Today's tip · Product launches
Test the product before you pay the factory
Product Opportunity Explorer will now let you describe a product idea and a price, then grade it against real purchase signals and the top sellers in its category. It's Saturday. Your trucks are booked or they aren't. Spend an hour on next year.
Most launch post-mortems end with the same sentence: we should have checked demand first. Amazon has now built the checking into Seller Central. You bring the idea, it shows you how that idea stacks up against what customers already buy, and you can change a feature or the price and run it again. Nobody has wired money to anybody yet.
The point isn't to let a dashboard pick your products. It's to kill the bad ideas while they're still cheap. An idea that looks thin on paper in October rarely gets fatter after a 1,000-unit minimum order in March.
Compared with sellers who didn't use them (baseline = 1x). Both figures as reported by Amazon in Seller Central News, October 2026.
Source: Seller Central News, Launch new products with confidence
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceThe weekend plan
- 01Describe
Pick the one product idea you'd launch first in 2027. Enter it in Opportunity Explorer with the price you actually want to charge.
- 02Compare
Read how it stacks up against the category's top products. Note what they have that yours doesn't.
- 03Adjust
Change one feature or the price point and run it again. Keep the version that holds up, drop the one that needed excuses.
- 04Plan
Once a product is buyable, open the first-90-days launch plan and check it for incentives such as FBA New Selection fee waivers.
Section 02
This week's checklist
6 jobs pulled from this issue, in the order the deadlines bite. Tick them off as you go. Your browser remembers the ticks, nobody else sees them, and a fresh list comes with each issue.
0 of 6 done
Section 03
The seller calendar
Every date Amazon has put in writing for the season, plus the two everyone knows. October is zoomed in on the chart because that's where the trouble is.
Peak fulfillment fees run Oct 15 to Jan 14. Plus $0.32 per unit on average, with the 3.5% surcharge on top.
| Date | What happens | Type | Countdown | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Big Deal Days (Oct 6 to 7) | Shopping event | Done | About Amazon | |
| AWD arrival deadline for Black Friday Week | Inventory | Done | Seller Central News | |
| Holiday peak fulfillment fees begin | Fees | Done | Seller Central News | |
| Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday deal submissions close | Deals | Done | Seller Central News | |
| FBA arrival deadline, minimal shipment splits | Inventory | Done | Seller Central News | |
| FBA arrival deadline, Amazon-optimized splits (most sellers) | Inventory | In 4 days | Seller Central News | |
| Last day of off-peak storage for AWD with auto-replenishment | Inventory | In 7 days | Seller Central News | |
| Extended holiday returns begin: items bought Nov 1 to Dec 31 can come back until Jan 31 | Returns | In 8 days | Seller Central News | |
| Black Friday | Shopping event | In 34 days | Calendar | |
| Cyber Monday | Shopping event | In 37 days | Calendar | |
| Last day to sign up for the free 12-month Amazon Quick Plus subscription | Offer | In 68 days | About Amazon | |
| Last purchase date covered by the extended holiday return window | Returns | In 68 days | Seller Central News | |
| Holiday peak fulfillment fees end | Fees | In 82 days | Seller Central News | |
| Last day to return holiday purchases under the extended window | Returns | In 99 days | Seller Central News |
Add every date to your calendar (.ics)Works with Google Calendar, Outlook and Apple Calendar. Re-download after big announcements.
Sources: Seller Central News, Holiday 2026, About Amazon, Seller Assistant, Seller Central News, 2026 holiday return policy
Fee watch
The changes that cost money this year, newest last. If Amazon hasn't announced it, it isn't here.
Since Jan 15, 2026
2026 US fee update
FBA fees rose by an average of $0.08 per unit. Amazon added no new fee types for 2026.
Amazon, 2026 US referral and FBA fee updateSince Apr 17, 2026
Fuel and logistics surcharge
3.5% on FBA fulfillment fees, about $0.17 per unit on average in the US. Multi-Channel Fulfillment and Buy with Prime followed on May 2.
Seller Central News, Fuel and logistics surchargeOct 15, 2026 to Jan 14, 2027
Holiday peak fulfillment fees
About $0.32 more per unit on average, with the 3.5% surcharge calculated on top.
Seller Central News, Holiday 2026Holiday deal events
Deal fees
$100 upfront per promotion plus 1.5% of promotional sales, capped at $5,000, for Best Deals, Lightning Deals and Prime Exclusive Price Discounts.
