Amazon Sellers! It’s Time to Prep for Black Friday 2025

Black Friday is coming fast! On the 28th of November millions of people will be spending their hard earned cash. Here’s how you can get ahead of the chaos, source smarter, and put profit in your pocket.

Why Black Friday Matters for Amazon Arbitrage

Last year proved the U.S. holiday shopping rush is alive and well. According to Adobe and NRF data, 2024 holiday sales hit $994 billion, with e-commerce sales smashing records:

• $10.8 billion in online sales on Black Friday

• $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday

• Over 57% of those sales came from mobile devices

Nearly 197 million Americans shopped between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. For Amazon arbitrageurs, that’s five straight days of pure opportunity!

What This Means for Amazon Sellers

Running retail or online arbitrage on Amazon means playing by ever-shifting rules:

FBA Capacity Limits Can Change Suddenly – Be Ready!

Amazon adjusts FBA capacity based on inventory performance and space. One month you might have plenty of room; the next, you’re restricted.

What to do:

• Keep a backup fulfilment plan: Have some inventory staged for FBM or use Amazon Warehousing & Distribution (AWD), which can feed stock into FBA when space frees up.

• Ship in smaller batches: Avoid sending huge pallets all at once. Smaller, more frequent shipments help you stay agile.

• Monitor your IPI score: Keep it green by improving sell-through, removing stranded inventory, and maintaining stock health.

Holiday Fulfilment Fees Add Up – Budget for Them

Amazon typically adds a peak Q4 fulfillment fee per unit (check out your Seller Central account for more details). It’s small per item but eats margins fast at scale.

What to do:

• Use SellerAmp SAS: Calculate profit after all fees – including fulfillment, storage, and referral costs.

• Adjust buy prices early: Factor in the extra cents per unit when sourcing deals.

• Bundle smaller items: Multi-packs can offset those fixed fees and improve ROI.

Extended Returns Mean Delayed Profits – Protect Your Margins

Holiday purchases made in November or December are often returnable until January 31, 2026, which affects your true profit timeline.

What to do:

• Plan your cash flow: Don’t over-commit funds you might need to refund in January.

• Track return trends: Use business reports to see which categories historically get high return rates.

• Price with a buffer: Add 5–10 % margin for potential returns on high-risk items like electronics and toys.

Amazon Warehousing & Distribution (AWD) Helps You Stay Flexible

AWD lets you store bulk inventory cheaply and auto-replenish FBA stock without being limited by capacity caps, maintaining adequate inventory levels in Prime-ready fulfillment centers.

What to do:

• Stage early: Send bulk shipments to AWD in October so FBA stays stocked during peak.

• Use it for your winners: Keep top sellers flowing automatically into FBA.

• Compare costs: AWD storage fees are often lower than long-term FBA rates (check your math in SellerAmp SAS’s profit calculator!)

Diversify Fulfilment & Build Backup Resilience (Action Steps)

When FBA capacity shrinks or shipping delays hit during the holidays, sellers who’ve built flexible fulfillment plans stay profitable.

Here’s how to diversify smartly, without over-complicating your workflow:

1. Split Your Inventory Wisely (Try 80% FBA  with 20% FBM as a start)

Splitting stock keeps you nimble when FBA space tightens or check-in delays hit.

• Identify fast vs. slow movers: Send stable, high-demand ASINs to FBA, but keep new or untested items in FBM for faster pivots.

• Use SellerAmp SAS to check profit both ways: Its ROI calculator can simulate FBA and FBM fees side by side to help decide which model makes you the most profit.

• Label clearly at receipt: Keep separate storage for FBM stock so you can fulfill instantly if FBA stock gets stranded.

• Track performance weekly: If FBA sell-through slows, move similar ASINs to FBM temporarily.

2. Use Multiple Carriers & Know Their Cut-Offs

Each carrier (UPS, FedEx, USPS, Amazon Shipping) has different holiday timelines and performance reliability.

• Bookmark carrier holiday schedules: For 2025, Thanksgiving (Thursday Nov 27) is a non-delivery day so be sure to plan cut-offs accordingly.

• Compare delivery times by zone: USPS Priority Mail can outperform UPS Ground for small, lightweight items in Q4.

• Negotiate rates: Many carriers offer seasonal discounts for business accounts – even small sellers can apply online!

• Give yourself breathing room: Add a one-day buffer to your handling time the week of Black Friday to protect your metrics from carrier delays.

