Amazon Announces Discounts on Shipping for Sellers Through ‘Amazon Sponsored Discount’
Amazon has announced new discounts on shipping labels for sellers.
Sellers can order discounted shipping labels through Buy Shipping via a new program called "Amazon Sponsored Discount." The aim is to support sellers "in providing fast, on-time, and tracked products to customers," Amazon said in a post on Amazon Services Seller Forums.
Amazon says the discounts will be available for "select reliable and faster ship methods," but did not specify what that meant.
Sellers will be able to access these discounts by logging in to Seller Central and going to Buy Shipping, where they will see the shipping methods that are discounted by looking for a blue badge that says "Amazon Sponsored Discount." The discounted price is listed next to the badge.
"If you’re using Buy Shipping through Shipping Integrators that have Buy Shipping enabled, you will automatically see the discounted price," Amazon added in the post. "If you are using APIs to use Buy Shipping, you have to call the Get Eligible Shipping Services API (GESS) to view the discounted prices."
A screenshot from a user posted in the forum underneath Amazon’s announcement. (Source: Screenshot from Amazon user forums)
Sellers should note that Amazon chooses when discounts are available, and so it may not be an option for every shipment.
In feedback below Amazon's post, several sellers said that this discount does not appear to apply to the Bulk Buy Shipping method — only individual orders.
One seller shared a screenshot (right) showing how the discount worked on their end. The screenshot showed USPS First Class listed as $6.28 with no discount while USPS Priority Mail was listed with the blue "Amazon Sponsored Discount" badge and its price reduced from $9.68 to $7.68.
“It’s nice to see Amazon leveraging their buying power to negotiate on behalf of sellers. Hopefully they extend the program to other fulfillment services, including their own,” said Andrew Hamada, Reason Automation co-founder and chief executive officer.
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