Date: Monday 20th of April 2026
Summary: Kevin King covers CBP's newly launched CAPE tariff refund system, sobering survey data showing nearly 70% of Amazon sellers are grinding or distressed, the Nashville sellers' song born out of frustration with Amazon's payout changes, a hero image tip from John Aspinall, Amazon's new review sharing rules rolling out through May 31, and a reality check on how small AI adoption really is.
Key Points Discussed:
- CBP's CAPE (Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries) system launch for processing roughly $127 billion in IEEPA tariff refunds
- How the refund process works: ACE Portal, CAPE Declarations, Phase 1 limits, and 60–90 day timelines
- Survey of 900 sellers: 23% thriving, 31% grinding, 38% distressed, 8% consolidating
- Amazon's margin squeeze: 3.5% fuel surcharge, 7-day payout clock shifting from ship to delivery, and auto-deducting ad spend from proceeds
- Million Dollar Sellers' 24-hour advertising boycott
- Ecom Mastery AI attendees recording a song in Nashville with Tyler Cain and Billboard #1 artist Meghan Linsey
- Hero image tip from John Aspinall: sell the experience, never show a closed container
- Amazon review sharing rule changes (Feb 12 – May 31) and what sellers should audit this week
- AI adoption reality: 84% of the world has never touched an AI tool, and fewer than 5 million are advanced users
Links Mentioned:
- CBP IEEPA Duty Refunds information page
- "Bye Bye Bezos" — the Nashville sellers' song video
- Live AI Amazon PPC Challenge Registration (April 27 – May 1)
- Stack Influence Platform (10% off this month)
Hot Picks:
- California says Amazon punishes sellers for lower prices elsewhere
- How a proper Amazon SEO strategy improves your PPC results
- Only a fraction of TikTok trends last beyond two weeks
- Google's new AI-powered shopping raises new competition questions
- Andy Jassy's annual letter to Amazon shareholders
Stump Bezos Answer: Google's AI Overviews are wrong 10% of the time.
Parting Shot: "Champions behave like champions before they're champions; they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners." — Bill Walsh
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