# Prime Day comes earlier this year? **URL:** \ **Category:** Selling on Amazon\ **Tags:** primeday, sales-event, q2\ **Created:** [March 16, 2026, 6:20pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037 "2026-03-16T18:20:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dogtamer](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/dogtamer/32/4766_2.png) [@Dogtamer](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/Dogtamer)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 6:20pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/1 "2026-03-16T18:20:36Z")
Media outlets are reporting the the first Prime Day event of 2026 will arrive earlier than expected: https: [//www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-12/amazon-plans-to-shift-annual-prime-day-sale-to-june-from-july](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-12/amazon-plans-to-shift-annual-prime-day-sale-to-june-from-july) ---
**Author:** ![Lost\_My\_Marbles](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/lost_my_marbles/32/2919_2.png) [@Lost\_My\_Marbles](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/Lost_My_Marbles)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/2 "2026-03-16T19:01:17Z")
Here are a couple of versions not behind a paywall … [Reuter’s version](https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/amazon-plans-move-prime-day-event-june-july-bloomberg-news-reports-2026-03-12/) [New York Post version](https://nypost.com/2026/03/16/shopping/amazon-big-spring-sale-2026-dates-early-deals/) ---
**Author:** ![ASV\_Vites](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/asv_vites/32/48_2.png) [@ASV\_Vites](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/ASV_Vites)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 7:26pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/3 "2026-03-16T19:26:11Z")
I saw this as well. Pricing barriers (time restrictions) for Prime Day could now be hit by Spring Big Sale if this occurs - so it would be nice to know if it’s true, but Amazon will never tell. Could be Amazon’s master plan to force sellers to lower prices further if they want in on the big event, because they also participated in the smaller one. ---
**Author:** ![dwat0870](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/dwat0870/32/5233_2.png) [@dwat0870](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/dwat0870)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/4 "2026-03-16T22:14:41Z")
Hopefully they do it during my birthday week so I can take off when my sales tank… ---
**Author:** ![Lost\_My\_Marbles](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/lost_my_marbles/32/2919_2.png) [@Lost\_My\_Marbles](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/Lost_My_Marbles)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 10:19pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/5 "2026-03-16T22:19:40Z")
> [@dwat0870](#): > > Hopefully they do it during my birthday week so I can ~~take off~~ **have more time to harass NSFE** when my sales tank… There … we fixed it for you … 😏 ---
**Author:** ![papy](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/papy/32/7639_2.png) [@papy](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/papy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 12:15pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/6 "2026-03-17T12:15:05Z")
Prime Days have been in June [only one other time](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-2025/5813/20), in 2021. My guess is that in 2025 July Prime Days out-performed Q4’s November’s BFCM week and/or the odd October Prime whatever-it-was–in whatever way is meaningful to Amazon but not necessarily obvious to onlookers–so they are moving Prime Days back to test if it was merely event proximity or sales oversaturation, versus an actual consumer shopping shift. Or maybe Amazon just likes June better ---
**Author:** ![Lost\_My\_Marbles](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/lost_my_marbles/32/2919_2.png) [@Lost\_My\_Marbles](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/Lost_My_Marbles)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 12:44pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/7 "2026-03-17T12:44:46Z")
Or maybe a July Prime Day and Back to School sales kind of collide so they are putting a little space between them. ---
**Author:** ![dwat0870](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/dwat0870/32/5233_2.png) [@dwat0870](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/dwat0870)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 2:56pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/8 "2026-03-17T14:56:02Z")
Amazon is probably taking a clue from grocery stores (Whole Foods?) and plan to have some special sale EVERY WEEK to get people onto the site for even more promoted products that they don’t need… Oh, and AD REVENUE from people that apparently have more than enough money to spend on ads. ---
**Author:** ![ASV\_Vites](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/asv_vites/32/48_2.png) [@ASV\_Vites](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/ASV_Vites)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 4:56pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/9 "2026-03-17T16:56:49Z")
My guess is it’s all about the stock price. They are probably anticipating a weak Q2 and want to bolster it so they can put off the inevitable 3 months… (Bad Earnings Call). That’s my guess, and since I spent 20 years in big-corporate-retail, I’m probably correct… ---
