How Was Your Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2025?
Hello sellers,
Now that one of the biggest shopping events of the year is over, we want to hear about your experiences during Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025. Whether this was your first peak season or you're a seasoned seller, your experiences can help build our selling community's knowledge base.
Tell us:
- What strategies worked well for you this year?
- Did you try anything new that showed promising results?
- What lessons did you learn that you'll apply to future sales events?
- How did your preparation and execution compare to previous years?
- What would you do differently in 2026?
Already planning for next year? Share what adjustments you're considering - your practical tips could help other sellers strengthen their peak season strategy next year.
💡 Pro Tip: Consider making notes about your experience now while the details are fresh. Even small observations can lead to big improvements for future events.
Drop your top "I wish I had known..." moment below, and don’t forget to upvote helpful replies!
How Was Your Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2025?
Hello sellers,
Now that one of the biggest shopping events of the year is over, we want to hear about your experiences during Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025. Whether this was your first peak season or you're a seasoned seller, your experiences can help build our selling community's knowledge base.
Tell us:
- What strategies worked well for you this year?
- Did you try anything new that showed promising results?
- What lessons did you learn that you'll apply to future sales events?
- How did your preparation and execution compare to previous years?
- What would you do differently in 2026?
Already planning for next year? Share what adjustments you're considering - your practical tips could help other sellers strengthen their peak season strategy next year.
💡 Pro Tip: Consider making notes about your experience now while the details are fresh. Even small observations can lead to big improvements for future events.
Drop your top "I wish I had known..." moment below, and don’t forget to upvote helpful replies!
38 replies
Seller_EpXPhVLnbs8X3
My sales for this Festive season on Amazon have been completely diabolical with a huge disparity on sales last year. I am a handmade sole trader who makes my own handmade jewellery at home, and my items have been in the process of being changed from the GUILD product type to being listed in the main catalogue since the summer. I am now competing for sales with large overseas sellers who own factories and can machine make or assemble jewellery on a production line . Whereas I used to regularly be in the top 100 handmade drop and dangle earrings list, this list no longer exists so I have lost my ranking for good. I have made 5 sales for the whole of December . November this year I sold 14 items all month for just under £135 compared to last year's 29 items at £283. I have been doing everything I can for sucessful sales, but I'm not in control of these changes.
Indy_Amazon
Hello @Seller_EpXPhVLnbs8X3,
Thank you for chiming in on this thread and sharing your sentiment towards the reclassification process. Based on the information you have shared, the best next step would be to file a case with Seller Support. Please be sure to share the ASINs impacted by this, as well as the new product type/category under which your ASINs now exist.
Once you have the case, please share the ID here. I would like to review all details associated with this and determine what options you might have to proceed. I'll also be taking this feedback back to our internal team.
Seller_EpXPhVLnbs8X3
@Indy_Amazon Thank you for offering to help with this... the reclassification which was supposed to have been fully completed by 31st October has been delayed now up to the end of March next year. My items are still listed as GUILD product types . Do you think that opening a case is worthwhile? In my experience I will be shut down and given a copy and paste response. Anyone looking into my account can see the sharp decline in sales without needing a list of ASINS . It won't take a genuis to work out that a tiny seller like me will not be able to be found in the main catalogue and I don't remember being asked if I wanted to be put into "Women's" from such a specific category as Handmade Drop and Dangle Earrings or Handmade Pendant Necklaces . At one point I was getting daily sales here. We rely on our sales at Christmas time to carry us through the rest of the year when it's not so buwy. Unfortunately after a year has passed, I don't know if or how I can access my sales figures back further.
Indy_Amazon
@Seller_EpXPhVLnbs8X3Of course, here to help wherever we can. I would recommend starting with a support case, as our process requires support to start with front-line. From there I'd like to deep dive your case and see if there's anything else that can be done. Please make sure you capture as much information in your seller support case as you can, and don't forget to add the case ID here so I can follow up.
Seller_EpXPhVLnbs8X3
@Indy_Amazon I am preparing to take your advice on this, but the last couple of times I have tried to open a case, I only seem to be able to request a phone call or go on chat- obviously this is not good enough if I need to provide figures, reports etc. I need to be able to send these to someone. Am I able to do this if I don't use the "Selling on Handmade" Option in the Help section, ? Handmade support doesn't exist anymore.
Seller_EkGoiphKgUnUI
I'm sure I won't be the only person to advise this, but for your market, you really should consider a better platform... Those of us that are stuck with Amazon are here because of the absurd volume we need to plough through, not because we are happy withour experience as sellers, and not because we feel like valued contributors of quality products.
I am certain, that a bespoke producer of UK hand made products, would be better received on other platforms as well as better placed to express your personal craft and story. Seriously consider Etsy and setting up your own website. Ensure the packaging for your product includes your busiuness information and website, so that you can funnel repeat sales from interested customers, to where you can offer them the best experience and value.
