As of Wednesday March 17, 2020, Amazon began disabling inbound FBA Shipments for products that are not medical supplies, household staples, or high demand products. They expect to resume normal operation by April 5th, 2020.
With social distancing being the prime goal during this COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon is committed to deliver critical supplies to those needing them, straight to their doorstep.
Dealing with Increases in Demand
There has been an increase in demand for certain products and therefore Amazon will be giving priority to the following categories so that they can quickly receive, restock and ship these high demand products to customers:
- Baby Products
- Health & Household
- Beauty & Personal Care (including personal care appliances)
- Grocery
- Industrial & Scientific
- Pet Supplies
Just because your product is in one of these categories doesn’t guarantee that you can create an inbound FBA shipment though. The only way to truly know is to send a shipment. Any shipments you had on the way before this will continue as normal. This only affects the US and EU marketplaces as of now.
FBM shipments can have potentially negative effects if they are not fulfilled in time.
Amazon is also encouraging their customers during this Coronavirus outbreak to choose “No-Rush Shipping” when purchasing items they don’t need immediately in order to consolidate orders and make fewer stops in neighborhoods throughout the week, and most importantly, serve customers with the most critical needs first.
Answer to Price Gouging
With recent price gouging Amazon is also working diligently to make sure that no one artificially raises prices on basic need products during this pandemic and have blocked or removed tens of thousands of items, in line with their policy.
New Whole Foods Hours for the Elderly
Whole Foods Market is temporarily adjusting store hours and allowing the most vulnerable age group to shop an hour before the general public can enter (customers who are age 60 and over in the U.S. and Canada, and age 70 and over in the UK). Here are the new adjusted hours (example: if a store’s new hours are 9 a.m. – 8 p.m., customers who are age 60 and over can shop starting at 8 a.m.)
Frequently asked questions
What products am I able to ship to FBA?
We are prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and deliver these products to customers. Most of the products we are accepting at this time are in the below categories.
- Baby Products
- Health & Household
- Beauty & Personal Care (including personal care appliances)
- Grocery
- Industrial & Scientific
- Pet Supplies
Listing products in an inaccurate category is a violation of our listing policies and may result in account suspension.
Is Amazon taking similar steps for retail products?
Yes.
Where does this apply?
This is currently being applied to the US and EU marketplaces.
What if I already have a shipment on its way?
Shipments created before March 17, 2020, will be received.
What happens to my products that are in an Amazon fulfillment center but are not in one of the above categories? Can I still sell this item on Amazon?
Yes, if your product is already on its way and/or in our fulfillment center, you can continue to sell it.
I believe my product is a household staple and/or a medical supply, but I am not able to create a shipment. What should I do?
We determine if a product is a household staple, a medical supply, or both based upon the listing. At this time we are not accepting requests to re-classify listings.
My product is listed within the prioritized categories, but I am not able to create a shipment. What should I do?
If your product is correctly classified and you are not able to create a shipment, then the product in question is not prioritized at this time.
I don’t sell household staples or medical supplies. What is going to happen to my business if I can’t replenish my products?
We are making these temporary adjustments in order to prioritize household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and ship these products to customers. You may continue to sell products already in our fulfillment centers. This will be in effect March 17, 2020, through April 5, 2020, and we will let you know once we resume regular operations.
We understand this is a change to your business, and we did not take this decision lightly. We are working around the clock to increase capacity and yesterday announced that we are opening 100,000 new full- and part-time positions in our fulfillment centers across the US.
Can I still sell non-household staples or medical supplies through merchant-fulfilled channels?
Yes.
What happens if my Inventory Performance Index (IPI) score falls because of this?
We are working diligently to account for this change in your IPI score and in storage limits for the following quarter.
Need Help Getting your Amazon Seller Account through this pandemic?
At OperationROI we are working hard to help our customers adjust to these troubling times and these new regulations so that their seller ratings remain in tact, shipments go out in a timely manner, and FBA inventory is in stock. If your company is looking for some help, contact us we would be happy to lend a hand!
Learn More About Our Amazon Seller Central Management Services Schedule A Call Today
