On Tuesday, Amazon.com told sellers and vendors that it would accept only shipments of “household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products” to its warehouse until April 5 to deal with the high demand of those products amid the coronavirus crisis.
This means Amazon will accept only shipments in six categories: baby product; health and household (including personal-care appliances); beauty and personal care; grocery; industrial and scientific; pet supplies.
This new rule affects large vendors and third-party sellers who list items to sell on Amazon.com directly. Customers can still order items that have already been shipped to the warehouses before Tuesday. The new rules were outlined in an email to vendors and third-party sellers.
“We are seeing increased online shopping, and as a result, some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock,” the email obtained by Business Insider said. “With this in mind, we are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and deliver these products to customers.”
Amazon also announced on Monday the company was hiring an additional 100,000 employees in its warehouse and delivery networks. The company is also raising their pay by $2 per hour through April, as the coronavirus causes an “unprecedented” increase in demand for this time of year.
