In a move to standardize the customer return experience, Amazon has made its Prepaid Return Label (APRL) program mandatory for all U.S. seller-fulfilled orders, effective February 8, 2026. This change eliminates the long-standing exemption for high-value items and introduces faster refund processing times, creating significant operational and financial impacts for sellers.

What This Means for Sellers

Previously, sellers could opt out of the APRL program for high-value items, allowing them to manage returns and refunds for these products directly. With the new policy, all seller-fulfilled returns must now use an Amazon-provided prepaid return label, regardless of the item’s value.

In addition, the refund processing window has been reduced from 14 days to just 7 days, and direct buyer-seller messaging during the returns process is no longer allowed.

The Impact on Your Business

Sellers who previously managed their own returns for high-value items will now face several new challenges:

• Increased Costs: Sellers will now be charged for the prepaid return labels on all returns, which could significantly impact margins, especially for sellers with high return rates.
• Faster Refunds: The 7-day refund window will require sellers to process returns and issue refunds more quickly, potentially impacting cash flow.
• Less Control: The elimination of buyer-seller messaging during returns gives sellers less opportunity to resolve issues or offer alternative solutions before a refund is issued.

‍

What You Need to Do Now

• Enroll in APRL: If you haven’t already, you must enroll in and use the Prepaid Return Label program for all your seller-fulfilled orders.
• Update Your Processes: Adjust your internal workflows to accommodate the faster 7-day refund processing timeline.
• Budget for Returns: Factor the cost of prepaid return labels into your pricing and financial projections.

This is a major shift in how Amazon handles seller-fulfilled returns. If you need help understanding how this change will impact your business or want to explore strategies for mitigating the increased costs, please contact us for a consultation.

‍

Amazon has put all sellers on notice with a major update to its Business Solutions Agreement (BSA), introducing strict new compliance requirements for all third-party tools, including AI-powered software, automation scripts, and even virtual assistants. Sellers have until March 4, 2026, to ensure all tools they use are fully compliant with the new rules, or risk account suspension.

What This Means for Sellers

The new policy, announced on February 17, 2026, directly targets the use of automated systems that interact with Seller Central. This includes a wide range of tools that many sellers rely on for pricing, listing management, inventory automation, and even browser scraping.

The key changes include:

• AI Restrictions: A new prohibition on using Amazon materials to develop or improve AI/ML models, along with restrictions on data mining and reverse engineering.
• New Agent Policy: All AI agents must now clearly identify themselves as automated systems, comply with the new policy at all times, and cease access immediately if Amazon requests.

‍

The Impact on Your Business

Any seller using a non-compliant tool after the March 4 deadline is at risk of immediate account action, including suspension or termination. This is a significant shift in Amazon’s approach to third-party software, and it places the burden of compliance squarely on the seller.

What You Need to Do Now

• Audit Your Tools: Immediately review every third-party tool and service you use that interacts with your Amazon account.
• Contact Your Vendors: Reach out to each vendor and request written confirmation that their tool is fully compliant with Amazon’s new BSA and Agent Policy.
• Implement a Kill Switch: Have a plan in place to immediately disable any tool if Amazon requests it. The new policy gives Amazon the right to demand you cease using any automated system at any time.

‍

This is a critical update that requires immediate attention. If you are unsure whether your tools are compliant, or if you need help finding compliant alternatives, please contact us. We can help you navigate this new landscape and ensure your business remains protected.

‍

Amazon has rolled out a significant update to its review sharing policy for product variations, a change that could dramatically impact sellers who rely on shared reviews to boost the visibility of their products. Effective February 12, 2026, Amazon will no longer share reviews across product variations that deliver a different customer experience.

What This Means for Sellers

Previously, sellers could group similar products into a single parent listing, allowing all child ASINs to share the same pool of reviews. This was a powerful strategy for launching new products, as a new color or size variation could instantly inherit the review history of an established product.

Under the new policy, review sharing will be removed when variations introduce meaningful differences in performance, usage, or customer expectations. This includes changes in power, speed, memory, platform compatibility, model or generation, bundled accessories, formulation, primary scent, fit, material composition, design, or intended user group.

Review sharing will remain in place for variations that differ only in ways that do not alter how the product functions or is used, such as color, pattern, size (for the same function), pack size, or secondary scent.

The Impact on Your Business

Sellers with non-compliant variations may see a sudden drop in review counts and star ratings at the variation level. This could lead to a significant decrease in sales velocity for products that were previously propped up by shared reviews.

What You Need to Do Now

We strongly recommend that all sellers conduct a thorough audit of their product variations to ensure they meet Amazon’s new criteria for review sharing. If you have variations that deliver a different customer experience, you may need to separate them into their own parent listings to avoid losing accumulated reviews.

This policy change underscores the importance of a clean and compliant catalog. If you need assistance with a variation audit or want to discuss how this change might impact your business, please contact us for a consultation.