Amazon’s competitive landscape is shifting. Despite new sellers joining – around a million per year – the number of active sellers has dropped significantly over the past four years. Now, there are fewer than 1.9 million active sellers, down from over 2.4 million in 2021. This reduction has led to a 31% increase in average monthly traffic per seller.
Traffic on Amazon has remained steady since 2021, but monthly visits per seller have risen from 2,162 to 2,837. This means each active seller now gets a bigger share of available traffic. It’s a chance for those who adapt to the competitive digital environment.
Over the same period, Amazon’s gross sales grew 36%, from $470 billion in 2021 to $638 billion in 2024. Although Amazon doesn’t report specific income from external sellers, the proportion of units sold by third parties hit a record 62% in Q4 2024. This suggests external sellers are capturing more value on the platform.
Here’s the paradox: more sellers join each year, but fewer stay active long-term. Success requires more than just joining – it needs persistence. In fact, over 60% of the top 10,000 sellers on Amazon.com started before 2019.
Global Markets
The US still leads in total traffic and sales volume, with over 2.45 billion monthly visits. But other regions like Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Singapore have better traffic-to-seller ratios. Saudi Arabia tops the list with 8,228 visits per seller.
However, these opportunities come with challenges. Sellers face rising fees, increasing regulatory complexity, and competition from Chinese manufacturers, who make up over 50% of Amazon’s top sellers. These competitors sell directly to consumers, driving down prices.
New sellers also face obstacles that didn’t exist before, like the ban on offering free products in exchange for reviews. This strategy helped many sellers establish themselves in the past.
Despite these challenges, the data suggests that now is a good time for sellers who can adapt and differentiate themselves. Less competition, more traffic per seller, and growing sales to third parties create a favorable scenario.
Key stats:
- Average monthly traffic per seller is up 31%
- Amazon’s gross sales grew 36% from 2021 to 2024
- Over 60% of top 10,000 sellers on Amazon.com started before 2019
- Saudi Arabia has the highest traffic-to-seller ratio, with 8,228 visits per seller
The future of Amazon’s ecosystem will depend on sellers’ ability to adapt to the changing environment and make the most of the opportunities available.