Amazon Restricts Shipments To Warehouses Amid Coronavirus

As Amazon elevates the importance of delivering highly sought products amid the coronavirus pandemic, the eTailer said independent merchants would not be able to send merchandise to its warehouses except for household staples, medical products, and other items in high demand until early April, The Wall Street Journal reported. 

A spokesperson for the eCommerce retailer said per the report, “We are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so we can more quickly receive, restock, and ship these products to customers.”

Individuals globally are tapping into digital platforms as governments put forward new limitations on moving around and set social-distancing procedures to stem proliferation of the coronavirus. Amazon, for its part, announced on Monday intentions to bring on 100,000 more employees domestically to satisfy “the surge in demand from people relying on Amazon’s service during this stressful time” per the WSJreport.

The eCommerce retailer’s decision to restrict shipments of items to its warehouses comes as sellers are encountering a difficult time. Sellers had grappled with restocking on the platform when manufacturing facilities in China closed due to the virus. But, as the number of cases has declined, some of the facilities have opened again.

Sellers at this time reportedly say they will have difficulty benefiting from this change and mailing new supplies to the warehouses of the eCommerce retailer. Independent sellers, however, can market their products on Amazon without depending on the warehouses of the eTailer.

However, they have to figure out how to store their merchandise in other facilities and plan for delivery to consumers on their own.

As reported in late February, Amazon sellers who created businesses around efficient and inexpensive Chinese manufacturers were in a difficult position as the virus shuttered factories. Many sellers were reportedly aiming to move production to other countries and hiking prices to decelerate sales. At the time, it was noted that the eTailer’s technology decreases the rank of products that are out of stock.