Today's tip · Earnings
Amazon's quarter, read by a seller. Sixty-one of every hundred units were ours.
Amazon reported its third quarter last night. Skip the cloud and the satellites. Four numbers in the release say something about your fourth quarter.
Start with the line nobody puts in a headline. Independent sellers accounted for 61% of the paid units sold worldwide on Amazon in Q3 2026. It was 62% a year ago and 61% last quarter. Steady is the story. The store still runs on sellers, and Amazon's tooling announcements keep pointing at you, from Seller Assistant workflows to managing other channels inside Seller Central.
Then the money. Third-party seller services, which is the commissions and fulfillment fees sellers pay, came to $46.5 billion, up from $42.5 billion in Q3 2025. Advertising services reached $19.6 billion. Read those as the size of the room you're in, not as a bill. They also explain why every new Amazon tool has a sponsored placement nearby.
The line that matters most for the next eight weeks is in the guidance. Amazon says it expects advertising revenue to grow in the high teens in the fourth quarter. More advertiser money chasing the holiday shopper is good news for Amazon and a reason to set your budgets and bid caps before Black Friday week, not during it.
Worldwide seller unit mix by quarter, as reported by Amazon.
Source: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceThe weekend plan
- 01Read the unit mix first
Independent sellers sold 61% of Amazon's worldwide paid units in Q3 2026. Use it as the baseline for how much of the store is your competition.
- 02Adjust for Prime Day
Prime Day moved to Q2 this year. Amazon says Q3 growth would have been about 400 basis points higher without the shift, so compare your own Q3 with that in mind.
- 03Plan for a busier ad auction
Amazon expects high-teens advertising revenue growth in Q4. Set holiday budgets and bid limits now.
- 04Write for conversations
Alexa for Shopping was used by more than 400 million customers in the last 12 months. Make sure your listings answer plain questions.
- 05Keep fast stock in place
More than 1.5 billion items arrived same-day or overnight for Prime members in Q3. Keep FBA inventory in stock so your delivery promise stays fast.
Section 02
This week's checklist
7 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 7 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 | |
| Original Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal deadline (Amazon has since extended it to Nov 13) | 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 | Done | Seller Central News | |
| Business Hour Delivery Rate review: seller-fulfilled offers under 90% may be deactivated for Amazon Business customers | Offer | Today | Seller Central News | |
| Last day of off-peak storage for AWD with auto-replenishment | Inventory | Tomorrow | Seller Central News | |
| Confirm New Selection Program (2026) enrollment to keep launch fee credits | Fees | Tomorrow | Seller Central News | |
| Extended holiday returns begin: items bought Nov 1 to Dec 31 can come back until Jan 31 | Returns | In 2 days | Seller Central News | |
| Virtual multipacks from the latest pilot wave become available to customers | Offer | In 12 days | Seller Central Help | |
| Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal sourcing closes (extended from Oct 20) | Deals | In 14 days | Seller Central News | |
| Ask Amazon: Seller Assistant live Q&A with Amazon's product teams | Shopping event | In 19 days | Seller Central News | |
| Black Friday | Shopping event | In 28 days | Calendar | |
| Cyber Monday | Shopping event | In 31 days | Calendar | |
| Last day to sign up for the free 12-month Amazon Quick Plus subscription | Offer | In 62 days | About Amazon | |
| Last purchase date covered by the extended holiday return window | Returns | In 62 days | Seller Central News | |
| Holiday peak fulfillment fees end | Fees | In 76 days | Seller Central News | |
| Last day to return holiday purchases under the extended window | Returns | In 93 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, Seller Central News, New AI tools for the holidays, Seller Central News, Black Friday Cyber Monday deals deadline extended, Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipments, Seller Central Help, Virtual multipacks
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 surchargeSince Sep 2026
MCF Preferred Pricing Program
Discounted Multi-Channel Fulfillment fees plus FBA credits per unit shipped. Amazon says sellers save 15% to 25% on fulfillment fees for the first six months, with no contract and one-click enrollment in Seller Central.
About Amazon, Prime delivery for MCF merchants' websitesOct 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.
share of Amazon's worldwide paid units sold by independent sellers in Q3 2026
Amazon, Q3 2026 results releasethird-party seller services revenue in Q3 2026
Amazon, Q3 2026 results releasecustomers who used Alexa for Shopping in the last 12 months
Amazon, Q3 2026 results releaseitems that arrived same-day or overnight for Prime members in Q3
Amazon, Q3 2026 results releaseSection 05
The playbook
3 moves for this week, then a few quick ones for the train.
Listings
Four hundred million people asked Alexa to shop. Write for the question.
Amazon says Alexa for Shopping was used by more than 400 million customers in the last 12 months, with customer interactions up 570% year over year. That isn't a side channel anymore. It's a lot of people describing what they want in full sentences instead of typing three keywords.
Amazon also added more than 100 new capabilities, and the examples are telling: gift lists, Subscribe and Save changes, payments, memberships and delivery addresses, all handled in conversation. Holiday shoppers will ask for a gift for a nine-year-old who likes rocks. Your listing either says who it's for, what's in the box and how big it is, or it doesn't get picked.