Seller Central News, Holiday 2026Nov 1, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027
Extended holiday returns
Orders placed Nov 1 to Dec 31 can be returned until Jan 31, 2027, for FBA and seller-fulfilled orders alike. Budget for a slower, larger return wave.
Seller Central News, 2026 holiday return policy2027
Next annual fee update
Not announced as of Oct 24, 2026. Amazon says it gives at least 90 days' notice, and the 2026 changes were announced in October 2025.
Amazon, 2026 US referral and FBA fee update
Section 04
By the numbers
Four figures worth knowing this week. Each one is Amazon's own, linked to where they said it.
of all third-party US sales last year came from new product launches
Seller Central News, Launch new products with confidenceof Amazon sellers list in more than one country
About Amazon, Global selling toolsmore revenue, on average, for sellers active in more than one country
About Amazon, Global selling toolslower storage costs in Global Warehousing and Distribution than AWD in the US
About Amazon, Global selling toolsSection 05
The playbook
4 moves for this week, then a few quick ones for the train.
Global selling
Seven in ten sellers stay home. The ones who travel earn more.
Amazon's own numbers are blunt. Only 30% of its sellers list in more than one country, and the ones who do earn 70% more revenue on average. Amazon says the main thing holding people back is compliance, followed closely by the chore of rebuilding every listing and every inventory plan from scratch.
Amazon has started chipping away at both. There's a new view in Seller Central showing where demand exists for your products across the US, Europe and Japan, what the economics look like in each country, and which steps remain before you can sell there. More countries are due by year-end. It won't make the decision for you. It does save you the spreadsheet.
Do this: Open the expansion view for your best seller and write down the one country with the fewest remaining steps. That's your Q1 question, not your Q4 one.
Average revenue of Amazon sellers active in more than one country vs those in one country (baseline = 1x), as reported by Amazon.
Source: About Amazon, Global selling tools
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceSupply chain
One shipment, eight countries, if the plan holds
Global Warehousing and Distribution (GWD) lets you send one manufacturing run to one Amazon facility near your factory and serve several countries from that pool. Today it connects to the US. By the end of the year Amazon plans to add the UK, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Canada. Stock moves into a country only when demand shows up there, then flows into local FBA.
Do this: Selling in one of those countries already? Ask your freight forwarder what your 2027 container plan looks like if the split happens at Amazon instead of at the port.
Source: About Amazon, Global selling tools
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceAdvertising
Your campaigns now come with a second opinion
Amazon Ads is rolling out an intelligence dashboard on the campaign overview page for all US sponsored ads advertisers this October. It explains how each campaign is doing, what is moving the results, and what to change, from a keyword losing impression share to targeting shoppers who browsed but didn't buy. You can apply, edit or skip every suggestion.
Do this: Before Black Friday bids heat up, read the dashboard on your three biggest campaigns. Apply only what you'd have done anyway if you'd had the time, and skip the rest.
Diagram based on Amazon's description of auto-optimization.
Source: Amazon, Accelerate 2026 recap
Compliance
Toy sellers get to test once
Amazon now offers a single consolidated specification for toys that covers what to test, how to label and how to package for each destination country, so one test submission can satisfy several countries' certification requirements at once. Sellers in the pilot report saving up to 60% on compliance costs. Electronics and baby products are next, by the end of the year.
Do this: If you sell toys and you've put off Europe because of testing, ask your lab whether last year's reports already cover part of the consolidated spec. Amazon says existing certifications are recognized.
Sellers tell us that compliance has been the single biggest reason they don't expand internationally.
Quick hits
05FBA
Count what actually arrived
Amazon says end-to-end supply chain visibility is rolling out over the coming weeks: one screen that follows a shipment from creation through Amazon-managed fulfillment, with a single reconciled unit count. Until it reaches your account, do it the old way. Before the October 28 cutoff, compare what you shipped with what's been received, shipment by shipment.
Sources: About Amazon, Global selling tools, Seller Central News, Holiday 2026
06Operations
New hires for Seller Assistant
Seller Assistant is getting supply chain agents, starting with aged inventory and inbound planning. Aged stock is the one to watch. Anything still sitting in a fulfillment center in January is costing you storage at the worst possible time. Ask it which ASINs are drifting old before peak traffic hides the problem.
