Amazon Is Giving Sellers $2,500 to Shut Up

Date: April 6th, 2026

Summary: Kevin King breaks down Amazon's move to deduct ad costs directly from seller proceeds, eliminating credit card rewards on ad spend, plus the new 3.5% fuel surcharge, Amazon's fake discount crackdown on strikethrough pricing, early data on Rufus "Sponsored Prompts" ads, TikTok Shop stats, and how Walmart is quietly dominating Google Shopping with over 1,600 seller names.

Link to written version of the newsletter: [Insert link here]

Key Points Discussed

• Amazon's new ad cost deduction policy ending credit card rewards on ad spend
• The DD+7 reserve policy double whammy and its impact on seller cash flow
• Google and Meta already made similar moves away from credit card payments
• Amazon's $2,500 consolation credit and the 3.5% fuel surcharge on FBA fees
• TikTok Shop growth stats and creator earnings concentration
• Amazon's strikethrough pricing crackdown: List Price validation (April 23) and Typical Price recalculation (May 18)
• Early data on Amazon Rufus "Sponsored Prompts" ads
• Walmart dominating Google Shopping with 1,600+ distinct seller names
• Stack Influence platform for micro-influencer collaborations

Links Mentioned

• E-com Mastery AI Event Live Stream
• Stack Influence Platform (10% off this month)

Hot Picks

• The TACOS trap and why using it is misleading as a metric
• Amazon and Walmart move the retail war past the buy button
• Amazon adds 3.5% fuel surcharge to all FBA and fulfillment fees
• Amazon teams with FedEx to add 10,000 more return drop-off points

Stump Bezos Answer: 

Amazon did 1.7 billion annual deliveries through the U.S. Post Office (15% of all USPS shipments)