applies strictly to Japan-based sellers. If you’ve received an email from Amazon or your settings have been changed on any other venue, please share with our readers with a quick comment below.
Christmas Delivery Messaging
Amazon listings now display the ‘Christmas Delivery Message’. Starting Dec. 9, 2017, users across all venues have been able to view a short note in green or red, right under the stock availability snippet. The message will be displayed until Dec. 24, 2017.
For third party sellers, Amazon will estimate the likelihood of a pre-Christmas delivery based on the given Handling Time and Transit Time of each item. Amazon will also add a day by default when it estimates all deliveries (FBA and MFN), to make sure that customers aren’t disappointed.
If you don’t think the message displayed on your product detail page is realistic, there’s still time to adjust your shipping and handling settings.
Amazon Australia Is Here
Dec. 4, 2017 is a date to remember for Australians, who welcomed the silent launch of a new Amazon venue overnight. Not all of the best-loved tools and features have been made available yet, but Amazon Australia has started offering Prime Video and Self-Publishing services already.
Bigger Prime Now Minimum Spend for Free Delivery in the UK
Amazon has changed its eligibility standards for free Prime Now deliveries. The overall minimum spend to qualify for Prime Now delivery has been lowered, but the minimum spend for FREE delivery has doubled last month. To qualify for free 2-hour delivery, Prime members must now spend at least £40 to avoid a £3.99 charge.
Amazon Amps Up Research in Cambridge
A new Amazon Development Center in Cambridge was opened last month in Cambridge. The UK-based research team responsible for some of Amazon’s most innovative technologies, including X-ray tools with information overlay for ebooks and videos, will be joined by scores of other scientists and designers.
The R&D office comes with open spaces, roof decks, glass phone booths for conference calls, line art frescos, two caffés, and several stand-out features. These include a wall mounted with Echo cases and one with moss and blue plastic laid out to resemble the Amazon river. Development is well underway for products and services like Alexa, Amazon Cloud Cam, Echo Look, Echo Show, and Prime Air drone delivery.
Amazon Text-to-Speech Tool Automates Voice Acting
Amazon Lumberyard, the free game development engine, has been enriched with a Text-to-Speech tool aimed at lowering costs for indie game developers. It enables them to add voice acting to the game in mere minutes using text-to-speech technology. This automated voice acting tool features a dialogue box with fully customizable pronunciation, word breaks, and changes in tone, as well as 24 languages and 50 preset voices.
Bezos Fortune Worth Over $100bn
Amazon’s founder has amassed a fortune of over $100 billion after Black Friday Week, according to Bloomberg. Currently the only person whose wealth is valued over the $100 billion mark, Jeff Bezos has expressed a wish to put that money to good use. His first request for ideas went out on Twitter in June. He promised more would come, so keep your eyes peeled for his posts if you want to pitch a brilliant idea of your own.
https://www.bloomberg.com/api/embed/iframe?id=d2e765e5-ed6b-4f10-a456-23cbd7064402
This concludes this year’s Amazon seller news digest series, but please join us again in 2018, as we chronicle the changes shaping your future as third party sellers on Amazon. Thank you for keeping us on our toes and we wish you a successful holiday season!
Melanie takes an active interest in all things Amazon. She keeps an eye on the latest developments and keeps Amazon sellers up to speed.