In the first week of October, Amazon U.S. issued several policy updates.
Peak fulfillment fees, stricter dangerous goods compliance, expanded bundling rules, and seller-fulfilled delivery metrics—six new rules landed almost at once, before many sellers could react.

This article sorts out the core policies effective or enforced in October by timeline, plus a seller action checklist. Save it for reference.

1

Peak fulfillment fee: effective Oct 15, lasting until January next year

This is the annual Q4 “fixed event,” but this year’s dates deserve attention.

Amazon has officially confirmed that the 2026 holiday peak fulfillment fee will take effect on October 15 and run through January 14, 2027, covering the whole Q4 peak.

Applies to:

· FBA fulfillment fees
· Remote Fulfillment with FBA
· Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF)
· Buy with Prime

Amazon says the average per-unit increase matches last year, but for low-priced or small/light items, the peak fee share is magnified.

Bottom line:After October 15, FBA orders are charged at peak rates. If possible, build the peak fee into pricing now—don’t wait until orders come in and find margins eroded.

2

Black Friday/Cyber Monday inbound cutoff: three dates to watch

The FBA inbound cutoff for Black Friday/Cyber Monday is earlier than you think.

According to Amazon’s official 2026 Q4 peak preparation guide:

October 14 AWD shipment cutoff October 21 FBA minimum shipment split cutoff October 28 FBA Amazon-optimized shipment split cutoff

(Most sellers choose “Amazon-optimized shipment split,” i.e. the October 28 deadline.)

These are “inbound completed” deadlines, not shipping dates. Allow at least 2–3 weeks earlier for logistics, customs, and warehouse queue.

Deal inventory must arrive byOctober 17, or Deal eligibility may be canceled.

3

Dangerous goods compliance: from Oct 26, new/edited listings require answers

This one is easy to overlook, but its impact is broad.

Starting October 26, 2026, creating or editing listings in designated categories will require answering new compliance questions to help Amazon determine whether a product is dangerous goods.

Affected categories include:

· Beauty & personal care (alcohol-containing perfumes, hair sprays)
· Household cleaning (cleaners, disinfectants)
· Automotive (motor oil, additives)
· Tools (batteries, compressed gas)
· Consumer electronics (lithium battery products)

Key point:Even products that seem completely fine must answer if the category is in scope. Wrong answers may trigger a dangerous goods review and listing suspension.

Check the Manage Dangerous Goods Classification tool now and upload missing SDS (Safety Data Sheet) files.

4

Product bundling policy: expanded Sep 30; October is enforcement period

The policy took effect September 30, but October is the real “enforcement month” — violations are now likely handled directly.

Core change: Bundle requirements expanded from consumer categories to most categories.

New rule: Bundles in all categories must be original manufacturer or brand packaging configurations.

✅ Allowed: brand-produced combo sets in original packaging
❌ Not allowed: sellers combining single items into their own Bundle packs

Amazon says this ensures all bundles are authentic and safe, boosting buyer confidence. For sellers, the “combo set” tactic to raise average order value may need re-evaluation.

5

Business self-fulfillment: from Oct 30, non-compliant offers may be suspended

Sellers self-fulfilling Amazon Business (B2B) orders should pay attention.

From September 30, business-hours delivery rate must stay at 90% or above. It measures the share of FBM shipments delivered to Amazon Business customers during business hours.

The penalty line is October 30:

If performance is still below requirement, non-compliant offers for business buyers may be suspended.

Note:Business hours usually mean weekday delivery; weekend/holiday deliveries do not count. Optimize weekday delivery speed for B2B self-fulfillment.

6

Liability insurance: effective Nov 2, prepare in October

This takes effect in November, but preparation must happen now.

Core change: Sellers in mainland China must purchase commercial liability insurance through the Amazon Insurance Accelerator (AIA) program.

Previously, sellers could use their own insurer if the policy met Amazon’s requirements. Now mainland China sellers must use AIA.

Amazon says AIA insurers are pre-vetted, understand Amazon’s requirements, and help avoid rejected policies and ensure claims.

Sellers care more about: Will prices rise? Can old policies still be used?

Amazon has not voided old policies, but renewals likely must go through AIA. Get AIA quotes in October to compare.

Impact

Which sellers should be most concerned?

FBA sellers: peak fulfillment fees, inbound deadlines, dangerous goods compliance.
Self-fulfilled B2B sellers: business-hours delivery rate, liability insurance rule.
Beauty/3C/home sellers: dangerous goods compliance answers and SDS prep.
Bundle sellers: original packaging rules; adjust listing strategy.

Action

7 must-do tasks in October

① Include peak fulfillment fees in Q4 costs; adjust prices and Deal profit calculations.
② Back-calculate ship dates from the October 28 inbound cutoff; leave 2–3 weeks buffer.
③ Download the Dangerous Goods Status Report; upload missing SDS.
④ Audit bundle listings; use original manufacturer packaging or split into single items.
⑤ Check business-hours delivery rate; if below 90%, optimize logistics.
⑥ Get AIA insurance quotes; compare with current policies before November 2.
⑦ Prepare ingredients, materials, and battery information for listing creation or editing after October 26.

"Peak season is not a sprint; it is preparation."
Every October policy paves the way for Q4.