Do this: Rewrite the first bullet on your top three holiday ASINs so it answers who the product is for and why it makes a good gift.
Sources: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release, About Amazon, Alexa for Shopping
- Building gift lists
- Adjusting Subscribe and Save deliveries
- Managing payments and memberships
- Adding new delivery addresses
- More than 100 new capabilities in total
As listed in Amazon's Q3 2026 results release.
Source: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceAdvertising
Amazon told investors to expect more ad money. You're the ad money.
Advertising services brought in $19.6 billion in Q3 2026, against $17.7 billion a year earlier. Amazon puts Q3 ad growth at 12% excluding currency, held back by Prime Day timing, and says it expects high-teens growth in the fourth quarter.
There's no cost-per-click forecast in a results release, so don't invent one. But more spend arriving in the same eight weeks usually means more competition for the same placements. The sellers who come out fine are the ones who decided their limits in October, when nobody was panicking.
Do this: Write down a daily budget ceiling and a maximum bid for each holiday campaign before your Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are submitted on Nov 13.
Source: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release
In billions of US dollars, as reported by Amazon.
Source: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release
Data desk by XENA IntelligencePlanning
Your Q3 looks slower than last year. So did Amazon's.
Prime Day ran entirely in the third quarter of 2025. This year it ran in the second quarter for most large countries. Amazon's own net sales grew 12% in Q3, and Amazon says growth would have been about 400 basis points higher without the move.
If your Q3 versus last year looks soft, check how much of last year's Q3 was Prime Day before anyone redoes the holiday forecast. Compare July through September without the event weeks, or compare the full year to date. A calendar quirk isn't a demand problem, and it shouldn't cut your inventory order.
Do this: Rerun your year-over-year comparison with Prime Day weeks removed from both years.
Source: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release
Source: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceQuick hits
04Tools
Seller Assistant made the earnings release. Bring questions on Nov 18.
Amazon listed Seller Assistant workflows, which handle routine tasks like restocking and pricing around the clock, among its Q3 highlights for sellers. When a tool shows up in a report to shareholders, it's going to keep getting attention. Amazon's product teams are hosting an Ask Amazon: Seller Assistant live Q&A on November 18, so save the date and keep a list of what it got wrong.
Sources: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release, Seller Central News, New AI tools for the holidays
05Inventory
1.5 billion fast deliveries set the bar for your listing
Amazon says more than 1.5 billion items arrived same-day or overnight for Prime members in Q3, which Amazon calls its fastest Q3 delivery speeds ever. Shoppers now treat a fast delivery date as normal. Tomorrow is the last day of off-peak storage for AWD with auto-replenishment, so it's a good day to check that your holiday sellers have stock where it can ship fast.
Sources: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release, Seller Central News, Holiday 2026
Section 06
The wire
What changed lately, straight from Amazon. We read the announcement so you can read the summary.
- Earnings
Amazon reports third quarter 2026 results
Net sales rose 12% to $201.9 billion. Independent sellers sold 61% of paid units, and Amazon expects high-teens ad growth in Q4.
via Amazon, Q3 2026 results release - Account Health
Business Hour Delivery Rate review is today
Seller-fulfilled offers to US Amazon Business customers still under a 90% rate on Oct 30 may be deactivated for business buyers.
via Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipments
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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.
What percentage of Amazon sales come from third-party sellers?
In the third quarter of 2026, independent sellers accounted for 61% of Amazon's worldwide paid units, according to Amazon's Q3 results. The share was 62% in the third quarter of 2025 and 61% in the second quarter of 2026, so the mix has stayed close to six in every ten units.
Source: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release
How much did Amazon earn from third-party seller services in Q3 2026?
Amazon reported $46.5 billion in third-party seller services revenue for the third quarter of 2026, up from $42.5 billion a year earlier. That line includes commissions, related fulfillment and shipping fees and other services Amazon charges sellers, so it reflects fees paid by sellers rather than seller sales.
Source: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release
Will Amazon advertising get more competitive this holiday season?
Amazon says it expects year-over-year advertising revenue to grow in the high teens in the fourth quarter of 2026, after 12% growth excluding currency in Q3. Amazon does not forecast cost per click, but more advertiser spending in the same weeks is a good reason to set budgets and bid limits early.
Source: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release
Why did Amazon's Q3 2026 growth look slower?
Prime Day timing shifted. In 2025 the event ran entirely in the third quarter, while in 2026 it ran in the second quarter for most large countries. Amazon reported 12% net sales growth for Q3 2026 and says growth would have been about 400 basis points higher without the shift.
Source: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release
How many people use Alexa for Shopping?
Amazon says Alexa for Shopping, its agentic shopping assistant, was used by more than 400 million customers in the last 12 months, and customer interactions grew 570% year over year. Amazon also added more than 100 new capabilities, including building gift lists and adjusting Subscribe and Save deliveries.
Source: Amazon, Q3 2026 results release
When is the Ask Amazon Seller Assistant live Q&A?
Amazon's product teams are hosting Ask Amazon: Seller Assistant live Q&A on November 18, 2026, according to Amazon's Seller Central forums. Seller Assistant can recommend actions or, with guardrails you set, handle tasks like restocking and pricing. It is a good place to bring specific questions about how its recommendations work.