Every time a brand says Vendor isn't working, someone in the room suggests going
By James Wakefield ๐ก ยท November 10, 2026 ยท Curated by George's Blog
Every time a brand says Vendor isn't working, someone in the room suggests going hybrid.
Hybrid has become the default answer and it's usually the wrong one.
๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ต๐๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ป'๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฉ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐, ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐๐ป.
Two platforms. Two sets of fees and deductions to understand. Two teams who need to know what they're doing. And your own wholesale offer sitting on the same product page as your own retail offer, competing for the same Buy Box.
There are genuinely good reasons to run both.
Lines Amazon has decided it can't make a profit on and has quietly stopped ordering. Seasonal products where the forecast is always wrong. The long tail that never gets a purchase order at all. Put those on Seller and you've solved something real.
"Our Vendor margin is bad" isn't one of those reasons. Neither is "support is slow".
Move a line to Seller and the cost follows it over. Fees, storage, returns, fulfilment, advertising to defend a page you already had.
If you don't know where the margin is going on Vendor, you won't know on Seller either. You'll just have two places not to know it.
Diagnose first. Then decide.
If you've gone hybrid, what actually pushed you?