Amazon Black Friday sign-up fee skyrockets, sellers outraged over “daylight robbery”
The overseas ecology is getting more and more complicated and the risk control of regulation is keeping innovation constantly updated. The CBEC market is currently at a key stage of conversion and reshuffle. As the world’s e-commerce hegemon, it seems that the rule adjustments of Amazon have been more and more, and it already became a Damocles sword hanging above the heads of many sellers.
Recently, Amazon's announcement of a Black Friday registration fee once again raised a large wave in the field.
Part 01 Amazon hikes Black Friday event registration fee
Per AMZ123, on August 15, Amazon posted a notification about the submission guidelines for events for the 2025 holiday shopping season.
Amazon is now accepting submissions for promotions for Prime Big Deal Days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to the notice. Promotion types are available such as:
- Best Deals (BD)
- Lightning Deals (LD)
- Prime Exclusive Price Discounts (PED)
- Coupons
Of these, Prime Exclusive Discounts—the one that’s most valuable and that merchants care most about—is up again, from $100 for Prime Day to $245 for Black Friday and Cyber Monday (about RMB 1,759).
Even though the registration fee for Prime Exclusive Discounts is charged only once per promotion (regardless of how many products are included), and unsold products are not charged, many small and medium-sized sellers have raised concerns:
“The cost of getting registered is more and more expensive, the small sellers really can’t play anymore.”
“The reference price was already lowered over and over again, and now such a high event fee—might as well just let everyone sell at the original price.”
“Some big guy did a fitting with a function that next year it was going to be $485. Amazon, do it, go ahead, do it, we’ll pretend nothing happened.”
Some industry insiders have analyzed that with the increased registration fee, the platform will bring about an even greater Matthew effect.
For large sellers with many listings, large-scale products, and accustomed to burning money to chase orders, they can spread the (one-time registration) fee across a large catalog. With heavy discounts, they can push category rankings and are likely to continue benefiting from long-tail traffic during big promotions.
But for small and medium sellers, this registration fee could be the “last straw” crushing their profit margins. As some sellers noted: Black Friday and Cyber Monday already have hefty peak season fulfillment and storage fees. Adding this registration fee, many will end up running their business at a loss once accounts are settled.
As the most vital annual shopping frenzy, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have always been the most important “order-snatching season” for Amazon sellers. But after this fee hike, some small and medium sellers have started thinking of withdrawing.
Part 02 How the Promotion Registration Fee Hike Came to Be
With platform dividends diminishing and costs continuing to rise, major promotions are shifting from a “must-have option” to a “luxury” for small and medium sellers.
According to AMZ123, Amazon first introduced Prime Exclusive Discount fees in August 2024, charging $50. In July 2025, the fee was raised to $100. Now, for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it has risen to $245. Each adjustment has caused big ripples in the cross-border community.
But this rise is not an isolated event. Along with it, Amazon has also changed coupon fee structures and Lightning Deal setup fees. Industry insiders believe this is part of a systematic reform, with two main goals:
1. Profitability focus
Facing a growth bottleneck, Amazon is shifting its performance target from “growth” to “profitability”, with traffic distribution becoming a key profit driver.
Amazon’s Q2 2025 financial report shows its advertising business revenue reached $15.69 billion, accounting for 9.36% of total revenue—a record high. Marketplace Pulse predicts this share could exceed 10% this year.
2. Reshuffling sellers
Amazon wants to test sellers’ control of cost structures, inventory flexibility, and traffic mix.
In the current system, small and medium sellers are already disadvantaged. The platform dominates, large sellers adapt quickly, and small ones can’t compete head-to-head. Many rely on big promotions for traffic, but with fees rising, a poor investment means costs will outweigh revenues. This forces SMEs to improve promotion strategies and day-to-day operations.
Consumer Behavior and Market Outlook
According to a Wunderkind survey, for the upcoming Black Friday/Cyber Monday season:
- 30% of U.S. consumers plan to pay more attention to discounts
- Gen Z (35%) and Gen X (37%) show the highest percentages
- Another 30% expect to reduce overall spending
It’s not hard to predict that this year could be the toughest year-end sales season ever.
Key Dates for Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2025
1. Promotion submission deadlines
- Best Deals (BD): October 28
- Lightning Deals (LD): October 28
- Prime Exclusive Discounts: Open September 10
2. Inventory delivery deadlines to FBA centers
- AWD: October 9
- FBA minimum split shipment: October 20
- FBA Amazon-optimized split shipment: October 30
📌 Tip: Sellers planning to participate in this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday should prepare according to these dates.
Recommendation: Simplify with Windingflow
Windingflow is a powerful automation platform designed for cross-border e-commerce. It helps sellers:
- Automate repetitive tasks such as order processing and report generation
- Integrate inventory and logistics to ensure accurate and real-time updates
- Consolidate data from multiple sources (Amazon, ERP, CRM, payment systems)
- Improve efficiency and reduce costs, freeing up time to focus on growth strategies
With Windingflow, sellers can better manage their Amazon operations, minimize manual errors, and gain the flexibility to adapt to sudden market changes.
👉 In a period when fees are rising and competition is intense, using Windingflow is not just an optimization.
