Amazon Tightens Returns, Reviews, and Refunds While Walmart Raises the Bar for Sellers in 2026

This week on Selling on Giants, the platforms are sending a clear message. Control, speed, and accountability are no longer optional.

Amazon, Walmart, and the broader eCommerce ecosystem are tightening systems that directly impact margins, conversion, and account health. If you are running real volume, these are not background updates. They are operating constraints that need attention now.

Here’s what we break down in this episode.

Amazon ends high value return exemptions starting February eighth
All United States seller fulfilled orders must now use Amazon prepaid return labels, regardless of item value. Refund windows compress. Buyer seller messaging during returns disappears.
• Faster refunds improve buyer trust and conversion
• Premium and fragile brands take on more immediate financial exposure

This turns returns into a performance lever, not an ops afterthought.

Amazon introduces new Amazon Business B2B metrics
For the first time, sellers can clearly separate business buyer behavior from retail noise.
• B2B refund rates, feedback, and claims now live inside Business Reports
• Bulk order issues surface faster and more accurately
• Brands can finally evaluate whether Amazon Business deserves more focus or less

For established brands, this is required reading.

Walmart raises the bar on seller performance heading into twenty twenty six
Walmart continues to enforce one of the strictest performance frameworks in marketplace retail.
• Negative Feedback Rate becomes a core enforcement metric
• Product quality and expectation management now carry account level consequences
• Suppression, suspension, and termination move fast and appeals are not guaranteed

Disciplined operators benefit. Sloppy execution gets exposed.

Amazon changes how reviews are shared across variations
Starting February twelfth, reviews will no longer flow across functionally different variations.
• Cosmetic differences still share reviews
• Functional differences now stand on their own

This is a catalog hygiene moment, not a wait and see update.

Google and Walmart deepen their partnership
This is not a press release partnership. It is infrastructure alignment.
• Search intent moves closer to Walmart checkout
• Attribution improves and inefficiency gets exposed

Strategy matters more than tactics here.

Holiday eCommerce spending hits two hundred fifty eight billion dollars
The bigger signal is how shoppers are deciding.
• AI assistants are shaping discovery and comparison
• Funnels compress and clarity wins

Fundamentals beat shortcuts.

EU eCommerce compliance and why it feels so complex
Layered regulations, buyer first protections, and aggressive enforcement create friction.
• Successful brands enter selectively
• Documentation and claims alignment matter

USPS restricts access to package tracking data
This is a data access change, not a delivery disruption.
• Some third party tools may face new fees or break
• Sellers need to understand who is authorized to access tracking data

Fast refunds drive repeat orders more than discounts
Refund speed is now a loyalty lever.
• Faster refunds build trust
• Slow refunds often turn into negative reviews

The common thread
Platforms are trading seller flexibility for buyer trust. Operators who run clean systems, document everything, and manage experience intentionally will win margin and stability over time.

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