Amazon’s New Policy: Shared Inventory Model to Be Discontinued

Recently, Amazon officially released an important announcement, clarifying that starting March 1, 2026, it will formally terminate the long-standing "Shared Inventory" model (commonly referred to by sellers as the "mixed inventory" model), while updating the usage standards for manufacturer barcodes.



(Source: Amazon Seller Central)

What is the "Shared Inventory" model?

The so-called "Shared Inventory" was a previously implemented inventory allocation mechanism by Amazon. Specifically, if different sellers list the same product with identical UPC codes and use manufacturer barcodes for warehouse intake, these items would be pooled into a shared inventory. Under this model, Amazon’s system prioritized shipping products from the warehouse closest to the buyer to complete the order, even if the inventory belonged to another seller. The primary goal was to shorten delivery distances and improve logistics efficiency.

However, this model had notable drawbacks, with the most troubling issue for sellers being the risk of "taking the blame for others." If the system allocated defective products from another seller, the resulting negative reviews and complaints would be directly attributed to the seller who received the order, unjustly impacting their listing quality and account performance.

New Regulations: Benefits for Brands, Standardization of the Market

Once the new regulations take effect, they will reshape the platform’s operational environment across multiple dimensions, including responsibility attribution, operational costs, and supply chain management, with particularly significant benefits for brand sellers.

Moving forward, sellers will only be responsible for their own inventory and will no longer have to "take the blame" for issues with other sellers’ identical products. Unjust risks—such as negative reviews or complaints resulting from defective items from others—will be completely eliminated. This will not only effectively maintain the stability of listing quality but also reduce reputation damage caused by factors beyond the seller’s control, thereby strengthening the foundation for brand reputation building.