In 5 years time, amazon will have continued its squeeze since its shift towards shareholder dividends, and if you were to produce anything spectacular and popular, they will have used their methods to gain your materials supplier and will out-compete you on an Amazon basics version, for half the price.
Seller_EpXPhVLnbs8X3
@Seller_EkGoiphKgUnUI I have actually been running my business since January 2014 and have had a .com website and Etsy shop since launching. I wouldn't ever be putting my business in the position of just relying on Amazon, believe me. This shop was an additional income stream, when they introduced Handmade at Amazon and I had nothing to lose I decided to give it a go. As I have invested time over the years in setting up my shop and listings , I would prefer it if I didn't have to go through the rigmarole of closing my account, so I am trying to make it work despite all the obstacles that keep being thrown my way.
Seller_tQCfsb3zoC4AP
on Amazon this year record daily sales sadly those records are all for worst sales since I started selling have been selling on Amazon since April 2008 and this year Amazon sales have been horrific . Every single day I have recorded the worst sales ever down by 70 plus percentage what was particularly noticeable was each day between 12 to 5pm. It seemed that my goods were all hidden as we barely got a look never mind a sale during this time maybe 2 or 3 sales during this time in the past I would have got 80 to 100. In the past at this time of year I would have myself and 2 helpers packing Amazon orders from 4am to 5pm daily 7 days a week now I can do it myself in under 2 hours. To give an example my sales in the last 24 hours on Amazon is the sales level of a bad day in the summer time and not what should be my busiest week of the year Amazon is no longer a serious sales partner for 3rd party sellers unless you are an Ali baba seller as Amazon now see these fake sellers as their future
No tools no seller support no permissions cannot list new products can not adjust existing products to comply with Amazons ever changing demands for catalogs pages Amazon has become a total nightmare we I can no longer function as a business
Your questions answered
Q1 on Amazon none as I cannot function as a business on Amazon anymore
Q2 yes I focused on new sales channels
Q3 I learned to stop wasting so much time on Amazon and focus on other sales channels were my future lies hich is something if asked a few years ago would have been a completely different answer
Q4 we could not prepare or execute as we spend months going round in circles with SS trying to do the most simplistic tasks
Q5 for 2026 increase my presence on other sales channels as there is no future here the sales on here have become hiobby seller statue not business seller status.
To finish on a positive note all of my other sales channels my sales continue to rise
Seller_AL7vlMXYBK4uQ
We had a strong BFCM across the brands we manage — better YoY than expected. One client even hit +30% in net profit, which surprised them given we only took over earlier this year.
The most interesting case this year was a brand hit hard by tariffs early on. Their COGS jumped ~20%, and because they already operated at a high level on Amazon, we didn’t have easy wins lying around. We were already competing for the #1 spot in the category, so the tariff surprise forced us to rethink planning and forecasting.
Here’s what moved the needle for them:
- Cutting spend on low-margin ASINs and reallocating toward hero SKUs to drive halo sales.
- Increasing investment in attribution, which brought lower CPCs and stronger incremental traffic.
- Doubling down on AMC to build more precise high-intent audiences.
- Rebuilding a tight full-funnel approach after the COGS shift compressed margins.
There was no avoiding a margin hit with a 20% COGS increase, but even so we still:
- Grew net profit ~15%,
- Increased market share by ~5% on major category terms
- And set them up to finish the year strong despite the rocky start.
We’re now planning 2026 launches based on this year’s learnings, with a focus on recovering margin back toward a 30% range through better product mix and operational efficiencies.
Big takeaway: competitors are dealing with many of the same macro issues. If you know your levers (Amazon and off-Amazon) and plan ahead, you can still outperform the field. Preparation + clarity on the numbers wins.
Overall, we’re up YoY across all brands, likely boosted by the BFCM surge, so Q4 is shaping up nicely indeed.
Seller_YggczqLpELtNd
Our Black Friday / Cyber Monday period went quite well overall. Despite the high order volume, we managed the processes as smoothly as possible. Although there were some expected logistics delays due to the seasonal surge, we were generally satisfied with our operations, and the customer feedback was very positive.
It was a successful period for us in terms of both sales and customer experience. We have also taken notes on areas for improvement and are already planning enhancements for next year.
I hope everyone had a successful and rewarding BF/CM season.
Seller_0AG9i8qKfX9Eu
as already aired by many sellers, this years sales have been by far the worst since we started 15 years ago. Daily sales are just like any other day in the year when they should be very high..
I can only put this down to the Economy in the UK at the moment.
Seller_RguKGMHvWFmo3
If Amazon stopped putting so many roadblocks in sellers place, the sales would be a lot more. Over reliance on AI certainly does not help IMO.
