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Your Q4 promotion can look profitable today and lose money before the first holiday order reaches the customer.
In this September 1, 2026 episode of Selling on Giants, Will Haire, cofounder of BellaVix, breaks down the marketplace changes putting pressure on ecommerce margins, from holiday shipping surcharges and Canadian tariffs to Amazon’s advertising auction lawsuit and TikTok’s influence on Amazon sales.
The connection is bigger than any individual update. Brands cannot manage advertising, inventory, fulfillment, and promotions separately and expect the numbers to work together.
Why are holiday shipping costs a bigger risk this year?
USPS, UPS, and FedEx are introducing overlapping peak season increases. These charges can stack with fuel, residential, dimensional weight, and delivery area fees, making low-priced and oversized products especially vulnerable. Will explains why brands need to review contribution margin by product, package, and destination before committing to holiday discounts or free shipping offers.
What does the FTC lawsuit mean for Amazon advertisers?
The FTC and 22 states allege that Amazon inflated advertising auction prices through undisclosed pricing practices. Amazon denies the allegations, which have not been decided by a court. Will examines the transparency issue and why the filing alone is not a reason to cut advertising. Budget decisions still need to reflect conversion, incrementality, TACoS, and contribution profit. Read the Reuters coverage.
Does TikTok Shop drive sales on Amazon?
TikTok can create product discovery while Amazon captures the purchase. The episode explores research showing that shoppers often move to Amazon for price comparison, reviews, Prime delivery, and checkout. Will explains how to compare creator activity with Amazon branded searches, sessions, conversion, and sales without automatically crediting Amazon advertising for demand generated elsewhere.
Why is Amazon discounting fulfillment for TikTok Shop?
Amazon is offering eligible TikTok Shop orders a 35% discount on Standard and Expedited Multichannel Fulfillment rates through a 12-month promotion. Shared inventory can help brands respond to creator-driven demand without maintaining separate stock pools. The operating question is whether the model remains profitable after the discount ends, including creator commissions, platform fees, returns, and integration costs.
How do Canada’s new tariffs affect marketplace sellers?
Canada’s announced retaliatory tariffs take effect September 8 and cover approximately $20 billion in annual U.S. imports. Exposure depends on product classification and legal country of origin, not simply the location of the shipping warehouse. Will discusses why brands need to review inventory in transit, marketplace pricing, and promotional commitments with their customs broker or importer of record. Read the Reuters coverage.
Should sellers pay for Amazon Sub Same Day delivery?
Faster delivery can improve conversion, but a sales increase does not automatically mean a profit increase. Will examines Amazon’s optional paid placement opportunity for selected FBA sellers and explains why tests should measure incremental orders and contribution profit, including whether customers would have purchased with standard Prime delivery anyway.
What is changing with Amazon seller-fulfilled enforcement?
Amazon is narrowing enforcement for certain seller-fulfilled performance problems to the affected offer. That can reduce disruption across healthy listings, but losing one hero product can still create a significant revenue problem. Sellers need offer-level monitoring rather than relying only on account-wide performance averages.
The takeaway: build one operating plan that connects where demand starts, what it costs to convert and fulfill, and how much profit remains after every platform takes its share.
Selling on Giants delivers operator-focused ecommerce news and marketplace strategy for brands growing on Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, and beyond.
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