Overview

Amazon has introduced a two‑coupon option for product listings, raised fulfillment fees for the November‑December holiday surge, and broadened its Multi‑Channel Fulfillment (MCF) service to include orders from Instagram, TikTok and Facebook Shops. At the same time, a coalition of third‑party sellers has filed a federal lawsuit against Walmart, alleging anti‑competitive fee structures and delayed payments. These moves reshape promotional tactics, logistics costs, and legal exposure for sellers during the most critical shopping period of the year.

Key Points

• Dual‑coupon rollout — Sellers may now attach a percentage‑off coupon and a fixed‑amount coupon to the same SKU, allowing mixed‑discount strategies such as 12% off plus $4 off on a $59 kitchen tool.
• Holiday fulfillment surcharge — Amazon adds a 15 % premium to the standard‑size base fee for shipments from U.S. fulfillment centers between November 1 and December 31, increasing the per‑unit cost from $2.50 to $2.88 before weight adjustments.
• MCF extension to social platforms — Orders generated on Instagram Shopping, TikTok Shopping and Facebook Shops can be fulfilled through Amazon’s existing MCF network, using the same inventory pool that serves Amazon.com sales.
• Walmart lawsuit — A group of marketplace sellers has sued Walmart, claiming the retailer’s fee schedule and payment delays unfairly disadvantage small businesses.
• Shift in ad spend — The ability to run two coupons on a single listing is expected to divert a portion of Sponsored Products budgets toward coupon‑driven promotions, especially for seasonal stock.
• Tighter inventory planning — Higher holiday fees and the need to support external‑channel orders force sellers to refine demand forecasts to avoid both stock‑outs and excess holding costs.

How Dual Coupons Work

1. Create a coupon pair — In the Amazon Advertising dashboard, the seller selects “Create Coupon,” chooses a percentage discount (e.g., 15 %) and a fixed‑amount discount (e.g., $5), and the system checks that the combined reduction stays above the product’s price after subtracting Amazon’s referral fee.