Today's tip · Inventory
Your best ad on Black Friday is the one that doesn't pause.
Sponsored Products campaigns pause automatically when an ASIN goes out of stock, which is a rough way to spend the busiest weekend of the year. Amazon's pre-Black Friday readiness check comes down to stock, shipments and ads, in that order.
Most of the inbound deadlines are behind you. What is left is the unglamorous part: making sure the units Amazon has received match the deals and ads you have already lined up. Amazon's own pre-BFCM readiness checklist starts with FBA Inventory. Confirm your top sellers and every deal ASIN show In Stock, and check that deal ASINs carry at least 4 to 6 weeks of inventory so the low-inventory-level fee stays out of the picture. Amazon's earlier prep list put the floor at 28 days of inventory per ASIN.
Then look at what is still on the road. The Shipment Performance Dashboard flags problem shipments, and the Shipment Events tab on each shipment summary shows receiving status. A delayed or misrouted box found this week is a support case. Found on November 27, it is a stockout. If you use AWD, check that auto-replenishment is Active on key SKUs and ask whether its quantities can keep up with the event. Amazon notes that AWD-replenished inventory bypasses FBA capacity limits during peak.
The last step is the one most brands skip. Put your ad-supported ASINs next to current stock. If you go out of stock, Sponsored Products campaigns pause automatically and the momentum goes with them at the moment traffic is highest. Amazon's advice is to set inventory alerts and pause ads on at-risk ASINs yourself, before the spend runs ahead of the shelf.
- Day 0Today's stock count
- Day 2828 days per ASIN, 4 weeks on deal ASINs
- Day 426 weeks on deal ASINs
Amazon's BFCM prep checklist says keep at least 28 days of inventory per ASIN. Its pre-BFCM readiness checklist says deal ASINs should carry 4 to 6 weeks (28 to 42 days) to avoid the low-inventory-level fee.
Source: Seller Forums, Peak Season Fulfillment: Pre-BFCM Readiness Checklist (Amazon)
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceThe weekend plan
- 01Open FBA Inventory
Confirm every deal ASIN and top seller shows In Stock, and that deal ASINs hold at least 4 to 6 weeks of inventory.
- 02Check the forecast
Review the demand forecast tool for projections that reflect your active deals, and look at Minimum Inventory Level estimates.
- 03Chase open shipments
Use the Shipment Performance Dashboard and the Shipment Events tab to find delayed, misrouted or incomplete shipments and act on them now.
- 04Confirm AWD replenishment
If you use AWD, make sure auto-replenishment is Active on key SKUs and top it up manually if the quantities look light for the event.
- 05Match ads to stock
Cross-check ad-supported ASINs against stock, set inventory alerts, and plan to pause ads on ASINs likely to run out.
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 | Done | Seller Central News | |
| Last day of off-peak storage for AWD with auto-replenishment | Inventory | Done | Seller Central News | |
| Confirm New Selection Program (2026) enrollment to keep launch fee credits | Fees | Done | Seller Central News | |
| Extended holiday returns begin: items bought Nov 1 to Dec 31 can come back until Jan 31 | Returns | Done | Seller Central News | |
| New commercial liability insurance requirements take effect: a $1 million policy for products in categories with enhanced safety listing requirements, with no sales threshold | Policy | Done | Seller Central News | |
| Virtual multipacks from the latest pilot wave become available to customers | Offer | In 2 days | Seller Central Help | |
| Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal sourcing closes (extended from Oct 20) | Deals | In 4 days | Seller Central News | |
| Amazon finishes rolling out lithium battery TIC compliance notifications in Account Health for US smart home and consumer electronics | Policy | In 7 days | Seller Forums | |
| Ask Amazon: Seller Assistant live Q&A in the Seller Forums, 8 AM to 5 PM PT (questions open now) | Shopping event | In 9 days | Seller Forums | |
| Black Friday | Shopping event | In 18 days | Calendar | |
| Cyber Monday | Shopping event | In 21 days | Calendar | |
| Last day to create an international FBA shipment plan covered by Amazon's 45-day related-shipment and 90-day closure extensions | Inventory | In 21 days | Seller Central News | |
| Prepaid return labels required for most US seller-fulfilled returns (heavy and bulky items excepted for now) | Returns | In 39 days | Seller Forums | |
| Last day to sign up for the free 12-month Amazon Quick Plus subscription | Offer | In 52 days | About Amazon | |
| Last purchase date covered by the extended holiday return window | Returns | In 52 days | Seller Central News | |
| Updated product bundling policy takes effect: most single-ASIN bundles must be packaged by the original manufacturer or brand | Policy | In 63 days | Seller Central News | |
| Holiday peak fulfillment fees end | Fees | In 66 days | Seller Central News | |
| Most 2027 US referral and FBA fulfillment fee changes take effect | Fees | In 67 days | Amazon | |
| Last day to return holiday purchases under the extended window | Returns | In 83 days | Seller Central News | |
| Storage utilization surcharge ends; age-based storage rates and the rewritten low-inventory-level fee begin | Fees | In 84 days | Amazon | |
| Last day to enroll in FBA New Selection Program 2026 (window extended) | Fees | In 142 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 Forums, Ask Amazon: Seller Assistant, Canvas and Workflows, About Amazon, Seller Assistant, Seller Central News, Business hour delivery requirement for seller-fulfilled shipments, Seller Central News, New requirements for product bundles starting January 11, Seller Central News, Black Friday Cyber Monday deals deadline extended, Amazon, 2027 US referral and FBA fee update, Seller Central News, Holiday 2026, Seller Central News, New commercial liability insurance requirements, Seller Forums, New lithium battery requirements (US), Seller Forums, Amazon's prepaid return label notice and moderator clarification, Seller Central News, 2026 holiday return policy, 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 policyAnnounced Nov 5, 2026; most changes Jan 15, 2027
2027 US referral and FBA fee update
On average, FBA fulfillment fees rise by $0.19 per unit sold (about 0.8% of the average item's selling price). Some products go up, some go down. The FBA fuel and logistics surcharge stays unchanged. Effective Feb 1, 2027, Amazon eliminates the storage utilization surcharge, folds the aged inventory surcharge into a single age-based monthly storage rate, and rewrites the low-inventory-level fee around 28 days of supply.
