🧠 The January Moves Smart OA Sellers Make

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

🎉 It’s the first full work week of 2026… which means Q4 is officially over, returns are officially here, and your replens are probably already late. Business as usual 😄

🍔 This week in Seller Snacks: Amazon FBA fee increases, powerful sourcing and hiring tips, turning last year’s data into profit this year, a smarter way to deal with returns, and a Lego set flip quietly building up speed.

On Today's Menu:

• 🥨 Amazon FBA fees are increasing in the U.S. starting January 15, 2026

• 🍪 Storefront stalking and reverse sourcing tips & a proven sourcing VA hiring process

• 🍄 Turn last year's data into this year's profits

• 🍿 A smarter way to deal with returns

• 🥣 The new Amazon Haul experience, the skinny on IP complaints, & how to craft effective POAs

• 🎭 Returnuary blues

• 🔥 A Lego set flip quietly building up speed

Let’s eat!

🥨 Crisp Intel

Bite-sized insights to help you sell smarter.

📆 What’s Happening: Amazon FBA fees are increasing in the U.S. starting January 15, 2026

Amazon is rolling out another round of U.S. FBA fee increases, impacting fulfillment costs across multiple size tiers. While most changes look small on a per-unit basis, they stack quickly for sellers running volume or thin margins.

📈 Why It Matters:

Fee increases rarely kill ASINs overnight; they slowly squeeze them. A few extra cents per unit can quietly turn “fine” buys into break-even inventory, especially if you’re already dealing with Returnuary refunds, storage fees, or higher competition.

For online arbitrage sellers, that means:

• Margins get tighter without obvious warning signs

• Borderline ASINs become riskier to test

• High-volume, low-ROI items feel the impact first

• Fees matter more than ever before you buy, not after

This isn’t about panic; it’s about precision.

📋 What to Do:

✅ Re-run your numbers on current ASINs using the post-Jan 15 fee structure, especially anything under your normal ROI threshold

✅ Raise your internal “buy bar” slightly (ROI, net profit, or both) to absorb higher fees

✅ Pay attention to slow movers; higher fees plus longer storage time compounds faster

✅ Treat this as a reminder to prioritize clean, repeatable, fee-resilient buys, not thin flips

🍪 OA Munch

Bite-sized tips to boost your flips.

• 🧠 Why Smart Sellers Track People, Not ASINs:
  Most OA sellers focus on products, but the real edge comes from understanding who buys, why, and how patterns repeat. This quick read flips the sourcing mindset in a practical way, so you can start building repeatable insights instead of random luck.
  

• ⏱️ The 20-Minute Reverse Sourcing Setup:
  Want a faster way to find testable OA opportunities? This guide walks you through a simple setup you can do in about 20 minutes — designed to cut hours off your sourcing routine.
  

• 👥 How sellers actually scale sourcing in January:
  This breakdown walks through a proven Amazon sourcing VA hiring process – from where to find candidates to training and accountability – so sourcing grows without turning into chaos.

🍄 Mental Snacks

Quick Bites. Better Mindset.

January is when most sellers feel motivated… but still operate on last year’s habits. The difference between sellers who repeat results and sellers who actually improve is simple: they stop guessing and let last year’s data set the rules for this year.

An annual review isn’t about spreadsheets for the sake of spreadsheets. It’s about turning real outcomes (profits, losses, returns, and fees) into clear filters for what you allow into your business going forward.

Here’s how to make it actionable (without overthinking it):

• Rank your ASINs by profit, not revenue. Revenue flatters. Profit tells the truth. Identify your top 10 and bottom 10 from 2025 and ask why they landed there.
  

• Look at return rates by category. January returns expose patterns you can’t see in Q4. If certain categories or brands consistently boomerang back, that’s a sourcing filter, not bad luck.
  

• Audit fees and surprises. Storage, removals, refunds, and missed reimbursements quietly shape your margins. What hurt the most last year should get attention first this year.
  

• Identify repeatable wins. Which products or brands were replenishable, low-stress, and predictable? Those are your building blocks; double down on them.

Once you’ve identified your repeatable wins –  the brands and ASIN types that were replenishable, low-stress, and predictable –  the real question becomes: how do you find more of those without burning hours sourcing blindly?

This is where a structured lead pipeline matters.

Our lead lists are built to help sellers scale what already works, not chase random flips. Instead of hunting for one-off deals, you’re getting a steady stream of testable ASINs that fit a repeatable OA model, so you can spend your time validating, testing, and doubling down on winners instead of starting from scratch every day.

If 2026 is the year you want fewer guesses and more consistency, this is one of the simplest ways to support that shift.

• Create “stop rules.” Decide now what you won’t source anymore in 2026: minimum ROI, max sellers, return-prone categories, or brands that create support headaches.

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s clarity. When your sourcing rules come from lived results instead of vibes, decision fatigue drops and confidence goes up.

👉 Block 45 minutes this week to pull your 2025 data and write three rules you’ll follow in 2026: one to do more of, one to do less of, and one to stop completely.

🍿 Snacktacular Spotlight

Each week, we shine a light on something (or someone) that’s helping Amazon sellers snack smarter.

This week’s spotlight is on…

📦 Axiom Prep Center – Returns recovery & prep support built for OA sellers dealing with Returnuary

January isn’t called “Returnuary” for no reason.

For OA sellers, “Returnuary” means refunds spike, stranded inventory piles up, reimbursements get missed, and profit leaks quietly while everyone’s busy sourcing for the new year.

Most sellers accept this bleed as “part of the game.”

Axiom exists to stop that bleed.

Instead of letting returned inventory sit in limbo (or get destroyed), Axiom acts as an extension of your operation: receiving, inspecting, and sorting returned units so you know what’s actually recoverable and what isn’t.

Sellable items can be prepped and reintroduced into inventory.

Unsellable units are documented properly.

Missed reimbursement opportunities are easier to spot and act on.

That matters most in January, when return volume is high and small misses compound fast.

Axiom is also Amazon SPN (Service Provider Network)–certified, meaning they’re a vetted partner that works within Amazon’s systems and compliance expectations, not a random third-party guessing at the rules.

Here’s why Axiom Prep Center earns the spotlight:

1️⃣ Returnuary damage control → fewer silent write-offs

2️⃣ Off-Amazon inspection & prep → real visibility into returned inventory

3️⃣ Reimbursement awareness → fewer missed recovery opportunities

4️⃣ OA-friendly workflows → built for volume, not hobby sellers

5️⃣ Trusted, SPN-certified provider → compliance-first support

If January is where Q4 profits quietly disappear, Axiom helps make sure they don’t.

Find out if Axiom Prep is a good fit for you and your business.

🥣The Dip Bowl

Click-Worthy Finds Served Fresh

• 🛍️ Amazon Haul tests impulse-driven discovery for low-priced products: The new Haul experience can boost visibility for retail-ready ASINs
  

• 🚨 Amazon IP complaints aren’t just a brand issue: OA sellers are especially exposed, and one bad claim can snowball into serious account health damage.
  

• ⚠️ Suspended on Amazon? Your POA matters more than you think: Vague appeals get denied, while specific root-cause fixes get accounts back.

🎭 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?

👉Follow us on X (@FBALeadList)