**Author:** ![ASV\_Vites](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/asv_vites/32/48_2.png) [@ASV\_Vites](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/ASV_Vites)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/10 "2026-03-18T16:52:13Z")
Interesting, and somewhat related… So Amazon is not giving 3P sellers the option to participate in the “Big Spring Sale”. In years past, and with every Amazon “Event” - Prime Exclusive Discounts would get the listing a badge. Like “Big Spring Deal” or whatever. Not this year. It’s reserved for Amazon only, with the exception of Best Deals or Lightning Deals. Weird. Instead, they are pushing sellers to move “Overstock” through outlet deals. Again, Weird… Normally the things Amazon does makes some sense to me. Not this time. I see ad after ad on TV - “60% of Amazon sales come from independent sellers”. Amazon is pretty much excluding 3P sellers from participating. Sure, you can set up PEDs for the event, but it looks like nothing special to the consumer. If you are selling on the EU marketplace, you can set up PEDs and get a badge for the spring sale. I don’t get it. Anyone get this move? ---
**Author:** ![Dogtamer](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/dogtamer/32/4766_2.png) [@Dogtamer](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/Dogtamer)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 11:07pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/11 "2026-03-18T23:07:42Z")
> [@ASV\_Vites](#): > > Amazon is pretty much excluding 3P sellers from participating. Sure, you can set up PEDs for the event, but it looks like nothing special to the consumer. Yepper, at least for US-domiciled sellers, if the presently-available evidence I’ve thus far seen on the topic is to be believed; complaints about being locked out from submitting various deal types _have_ ramped up rather sharply, in a variety of seller-discussion venues, since the 031626 News Headline [“Clear excess inventory with Big Spring Sale 2026” (link, Seller Central)](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHUVVQSzlHQktZM1dWRjVN). It’s of course possible that Amazon is still ironing out various kinks, and we of course are unlikely to know for sure for some time, but I think that a recent change made to the SHC’s ‘main’ published-policy page [“Amazon Deals” (link)](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/202111490) may well offer a “reading-between-the-lines” glimpse into exactly _which_ deep-pocketed & notoriously-spendthrift sellers Amazon intends to target this year. (n.b. - there currently exist two same-titled versions of that page, as was mentioned in [this 031726 SAS post [link]](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/training-the-nsfe-mods/3545/334), where I’ve reproduced the Message Body of a badly-bollixed Amazon-created Case ID, dispatched @ 5:42 AM EDT on St. Paddy’s Day by an SAS Core operative using [rbs-valid-list-price@amazon.com](mailto:rbs-valid-list-price@amazon.com) as a Send-From & Reply-To email address, and which would seem to obviously be part & parcel of this initiative) For the past few years, the ‘Seller eligibility’ section of that ‘main’ SHC page reflected just what it did the last time I recorded it on 120825: > [@](#): > > … > To be eligible for deals, you must be a professional seller with an overall rating of at least 4.0-stars. > … As of 031626, that sentence has been altered to this: > [@](#): > > … > To be eligible for deals, you must be a professional seller with an overall rating of at least 3.5-stars. > … I think we’ve seen this movie before. Don’t recall it winning an Oscar. ---
**Author:** ![papy](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/papy/32/7639_2.png) [@papy](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/papy)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 8:15pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/12 "2026-03-21T20:15:47Z")
> [@dwat0870](#): > > plan to have some special sale EVERY WEEK to get people onto the site Ah, the JoAnn’s method 😬 ---
**Author:** ![dwat0870](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/dwat0870/32/5233_2.png) [@dwat0870](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/dwat0870)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/13 "2026-03-23T16:54:23Z")
> [@Dogtamer](#): > > Yepper, at least for US-domiciled sellers, if the presently-available evidence I’ve thus far seen on the topic is to be believed; complaints about being locked out from submitting various deal types _have_ ramped up rather sharply, in a variety of seller-discussion venues, since the 031626 News Headline [“Clear excess inventory with Big Spring Sale 2026” (link, Seller Central)](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHUVVQSzlHQktZM1dWRjVN). Yes, but according to my NSFE banner there is STILL TIME – TODAY!! Oh, wait, I guess not… Damned calendar… ![Amazon Notices WTF](https://sellersasksellers.com/uploads/default/original/3X/6/5/65684d1cf70619c9bb4a531ea8bdd6390bdb2571.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![ASV\_Vites](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/asv_vites/32/48_2.png) [@ASV\_Vites](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/ASV_Vites)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 6:03pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/14 "2026-03-23T18:03:04Z")
SAS manager confirmed a late June Prime Day(s) earlier today on the phone. No mention of how long it will be. Assume 4 days, but you never know. ---
