Amazon and Flipkart tighten seller penalties ahead of festive sales

Amazon India will charge cancellation fees of up to 10%, plus GST, and raise select closing fees from September 7. Flipkart has introduced penalties for missed dispatch deadlines and seller cancellations, increasing fulfilment and inventory-risk pressure on marketplace merchants.

— Source publishedTue, 25 Aug, 2026, 17:01 IST·First seen Tue, 25 Aug, 2026, 18:04 IST·Source Medianama

What happened

Amazon India and Flipkart introduced seller penalties for cancellations and missed dispatch deadlines before festive sales. Amazon also raises closing fees from

Key facts

  • Amazon cancellation fee: 10% below Rs 10,000; 8% for Rs 10,001-Rs 50,000; 5% for Rs 50,001-Rs 1 lakh; 2% above Rs 1 lakh
  • 18% GST applies to Amazon cancellation fees
  • Amazon closing fees increase Rs 1 for items up to Rs 500 and Rs 3 above Rs 500 from September 7
  • Flipkart penalties: Rs 30 for dispatch deadline miss, Rs 60 for post-order cancellation, Rs 90 for both
  • Amazon policy effective August 17; Flipkart policy effective August 23
  • Seller-initiated cancellations are less than 1% of Amazon.in orders

Why this matters

Commerce enablers offering inventory synchronization, order management, fulfilment and seller financing could see stronger demand as merchants seek to reduce cancellation and dispatch-related exposure.