   

3. Keep Packaging & Supplies Ready for Rapid FBM Orders

When orders spike and FBA check-in slows, you might suddenly need to ship yourself. Be ready!

• Pre-pack some inventory: Keep 10–20 units of key SKUs pre-boxed and ready to ship.

• Order packaging in bulk early: Boxes, poly mailers, labels, and tape often go out of stock near Black Friday.

• Set up a simple fulfillment station: A table, scale, printer, and label roll can save precious time.

• Use Amazon Buy Shipping: It integrates tracking automatically and protects you if delays occur.

   

4. Stay Agile With Backup Listings & Stock Locations

If Amazon restricts inventory at one warehouse or a shipment is delayed, a second plan keeps your listings live.

• Duplicate listings for FBM: Keep inactive FBM offers ready to activate in one click.

• Diversify stock locations: Even a small 3PL or local storage unit can act as overflow.

• Monitor stranded inventory: Check your “Fix Stranded Inventory” tab daily in Seller Central.

• Use AWD or local prep centers: This will help bridge gaps between sourcing and FBA intake.

   

5. Track and Automate Everything Possible

The more automated your backup process, the faster you can respond to disruptions!

• Stay informed: Use alerts in SellerAmp SAS for price and stock changes – especially for key ASINs you fulfill both ways.

• Free yourself up: Automate FBM order routing through Amazon’s “Buy Shipping API” or tools like ShipStation if you handle large volumes.

• Keep daily checklists: Tick off packaging, label, and carrier readiness – it keeps chaos low during the holiday rush.

Best Categories to Source for Black Friday 2025

Stick with proven, high-velocity categories that light up Cyber Week:

• Electronics & Computers – High ticket, high traffic, and deep discounts.

• Toys & Games – Peak gifting season; high conversion rates.

• Apparel & Personal Care – Reliable sales with flexible pricing options.

Avoid restricted or IP-sensitive brands, and always check profitability under potential discount scenarios.

Game Plan Timeline (Late October → Cyber Week)

Late October – Early November: Final Prep

1. Get all FBA inventory checked in by early November for Prime eligibility.

2. Tighten your FBM setup: confirm packaging, labels, and carrier schedules.

3. Run a SellerAmp SAS audit on your top ASINs – recheck ROI after fees and anticipated discounts.

4. Optimize listings for mobile users with crisp images and clear bullet points.

    

Mid November: Optimize & Replenish

1. Reprice based on early traffic trends; automate for evening peaks (8–10 PM).

2. Replenish hot sellers quickly using small parcel or AWD → FBA transfers.

3. Activate coupons and timed discounts – expect around 25–30% off electronics and 20–25% off toys.

4. Monitor storage limits and have FBM or AWD ready as fallback.

    

Thanksgiving Week (Nov 24–28): Showtime

1. Watch Seller Central and SellerAmp SAS dashboards closely.

2. Adjust pricing as competitors (and big-box stores) drop theirs.

3. Keep lightning deals and coupons live through Cyber Monday.

4. Maintain fast customer communication to protect seller metrics.

    

Cyber Week (Nov 29–Dec 2): Sustain the Surge

1. Stay active nightly – mobile browsing peaks after dinner hours.

2. Monitor inventory; pivot to FBM if FBA stock dips.

3. Track returns and feedback early to spot potential problem SKUs.

    

Early December: Post-Black Friday Wrap-Up

1. Use SellerAmp SAS and the Charts Panel to analyze your best performers.

2. Liquidate slow stock before storage fees hit.

3. Ride December demand (especially toys and small gifts) to keep momentum.

Summary Checklist

• Check all listings’ ROI with SellerAmp SAS
• Confirm FBA stock checked in by early Nov
• Prep FBM backup + carrier cutoffs
• Optimize listings for mobile and evening traffic
• Schedule repricing rules for Cyber Week
• Monitor storage and fulfillment limits
• Keep coupons active through Cyber Monday
• Track returns and feedback patterns
• Review data & adjust sourcing for December

Our Final Thoughts

Smashing Black Friday 2025 is your runway to a solid Q4 finish. By sourcing smart, timing right, and using SellerAmp SAS to validate every deal, you’ll be ready when millions of shoppers hit “Add to Cart.” Checklist complete, listings optimized, promos live – you’ve got this!

Ready to Source Smarter?

Try SellerAmp SAS today — the go-to arbitrage sourcing tool built for sellers who want data-driven decisions this Q4. Hit the button below for a FREE two week trial!