🎃 Early Access: Holiday & Halloween Deals to Boost Your Q4

Q4 profits are waiting. Stay ahead this season with record-breaking Halloween insights, early holiday sales, and sourcing strategies that give you the edge.

September 25, 2025

Welcome back to Seller Snacks, your weekly buffet of ecommerce goodness.

This week, we’ve got intel on early holiday deals, the skinny on record-breaking Halloween 2025, Amazon’s updated returns policy and the end of its commingling program, and an introduction to an Amazon power couple who have coached thousands of OA sellers to great success.

Also, we’ve got a couple of spots suddenly open to some of our lead lists. Subscribe today and unlock your Q4 advantage.

On Today's Menu:

Let’s eat!

🛒 Major Retailers Kick Off Holiday Deals Early

The holiday season is starting sooner than ever. Amazon, Best Buy, and Target have all announced October promotions, aiming to grab consumer attention earlier in Q4.

Amazon is leading the charge with Prime Big Deal Days on Oct 7–8, promising up to 40% off holiday décor, toys, and big-name brands like LEGO and Beats. Prime members also get extra perks like exclusive access to events, fuel discounts, and even free McDonald’s meals through Grubhub+.

Target is running Target Circle Week (Oct 5–11) and weekly deal drops starting Nov 1. Pop-culture tie-ins (think Stranger Things or Wicked) will be a centerpiece across toys, beauty, and apparel, and the retailer now offers next-day delivery to over half the U.S. population.

Best Buy is leaning into big-ticket categories (gaming, appliances, wearables) and expanding its marketplace tenfold with new third-party partners. Loyalty members get special pricing on headphones, e-bikes, cookware, and small appliances.

These early sales events aren’t just a chance for shoppers to save, they’re also prime sourcing opportunities for resellers. If you know how to spot the right discounts and translate them into profitable Amazon listings, these sales events can become some of the most lucrative buying days of your Q4.

🎃 Consumers to Drop $13.1B on Halloween This Year

Halloween is bigger than ever. According to the National Retail Federation, U.S. shoppers are projected to spend $13.1 billion this year, smashing past last year’s $11.6B and setting a new record. Average per-person spend is also at an all-time high of $114.45.

Where the money’s going:

  • Costumes: $4.3B

  • Decorations: $4.2B

  • Candy: $3.9B

  • Greeting cards: $0.7B

Costumes remain the largest revenue driver, with Spider-Man, princesses, witches, and superheroes topping kids’ lists, while adults lean toward witches, vampires, and pirates. Even pets are in on the action – pumpkin, hot dog, and bumblebee outfits are among the favorites.

What this means for online arbitrage sellers:

🛒 Earlier shopping: Nearly half of shoppers are buying by September. If you’re not stocked early, you’re behind.

🛍️ Category focus: Costumes and decorations offer the biggest margins and volume opportunities.

📉 Price sensitivity: With tariffs and higher costs, consumers are deal-hunting. Keep margins tight and competitive.

🐾 Niche demand: Pet costumes and seasonal décor are smaller categories, but they sell consistently.

💡 While Halloween is a massive sales driver, you don’t need to pivot your entire sourcing efforts into seasonal products to win. Consistent, year-round sourcing keeps the revenue flowing, and that’s exactly what our lead lists deliver. They bring you profitable leads across categories so you can capitalize on seasonal spikes without relying on them.

Join our community of thriving sellers stacking daily OA wins:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Tripled my revenue and profits. No race to the bottom. Solid sell prices based on history. Better and more cost-effective than any VA” - Ken

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“INSANE rabbit trails: one lead turned into months of profitable sourcing. Great variety, well-vetted, rarely tanks.” - SC

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Best lists I’ve used.” - April

Our subscribers are stacking steady, year-round revenue while cashing in on seasonal sales spikes. Secure your spot today and get max mileage this Q4.

📢 Amazon Ends Commingling & Updates Returns Policy: What You Need to Know

On Day 2 of Amazon Accelerate, the tech and retail titan announced major changes that directly affect how sellers manage inventory and returns. For online arbitrage sellers, these updates are especially important as they touch both profitability and protection from inauthentic claims and other account health issues. Here’s the breakdown:

  1. The End of Commingling

  • Amazon is ending its commingling program (where Amazon mixing your inventory with identical products from different sellers in its fulfillment centers).

