Amazon temporarily limits Fulfilled by Amazon shipments to household staples and medical...

[Polycount]

In brief: Amazon is making some significant changes to the way it handles its business during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will begin to prioritize high-demand items like medical supplies and household staples by temporarily suspending the shipment of many other non-essential products sold through the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program.

The FBA program, for the unaware, allows third-party sellers to take advantage of Amazon's pre-existing shipping and logistics network to get products in the hands of customers. It allows for a more hands-off approach to deliveries, which can be a godsend for smaller sellers that might not have the resources of a bigger corporation.

At any rate, the suspension will block sellers from sending anything other than the absolute essentials through the FBA program. Items like toilet paper, hand sanitizer, paper towels, hand soap, and other similar products will all be "prioritized," which will enable Amazon to more quickly receive, restock, and ship them out to customers.

The full list of prioritized categories is as follows:

• Baby Products

• Health & Household

• Beauty & Personal Care (including personal care appliances)

• Grocery

• Industrial & Scientific

• Pet Supplies

Amazon warns that mis-categorizing products is a violation of its listing policies, and could lead to account suspension. Additionally, even if you have a correctly labeled product that should theoretically be prioritized, Amazon may decide, at its own discretion, to exclude the item anyway.

These changes could negatively impact the livelihoods of hundreds (if not thousands) of sellers, but Amazon feels that this policy is worth the cost. Hopefully, things can return back to normal soon; perhaps after Amazon makes some progress with its ramped-up hiring efforts. The retail giant hopes to put an end to these restrictions on April 5, but that could very well change if the COVID-19 dilemma gets much worse.

We should point out that, despite these limitations, nothing is stopping third-party sellers from arranging their own deliveries. While FBA is the more convenient option for many, they can always ship and handle their products directly through a company like UPS or FedEx.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/84434-amazon-temporarily-limits-fulfilled-amazon-shipments-household-staples.html

 

[QuantumPhysics]

Coronavirus has single handedly done what just about nothing else short of an act of God could do.

 

[psycros]

Coronavirus has single handedly done what just about nothing else short of an act of God could do.

Provide an excuse for absurd mass hysteria and enormous potential for shennanigans? I've seen plenty of things cause that..and some of them on purpose.

 

[USAvenger]

Provide an excuse for absurd mass hysteria and enormous potential for shennanigans? I've seen plenty of things cause that..and some of them on purpose.

Never let a crisis go to waste.

 

[Uncle Al]

Provide an excuse for absurd mass hysteria and enormous potential for shennanigans? I've seen plenty of things cause that..and some of them on purpose.

Maybe you should get out and vist a few dozen third world countries as I have and see in real time. Absurd Mass Hysteria? Check out what the Spanish Flu did to this country in the very early 1900's. I got caught in Africa in late '79 when the Ebola virus made another visit and I can personally attest to what that sort of thing can do to a country and it's population .....

 

[mrvco]

Maybe you should get out and vist a few dozen third world countries as I have and see in real time. Absurd Mass Hysteria? Check out what the Spanish Flu did to this country in the very early 1900's. I got caught in Africa in late '79 when the Ebola virus made another visit and I can personally attest to what that sort of thing can do to a country and it's population .....

Yep, fortunately for the vast majority people so far the most tangible issue is on the demand side of the equation driven by excessive hoarding of what are in reality almost entirely non-essential items. Toilet paper is certainly not essential when you have ready access to clean water and other modern conveniences such as gas, electric and sewer.

 

[mbrowne5061]

Maybe you should get out and vist a few dozen third world countries as I have and see in real time. Absurd Mass Hysteria? Check out what the Spanish Flu did to this country in the very early 1900's. I got caught in Africa in late '79 when the Ebola virus made another visit and I can personally attest to what that sort of thing can do to a country and it's population .....

Don't waste your keystrokes, they're going to keep thinking it's fake or overblown. Having read QP's comments in the past, I suspect the best way they learn about something new is by experiencing it for themselves.

I mean, I remember even H1N1 back in 2009. I was still young back then, and it was hitting people my age pretty hard. Lots of young, healthy people all of a sudden getting very sick - like, 'struggle to get out of bed' sick. Not everyone made it. That will look like nothing by comparison by the time we're through this.

 

[Yynxs]

At any rate, the suspension will block sellers from sending anything other than the absolute essentials through the FBA program. Items like toilet paper, hand sanitizer, paper towels, hand soap, and other similar products will all be "prioritized," which will enable Amazon to more quickly receive, restock, and ship them out to customers.

According to a Washington Post report, Facebook, Google, and other companies took part in discussions with health experts on how phone location data could be used to track the pandemic in the US. Last week, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Twitter met with U.S. chief technology officer Michael Kratsios for talks on how the tech industry can help in the battle against COVID-19. It’s likely that the meeting led to plans for location data tracking.

Please notice the irony of not wanting to be labeled, regulated, or perform as a government run public utility, but immediately providing that level of service when asked. Kinda gets you in the Ma Bell land.