Amazon News 08/2025
Hello,
from us to you: The most important topics about Amazon. Everything that was important this month, you'll find as always in our newsletter.
Changes to variant designs from September
From September 2, Amazon will remove certain variation themes. The basis for this is an Amazon-created base list of variation themes that are designated for cleanup. However, Amazon does not remove all themes from this list wholesale, but exclusively those that have achieved no sales in the last 12 months.
This means: Only variation themes that are both on the Amazon-specified list and have remained without sales within the last 12 months will be permanently removed. Affected variation themes are already marked in Seller Central with the note "Expired: Do not use".
Impact on your offers
Existing variant families remain unchanged active, so there are no sales interruptions.
Adjustments are possible voluntarily at any time.
Child-ASINs remain active even if variation themes are changed.
If you want to update an offer with a variation theme that is marked as "expired", you will receive the error message "The specified value is invalid" and the update will fail.
You can find the complete list of variation themes designated for removal by Amazon as well as further information directly in Seller Central under the FAQ on variant relationships.
ASK 2025 - We're on board and your discount code too!
On September 24 and 25, 2025, the Amazon industry meets again for the most important event of the year: The Amazon Sales Congress goes into its 17th round. This time in the elegant Leonardo Hotel in Weimar. We at REVOIC are once again partners this year and look forward to creating two days full of insights, strategies, and networking together with sellers, brands, and service providers.
Our colleague Maik Busch takes over the moderation together with Toni Neidhold and leads through a program that is close to practice and full of relevant topics.
Our managing director Stephan Bruns brings his popular workshop on "The Right Sales Channel on Amazon: Vendor, Seller, Hybrid or Broker?" with clear recommendations on which strategy fits which brand. You can particularly look forward to the exclusive book premiere of his new specialist book about Amazon Advertising, which will be presented live for the first time.
Our colleague Mehmet Akkan is also involved with a workshop: "Advertising RoundUp 2025: All Updates for the Right Campaign Strategy". This covers, among other things, the latest developments around Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) and their practical significance for your advertising strategy.
And for the perfect start to the ASK days, we traditionally invite you together with AMALYTIX to the legendary Warm-Up event on the evening before.
Register now and secure your spot – with the discount code Hangout you save €125. We look forward to seeing you!
Countdown running: Prime Big Deals as revenue booster
Amazon has announced the upcoming Prime Big Deal Days and calls on sellers to submit their deals early. Even though the exact date has not yet been officially confirmed, October is considered a safe timeframe.
Revenue opportunity for sellers
For Sellers and Vendors, the event offers the opportunity to benefit from high reach and increased willingness to buy. In previous years, many sellers reported record sales, especially with heavily discounted products with high demand. Since visibility during the campaign is crucial, it is advisable to prepare offers early and submit them via the Deals Dashboard.
Strategic relevance
The Prime Big Deal Days have long been a fixed date in the shopping calendar. For you as a seller, they offer not only additional sales but also the chance to better assess demand before the Christmas business. At the same time, Amazon strengthens the attractiveness of Prime membership with the event. If you prepare your offers in time, you can use the campaign specifically as a start into the highest revenue phase of the year.
Black Friday 2025: Submit offers now
Black Friday 2025 is just around the corner and with it one of the highest revenue phases of the year. From November 20 to December 1, millions of Prime members are specifically looking for top deals. Those who are prepared now secure maximum visibility and reach.
Deal formats with high potential
Use lightning deals and "Best Deals" to prominently place your products. These formats benefit from additional visibility on the event pages and can significantly increase your sell-through figures.
Keep important deadlines in mind
Submission deadline: October 24, 2025
FBA shipping deadline: October 31, 2025
Secure your placement early, because the sooner you submit, the better you can benefit🚀.
Amazon pauses Google Shopping ads
At the end of July 2025, Amazon completely paused its Shopping ads in the markets USA, UK, Germany and France. The share of Google Shopping ads, which was sometimes over 60%, dropped to zero within a few hours. Amazon's search ads, on the other hand, remained stable at around 11%. Since the end of August, Amazon is now active again on Google Shopping, but not in the USA, where the ads are still paused. The question is: Why?
Impact on the market
A study by Optmyzr shows: Less competition led to more clicks (+7.8%) and cheaper CPCs (-8.3%), but at the same time the conversion value dropped by 5.5% and ROAS deteriorated. The reason for this is the so-called "Volume Trap": Users who were actually looking for Amazon clicked on other ads – but expected the same price, delivery, and service level there. Many sellers could not meet these expectations, which led to weaker performance.
Reasons behind the move
Possible reasons why Amazon might have paused the ads are that Amazon wanted to test whether Google Shopping actually has a measurable effect on revenue and customer flows to Amazon. On the other hand, it is conceivable that the move was part of price negotiations with Google. By temporarily pausing the ads, Amazon could increase pressure to achieve better conditions and lower costs for Shopping ads.
You can find a more detailed analysis here.
Revenue increase through interest-free installment payments
With the "Flexible Customer Financing" program, sellers can offer their customers interest-free payment options. Eligible purchases worth €80 to €3,000 can be divided into several monthly installments without interest. Fees for sellers start at 1.95% (short term of 3–6 months) and can rise to 18.4% depending on the number of installments (48 months).
Benefits and possible effects
According to Amazon data, the installment payment option increases revenue of registered products by an average of 30%. Sellers receive the full order amount immediately, regardless of the chosen term. In addition, the option can be specifically activated only for certain products, and a dashboard supports evaluation.
We recommend: For high-priced items, installment payment can be an effective means of setting additional impulses in times of restrained willingness to buy. At the same time, sellers should include the fees precisely in their calculation – especially with long terms. The question remains how strongly customers will actually use this option.