  • Sellers no longer need to apply an FBA sticker to units that already have a manufacturer barcode.

  • Amazon estimates this shift will save sellers $600M annually and provide them with more flexibility in inventory management across different sales channels. 

  1. Updates to Returns Policy

  • Amazon just launched “Manage Your Returns”, a platform that enables sellers to manage both FBA and FBM returns.

  • Sellers can now send replacement parts instead of processing a full return.

  • Sellers also now have the option to offer partial refunds for minor issues.

Why These Changes Matter for Online Arbitrage Sellers

🛡️ Control & Liability for Authenticity
The end of commingling helps reduce the risk of inauthentic claims and other account health issues. If your inventory isn’t mixed with others’, there’s less chance someone else’s counterfeit or damaged item gets blamed on you. For OA sellers who source widely and deal with many different batches and brands, that’s a major win.

📊 More Precise Cost Management
Without commingling, your cost control improves. You’ll know exactly which inventory is yours, when it sells, and can avoid losses from someone else’s bad inventory dragging you down.

💸 Reduced Return Costs & Revenue Loss
Partial refunds and replacement parts reduce the number of full returns, and also save you the costs of returns shipping, processing, and lost sales. If an item only has a cosmetic issue, being able to offer a partial refund rather than process a return keeps more of the revenue in your pocket.

😀 Better Customer Satisfaction & Less Hassle
Problems like missing parts or slight cosmetic issues often lead to customer disappointment and returns. Having policies and tools to address those issues quickly can avoid negative feedback, lower return rates, improve metrics (like account health and seller rating), all of which are helpful, especially in arbitrage where margins are often tight.

👥 Meet Robin Joy and Brian Olson: Pioneers in Building Sustainable Amazon Businesses

The Olsons, Robin Joy and Brian, are multi-million-dollar online arbitrage sellers, coaches, and authors who have become trusted voices in the Amazon community. They built their business from the ground up through online arbitrage, and today, they’re known for turning complexity into clarity with their structured P.A.T.H. framework (Prospect • Assess • Test • Harvest).

Instead of chasing trends, the Olsons teach sellers how to build durable, sustainable OA businesses through proven systems that reduce risk and increase confidence. Their approach has empowered countless Amazon online arbitrage sellers to grow sustainably by focusing on process, not hype.

Now, they’re sharing that framework in their book, P.A.T.H., a step-by-step roadmap to scaling an Amazon business with consistency and control. It’s a must-read for OA sellers looking to escape the guesswork of arbitrage and move toward lasting success.

Through our new partnership with Robin Joy and Brian Olson, we’re excited to bring their proven expertise directly to the FBA Lead List community. Together, we’ll share educational content designed to help Amazon online arbitrage sellers build businesses that are not only profitable but also sustainable for the long term. By combining our resources with the Olsons’ P.A.T.H. framework, we aim to give sellers the clarity, structure, and confidence needed to grow with consistency and success.

👉 Stay tuned for upcoming insights, strategies, and resources from the Olsons —subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss a single update.

🗞️ Essential Amazon Seller Updates

📦 Reminder: Holiday Peak Fees
Amazon has confirmed that holiday peak fulfillment fees will return this year, effective October 15, 2025, to January 14, 2026. The fees apply to FBA, Remote Fulfillment, MCF, and Buy with Prime, and will match last year’s rates.

🚀 New: FBA Opportunities in Manage All Inventory
Amazon has integrated FBA Enrollment Opportunities directly into Manage All Inventory, making it easier to spot growth potential. Sellers can now see up to 50 daily-updated recommendations with data on sales history, conversion rates, eligibility, and more — all in one place. The original FBA Opportunities tool is still available, but this update streamlines the process.

⚡ Smarter Tools for Sellers
At this year’s Amazon Accelerate, new AI-powered upgrades were unveiled to help sellers save time and money. Seller Assistant now uses agentic AI to monitor account health, automate compliance, track inventory, and even generate ad creatives. Profit Analytics gives a clearer view of costs and profitability, while Custom Analytics makes reporting easier with drag-and-drop tools and templates. Plus, expanded support options make it simpler to resolve listing issues.

