Amazon 2026 Changes: New Selling System in Europe
Amazon 2026: How the New Selling System Changed the European Market
Date of the last update: 22.09.2026
Amazon introduced a series of significant changes to its European selling ecosystem in 2026. The updates affected some of the foundations of marketplace operations, including how reviews were shared between product variants, how FBA stock was identified and how sellers managed FBM orders and B2B performance.
For brands and e-commerce managers, the changes meant reviewing existing permissions, product structures and logistics processes rather than simply continuing with established routines. Amazon moved away from several mechanisms that had previously allowed products or stock to benefit from shared structures, making individual product and operational decisions increasingly important.
Table of contents:
Review Sharing Changes: Product Variants Started Building Reviews Separately
Virtual Bundles Allowed Sellers to Create Sets Without Repacking Products
Amazon Ended Commingling and Introduced Full Inventory Traceability
FBM Shipping Management Became More Flexible
Amazon Expanded B2B Analytics and Introduced Service Hub
What the 2026 Changes Meant for Brands Selling on Amazon
FAQ - Key Questions About the Amazon 2026 Changes
Review Sharing Changes: Product Variants Started Building Reviews Separately
Amazon changed its Review Sharing rules from 12 February 2026. The platform stopped automatically combining ratings for products where individual variants had meaningful functional differences.
The aim was to make reviews more relevant to the exact product a customer intended to buy. A rating collected for one flavour, specification or product composition could no longer automatically strengthen another significantly different version of the same product.
Reviews continued to be shared where variants differed mainly in visual or secondary characteristics. This included differences such as colour, pattern, size or pack quantity, as well as compatibility with different models, for example phone cases, and secondary fragrance variations in products such as cleaning products.
The situation was different when variants changed the actual performance or characteristics of a product. Reviews were separated where products differed in areas such as RAM capacity, engine power, ingredients, primary fragrance or material, including differences such as steel versus aluminium.
Amazon planned the rollout through to 31 May 2026 and notified sellers by email 30 days before changes were applied to their portfolios. This gave brands time to audit product detail pages and identify variants that could require additional advertising support once their review counts were separated.
Virtual Bundles Allowed Sellers to Create Sets Without Repacking Products
Virtual Bundles became available directly through Seller Central in Europe, allowing eligible sellers to combine between two and five products without physically repacking them into a new set.
Amazon limited access to sellers with the Brand Representative role.
Visibility depended partly on pricing. The “Bundles with this product” widget appeared on a product page only when the bundle price was lower than the combined price of the individual products.
The Main Component also played a central role in how a bundle built visibility. Once selected, the Main Component could not simply be changed. Choosing the wrong product meant deleting the bundle and creating it again.
Management remained manual. At the time, Amazon did not support Virtual Bundle editing through an API or text files, so sellers had to manage the sets directly in Seller Central.
Amazon Ended Commingling and Introduced Full Inventory Traceability
Amazon also moved away from commingling inventory supplied by different sellers within the same distribution network.
The change increased product traceability and helped protect brand authenticity, but it also introduced additional logistics requirements.
Brand Representatives with the correct system permissions could rely on manufacturer identifiers such as UPC or EAN codes. Amazon's system was designed to ensure that customers received units originating from that seller's own inventory.
The requirements were different for resellers. From 31 March 2026, Amazon labels using X00 codes became mandatory for their stock. Products sent to fulfilment centres without the required identification could be treated as defective inventory.
Units without an X00 code also lost eligibility for reimbursement if they went missing within Amazon's fulfilment network.
FBM Shipping Management Became More Flexible
Amazon replaced the old holiday mode with the Seller-set holidays feature.
Previously, taking time away from fulfilment could mean making offers unavailable, potentially affecting the sales history sellers had built over time. The new system allowed sellers to define their own non-working days for the year while keeping products visible and available to order.
Amazon then adjusted the delivery date shown to customers automatically.
