Amazon is turning faster delivery into another auction for sellers. I genuinely
By robinlobo · September 20, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Amazon is turning faster delivery into another auction for sellers. I genuinely don’t think every brand should bid.
Until now, Amazon chose which products entered its Sub-Same Day network and placed them there at no extra cost. In the new test, selected FBA sellers can bid to place additional products in the network and they’ll pay only when a unit ships through it.
The pitch is "faster delivery can improve conversion."
But getting a product in a few hours instead of tomorrow only makes sense when urgency is part of the purchase.
If someone has spent days researching a product, already knows which brand they want or buys it on a predictable schedule, faster delivery probably won’t change their decision. A replacement water purifier filter or a $40 supplement on Subscribe & Save doesn’t suddenly become more attractive because it arrives this afternoon.
Sellers also need to put that into their margin calculation.
The bid comes on top of existing FBA fees, so a seller with a thin contribution margin may end up paying Amazon for sales that would’ve happened anyway.
Honestly, this is a familiar Amazon playbook. Give sellers a benefit, prove it can increase sales, then create a paid way to compete for more of it.
My read is that this is worth testing on a small number of high-margin products where the customer genuinely needs it now. For the rest of the catalog, tomorrow is probably fast enough.