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Amazon officially ends inventory commingling on March 31, 2026. Brand owners can use manufacturer barcodes. Resellers must switch to FNSKU labels. Plan your transition now.
Dec 26, 2025 · 4 min read · 750 words
Updated December 26, 2025
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Amazon is ending its controversial commingling program on March 31, 2026. This practice, which pooled identical products from multiple sellers into shared inventory bins, has been blamed for counterfeit issues since its introduction in 2013. Brands running their P&L on Nova tend to catch this in the fee-detail view first, before it lands in the weekly review.
The announcement received the biggest applause at Amazon Accelerate 2025. Brand owners have spent over $600 million in the past year alone on re-stickering products to avoid commingling issues. Use Nova's P&L analytics to track your labeling costs and margin impact.
| Change | Details | Effective Date |
|---|---|---|
| Commingling Ends | Amazon stops pooling inventory from multiple sellers. Each seller's units tracked separately. | March 31, 2026 |
| Brand Registry Owners | Can use manufacturer UPC/EAN barcodes. No longer forced to use FNSKU labels. | March 31, 2026 |
| Resellers | Must use Amazon FNSKU barcodes on all products. No exceptions. | March 31, 2026 |
| Inventory Tracking | Each unit traced back to originating seller. Full accountability chain. | March 31, 2026 |
Deadline: March 31, 2026. Amazon will stop accepting commingled inventory after this date. Plan your labeling transition now.
For over a decade, commingling allowed Amazon to fulfill orders faster by treating identical products as interchangeable. But this created a major problem: counterfeit or damaged products from one seller could be shipped to customers who ordered from a different, legitimate seller.
Brand owners had no way to ensure customers received their authentic products. A customer ordering from a trusted brand might receive a counterfeit from a bad actor whose inventory was pooled in the same bin.
The change reflects Amazon's strategic shift toward supporting brand owners over arbitrage resellers. With increasing regulatory pressure on counterfeits and customer complaints, ending commingling was inevitable.
Track your transition costs and margin impact with precision. Nova's P&L dashboard breaks down prep costs, labeling expenses, and per-unit profitability so you can manage the transition efficiently. Try Nova free for 14 days
→ P&L Analytics: Track labeling and prep costs at the SKU level
→ Custom Breakdowns: Segment products by labeling status and brand ownership
→ Seller Cockpit: Monitor FBA fees and margin changes during transition
→ Daily Analytics: Track margin changes as you adjust prep workflows
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