**Author:** ![Dogtamer](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/dogtamer/32/4766_2.png) [@Dogtamer](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/Dogtamer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2026, 3:00am UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/prime-day-comes-earlier-this-year/7037/15 "2026-03-24T03:00:45Z")
> [@dwat0870](#): > > Yes, but according to my NSFE banner there is STILL TIME – TODAY!! > > Oh, wait, I guess not… Damned calendar… > > ![Amazon Notices WTF](https://sellersasksellers.com/uploads/default/original/3X/6/5/65684d1cf70619c9bb4a531ea8bdd6390bdb2571.jpeg) I find it interesting that that banner disappeared at about the same time this last-minute 032326 News Headline appeared, and that the typical “Join this discussion in Seller Forums” link it includes led to a “Discussion not available” 404 page error: https: [//sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHNU5TVVNMQkFXNVhEQjlW](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHNU5TVVNMQkFXNVhEQjlW) > [@](#): > > #### Submit your Prime Day 2026 Deals on March 24, review updated fees and eligibility > > [Grow Your Business](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles?categories=amzn1.spce.category.0mm9zugx) > > Mar 23, 2026 > > 561 views > > Get ready to make this Prime Day your best yet. We’ve made changes to promotion eligibility requirements to ensure deals deliver the value customers expect during our biggest shopping events like Prime Day. We’ve also simplified promotion fees to better align your costs and set FBA inbound dates to ensure your products are Prime-ready for the big event. > > **Promotional Eligibility** > > To ensure deals offer substantial value to customers, and in turn drive higher engagement and more sales for you, Prime Exclusive Price Discounts and Deals must now: > > - Be priced at or below the lowest sales price, including promotional prices from previous deals, coupons, and price discounts, over the past **60 days.** > - Offer at least 5% off the lowest sales price, including promotional prices from previous deals, coupons, and price discounts, over the past **30 days**. > > We’re also giving you more time to act. The deal submission window will be open from March 24, 2026, through May 26, 2026. To schedule a deal, go to [Create a deal](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/merchandising-new/create). > > For full eligibility details, go to [Deals for events](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/external/G202183600?locale=en-US) and [Price Discounts and Events.](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/external/GYM7CTJPXEJBFBXH?locale=en-US) > > You can use the [Deals dashboard](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/merchandising) to monitor your deals and get ahead of any adjustments starting two weeks before they go live. Scheduled deals in need of updates can be found under **Needs Action**. > > **Promotion Fee Updates** > > We’re extending the performance-based fee structure introduced in 2025 for Prime Day 2026 and other peak events. This ensures your costs align with your promotional sales, regardless of which promotion type you choose. For Prime Day 2026, Best Deals, Lightning Deals, and Prime Exclusive Price Discounts fees will be: > > - **Upfront fee:** $100 per promotion, plus > - **Variable fee:** 1.5% of promotional sales (capped at $5,000) > > To encourage early deal submission, you’ll receive $50 off the upfront fee per deal if you schedule your Best Deal or Lightning Deal by April 30, 2026. > > For more information and fee examples, go to [Understand deal fees](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/G202111590) and [Price discount fee](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/external/GVZXV3WZFCBR3VL2?locale=en-US). > > **Sending in Your Inventory** > > To ensure your products are Prime-ready by Prime Day, make sure your inventory arrives at our facilities by the following dates: > > - **May 27, 2026** : Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) shipments > - **May 27, 2026** : FBA shipments with “minimal shipment splits” option selected > - **June 5, 2026** : FBA shipments with “Amazon-optimized shipment splits” option selected > > While we’ll continue to receive inventory after these dates, late arrivals may not be processed in time for Prime eligibility. > > For complete details about Prime Day, including key dates, eligibility criteria, inbound deadlines, and other best practices, visit the [2026 Prime Day Readiness Playbook](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/GM2ADTH3XH3A5N57). As a reminder, all information about Prime Day 2026 is confidential until announced publicly in the press. > > We’re looking forward to working together to make this our best Prime Day yet. > > Likes > 0 > Bookmarks > 2 > > [ > Join the discussion in Seller Forums](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/28f29c12-5a81-4818-8faa-70fc987c115b) It remains to be seen whether or not the inclusion of an ‘external’ embedded link for the SHC’s [“Price Discount Fee” (link, Seller Central, non-external & ‘simplified’)](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/VZXV3WZFCBR3VL2) - a published-policy page which has been modified greatly, in light of 2026 changes, since I last archived it 111925 - plays any role in this latest example of Amazon rolling things out in this fashion: ![IDon'tAlwaysTestMyCode-112821(AbracaxHouse)](https://sellersasksellers.com/uploads/default/original/2X/f/ffac4c0d57df143d621d6f81f98941ec0b178056.jpeg) or, maybe, even in this one: ![DosEquisManSellSoul(17fhrr)](https://sellersasksellers.com/uploads/default/original/3X/9/0/90b4fa03e00d75a5cddeb910d30274291e147083.jpeg) Still, I’m fairly certain that I might know where the smart money will fall on that wager.