Amazon Launches 'Mentor' Program for Sellers
Amazon has introduced a forum "mentor" program for its third-party sellers, a model inspired by a similar program on eBay. The move reflects a broader e-commerce trend toward peer-to-peer learning and building community among sellers on large marketplaces.
- The "Amazon Seller Expert Pilot Program" is an invite-only initiative that ran a pilot phase from March 2 to March 31, 2026, for a select group of sellers in the US, UK, Japan, and India. - Participants in the pilot program could earn a $100 gift card for contributing over 20 quality posts in the seller forums or a $250 gift card for more than 40 posts and one piece of seller-created content. - The model is similar to eBay's "Community Mentor Program," where experienced, volunteer sellers are given perks like direct access to eBay staff and an exclusive community profile badge for actively helping other users on the community forums. - This is not Amazon's first seller mentorship initiative; in December 2020, Amazon launched "Amazon Saathi" in India, a peer-to-peer program for sellers to share best practices without financial incentives. - In April 2021, Amazon India also launched the "Mentor Connect" program, which provides startups and emerging brands in the Amazon Launchpad program with access to guidance from venture capitalists and industry veterans. - The introduction of a mentor program comes against a backdrop of criticism from some third-party sellers regarding high fees and what they perceive as unfair competition from Amazon's own products. - Some sellers have turned to independent forums and paid mentorship programs due to the complexities of navigating Amazon's platform and the desire for more direct support. - Amazon has also introduced other seller support initiatives, such as the Black Business Accelerator (BBA) Connect program in 2021, which offers a 12-month mentorship and networking program for Black-owned businesses.
