Do you replace my current Operations Manager?

Not necessarily. If you already have a dedicated Ops leader, we plug in as your execution and systems team, so they can focus on higher-level decisions. If you're running leaner, we become your dedicated Ops team, covering day-to-day execution and systems beginning to end.

Who is SteadyState Commerce a good fit for?

We work best with private-label brands selling on Amazon and other channels (Walmart, Shopify, TikTok Shop, and more) that want better control over inventory and ordering. Results are strongest when your team is open to tightening up the day-to-day workflow so we can build a smooth, repeatable system that keeps you in stock.

Do you handle 3PL negotiations?

Yes. We manage communication with your 3PL, monitor service quality, and can help negotiate pricing based on overall volume. We ensure performance stays consistent.

How fast can we get up and running?

Getting started usually takes about 30 days. In the first two weeks, we get access to your Amazon account, build a clean SKU list, confirm inventory across Amazon and your warehouses/3PLs, and connect with your suppliers to verify what's in stock, in production, or ready to ship. Then we build dashboards from real sales data to show exactly when to reorder and ship, review everything with you to confirm it matches reality, and turn it into a replenishment plan. From there, we launch the dashboards and set a weekly operating rhythm.

Do you calculate my true cost of goods?

Yes. We build your full landed cost per SKU, supplier price, freight, duties, and HTS codes, broken down per unit and per container, so you know your real number and can hold suppliers to it.

Do you manage my IPI score?

Yes. After inventory lands, we watch the inputs behind your IPI, excess and stranded inventory, sell-through, and in-stock rate, and act on them so your score and your Amazon storage limits stay healthy.

Amazon Ad Billing Change Hits Reorder Cash Flow

By SteadyState Commerce. Published 2026-08-15.

Amazon flipped a switch on August 1 for a chunk of its advertisers. If you were one of the sellers contacted directly, your Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display spend now comes straight out of your seller account balance before Amazon pays you, instead of hitting a credit card. Amazon calls it "proceeds deduction." We'd call it a hit to the cash you were counting on for your next PO.

This isn't totally new territory, it's close to how a lot of ad platforms already work. What's new is the scale and the timing. Amazon first told this group of advertisers back on April 6 that the change would start April 15. Sellers pushed back hard, including a one-day ad boycott, and Amazon delayed it to August 1 "to give this group of advertisers more time to prepare" (Source: Amazon Ads, https://advertising.amazon.com/library/news/update-on-advertiser-payments). Four months of runway, and it still landed as a surprise for a lot of accounts.

Here's the mechanic that actually matters for inventory planning. Under the old credit-card model, ad spend and product sales settled on separate tracks. You got your disbursement, you paid your ad card on its own cycle (often earning 2-3% back in card rewards), and you had a buffer of days between spend and settlement. Under proceeds deduction, ad costs net against your balance before the payout hits your bank account. Forum moderator Eugene Khayman told CNBC that a lot of small merchants lean on that card float, and the rewards, to keep working capital moving (Source: EcommerceBytes, https://www.ecommercebytes.com/2026/04/16/amazon-delays-change-that-would-contribute-to-seller-cashflow-crunch/). Take that float away and your disbursement number moves around more from week to week, which makes it harder to plan a reorder against a known cash position.

Two things worth being precise about here. First, this only applies to "the small group of advertisers who have been contacted directly," not the whole marketplace (Source: Amazon Ads, https://advertising.amazon.com/library/news/update-on-advertiser-payments). If you haven't gotten a notice in Seller Central or Ads Console, you're probably not on it yet. Second, you do have an out: Pay by Invoice. Amazon sends an invoice at the end of each month, payment due 30 days later, which is a better cash position than either the old card model or the new default. The catch is you have to go pick it yourself in Ads Console under Billing, Payment Method. Do nothing and Amazon defaults you into balance deduction automatically.

We'd treat this as a preview, not an isolated event. Amazon piloted it on a small group, took the heat, pushed the date once, and rolled it out anyway. That's usually how these changes expand over time. If your account wasn't in the first wave, it's worth planning like you eventually will be, especially if your PPC spend runs heavy relative to your typical payout.

What we're telling clients to do now

Check Ads Console, Billing, Payment Method today, even if you weren't notified of the change. Know which setting you're actually on before Amazon decides for you.
If you're in the affected group and staying on balance deduction, rebuild your 13-week cash flow model with ad spend as a same-cycle deduction, not a 30-day-out card payment. That changes how much cash is really sitting there for your next inbound shipment or PO deposit the week you need to place it.
If you fund reorders against expected Amazon payouts, and most FBA sellers do to some degree, stress-test what happens when a disbursement comes in lower than forecast because ad spend ate into it first. Build in a buffer instead of hoping the number lands where you expect.
Talk to whoever runs your ads about pacing spend around your reorder calendar. A big PO deposit and a heavy ad week landing in the same cycle is exactly when a lower-than-expected payout hurts the most.

The takeaway here isn't that this is a crisis, it's a plumbing change, and plumbing changes matter because they touch the exact number a lot of sellers use to fund the next round of inventory. If you're placing POs, booking freight, or timing an inbound shipment against next month's Amazon payout, go check whether ad spend is now part of that math before you commit cash you don't actually have yet. We help clients build reorder and freight timing models that account for payout volatility like this, worth a look if your cash planning is still running on last year's assumptions.