In a major shift, India now faces higher U.S. tariffs than China. Indian exports to the U.S. carry a 50% total tariff rate, compared to 47% on Chinese goods. This reverses years of strategic partnership between Washington and New Delhi.
The change came in August when the U.S. slapped 50% tariffs on India, including a 25% secondary duty for buying Russian oil. India called it "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable." Trump called U.S.-India trade ties "a totally one-sided disaster."
Indian President Modi and US President Trump met recently. Relations are not at a high point, and tariffs suffer as a result.
Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images
Meanwhile, U.S.-China relations are warming. After Trump and Xi Jinping met in South Korea last week, the U.S. cut fentanyl-related tariffs on China from 20% to 10%, dropping China's overall rate to around 47%. Trump posted on Truth Social that his meeting with Xi was "a great one for both of our countries" and would lead to "everlasting peace and success."
What changed? Trump's taking a "transactional" approach to foreign policy instead of the strategic partnership model used by previous administrations. Raymond Vickery Jr. from the Center for Strategic and International Studies says Trump "evidently does not value India as a partner in balancing China as much as previous presidents."
Experts warn the strategic relationship between India and the U.S. built over 2 decades has "substantially eroded," and trust between the two countries "could take years to rebuild."
Takeaway for sellers: If you've been diversifying away from China and into India as part of a "China+1" strategy, these tariff changes just made that math harder. India's now more expensive than China for U.S. imports. This doesn't mean abandon India entirely—the 10-year defense partnership signed last Friday shows the relationship isn't dead—but your sourcing decisions need to factor in this new reality. China's tariffs are coming down while India's went up. Run the numbers on your current and planned products. The tariff landscape you planned around 6 months ago no longer exists.
Amazon reported Q3 2025 earnings on October 30, showing solid growth across the board. North America sales climbed 11% year-over-year to $106.3 billion, while International sales jumped 14% to $40.9 billion (10% excluding foreign exchange rates). Total net sales hit $180.2 billion, up 13% from last year.
But the numbers that matter more to you are the new seller tools and opportunities Amazon rolled out this quarter:
Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) just expanded to Walmart, Shopify, and SHEIN. You can now use Amazon's fulfillment network to ship orders from these platforms. This means you can sell on multiple channels while keeping your inventory in one place—Amazon's FBA warehouses.
1.3 million sellers are now using Amazon's GenAI tools to create product listings. These tools help you write better titles, bullet points, and descriptions faster. If you're still manually writing every listing, you're working harder than you need to.
Rufus is driving conversions. Amazon's AI shopping assistant hit 250 million users this year. The data shows shoppers using Rufus are 60% more likely to complete a purchase. Translation: Amazon's making it easier for customers to find and buy products, which should help your conversion rates if your listings are optimized.
Amazon expanded Same-Day and Next-Day Delivery to more rural areas—up 60% in the past 4 months. This opens up previously underserved markets where fast shipping wasn't available before. More coverage means more potential customers for your products.
Takeaway: Amazon's growth isn't slowing down, and they're investing heavily in tools that make it easier to sell and fulfill across multiple channels. The MCF expansion is the big one—if you're selling on Walmart or Shopify, you can now leverage Amazon's logistics without keeping separate inventory. And if you haven't tested the GenAI listing tools yet, now's the time. 1.3 million sellers can't all be wrong.
Source: Chris McCabe, LinkedIn Post (Oct 2025)
Amazon’s new Seller Challenge feature lets sellers under Account Health Assurance dispute enforcement actions or appeal denied cases — but experts are skeptical.
Key Points
Sellers can file up to 3 challenges per 180 days.
Amazon promises faster reviews, but no proof of better transparency yet.
Core issue: Sellers still aren’t told why their appeals were denied.
Past programs (like “escalated support”) suffered from contradictory guidance and slow feedback.
McCabe advises sellers to use challenges strategically for high-value listings.
💡 Why It Matters
If Amazon delivers genuine explanations behind rejections, this could be a breakthrough. But for now, it’s a new label on an old problem.
The tariff landscape just flipped. Your sourcing strategy from 6 months ago doesn't work anymore.
At the 7 Figure Seller Summit next week, we're bringing together real 7 and 8-figure sellers who've navigated policy changes, margin compression, and supply chain chaos—and came out profitable. This isn't theory. These are operators who'll show you exactly what's working right now to protect and grow your bottom line.
We've been voted favorite Amazon conference 2 years running because we cut the fluff and deliver actionable strategies you can implement the week you get home. If you're serious about staying profitable while tariffs, AI, and Amazon's playbook keep shifting, this is where you need to be. Grab your free pass now
Gary