According to reports Amazon have announced that they will no longer be shipping non-essential products to consumers in Italy and France during the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We will temporarily stop taking orders on some non-essential products on Amazon.it and Amazon.fr,”
“This lets fulfillment center associates focus on receiving and shipping the products customers need most at this time.”
– Amazon
It is understandable that the rise in orders caused by the COVID-19 outbreak have put pressures on Amazon to respect the safety measures put in place to prevent it’s furthering spread, this became clear when Amazon.com suspended FBA for small business sellers. There is a huge demand for medical supplies and essentials however, sellers are currently being forced to struggle more than they already have been at a time when they need Amazon’s support the most. People who are healthy could still be looking for gardening, DIY and home improvement supplies to finish those projects around the house they kept putting off and sellers using FBA will be unable to cater to these people.
The essential categories
Amazon have stopped selling and replenishing the stock you have in France and Italy unless it falls under the following 6 categories:
- Baby Products
- Health & Household
- Beauty & Personal Care (including personal care appliances)
- Grocery
- Industrial & Scientific
- Pet Supplies
This means that they have gone from delaying seller income to cutting it off entirely and there are currently no options to have your stock sent back to be sold elsewhere.
Will the UK be affected?
There is a high chance that this could happen in the UK and with the government putting in place further measures whilst the Virus continues it’s rapid spread there is no saying how much time we have until it happens. If your business is selling through Amazon you need to start thinking of an alternative.
Sellers can still send non-essential products to consumers using couriers outside of the Amazon FBA program with the risk of a delayed service but they won’t be able to sell their stock being held by Amazon.
At the same time, Amazon FBA fees are due to rise on the 1st of April.
