Amazon's New Surcharge: Sellers Feel the Pinch

0:00It's April 2, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Canada News today. Your AI-powered local news. Amazon's hitting sellers with a new 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on its shipping services starting later this month. This comes as oil prices climb from the war in Iran, pushing up costs across the board. It's aimed at independent sellers using fulfillment by Amazon and the U.S. and Canada. The fee kicks in April 17 for those FBA customers, then rolls out May 2 for items Amazon shifts to merchants selling on their own sites, or other retailers. Basically, it's a direct pass through on higher shipping expenses. Sellers are feeling the pinch since over 60% of Amazon products come from these independents, who already pay commissions, storage, and delivery fees. Instead of raising shopper prices, Amazon shifting the burden to its merchant partners through this marketplace setup. Amazon says they've soaked up the increases so far, but now need temporary surcharges

1:00similar to other big carriers. The charge applies only to the shipping fee itself, not the item sale price, and is lower than hikes for rivals like the U.S. Postal Services. 8% jump on some packages. With costs staying high, expect more of these adjustments rippling through e-commerce, keeping the pressure on sellers while buyers dodge the direct.