This meant sellers could maintain offer visibility while giving customers realistic fulfilment expectations. Businesses that continued operating during national holidays could also mark those dates as working days, which allowed the displayed delivery time to be shortened accordingly.
Go2Market supports brands with the operational management of Amazon sales, including areas affected by changes to fulfilment and account processes.
Amazon Expanded B2B Analytics and Introduced Service Hub
Amazon Business also gained more detailed reporting capabilities.
The updated reporting dashboard included metrics such as B2B Refund Rate and greater visibility into A-to-Z Claims. This allowed sellers to examine whether returns from business customers were connected to product issues or to specific delivery requirements, such as palletised shipments.
At the same time, Service Hub made it easier to compare service providers when expanding across eight European marketplaces: Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium.
The tool allowed sellers to compare pricing from certified VAT and EPR service providers, helping reduce some of the administrative complexity involved in entering additional European markets.
What the 2026 Changes Meant for Brands Selling on Amazon
The changes announced for 2026 amounted to more than a collection of individual Seller Central updates. They changed parts of the operational model brands used to manage their Amazon businesses.
Amazon reduced the scope for relying on shared reviews and mixed inventory processes. Areas ranging from FBA labelling to Virtual Bundle management increasingly required their own procedures and checks.
For sellers, this made account permissions, catalogue structure and logistics preparation more important.
Go2Market supported brands through these changes by auditing product variants against the new rules, checking Brand Registry permissions and implementing logistics strategies designed to reduce operational errors that could restrict further growth.
FAQ - Key Questions About the Amazon 2026 Changes
What changed on Amazon in Europe in 2026?
Amazon introduced changes affecting review sharing between product variants, Virtual Bundles, FBA inventory identification, FBM holiday settings and B2B reporting. The updates required sellers to review catalogue structures, account permissions and logistics processes.
When did Amazon change its Review Sharing rules in 2026?
The Review Sharing changes started on 12 February 2026, with the rollout planned through to 31 May 2026.
Which Amazon product variants could still share reviews?
Reviews could continue to be shared where differences were mainly visual or secondary, such as colour, pattern, size, pack quantity or compatibility with different product models.
Which product variants had their reviews separated?
Reviews were separated when variants differed in meaningful product characteristics such as ingredients, RAM capacity, engine power, primary fragrance or material.
What were Amazon Virtual Bundles?
Virtual Bundles allowed eligible sellers to combine between two and five existing products into a bundle without physically repacking them into a new set.
Who could use Virtual Bundles on Amazon?
Amazon limited access to Virtual Bundles to sellers with the Brand Representative role.
What happened to Amazon commingling in 2026?
Amazon moved away from commingling stock supplied by different sellers and introduced stronger inventory traceability requirements.
When did X00 labels become mandatory for Amazon resellers?
X00 Amazon labels became mandatory for reseller inventory from 31 March 2026.
What happened if Amazon inventory did not have an X00 label?
Inventory without the required X00 identifier could be treated as defective. It could also lose eligibility for reimbursement if units went missing within Amazon's fulfilment network.
What were Seller-set holidays on Amazon?
Seller-set holidays allowed sellers to define non-working days while keeping their offers active. Amazon then adjusted the delivery date shown to customers.
How did Amazon Business analytics change in 2026?
Amazon Business introduced more detailed reporting, including B2B Refund Rate and greater visibility into A-to-Z Claims.
What was Amazon Service Hub used for?
Service Hub allowed sellers to compare certified VAT and EPR service providers across selected European marketplaces.
Which European marketplaces were included in Service Hub?
The marketplaces listed were Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium.
What did the Amazon 2026 changes mean for sellers?
The changes made product structure, account permissions, inventory labelling and logistics processes more important. Sellers had to manage individual variants and operational procedures more carefully than before.
How did Go2Market support sellers with the 2026 Amazon changes?
Go2Market supported brands by auditing product variants, checking Brand Registry permissions and implementing logistics strategies designed to reduce operational errors.