[Crew Review] Washington preps for war with Amazon

From antitrust practices to privacy violations, some of the government’s investigations into Amazon’s business practices are approaching the action phase, which could have a significant impact on the ecommerce giant’s third-party seller ecosystem. 

Here’s everything sellers need to know.

Next Week...

Helium 10 has become a household name among ecommerce sellers, but only a few use it to its full potential. 

If you’ve ever wondered how far Helium 10 can take you in terms of launching new products on Amazon, you’re in for a treat! Next week, H10’s very own Brand Evangelist, Carrie Miller, will be showing you how to use Helium 10 to get the best possible outcome from your launches—and of course, the maximum profit! 

This webinar is completely free, but seats are going fast, so be sure to sign up now to reserve your spot.

Amazon Top Terms

We’ve run the calculations and churned out the top 10 trendiest terms that have jumped up in popularity between March 5th and March 18th. Find out the keywords that are making bank on Amazon!

As the seasons change, your business can capitalize on the seasonality to increase sales. Within this week's top 10 Amazon terms, there is a keyword associated with products for the spring.

Certain items like “bird feeder for window” are more desirable during the spring season, which is why sales increased from 5 units to 317 units per day in the last few days.

IRS Eyes Crackdown on Third-Party Seller Income

In the past, if you made under $20,000 in sales, you were allowed to self-report your income under the “honor system.” This enabled many sellers to hawk their merchandise on sites like eBay, Amazon, and Etsy and stay under the IRS radar. 

But all that will change this year, as the IRS is mounting a crackdown on third-party sellers, and will now require these companies to file a 1099 on individuals whose transactions exceed $600.

New Amazon Tool Helps Sellers Get Paid Faster

Amazon Pay has launched a new tool called Express Payout that enables eligible third-party sellers to receive payouts quicker and in turn have faster working capital. 

With this new feature, sellers will no longer have to wait up to five days for payments to process using the ACH network. Instead, sellers can opt in to Express Payout to start receiving payouts of up to $1 million at no additional cost within 24 hours, including weekends.

This integration comes after Amazon Pay’s new partnership with a network of hundreds of banks and credit unions, allowing eligible US sellers to receive their payouts in a faster, more efficient way. Eligible sellers can instantly opt in to Express Payout upon joining Amazon Pay.

Amazon Will Lay Off 9,000 More People

Amazon is planning to lay off another 9,000 employees over the next few weeks.

This is in addition to the planned layoff of over 18,000 personnel that the company announced several months earlier. Although this latest round of cuts will reportedly affect the company’s Twitch streaming arm and its advertising segment, analysts believe that the company’s previous layoffs were mostly done at the ecommerce level.

In its Q4 2022 earnings report, Amazon saw sluggish revenue growth for its online selling business, but made up for significant strides on the advertising and seller services front.

Chinese Giant JD Expands US Logistics Arm

Chinese e commerce giant JD.com is looking to expand its logistics network in the US by opening a third self-operating warehouse and distribution center in California. The new facility will grow the company’s warehouse footprint to 1.3 million square feet throughout the state, and will add to its existing facilities in New Jersey and Georgia. 

With this initiative, JD aims to address supply chain challenges in North America, significantly cut order lead times, and address the demand shift from ecommerce marketplaces to smaller independent operators. Just recently, the company also made headlines when it sparked fears of a price war against Alibaba and PDD after launching a $1.4 billion discount campaign on its marketplace.