In response to the worldwide COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak, Amazon has announced a suspension on many inbound shipments for FBA Sellers now through April 5th. The official announcement went as follows:
We are closely monitoring the developments of COVID-19 and its impact on our customers, selling partners, and employees.
We are seeing increased online shopping, and as a result, some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock. With this in mind, we are temporarily 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.
For products other than these, we have temporarily disabled shipment creation. We are taking a similar approach with retail vendors.
This will be in effect today through April 5, 2020, and we will let you know once we resume regular operations. Shipments created before today will be received at fulfillment centers.
You can learn more about this on this Help page 57. Please note that Selling Partner Support does not have further guidance.
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.
We appreciate your understanding as we prioritize the above products for our customers.
Thank you for your patience, and for participating in FBA.
The change was made to help create inventory space in Amazon warehouses for medical and household goods in high demand as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. This hasn’t stopped the sales of non-essential items that are already in warehouses, but inevitably these products may sell out as they are not able to be restocked during this time.
Which Categories Are Deemed ‘Essential’?
Amazon has defined essential and high-demand items as ones categorized in:
- Baby Products
- Health & Household (including books)
- Beauty & Personal Care (including personal care appliances)
- Grocery
- Industrial & Scientific
- Pet Supplies
This new protocol applies to Amazon’s retail inventory as well as to the products of third-party sellers on the platform in the US, EU, and UK marketplaces. Additionally, any shipments created before March 17, 2020, will still be received.
The company has stated, “We understand this is a change for our selling partners and appreciate their understanding as we temporarily prioritize these products for customers.”
On a more positive note, Amazon also announced that it will hire 100,000 more workers, as it is trying to meet the growing needs of people shopping online due to medical professionals’ encouraging people to stay home amid the coronavirus outbreak.
At Amazzia, we are working diligently to make sure all of our brands remain a priority during this unprecedented time. We will make sure to stay up-to-date and informed about any industry-related information throughout this time!