Amazon, 2027 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 inventory Amazon suggests on deal ASINs to avoid the low-inventory-level fee
Seller Forums, Peak Season Fulfillment: Pre-BFCM Readiness Checklist (Amazon)daily budget increase Amazon says to consider around peak BFCM days
Seller Forums, BFCM Deals and Promotions (Amazon)of backend search term space Amazon says to use in full
Seller Forums, BFCM Listing Optimization Checklist (Amazon)or shorter DSP video ads autoplay full screen, muted, on Alexa+ Echo Show
Amazon Ads, Full Screen Autoplay Ads on Alexa+Section 05
The playbook
3 moves for this week, then a few quick ones for the train.
Advertising
Raise the bids on the Tuesday, not the Friday
Competition for ad placements does not wait for Black Friday to start. Amazon's BFCM deals guide says to increase bids 2 to 3 days before the event, which puts the change around November 24 or 25, and to consider raising daily budgets 20% to 30% around peak days.
Do not rely on remembering. Budget rules can be performance-based or schedule-based, and they raise spend automatically so campaigns do not go dark on the biggest days. Set the schedule rule today, while you can still read the fine print calmly. Then point Sponsored Display at shoppers who viewed your products and did not buy, which Amazon calls especially powerful during high-traffic events.
Do this: Create a schedule-based budget rule for Black Friday through Cyber Monday now, and put a calendar note on November 24 to raise bids.
From Amazon's BFCM Deals and Promotions post in the Seller Forums. Black Friday is November 27, 2026.
Source: Seller Forums, BFCM Deals and Promotions (Amazon)
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceAdvertising
Your 15-second spot now fills the whole Echo Show
Amazon DSP advertisers with Asset Based Creative video now get a full-screen, muted autoplay placement on the Alexa Home Screen of Alexa+ Echo Show devices. A shopper can tap, or just ask Alexa, to play it with sound and then click through to your landing page.
There is nothing new to build. The placement comes from the standard Asset Based Creative video setup, Alexa is on by default for Display media type line items, and the same asset runs on Alexa+ and Original Alexa. Length decides the format. Videos 15 seconds or shorter autoplay, and longer ones up to 120 seconds run as Click-to-Video. It is live in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Do this: If your holiday DSP video runs long, cut a 15-second version so it qualifies for the autoplay placement instead of Click-to-Video.
- Second 0Start
- Second 15Autoplay limit
- Second 120Click-to-Video maximum
Amazon Ads: videos of 15 seconds or less autoplay full screen and muted on Alexa+ Echo Show. Longer videos, up to 120 seconds, run as Click-to-Video.
Source: Amazon Ads, Full Screen Autoplay Ads on Alexa+
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceListings
Fix the listing before you buy it traffic
Deals and ads send people to a detail page. The detail page still has to close. Amazon's BFCM listing checklist is specific: follow the Brand, Key Feature, Product Type, Size or Color pattern in titles and keep them under 75 characters (125 for highlights). Main images go on white at 1000 pixels or more so zoom works, and Amazon suggests 6 to 7 images on top sellers.
Use all five bullet slots and lead each with a benefit. Fill the 250 bytes of backend search terms with synonyms and alternate spellings instead of repeating title words. Two things can get a listing suppressed in the middle of the holidays, so strip them out now: promotional phrases like Best Seller or On Sale in the title, and ALL CAPS or emoji in descriptions.
Do this: Audit the titles, images, bullets and backend search terms on your top 10 to 20 ASINs this week, starting with any ASIN in a deal.
Source: Seller Forums, BFCM Listing Optimization Checklist (Amazon)
- Title under 75 characters, brand first
- Main image on white, 1000+ pixels
- 6 to 7 images on top sellers
- All 5 bullets, benefit first
- 250 bytes of backend search terms
- No Best Seller or On Sale in the title
- No ALL CAPS or emoji in descriptions
From Amazon's BFCM Listing Optimization Checklist in the Seller Forums. Promotional words, all caps and emoji can trigger suppression.
