It seems the incompetent management still think DD+7 is a good idea for business. It isn't. It will stop sellers being able to buy stock, pay bills, invoices and wages. In the end Amazon will lose out because sellers will be sending in less stock into FBA. Less sales equals less profit for them but as their business is propped up by AWS will they care? Probably not.

When they first started this a few years back we fought against them and we need to fight against them again in numbers. However there is now a much better alternative, focus your business on other marketplaces and stop using FBA. Here’s what we will be doing.

1. Focus on opening as many new marketplaces that compete with Amazon. There are now many out there with more coming. We haven’t tried them all yet ourselves but most of them are growing.

2. Stop using FBA as much as possible. Valuable stock is held up in each ASIN waiting for the competition or Amazon to run out of stock so you can sell at low margins. Centralise your inventory and use a WMS like Linnworks or an alternative to manage your orders and inventory. With FBA when a customer buys two or more products Amazon cream off the delivery charge because they charge the seller for each sale. By sending orders out yourself you can make more margin for multi buys. Plus you'll have more cashflow to pay bills rather than having valuable stock in each ASIN. On top of this you'll have more flexibility to buy what you need when you need it which can service other marketplace sales and have less admin trouble with poorly counted in stock in FBA, less returns etc

3. Create good value bundles on other platforms. Amazon has taken away all our ability to grow on their platform. We cant create bundles, list other brands (or even correct poorly created listings), no min 2 purchase etc. This is where they have an advantage over us. Create more appealing offers on other platforms.

4. Pay off your creditors as much as possible or ask for a longer period before they implement DD+7. Reduce your risk and keep the wolves from the door.

5. Reduce staff numbers. Its a difficult one but if you employ staff to sticker up your products for FBA they wont be needed in the future as you'll have less funds to send stock in so reducing your costs in key.

6. Negotiable better rates with Royal Mail. Tell them the issue and let them know you are wanting to move away from FBA which will give them more business.

7. Build your own branded products. Launch new branded products that no-one else can sell against. It doesn’t have to be a unique product but a product that gives you more margin and more scope to grow. Find a product and buy it once you’ve tested its quality. Very important esp if its electronics. Ensure you have all the compliance docs as all marketplaces will require it.

8. Contact your MP. We already have enough stress with the forthcoming budget. Rachel Reeves implied she is going to increase rates for internet only businesses. Its not looking good for us. The DD+7 policy will stiffle growth not just for the seller but their entire supply chain. Suppliers will be affected, the tax receipts will be lower, the number of employees will reduce. MPs need to battle for us as there doesn’t seem to be any management at Amazon. I have countlessly tried to speak to a senior manager but they are too scared to talk to me and other sellers. It's run by computers, graduate youngsters who haven’t got a clue (Yes I’ve been to their HQ and was shocked by the lack of senior managers).

9. Sign a petition. This will only work if we get everyone on board. Personally I think we need the whole marketplace piece regulated by some laws. It seems it has to get so bad before anyone in government cares or fights for our rights.

10. Contact the press. Businesses are already struggling. Amazon will damage small businesses and the greater economy by implementing this poorly thought out policy. Its not fair and its damaging. If anyone knows a journalist please contact them and I’ll happily talk to them again.

To summarise the DD+7 policy is wholly unfair. Amazon wouldn't let their customers pay them three weeks later for their orders so why are they doing this to us especially if sellers' defect rates are so low. Ours is 0.17% totalling about £600 of sales but they want to hold onto £600,000 of our funds - its disproportionate. My view is they have lost control of their sellers. Greed has taken hold and they have recruited too many cowboy sellers from the UK and China especially. Quality sellers are few and far between. Poorly created listings, copycat branded products from China, poor quality cheap Chinese products causing customer returns. The good quality established sellers are now having to "get with the program" they have enforced on us as they don't trust their marketplace sellers. We have to take a stand. The one that will hurt them the most will be to stop using FBA as they have severe overheads to cover. If we all stop using it, your cashflow will improve, margin will improve for multi orders and they will have to deal with their excess staff numbers, couriers, and locations that are no longer used.