Amazon has announced a significant shift in its Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) supply chain strategy, confirming plans to end commingling practices by 31 March 2026.

This marks a departure from its long-standing logistical model which was designed to speed up delivery times by pooling identical products from different sellers. 

What is commingling? 

Commingling is the practice where Amazon fulfils customer orders using exact product matches from the closest available inventory in its network, even if that specific unit was originally sent in by a different seller – this is how identical products are ‘pooled’ together, allowing Amazon to move goods faster and more efficiently.

For example, if a customer in London orders a product sold by a seller based in Manchester, but an identical unit from a different seller is already stored in a warehouse in London, Amazon would automatically use the inventory from London to fulfil the order. 

Why has Amazon decided to make changes? 

Amazon has stated that this pooling of stock – commingling – is no longer necessary.

In a recent Amazon Seller Central update, the company explained that because most sellers now maintain inventory levels physically closer to their customers, fast delivery speeds can be achieved without mixing inventory from multiple sources.

However, another reason is also likely to have contributed to Amazon’s decision to end the practice. 

Under the commingling model, legitimate inventory from sellers was often mixed with counterfeit inventory from non-compliant sellers. Even if a customer had ordered a product from a legitimate seller, the commingling model meant that they still might receive a counterfeit product from the same ‘bin’ (as commingled products), simply because it was the closest one available in the fulfilment network at the time the order was placed. 

When a customer receives a counterfeit item picked from a commingled bin, they are naturally likely to complain directly about the seller they purchased from. This results in negative reviews, returns, and account suspensions for innocent sellers who had no actual control over the specific unit delivered, and even if they sent legitimate inventory.  

The counterfeiting issue caused major brands to withdraw from the platform – in 2013, Johnson & Johnson withdrew many of its consumer products, citing product quality concerns including expired and damaged products being shipped by third-party sellers. Similarly, in 2019, Nike also withdrew from the platform, only agreeing to return last year in 2025 following a direct sourcing deal to maintain brand integrity. 

How will this impact sellers on Amazon? 

The end of commingling appears to be part of a wider initiative to shift operational responsibilities from Amazon back to the seller.

For sellers, the deadline of 31 March 2026 provides a relatively short window to overhaul their inventory workflows. 

Brand owners who hold the Brand Representative selling role in the Amazon Brand Registry will see a reduction in administrative burden.  They will no longer be required to apply Amazon barcode stickers (FNSKU) to prevent commingling for products that already possess manufacturer barcodes, such as UPCs or ISBNs.  This change allows brand owners to manage a single pool of inventory without needing to pre-allocate units specifically to Amazon, offering greater flexibility across sales channels.

In contrast, resellers who are not enrolled as Brand Representatives will face stricter protocols. 

They will be required to use Amazon barcode stickers for all products, even if those items already have a valid manufacturer barcode. For resellers, this effectively ends the existing ‘stickerless’ option, mandating that every unit sent to a fulfilment centre must be individually labelled to link it back to their specific seller account.

Resellers must therefore prepare for increased labour or third-party logistics costs associated with labelling every individual unit. Conversely, brand owners can look forward to a more streamlined process that protects their brand image and integrity whilst also reducing the physical labelling practices required for their stock.