🚀 Faster Launches & Smarter Supply Chains
Day 2 of Amazon Accelerate introduced new tools to help sellers launch winning products and scale globally. Opportunity Explorer now uses AI to surface unmet demand, niche opportunities, and tailored product proposals. Sellers can also test launches regionally with FBA, gather early reviews through an expanded Amazon Vine, and track performance in real-time with Product Performance Spotlight.

On the global side, Supply Chain by Amazon is expanding with Global Warehousing & Distribution, faster Global Logistics routes, AI-powered customs clearance, and Multi-Channel Fulfillment that now includes Walmart, Shopify, and SHEIN. Together, these upgrades help sellers move from idea to bestseller, and keep products in stock worldwide.

🎥 Amazon Accelerate 2025: Watch the Sessions
Couldn’t make it to Amazon Accelerate this year? You can still catch all the action. The recorded sessions, including the fireside chat with Andy Jassy and both General Sessions — are now available to stream on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Meta pages.

🧰 Arbitrage Corner — OA Tips, Threads & Tools

📦 Outsourcing Prep, Simplified
Prepping eats time and cuts into sourcing, but outsourcing it too early (or the wrong way) kills margins. Our quick guide breaks down the 5 keys to outsourcing prep the smart way so you know when to switch, how to test, and where to find the best leverage.

💸 The Hidden Profit Killers
For many sellers, the real issue isn’t finding profit – it’s losing it. From unreturned damaged items to unnoticed Amazon fees, small leaks can drain margins faster than bad sourcing ever will. This checklist from @SaulSellsStuff shows you where money slips away and how to plug the gaps before they sink your business.

🎯 Crushing Q4 with Confidence
Wondering how to win Q4? Miles Longstreth’s Ultimate Q4 Guide walks you through the best Q4 products to sell, the best sourcing method, key deadlines, shipping via FBM, Q4 ungating, and common mistakes to avoid, giving you a clear game plan to finish the year strong.

🔍 Winning with Tactical Arbitrage
Tactical Arbitrage is one of the most powerful tools for finding profitable flips, but only if you know how to use it. In this video, Six-figure seller Chris Mangunza shares the same TA strategy that’s made him millions in revenue. See how he taps into sales, promos, and overlooked sites to manufacture margins.

🧸 Good News for Toy Sellers (sort of)
According to this post from Steve French (@SteveFrenchAMZ), Amazon is now allowing toys from 3P sellers to be submitted for testing, a total departure from their previous ruling on skincare and supplements. This is definitely good news for toy sellers who go deep, but not necessarily for those who go wide. Let’s hope for more positive updates in the coming weeks.

🎓 This Week in Seller School

📚 Blog Posts

⚡ Quick Clicks — Headlines Worth a Glance

🎭 Meme of the Week

Because Amazon selling is serious business… but not too serious.
Want more sourcing memes, weekly drops, and a few laughs between IP claims?

🚀 Tired of Dead Leads? Get Data-Backed Winners Daily.

If you’re ready to source smarter — with IP-safe, ROI-verified leads — we’ve got you covered.

Each of our lead lists is:
🧠 Manually sourced (no scraping, ever)
💰 Built for profit
🛍️ Delivered daily — no guesswork, no fluff

📊 Weekly Recap (9/15–9/19)

🔍 Unique Top Leads: 242
💰 Avg. Net Profit: $16.03
📈 Avg. ROI: 81.53%
🏷️ Avg. 90 Day Rank: 160,782
💸 Total Profit (all lists, buying 1 unit per lead): $4,058.28

💵 Average Profit (all lead lists): $811.666

Here’s what one of our long-time subscribers had to say about our lead list:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“My experience with lead lists always turned into a dumpster fire until I subscribed to FBA Lead Lists. I have more than tripled my revenue and profits!

Every time I've tried a lead list, the same thing always happens. A race to the bottom in sales price, and I'm lucky just to break even on my investment.

With FBA Lead Lists, there may be a dollar or so price drop, but rarely any more than that, and a surprising number of items experience a dollar or two sales price increase.

What I appreciate about the lists is that I'm given a solid sell price based on historical data, accurate sourcing information like color, size, etc, a suggested purchase amount, and any coupons that are out there.

Better and more cost-effective than any VA I have hired on my own. This has been a real game-changer for me, and I really do appreciate the hard work everyone puts into making this happen.”

-Ken

Only the fastest sellers thrive in Q4. Gain exclusive access to our lead lists and stay ahead of the competition.

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