Notes from the field.
What we're learning while running Amazon for brands on both sides of the Pacific. Plain language, operator-eye-view.
- Returns waveWAYAMZamazon-operations · returns · ipi · rufus · q2-planning
Your spring promo isn't scored on BSR. It's scored on the returns wave 30-60 days later.
Spring-promo sales and BSR look good right now. Then IPI starts slipping, negative reviews cluster, and Rufus quietly deranks the high-return ASINs. Here's the 60-day return-management playbook that actually decides Q2 margin.
Read - Amazon isWAYAMZshop-direct · dtc · multi-channel · amazon-ai
Amazon is now sending traffic to DTC sites: what Shop Direct means for your brand
Amazon Shop Direct has placed 100M+ off-Amazon products inside Amazon's search. Buyers click, jump to your DTC site, and Amazon takes no commission — but if you haven't thought through three things, you're paving a road for your competitor.
Read - 1WAYAMZfba · prime-day · amazon-logistics · speed-tier
Who gets Amazon's 1-hour delivery badge? FBA placement strategy before Prime Day
90,000 products now carry the speed-tier badge. The factor that decides whether your ASIN gets in isn't category — it's which FC your inventory lives in. And there's about six weeks left to shift.
Read - Stop blamingWAYAMZcosmo · ppc · listing-optimization · conversion
Stop blaming COSMO: if traffic is noisy and ads drift, check your landing fundamentals first
When volume slips, the reflex is to blame the algorithm. Most of the time, the actual problem is the page and the audience were never aligned to begin with.
Read - 145%WAYAMZtariffs · supply-chain · sku-strategy · amazon-operations
145% tariffs: a three-tier SKU playbook for sellers exposed to China supply
Amazon's CEO just confirmed tariffs are flowing into shelf prices. Blanket price hikes hurt volume. Sitting still drains margin. Retreating hands over share. The correct move is per-SKU tiering.
Read - Amazon isWAYAMZstrategy · amazon-seo
Amazon is an algorithm. Here's how we treat it like one.
Why most brands lose on Amazon isn't product quality — it's pretending the platform is a storefront when it's actually a ranking engine. Our operating thesis, unpacked.
Read - The bilingualWAYAMZoperations · team
The bilingual edge: what Seattle and China each bring to your Amazon listing
Why a US-only agency misses half the work — and why a China-only agency misses the other half. A look inside how our two teams actually operate.
Read - 23WAYAMZpricing · promotions · prime-day · amazon-policy
Stop long-running discounts on Amazon: reference-price rules tighten April 23 and May 18
April 23: List Price starts requiring validation. May 18: if you spent more than half of the last 90 days on promo, the promo price can become your Typical Price. The downstream effects are bigger than the strikethrough.
Read - Some ofWAYAMZasin-management · product-strategy · amazon-operations
Some of your Amazon ASINs should be killed, not rescued
Not every ASIN deserves another round of optimization. The most expensive mistake isn't running the wrong ads — it's knowing a product is broken and refusing to stop selling it.
Read - Seven AmazonWAYAMZamazon-operations · ppc · listing-optimization · fba
Seven Amazon US operating tips worth running this week
Write listings for AI and buyers at once, treat external traffic as a funnel instead of a link, and stop equating 'a lot of ads' with 'a real brand.' Seven tactics, no theory.
Read - 6WAYAMZtax · accounting · amazon-operations · us-sellers
Amazon US seller tax prep in 6 steps: get the books clean before you optimize
A lot of US-based Amazon sellers walk into tax season with just a 1099-K and end up either overpaying or filing wrong. Here's the 6-step sequence we run before handing anything to a CPA.
Read - 10WAYAMZhelium-10 · review-operations · amazon-tools
A Helium 10 setting that actually moves review open rates: the Review Request Time Scheduler
Most sellers run Helium 10 Follow-Up on the default send window, which is effectively random. Diamond members have a timing control that noticeably lifts open rates.
Read - 10WAYAMZamazon-seo · listing-optimization · a10-algorithm
Amazon titles are now written for the A10 algorithm and the buyer — at the same time
In 2026 an Amazon listing title can no longer optimize for keywords alone, nor for readability alone. It has to satisfy both A10 and the buyer. Here's the three-part formula we use.
Read