Sources: About Amazon, Global selling tools, About Amazon, Seller Assistant
07Global selling
AWD packed a passport
Amazon Warehousing and Distribution has expanded beyond the US into the EU, the UK and Australia, with the same low-cost storage and automatic replenishment into FBA. If you already use AWD at home and sell abroad, it's worth asking whether the same setup now fits there too.
Sources: About Amazon, Global selling tools, Seller Central Help, Amazon Warehousing and Distribution
Section 06
The wire
What changed lately, straight from Amazon. We read the announcement so you can read the summary.
- Product research
Product Opportunity Explorer tests your own ideas
Describe a product and price, compare it with the category's top sellers, adjust and re-run. A first-90-days launch plan in Seller Central is coming soon.
via Seller Central News, Launch new products with confidence - Ads
Campaign intelligence dashboard for US sponsored ads
Insights and suggested actions on targeting, bids and budgets, on the campaign overview page, at no extra cost. Every suggestion can be applied, edited or skipped.
via Amazon Ads, New sponsored ads tools - Ads
Keyword auto-optimization: US availability set for January 2027
Amazon Ads says it adds keywords that perform and pauses ones that don't. In beta, campaigns saw a first sale 40% faster and 13% more sales.
via Amazon Ads, New sponsored ads tools - Global selling
Global Warehousing and Distribution heads to eight countries
US today, with the UK, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Canada planned by year-end. One inbound shipment for all eight, storage up to 45% below US AWD.
via About Amazon, Global selling tools - Compliance
One test submission for toys in several countries
A consolidated spec for testing, labeling and packaging. Pilot sellers report up to 60% lower compliance costs. Electronics and baby products follow by year-end.
via About Amazon, Global selling tools - FBA
AWD now runs in the EU, UK and Australia
Low-cost bulk storage with automatic replenishment into FBA, now outside the US as well.
via About Amazon, Global selling tools
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Section 07
Straight answers
The questions sellers are typing into search bars and chatbots this week, answered in under a minute each. Every answer is grounded in Amazon's own announcement, linked below it.
Can I test a product idea on Amazon before I manufacture it?
Yes. Product Opportunity Explorer in Seller Central now lets you describe a product idea and the price you're considering, then compare it with the top products in its category using real customer purchase signals. You can change features or the price and re-run the analysis as often as you like before spending on manufacturing.
Source: Seller Central News, Launch new products with confidence
Does using Product Opportunity Explorer actually help a launch?
Amazon says sellers who use Product Opportunity Explorer before launch see two times higher sales in their first 90 days. It also says sellers who follow key recommendations in its first-90-days launch plan are five times more likely to reach at least 10 sales in 30 days. New launches drove 16% of third-party US sales last year.
Source: Seller Central News, Launch new products with confidence
What is Amazon's first-90-days product launch plan?
It is a launch plan coming soon to Seller Central, based on what's working for the top 10 items in your category. Once a new product is buyable, it fills in recommendations for listing quality, fulfillment and advertising, with suggested keywords and available incentives such as FBA New Selection fee waivers.
Source: Seller Central News, Launch new products with confidence
Is it worth selling on Amazon in more than one country?
Amazon reports that sellers active in more than one country earn 70% more revenue on average than those selling in only one, yet only 30% of its sellers list in more than one country. A new Seller Central view shows demand, economics and remaining steps across the US, Europe and Japan.
What is Amazon Global Warehousing and Distribution (GWD)?
Global Warehousing and Distribution lets a seller send one manufacturing run to one Amazon facility near the factory and serve several countries from it. It connects to the US now and is set to add the UK, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Canada by the end of 2026, with storage up to 45% cheaper than US AWD.
How does Amazon's one-submission compliance testing work?
Starting with toys, Amazon gives sellers one consolidated specification for testing, labeling and packaging, so a single test submission can meet several countries' certification requirements. Existing certifications are recognized. Pilot sellers report savings of up to 60% on compliance costs, and electronics and baby products follow by the end of 2026.
What is the AI campaign intelligence dashboard in Amazon Ads?
It is a dashboard on the sponsored ads campaign overview page that explains how each campaign is performing, what is affecting results, and suggests changes to targeting, bids and budgets. Amazon Ads is making it available to all sponsored ads advertisers in the United States in October 2026, and each suggestion can be applied, edited or skipped.