Amazon New Selection Program 2026: what changes after 31 October

The short answer

• The date: in the Amazon New Selection Program, sellers already in the old program are covered automatically for new branded FBA ASINs that launch from 30 July to 31 October 2026, and must confirm their enrollment to continue receiving benefits after 31 October (Amazon's announcement).
• The benefits: referral fee credits equal to a 10% cap on the first 100 units and 5% on the next 100, free storage, returns and liquidations on the first 200 units for 120 days, plus coupon and Vine credits.
• The trap: automatic coverage ends on a date, so a launch you plan for November is the one that depends on having confirmed.
• The overlap: the benefits do not stack with New Seller Incentives, which are applied first.
• What is unclear: Amazon's announcement leaves eligibility detail to the program page, and we could not open that page. Read your own enrollment page before you plan inventory around any number.

The Amazon New Selection Program (2026) announcement has one sentence that is easy to read past: "To continue to receive New Selection Program (2026) benefits after October 31, you must confirm your enrollment on Enroll in New Selection Program (2026)." As of 12 October 2026 that date is 19 days away, and it matters most to brand owners who were in the old program and have launches planned after it.

If you launch new branded products into FBA, the Amazon New Selection Program is worth a calendar entry this week. Amazon's wording is that the benefits after 31 October depend on that confirmation. This guide covers what Amazon has said, what it has not said, and the order we would work through it in.

What is the Amazon New Selection Program in 2026?

It is Amazon's launch incentive for new branded products in FBA. According to Amazon's announcement in the US Seller Forums, the 2026 version took effect on 30 July 2026, and from that date the existing New Selection Program ended. This is an Amazon.com rule. Nothing we found covers the UK, EU or other stores, so treat it as US only until Amazon says otherwise.

The benefits Amazon lists apply to an eligible new-to-FBA product, counted from the date the first inventory is received:

• Referral fee credits: instant credits equivalent to capping referral fees at 10% (or your existing rate, whichever is lower) on your first 100 units, and 5% (or your existing rate, whichever is lower) on the next 100 units. Amazon says the credits apply to major fees such as referral and fulfillment fees.
• Promotional credits: $50 in coupon variable fee credits and $75 in Vine enrollment fee credits (applied to the middle tier), usable within the first 60 days.
• Storage, returns and liquidations: free storage, free customer returns and free liquidations on your first 200 units for the first 120 days.
• Fee waivers: no low-inventory-level fee and no storage utilization surcharge on your first 200 units for the first 120 days.
• Vine Pre-launch: a 45-day extension on the benefits above when you use that service.

Amazon also says the benefits do not stack with New Seller Incentives. If you qualify for both, New Seller Incentives are applied first. That is easy to forget for an account that is only a few months old.

Why does the 31 October date catch established brands?

The automatic coverage is described as an "introductory offer." That is Amazon's phrase, and it tells you how to read the date. Amazon's wording is that enrolled sellers receive the 2026 benefits for new branded FBA ASINs that launch through 31 October 2026, and that to keep receiving them after that date you must confirm. So a launch in the automatic window needs nothing from you, and a launch after it depends on a step someone has to remember.

The reason this may catch established brands is almost dull. If you enrolled in the old program some time ago, nothing obvious prompts you to look at it again, and a launch calendar may not carry a line for an incentive program. That is our reasoning, not something Amazon states: our view is that dates like this get missed when nobody owns them.

One more thing is worth saying plainly, because it will annoy you. The benefit clock does not start when you list the product. Amazon says the benefits apply from the first inventory received date, so that date, rather than the day the listing goes live, is the one to plan around.

How do you know if this applies to you?

Ask three plain questions.

1. Are you launching branded products into FBA? Amazon describes the program as being for new branded products. If everything you sell is already live, this is not your problem this quarter.
2. Were you in the old program? If you were, Amazon says you are covered automatically for launches through 31 October, and the confirmation is what carries you past it. This guide is written for that case. If you were never enrolled, Amazon's announcement does not say how you join, so read the program page.
3. Do you have launches planned after 31 October? This is the question that decides whether the date matters to you at all. A November or December inbound shipment of a new parent product is exactly the case.

