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Help / Policies, agreements, and guidelines / Changes to programme policies

Changes to programme policies

Listed below are upcoming changes to Amazon’s programme policies.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

The following change will enter into effect on March 19, 2021:

We are adding the Unsuitable Inventory Investigations Policy as a new programme policy. Under this policy, if there is suspicion that a Selling Partner may have been engaged in the sale of counterfeit products or other illegal goods at Amazon, we may require additional information regarding the affected FBA inventory. If the requested information is not provided or we find after investigation that the inventory constitutes Unsuitable Units, we may dispose of it.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

Effective January 1, 2021, we are making some updates to our programme policies.

We are updating the Amazon Business invoicing policy to reflect the addition of a free automated solution, for selling partners who do not have an obligation to register for VAT in the EU or the UK, to comply with the Amazon Business invoicing policy. The new solution will automatically generate a receipt by Amazon on behalf of selling partners for all of their orders, and will make the receipts directly available to customers via their Amazon account.

We are also updating the Amazon marketplace fair pricing policy to provide more examples about pricing practices that harm customer trust with reference to shipping fees.

Additionally, we are updating the programme policies listed below, to reflect certain changes related to the new trading relationship between the UK and the EU, changes in laws in the UK following Brexit, and to consolidate and clarify certain provisions regarding tax. We have also clarified your obligations to provide us with certain business details that may affect tax calculations on Amazon fees and, where applicable, on your transactions.

The following programme policies are being updated on the above basis:

Finally, we are also updating the content listed below within the overall Product Guidelines programme policy, to reflect regulatory changes for product compliance related to Brexit:

An English version with changes highlighted is available for each programme policy at the corresponding link. Courtesy translations in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Swedish will be published on Seller Central on January 1, 2021.

If you have questions, contact Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after January 1, 2021, constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making changes to our programme policies that apply to all sellers who use the services or features covered by these policies.

The following changes will enter into effect on December 14, 2020:

FBA Subscribe & Save (changes effective for amazon.fr, amazon.es and amazon.it): We are introducing a new funding structure and automatic enrolment of eligible items. Eligible, replenishable items will be automatically enrolled at a 0% base discount (i.e. no cost to sellers) and Amazon will fund a 5% customer discount for tiered deliveries when customers receive a fixed number of items in one delivery. Sellers who want to fund a customer discount can do so at 5% or 10%, and Amazon will fund an extra 5% under the applicable conditions. Sellers can opt out at any time.

This is a summary of the changes, so we encourage you to review the updated and new programme policies carefully.

A redlined version of the FBA Subscribe & Save is available here in English, French, Italian, and Spanish.

We have also updated our Intellectual Property Policy to clarify how you should indicate the compatibility of your products with a product of a different brand, for example, a charging cable that works with a specific brand of phone. If you list such products, please review your product titles for compliance with the new recommendations for the way it should be written to indicate compatibility.

A redlined version of the updated Amazon Intellectual Property Policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

If you have questions, contact Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after the respective date of effectiveness constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making changes and additions to our programme policies that apply to all sellers who use the services or features covered by these policies.

The following changes will enter into effect on September 30, 2020:

We are adding the Amazon Responsible Person Service (the ‘ARP Service’) as a new programme policy. This policy outlines the eligibility, costs, terms and conditions for certain Selling Partners (manufacturers, brand owners or resellers authorised by the brand to sell in the EU) to enrol in the newly launched ARP Service. Under the ARP Service, Amazon will act as the EU product compliance point of contact for non-EU Selling Partners using Fulfilment by Amazon for certain CE-marked products.

The following changes will enter into effect on October 15, 2020:

We are updating our Supply Chain Standards page to provide details about our existing policy and help you adhere to these guidelines. Our standards include the Amazon supplier code of conduct, which requires that products be manufactured in safe, healthy and inclusive work environments. The Supply Chain Standards page also provides information about why standards are important, how we implement them and the potential consequences for violations. We are not changing our supplier code of conduct as part of this update.
We are updating the Selling on Amazon Fee Schedule (NL Amazon site) for clarity to include the DIY & Tools category. There is no change to the referral fee currently charged for that category.

This list is a summary of the changes, so we encourage you to review the updated and new programme policies carefully.

A redlined version of the Supply Chain Standards page is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

A redlined version of the Selling on Amazon Fee Schedule (NL Amazon site) is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

If you have questions, contact Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after the respective date of effectiveness constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making changes and additions to our programme policies that apply to all sellers who use the services or features covered by these policies.

Update to Communication Guidelines

Effective November 3, 2020, our Communication Guidelines are being updated with additional information related to Buyer-Seller messages. Refer to the updates here.

The following changes will enter into effect on September 30, 2020:

Pan-European FBA programme policy: To better meet anticipated customer demand, we will automatically enable FBA inventory placement in countries for which FBA sellers have provided a valid VAT number in their selling on Amazon account. We are also making changes that will allow sellers more flexibility in their selection of countries for inventory placement as part of the Pan-European FBA programme. In connection with this update, we are removing the Multi-Country Inventory Terms and Conditions from the list of programme policies.
ASIN creation policy: We are adding rules on the creation of branded ASINs by sellers who are not associated with the brand owner.

Lastly, we are also incorporating our long-standing policies on Marketplace Fair Pricing and Intellectual Property into our programme policies. Their content and scope of application remains unchanged.