More information on this topic can be found here.
Seller reviews now possible without text
Since August 4, Amazon has simplified the review system for sellers. Customers can now also give star ratings without written comments, but the possibility of a classic text review remains. Initial tests have shown that this leads to more customers leaving reviews and the average seller rating has improved for many partners.
More protection against unfair reviews
For reviews below four stars, buyers must provide a reason. Amazon checks these details and hides reviews that do not relate to seller performance, such as when it's only about the product. The system also automatically recognizes offensive comments and removes them without your intervention. If you still discover a problematic review, you can still manually request a review.
With the new system, you receive more reviews from satisfied customers faster, while at the same time unjustified reviews are better filtered. This strengthens your seller rating and increases the chance of gaining buyers' trust, so an important lever for your conversion on Amazon.
More on this topic can be found here.
New logistics center XWR5 in Poland starts in October
Amazon has announced the start of deliveries to the new logistics center XWR5 in Poland for October 3, 2025. The center will be open Monday through Saturday from 6 AM to 10 PM. Sellers should register the new location in their systems in time, even if they currently do not offer corresponding product types. Long-term, staggered orders for XWR5 can already be received from September 1, 2025, so early preparation makes sense.
Significance for sellers and logistics
With the new location, Amazon expands its cross-border logistics capacities within Europe. For sellers, this can mean faster delivery times, optimized routes, and more efficient processing of international orders. Those who make system adjustments early and review their supply chain process can avoid possible delays and benefit from the smooth start of the center.
More on this topic can be found here.
New FBA donation program launched in Germany
Since August 18, 2025, sellers in Germany can participate in the optional FBA donation program. Excess inventory, returns, or other FBA items no longer needed can be donated directly to non-profit organizations. Amazon takes care of selecting the organizations and transport. For items that are not suitable for donation, disposal continues according to applicable regulations. The usual disposal fees also apply within the donation program.
Consider sales tax
In Germany, sales tax usually applies to goods donations. Sellers are responsible for ensuring correct tax treatment and paying any due amounts. Amazon provides a guideline value for each donation that sellers should check before submitting their sales tax advance return.
Voluntary participation
Participation in the program is voluntary. Sellers can check via the FBA portal which products are suitable for donation and select processing when creating disposal orders.
Amazon discontinues FBA preparation and labeling services in the USA
From January 1, 2026, Amazon will no longer offer preparation and item labeling services for FBA shipments in the USA. This affects all inventory sent to US fulfillment centers – directly or via other Amazon supply chain solutions. Sellers must prepare and label their products themselves before shipping in the future. For shipments that arrive after the deadline without proper preparation or labeling, there is no entitlement to reimbursement in case of damage or loss.
Background of the change
Amazon justifies the step with significantly improved packaging standards on the part of sellers. The majority of retailers now handle preparation themselves, through their own processes, manufacturing partners, or third-party providers. This allows FBA to focus more on fast and efficient processes in fulfillment centers. For eligible products, the "Ship in Product Packaging" option remains to reduce preparation effort.
Recommendations for affected sellers
Sellers should check their catalogs for products that have previously used Amazon's preparation or labeling services. Necessary are adapted packaging and labeling processes as well as possibly cooperation with third-party providers. Early conversion helps avoid delivery interruptions and compliance problems from 2026.
Chinese platforms gain market share in Germany
Data from Statista Consumer Insights shows that Chinese online marketplaces are gaining strongly in Germany. While Amazon remains the market leader in 2025 with 77% of surveyed online buyers, the company is gradually losing market share. eBay (36%) and Otto (24%) are also stagnating or recording slight declines.
Temu and AliExpress are gaining strongly
AliExpress was able to double its share since 2022 from 7 to 14 percent. Temu, a subsidiary of Chinese e-commerce company Pinduoduo, already reaches 27 percent just a few years after market entry. Growth drivers are aggressive pricing strategies, a broad range, and targeted social media marketing. Customers increasingly accept longer delivery times and sometimes lower quality when the price is right.
Consequences for Amazon
For Amazon, competitive pressure in Germany is increasing. To secure market share, competitive prices, fast delivery times, and an improved customer experience are likely to become more important. The development shows that international platforms from China are permanently establishing themselves in German e-commerce and challenging established providers.
New fee category from October 1, 2025
Amazon is introducing eleven new fee categories in several European marketplaces, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland and other countries, and adjusting existing categories. The changes affect exclusively the assignment of products to categories, the fee rates themselves remain unchanged. Depending on the new categorization, the calculated fees for individual products can nevertheless change.
Important dates
Affected sellers and vendors received an email on August 28, 2025 with the affected ASINs. The conversion takes place automatically on October 1, 2025.
New categories
The new fee categories include, among others: Strollers and safety equipment, eye protection, furniture accessories, pet clothing and food, packaging materials, and printer and scanner accessories. Additionally, there are country-specific adjustments such as merging or splitting existing categories as well as further new categories in individual countries.
More on this topic can be found under Basics on Fee Categories in Seller Central.
Your guide to Amazon Ads - Available NOW
For many years, the question has occupied me: How does really successful advertising on Amazon succeed? From this experience, my specialist book was created – "Amazon Advertising – Increase Sales and Visibility" is available now. It is aimed at all sellers and vendors who want to understand advertising not only superficially but use it as a strategic tool for more revenue and reach.
On over 500 pages, you get a complete overview: from the basics of Retail Readiness to precise targeting to optimization of Sponsored Ads. The book is consciously structured as a practice-oriented guide – with clear structures, examples from practice, and concrete action recommendations. My goal was to create a reference work that supports you in your daily advertising decisions.
Curious? Then take a look at the sample chapter.
