Show notes
Date: April 6th, 2026Summary: Kevin King breaks down Amazon's move to deduct ad costs directly from seller proceeds, eliminating credit card rewards on ad spend, plus the new 3.5% fuel surcharge, Amazon's fake discount crackdown on strikethrough pricing, early data on Rufus "Sponsored Prompts" ads, TikTok Shop stats, and how Walmart is quietly dominating Google Shopping with over 1,600 seller names.Link to written version of the newsletter: [Insert link here]Key Points DiscussedAmazon's new ad cost deduction policy ending credit card rewards on ad spendThe DD+7 reserve policy double whammy and its impact on seller cash flowGoogle and Meta already made similar moves away from credit card paymentsAmazon's $2,500 consolation credit and the 3.5% fuel surcharge on FBA feesTikTok Shop growth stats and creator earnings concentrationAmazon's strikethrough pricing crackdown: List Price validation (April 23) and Typical Price recalculation (May 18)Early data on Amazon Rufus "Sponsored Prompts" adsWalmart dominating Google Shopping with 1,600+ distinct seller namesStack Influence platform for micro-influencer collaborationsLinks MentionedE-com Mastery AI Event Live StreamStack Influence Platform (10% off this month)Hot PicksThe TACOS trap and why using it is misleading as a metricAmazon and Walmart move the retail war past the buy buttonAmazon adds 3.5% fuel surcharge to all FBA and fulfillment feesAmazon teams with FedEx to add 10,000 more return drop-off pointsStump Bezos Answer: Amazon did 1.7 billion annual deliveries through the U.S. Post Office (15% of all USPS shipments)