Amazon's announcement says benefits are for an "eligible new-to-FBA product" and points to the program page for the rest. We could not open that page, because it sits behind a Seller Central login, so we cannot tell you the full eligibility list. Two third-party summaries, EcomCrew's guide to the program and PPC Land's report on the October deadline, agree that eligibility is judged at the parent ASIN level and that the product has to be new to FBA. They also report an Inventory Performance Index condition of 300 or higher for sellers who have a score. That is a reason to read the program page, not a number to plan around. If your score is a concern, our guide to what actually moves an IPI score back up is the place to start.

What should you check first?

The cheapest checks come first, and none of them needs a decision yet.

1. Open the enrollment page. Find "Enroll in New Selection Program (2026)" in Seller Central and read what it says about your account before you plan anything.
2. List the launches. Write down every new branded product you expect to receive into FBA, with the week the first units will reach an Amazon facility. Dates, not months.
3. Split them at 31 October. Amazon says enrolled sellers are covered for ASINs that launch in the window. It does not spell out whether the launch date or the first-receipt date decides, and EcomCrew reports that eligibility is judged on the date inventory arrives, so use the receipt date to stay on the careful side. Launches after 31 October are the ones the confirmation protects.
4. Check for overlap. If the account is new enough to hold New Seller Incentives, those are applied first, so the program may add less than you expect.

How does the Q4 calendar change the plan?

This is where a launch benefit and the holiday season run into each other. Amazon's Holiday 2026 announcement asks for inventory to arrive by 14 October (AWD), 21 October (FBA with minimal shipment splits) or 28 October (FBA with Amazon-optimized shipment splits) to keep Prime-badge eligibility for Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday. It also says holiday peak fulfillment fees apply from 15 October 2026 to 14 January 2027, averaging $0.32 more per unit than non-peak rates, with the 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on top.

Put those next to the program and three things follow. They are our reasoning, not Amazon's rules.

• A launch that lands before 31 October: if you were enrolled, this is the covered case. Whether it is worth landing a new product into peak fees is a separate question, and our guide to the Black Friday arrival deadline explains why "delivered" is not the same as "ready".
• A launch that lands after 31 October: this is the one that needs the confirmation. It also lands inside the 15 October to 14 January peak fee window, so it lands inside the peak fee window, and Amazon's announcement does not say how the credits interact with those fees. We would model the launch both ways rather than assume.
• A launch you can move to January: Amazon ties the benefits to the first inventory received date, and a product received in mid-January leaves the peak fee window behind. Whether that beats launching earlier depends on your category and your stock. We would not move a launch only to chase a credit.

Before you plan around the 120 days, one caution from the thread itself. A seller replied that the free returns and liquidation periods used to be 180 days and are now 120, and that Amazon showed no comparison table. That is a seller's claim, and we found no Amazon document that sets the old terms beside the new. We would not build a plan on the program being longer than it is. Our guide to what the 2026 FBA fee changes cost you covers the rest of the fee picture.

How do you stop this slipping again?

Our view is that a program with no owner has no date. Three habits fix that, and none of them is clever.

1. Give it an owner and a date: one named person checks the enrollment status before every launch inbound is created, not after.
2. Keep a launch calendar with first-receipt dates: Amazon counts the benefits from the first inventory received date, so receipt is the date to record.
3. Re-read Amazon's announcements for a program before each quarter: an introductory offer is a reminder that the terms have an end date, and the terms may change again.

If your launches also depend on a clean brand setup, our guide to Amazon Brand Registry covers the part that sits before FBA. And if a product has already stocked out, how to get your rank back after running out is the one to read.

Book a launch check before 31 October

This is a small job that is awkward to do while you are also running Q4. At AVA INC. we review the launch calendar against the confirmation date, check what each parent product actually needs, and flag the overlaps with other incentives, as part of our inventory management work. We cannot promise what Amazon will credit on any launch. What we can do is check the date and the enrollment page with you. If you would like us to look, get in touch and we can start with a free audit of your upcoming launches.

Common questions about the Amazon New Selection Program

Sources

1. New Selection Program (2026) announcement, US Seller Forums (Amazon)sellercentral.amazon.com
2. Amazon expands FBA New Selection Program benefits, EcomCrew (third party)ecomcrew.com
3. Amazon gives sellers until October 31 to lock in FBA fee credits, PPC Land (third party)ppc.land
4. Holiday 2026: same fees, same eligibility, earlier deadlines, US Seller Forums (Amazon)sellercentral.amazon.com

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