Overview

Amazon is eliminating commingled inventory and restricting manufacturer barcode usage to Brand Registry members starting May 31, 2026. Sellers without Brand Registry enrollment and the Brand Representative role will need to apply FNSKU labels to every FBA unit. This marks one of the most consequential fulfillment policy shifts in years, with major implications for wholesalers, arbitrage sellers, and anyone not yet enrolled in Brand Registry.

What's Changing

• Manufacturer barcodes locked to Brand Registry — Only sellers holding the Brand Representative role in Brand Registry can use UPC, EAN, ISBN, or JAN barcodes for FBA inventory after the deadline.
• FNSKU labeling mandatory for everyone else — Resellers, wholesalers, and non-registered sellers must apply Amazon-specific FNSKU barcodes to every unit, regardless of whether items already carry valid manufacturer codes.
• Commingled inventory discontinued — Amazon is ending the practice of pooling identical products from multiple sellers in fulfillment centers, a system that created persistent authenticity and quality control problems.
• Virtual tracking stays for brand owners — Registered brand owners retain virtual tracking, allowing Amazon to fulfill orders efficiently across its network without physically separating their inventory.
• Hard deadline with consequences — Shipments arriving after May 31, 2026 without compliant barcodes risk rejection and unplanned prep service fees.

Brand Registry Eligibility Requirements

Meeting the threshold for continued manufacturer barcode access requires more than casual enrollment. Sellers need either a registered trademark or a pending application with an approved intellectual property office such as the USPTO. The trademark must be a text-based word mark or an image-based design mark containing words, letters, or numbers.

Your brand name and logo must be permanently affixed to products or packaging, and the trademark text must exactly match what you submit in your Brand Registry application. General Brand Registry enrollment alone is not enough — you specifically need the Brand Representative designation. Amazon verifies this through photo documentation showing the registered brand name on physical products or packaging.