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This came as a shock to many third party FBA sellers on Amazon who observed this change, which may have occurred one or two weeks ago. This buy box switch might apply to other categories on Amazon, such as on video game product pages. I am primarily a used bookseller who sells via FBA, so I will be speaking of this category only.
I’ve noticed this change as well on many Amazon listings. In the past, the buy box (the used offer box that shows on the right side of the main product page) primarily defaulted to FBA offers (a seller who has already sent in their book to an Amazon warehouse, then Amazon fulfills/ ships the order and takes care of any possible customer return). An FBA offer is also commonly priced higher than an MF (Merchant Fulfilled) offer and would still get the buy box. Now, it’s the book sellers who are selling the book from their own house or warehouse that have the luxury of showing in the buy box. These are often slower shipping speeds.
Now for those that hoping to get a sale on one of their FBA offers, the customer will most likely have to click on the New and used (Other sellers on Amazon) link found underneath the buybox. This is an extra step that does seem to be hurting sales for FBA sellers.
Why this is good for FBA sellers in the long run-
1.) This should create less competition for those willing to stick it out, assuming the buy box will continue to favor MF sellers in 2025. I mean fewer sellers will show up on a book listing (if they were FBA and don’t want to be bothered with MF storage/ shipping), and less sellers showing up at book sales to source (e.g. library sales, estate sales etc).
2.) Amazon customers (especially around textbook season) will want their textbook delivered to them fast, and they will want to look for the Prime (FBA) offers for 2-3 day shipping speed, which they should already be familiar with, even if it’s not featured in the buy box.
Above all, this can just be a temporary change, and FBA sellers shouldn’t full blown panic just yet. If you see any other benefits to this for an FBA seller of books that I didn’t mention, please let me know in the comments.