Latest / Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast / Walmart Waives Q4 Storage Fees, Amazon Holiday Deadlines, and Poshmark’s CEO Exit

Transcript

Walmart Waives Q4 Storage Fees, Amazon Holiday Deadlines, and Poshmark’s CEO Exit · Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Selling on Giants, e-commerce news and updates for the week of August 19th, 2025.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Mr.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Will, host of the Selling on Giants podcast.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Every week I break down what's happening across Amazon, Walmart, and the rest of the e-commerce universe so you don't have to scroll seller forms or decode vague press releases.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get into it.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart is giving sellers a holiday present early.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: They're waiving storage fees from October through December for products in Walmart fulfillment services.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Q4 storage fees can be brutal, especially for bulky products that don't move quickly.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: This is Walmart's way of saying they want aggressive stocking.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: They want sellers leaning in, not holding back.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: And make no mistake, this is also a shot across the bow at Amazon.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: On Amazon, storage fees go up in Q4, peak fees pile on, and the margins get tighter.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart is saying, if you stock with us, you can breathe a little easier.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: For sellers, this is an open invitation to test Walmart if you haven't yet.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: The barriers just dropped, and the cost of entry is lower than it's ever been.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon, meanwhile, isn't making it any easier.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: They've dropped the deadlines for Prime Big Deal Days, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Promotions need to be submitted by mid-September for Prime Big Deal Days and late October for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Fulfillment deadlines hit in September and October depending on the event.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, peak fulfillment fees are back, running October 15th through mid-January.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the thing: every year sellers think they can sneak inventory in late, and every year Amazon proves them wrong.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you wait until October to plan, you're already behind.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't hit those fulfillment windows, your products risk sitting in the inbound dock while your competitors are racking up sales.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: The sellers who win Q4 are the ones who plan now, ship early, and use Amazon warehousing and distribution as their backup plan.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Procrastinators are just writing Amazon a bigger check.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: While Amazon and Walmart are locked in the logistics war, eBay is leaning into culture.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Their endless runway resale fashion event is back this September, streaming live during New York and London fashion weeks.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Buyers can shop vintage and resale right off the catwalk.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: And this is smart.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Resale fashion is booming.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Younger shoppers want sustainable, affordable, and unique.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: eBay has a chance to own this space in a way Amazon and Walmart can't touch.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: For sellers, the play here is timing.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: If you're sitting on vintage inventory or pre-loved apparel, now's the time to list.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Visibility is going to spike when Fashion Week kicks off, and those who are ready will capture the wave.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Back to Walmart.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: They've rolled out a redesigned repricer tool, cleaner interface, smarter automation, and more control over margins and pricing rules.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: Pricing is still king when it comes to winning the Walmart buy box, and this new tool finally gives smaller sellers the kind of repricer power they're used to on Amazon.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: And let's be real, a bad repricer is worse than no repricer.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Too many sellers have watched margins erode because the system was clunky or too aggressive.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Walmart's new version is a step toward maturity.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's easier to set floors, protect margins, and actually compete without babysitting your listings.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you've written Walmart off because of weak tools, it's time to revisit.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: Over on Shopify, they've updated their SEO playbook.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Think of it as the starter pack for visibility.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: The advice isn't rocket science, but it's exactly what most stores ignore.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Clean URLs, metadata under 60 characters, alt text on images, faster sight speed, schema markup.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the reality: these are the little things that separate stores that rank from stores that vanish.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: SEO isn't sexy.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't give you an immediate dopamine hit, but it stacks.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Every small fix compounds.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: If you want more organic traffic before Q4, this is the low-hanging fruit.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Do it now and it'll pay you for years.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: At Selling on Giants, we've helped brands sell over$500 million on Amazon.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: We're a verified ad partner and we specialize in hands-on growth strategies that turn marketplace chaos into clear plans of action.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's scaling ads, cleaning up your catalog, or prepping for a retail pitch, this is what we do every day.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: Head to Bellavix.com if you want a team that actually knows the inside of Seller Central.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Amazon just made a big change, literally.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Vine is now open to heavy and bulky FBA products.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Furniture, fitness gear, appliances, all fair game.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: This is a big win for sellers of oversized items.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Early reviews have always been tough when shipping costs scare off buyers.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Vine gives you a direct path to credibility.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're in one of those categories, you know how hard it is to get momentum.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: A thousand dollar treadmill doesn't fly off the shelf without trust signals.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Opening Vine to bulky products is Amazon admitting that reviews are the oxygen of the marketplace, no matter what you sell.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: If you can afford to seed units into Vine, it's one of the best investments you'll make in Q4.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Shoppers, however, are starting to pull back.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Consumer sentiment dropped for the first time in four months, down 5%.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: Inflation worries are back, durable goods are taking a hit, and big ticket purchases are slowing, which means shoppers are going to be more deal hungry in Q4.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't doom and gloom.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: People are still spending, but they're trading down, they're looking for value, they're choosing deals over splurges.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: For sellers, the strategy this holiday season is simple: lead with value, create bundles, sharpen your discounting, and position your products as smart buys.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Luxury pricing power won't carry you the way it did last year.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Over on Facebook, Meta is giving brands more power to flag and remove counterfeit listings.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: And not a moment too soon, counterfeits erode trust and undercut legitimate sellers.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: But stronger brand controls also mean innocent sellers could get flagged.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the catch.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: If you're not meticulous with your paperwork, if you can't prove authenticity fast, platforms will assume the worst.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: The takeaway is simple.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Keep your invoices, authorizations, and documentation airtight.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: Brand protection is tightening, and the sellers who aren't organized are the ones who will get burned.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, an end of an era.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Manish Chandra, founder and longtime CEO of Poshmark, is stepping down after nearly 14 years.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: He built Poshmark into a resale giant before selling to Never for over$1 billion.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: His exit signals a transition.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Leadership changes always ripple down.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Policies shift, monetization strategies change, seller fees get restructured.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: If you're selling on Poshmark, watch closely.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Platforms change leaders, leaders change playbooks, and you don't want to get blindsided.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: That's your selling on Giants news and updates for the week.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: We covered Walmart waiving storage fees, Amazon's Q4 deadlines, eBay's resale runway, Shopify's SEO playbook, Vine for Heavy Products, Consumer Sentiment, Facebook's counterfeit crackdown, and leadership changes at Poshmark.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: If this saved you hours of forum scrolls and Slack debates, do us a favor and leave a review wherever you're tuning in.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: It helps us keep the lights on and brings in better guests for interviews.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Mr.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Will, host of the Selling on Giants podcast.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: See you next week.