Top 5 Seller Reads this Week: Issue #250

Top 5 this week

1. Amazon’s 2026 FBA Fee Changes and New AI Tools

“What I see in this week’s Amazon update is less about cents and more about signal: efficiency will now separate the winners. My recommendation? mapping every SKU against the new FBA tiers and running a true margin simulation. Then, I’d attack the controllables: packaging, certification, and inbound compliance. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s what keeps your profit leaks from turning into floods. AI tools like the Video Generator and Concessions Hub show Amazon’s focus: data and automation first. It’s yet another cue to double down on smarter content and cleaner operations.” ~Vanessa Cox

2. Walmart Partners with OpenAI to Create AI-First Shopping Experiences

“In Walmart’s AI-first world, a shopper no longer types “little black dress” into a search box. They ask ChatGPT for help, describing use case, mood, occasion, fit, or budget. ChatGPT interprets that and directly builds a cart. To appear in that conversation, your product must be discoverable via natural-language prompts. As AI proactively plans the shopping cart for customers, suppliers with clear attach logic, pack sizes, and substitution rules will surface more. Walmart’s AI push means clean attributes aren’t housekeeping, they’re essential conversion engines.” ~Shelby Owens

3. Use New FBA Inbound List View to Help Make Delivery Decisions

“Seeing FC capacity in real time is a game-changer. Sellers can now proactively plan route shipments and avoid bottlenecks before delays hit. This turns reactive logistics into strategic planning, especially critical during peak season when every day of delay costs margin.” ~Vanessa Hung

4. Amazon Develops AI Employee ‘Teammate’

“This feels like classic Amazon playbook: build a powerful internal tool, then package it for the public as a new AWS service. The real signal here is that enterprise-grade automation and data analysis are becoming more accessible, letting smaller teams punch above their weight. It takes a small amount of AWS configuration, but then has a pretty general audience friendly interface; worth experimenting with.” ~Nikko Patten

5. Walmart.com’s search results put ads front and center – a playbook Amazon pioneered

“The awkward statement that they were “different” and then became the same comes as no surprise. Walmart will continue to copy Amazon’s playbook – Amazon has tested, tested, and tested. These large companies are making most of their money on advertising. Expect more of the same. That said, the 13th slot for the first organic listing is a bit wild. I’d expect that to change.” ~Clayton Atchison