This list is a summary of the changes, so we encourage you to review the updated and new programme policies carefully.

A redlined version of the Pan-European FBA programme policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

A redlined version of the ASIN creation policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

If you have questions, contact Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after the respective date of effectiveness constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making some changes and additions to our programme policies that will go into effect on July 12, 2020, and apply to all sellers who use the services or features covered by these policies.

Changes to existing programme policies:

Monitor your account health: We are adding information about your performance metrics to this policy.
Amazon Vine terms and conditions: The units requested by Vine Voices must be fulfilled using Fulfilment by Amazon to protect the anonymity of our Vine Voices population.
Category, Product and Content Restrictions: You may be restricted from selling certain types of products for various reasons, including regulatory compliance, product safety and customer experience.
Product guidelines: We may offer product insurance or instalment financing products on certain products sold by you or Amazon.

New programme policies:

How products are given visibility in the Amazon store: This policy describes features of the Amazon store that help customers find, discover and shop for products, such as the Featured Offer, Featured shopping results, product highlights (like badges) and Sponsored Ads.
Data access: We are adding this policy to help you find data about your sales in our stores and other relevant information.
Mediation policy: We are introducing mediation as an option to resolve seller disputes out of court. The new policy clarifies which disputes are eligible for this process, and explains basic rules of the process.
Amazon Launchpad programme terms: This policy will substitute and amend the Amazon Launchpad Business Solutions Agreement Addendum. The Amazon Launchpad programme terms include the terms and conditions related to participation in the Amazon Launchpad programme. We introduced the possibility to fulfil your orders via Seller Fulfilled Prime, in addition to Fulfilment by Amazon. We also made the one-year commitment reciprocal for both parties (Amazon Launchpad and the selling partner).

This list is a summary of the changes, so we encourage you to review the updated and new programme policies carefully.

A redlined version of the Monitor your account health policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

A redlined version of the Amazon Vine terms and conditions is available here in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

A redlined version of the Category, Product and Content Restrictions policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

If you have questions, contact Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after July 12, 2020, constitutes your acceptance of the updated programme policies.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making some changes to the following programme policies:

Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct: We are clarifying the limited circumstances under which sellers are allowed to set up multiple seller accounts.
VAT Agreement: We are making a minor clarification to this policy to reflect the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union.
EU VAT Services Online Agreement: We are updating our data processing terms and allowing for the participation of additional service providers in the VAT Services on Amazon programme.
FBA Subscribe & Save (changes effective for amazon.co.uk and amazon.de only): We are introducing a new funding structure and automatic enrolment of eligible items. Eligible, replenishable items will be automatically enrolled at a 0% base discount (i.e., no cost to sellers) and Amazon will fund a 5% customer discount for tiered deliveries when customers receive five or more items in one delivery. Sellers who want to fund a customer discount can do so at 5% or 10%, and Amazon will fund an extra 5% under the applicable conditions. Sellers can opt out at any time.
Amazon Renewed Global Quality Policy: We are updating quality requirements for Renewed products. Also, to improve customer experience, Renewed products (i) must be priced with a minimum 5% discount from the current featured offer on the new ASIN equivalent; and (ii) include the Amazon Renewed Programme Insert, which contains general information about the Amazon Renewed Programme. The changes to this policy will require participating sellers to source accessories for Apple iPhones from a list of pre-approved brands, to improve quality control.
We are also adding the FBA Dangerous Goods programme terms and conditions as a new programme policy. This policy clarifies requirements regarding product eligibility, shipping requirements and storage limits applicable to the FBA Dangerous Goods programme in Europe. Refer to the help page for more information.

These changes will enter into effect in 15 days, i.e., June 15, 2020.

The above list doesn’t include all of the changes, so please review the updated programme policies carefully.

A redlined version of Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

A redlined version of VAT Agreement is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

A redlined version of EU VAT Services Online Agreement is available here in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

A redlined version of FBA Subscribe & Save is available here in English and German. (changes effective for amazon.co.uk and amazon.de only)

A redlined version of Amazon Renewed Global Quality Policy is available here in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

If you have questions, contact Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after June 15, 2020, constitutes your acceptance of the updated programme policies.

Upcoming changes to the Amazon Business invoicing policy

We are making changes to the Amazon Business invoicing policy. From March 20, 2020, the Amazon Business invoicing policy will no longer allow you to use the Buyer-Seller Messaging Service to provide invoices and credit notes to Amazon Business customers.

Business customers have indicated that they prefer to be able to download invoices from their account rather than receiving them as email attachments. To ensure the best customer experience, you will be required to provide downloadable invoices and credit notes via the VAT Calculation Service or by uploading them on Seller Central – either manually via Manage Orders or automatically through a third-party solution.

Upcoming changes to programme policies

We are making some changes to the following programme policies:

These changes will enter into effect in 15 days, i.e. March 17, 2020.

We ask you to review the updated programme policies carefully.

A redlined version of Monitor your account health is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

A redlined version of Trademark usage guidelines is available here in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

If you have questions, contact Selling Partner Support. Your continued use of Selling Services after March 17, 2020, constitutes your acceptance of the updated programme policies.

Vine Agreement

We are adding the Amazon Vine Agreement to the Programme Policies page on December 4, 2019. You can access a copy here.

Amazon Vine can help you to generate insightful and trustworthy customer reviews for your products. The programme is open to selling partners with a registered brand.

Refer to the help page for more information.

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