Returns are not just a cost of doing business on Amazon, they are a system you can design to recover revenue and protect your brand. We talk with JD Sass, CEO of Axiom Return Solutions, about what really happens after a customer sends a product back and why reverse logistics is becoming a serious advantage for sellers who want higher profitability.

We get into the Amazon-specific changes that are reshaping returns management: removal versus disposal costs, the tradeoffs of Amazon’s grade and resell program, and how returnless refunds can sometimes be the smartest move. JD also explains why brand control matters, including chain of custody, where inventory ends up, and how “good enough” grading can still lead to missing pieces, unhappy customers, and reviews that tank a listing.

Then we go practical. We break down how reimbursement claims work in Seller Central, why the timeline is tighter than it used to be, and what documentation actually drives successful claims. JD shares simple, high-impact fixes like adding photos of every component to your listing, using replaceable inserts, and placing tamper-proof seals on every opening to reduce fraud and prevent used items from re-entering sellable stock. If you sell on FBA, Shopify, or other ecommerce channels, this is a blueprint for turning return data into better packaging, better listings, and better margins.

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Amazon is telling sellers something with its actions, not its press releases: external traffic that converts matters more than ever. We bring on Greg Potts, Senior Director of Partnerships at Levanta, to dig into how affiliate marketing and creator-led content can send high-intent shoppers to your listings and trigger the kind of conversion signals that support organic ranking, visibility, and Best Seller Rank.

We talk about the affiliate “halo effect” and why the real win is often bigger than a single tracked sale. A shopper clicks a creator link, lands on one ASIN, then browses your storefront, discovers your other products, and buys more. That blend of performance-based marketing and brand awareness is why Amazon affiliate marketing is becoming a serious lever for modern Amazon brands. Greg also breaks down what actually converts today: authentic partners, not endless one-off posts. Think micro-influencers, publisher listicles, newsletters, and other affiliate types that audiences genuinely trust.

If you are planning for Prime Day, we get specific about timing and execution. Affiliate programs are not a last-minute switch, so we cover realistic lead times, how affiliates frame urgency around Prime Day deals, and why paying for conversions can complement PPC when ad costs climb. We also walk through the KPIs that matter most, including the click-to-cart funnel that exposes where your listing or messaging is leaking sales.

If you found this useful, subscribe for more Amazon growth playbooks, share the episode with a seller friend, and leave a review so more brands can find it. What part of your marketing mix needs the biggest rethink right now?

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Seller Central can make you feel like the answer is always three exports away. I sit down with Tempest from Seller Labs to talk about a smarter path: using AI integrations and large language models to turn messy Amazon seller data into clear, usable decisions without living in spreadsheets.

We get into why old-school dashboards start to break down when you need real-time visibility across thousands of SKUs, shifting fees, and fast-moving performance signals. Tempest explains how Seller Labs is working on an MCP that connects directly to Seller Labs and Amazon data, then plugs into Claude so you can ask plain-English questions like “What changed?” and “Where is profit leaking?” and get a direct, data-backed answer. One story hit hard: a seller used a few prompts to uncover a better shipping solution and reportedly saved around $200,000 per year while staying competitive on price.

We also talk Amazon PPC strategy and how ACOS and TACoS can quietly drift while you’re busy running the business. Instead of manual checks, MCP-style automation can monitor campaigns and send alerts when ad performance starts dragging total profitability down. Then we widen the lens to customer experience: reviews, feedback loops, and the hidden margin damage from returns and return fees that can make a “winning” product look far better than it really is.

If you’re searching for Amazon AI tools, profitability analytics, advertising optimization, and a realistic view of where humans still add value, this conversation will give you practical angles to test immediately. Subscribe for more, share this with a seller friend, and leave a review so more brands can find it. What would you want AI to monitor in your account first?

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