[Editor’s note: This post will be updated as more information becomes available]
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, and many marketplaces are forced to make adjustments to their policies and seller communication. Here are some of the latest relevant headlines, broken out by channel.
For updates specific to seller performance standards, see our Marketplace Seller Performance Policies During COVID-19 blog post.
Amazon
[March 30, 2020] Amazon waves FBA storage fees
Amid the evolving COVID-19 crisis, Amazon announced that it will waive two weeks of sellers’ inventory storage fees for products stored in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the Czech Republic. [Read announcement]
Amazon had previously waived April 15 long-term storage fees in the US and Europe, paused repayments and interest until April 30 for sellers with direct loans from Amazon Lending, and waved April fees for those sellers using Seller Account Management or the Launchpad program.
[March 27, 2020] Update on Prioritised Shipment Creation; New Tool to Check Eligibility
Amazon provided an update in Seller Central to its prioritised shipment creation policy (which it originally announced on March 17). The full statement from Amazon reads:
We are following up on our announcement of March 17. We continue to focus our available capacity on the highest priority products that customers need at this time, while also adhering to social distancing guidance within our fulfillment centres to keep our employees safe and healthy.
While we will continue prioritizing the products we can receive beyond April 5, we are now able to broaden the list. Given our constrained capacity, we are doing this on an item-by-item basis. We have updated the Restock Inventory page and Restock report in Seller Central so you can check which products are eligible for shipment creation. We consider many factors when determining eligibility, including high-demand products customers need now; current inventory levels and inventory in transit; fulfillment center capacity; and our ability to adhere to the latest health guidelines.
We will regularly update the Restock Inventory page and the Restock report as capacity allows us to receive additional products.
You can find answers to frequently asked questions on this Help page. Please note that Selling Partner Support does not have further guidance.
All of us at Amazon are working hard to restore regular operations, and we appreciate your patience and understanding.
eBay
[March 31, 2020] eBay US Announces Shop Subscription Relief Refunds
To relieve some of the pressure on its retailers, eBay will now refund shop subscription fees if the seller has to shut down their eBay shop for an extended period of time. [Read More]
[March 27, 2020] eBay Australia Fee Relief for Sellers
If you are an existing seller on eBay Australia, eBay will be supporting you with fee relief and further protections.
[March 27, 2020] eBay US Store Subscribers Can List up to 100K Extra Listings in March and April for Free
To allow eBay Store subscribers to test new inventory (amid fluctuations of supply and demand across the e-commerce landscape), eBay announced that these Store subscribers can now list 50,000 additional fixed price listings for free in March and 50,000 additional listings in April. [Read announcement]
[March 27, 2020] eBay Extends Out-of-Stock Duration
eBay has temporarily changed its policy for out-of-stock listings. To help sellers retain their sales history longer, eBay will now keep out-of-stock listings active for 180 consecutive days (rather than 90). [Read announcement]
[March 25, 2020] eBay US Offering to Defer Selling Fees for 30 Days
eBay announced that it would be deferring most selling fees for eligible Store subscribers for 30 days.
Also, the marketplace has offered more flexibility with seller payments. Sellers can submit a request for help if cash flow is an immediate issue. And if the request is approved, “50% of the Covered Fees on your current invoice will be deferred until the next billing cycle, and the remaining 50% will be due on the subsequent billing cycle.” [Read announcement]
Walmart
[March 30, 2020] Walmart Temporarily Extends Return Dispute Window
Walmart has extended the dispute window from 45 days to 90 days to give sellers more time to serve customers. The revised window is applicable to orders placed on or after March 1, 2020. [Read policy]
Zalando
[March 27, 2020] Zalando warehouses to stay open
Zalando says it will keep its warehouses open for the sake of “business continuity” despite seeing a drop in consumer demand for its products due to the global pandemic. [Full story]