Source: Seller Forums, BFCM Listing Optimization Checklist (Amazon)
Data desk by XENA IntelligenceQuick hits
04Deals
Four days until deal sourcing closes. Check the 60-day price first.
Best Deals and Lightning Deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday close for submission on November 13. Before you submit, check the price rule Amazon applies to every deal type: the deal has to be at or below the lowest sales price of the past 60 days and at least 5% below the lowest price of the past 30 days. Lightning Deals need at least 20% off the reference price, and Best Deals and Prime Exclusive Discounts need at least 15%.
Sources: Seller Forums, BFCM Deals and Promotions (Amazon), Seller Central News, Black Friday Cyber Monday deals deadline extended
05FBA
Your donations now come with paperwork
FBA Donations sellers can now download a yearly certificate from Amazon's nonprofit partners on the Donations page in Seller Central. It lists the quantity and description of inventory donated in the previous year, so the 2025 certificate is there now. All US FBA sellers are enrolled by default. If overstock is sitting in a fulfillment center, the Removals page lets you set a donation cadence, such as twice a month, where Seller Central labels the option Dispose or Donate/Recycle.
Section 06
The wire
What changed lately, straight from Amazon. We read the announcement so you can read the summary.
- FBA
Amazon posts its pre-BFCM fulfillment readiness check
Deal ASINs should hold 4 to 6 weeks of inventory, open shipments get checked in the Shipment Performance Dashboard, and AWD-replenished stock bypasses FBA capacity limits during peak.
via Seller Forums, Peak Season Fulfillment: Pre-BFCM Readiness Checklist (Amazon) - Advertising
Full-screen autoplay video comes to Alexa+ Echo Show
Amazon DSP video of 15 seconds or less autoplays full screen and muted on the Alexa Home Screen in the US, Germany and the UK, with no new setup.
via Amazon Ads, Full Screen Autoplay Ads on Alexa+ - Listings
Amazon's BFCM listing checklist flags what triggers suppression
Promotional words like Best Seller or On Sale in titles, and ALL CAPS or emoji in descriptions, can suppress a listing during the holidays.
via Seller Forums, BFCM Listing Optimization Checklist (Amazon)
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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.
How much inventory should I have on deal ASINs for Black Friday?
Amazon's pre-BFCM readiness checklist says to verify you have at least 4 to 6 weeks of inventory on deal ASINs to avoid the low-inventory-level fee. Its earlier BFCM prep checklist recommends keeping at least 28 days of inventory per ASIN, with recommended levels shown in FBA Inventory in Seller Central.
Source: Seller Forums, Peak Season Fulfillment: Pre-BFCM Readiness Checklist (Amazon)
What happens to Sponsored Products ads when an ASIN goes out of stock?
Sponsored Products campaigns pause automatically when an ASIN goes out of stock, so you lose momentum when traffic is highest. Amazon suggests cross-referencing ad-supported ASINs with current stock, setting inventory alerts, and pausing ads on ASINs at risk of stocking out before the Black Friday and Cyber Monday rush.
Source: Seller Forums, Peak Season Fulfillment: Pre-BFCM Readiness Checklist (Amazon)
When should I raise Amazon ad bids for Black Friday?
Amazon's BFCM deals and promotions guidance says to increase bids 2 to 3 days before Black Friday and Cyber Monday because competition for placements ramps up early. It also suggests budget rules, schedule-based or performance-based, and raising daily budgets 20% to 30% around peak days so campaigns do not go dark.
What price does an Amazon deal need for Black Friday?
Every Amazon deal type must be priced at or below the lowest sales price over the past 60 days and at least 5% below the lowest price over the past 30 days. Lightning Deals need at least 20% off the reference price, while Best Deals and Prime Exclusive Discounts need at least 15%. Submissions close November 13.
How long should an Amazon product title be for the holidays?
Amazon's BFCM listing optimization checklist says to keep titles under 75 characters, or 125 for highlights, using the format Brand, Key Feature, Product Type, Size or Color. Avoid promotional language such as Best Seller or On Sale, because those phrases can trigger listing suppression during the holidays.
Source: Seller Forums, BFCM Listing Optimization Checklist (Amazon)
What are full-screen autoplay ads on Alexa+?
Amazon DSP advertisers using Asset Based Creative video can now run a full-screen, muted autoplay ad on the Alexa Home Screen of Alexa+ Echo Show devices. Videos of 15 seconds or less autoplay, and longer videos up to 120 seconds run as Click-to-Video. It is available in the US, Germany and the UK.
Where do I find my FBA Donations certificate?
Sellers who donated through the FBA Donations program can download a yearly donation certificate from Amazon's nonprofit partners on the Donations page in Seller Central. It lists the quantity and description of inventory donated in the previous year. All US sellers who use FBA are enrolled in FBA Donations by default.