Amazon has said it will only take vital supplies at UK warehouses until 5 April to free up space for medical and household goods in high demand
as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
It will keep selling other items for now, but products are more likely to run out of stock in the next few weeks. Other sellers ship directly to consumers.
In a note sent to sellers on Tuesday, Amazon said it is seeing increasing online shopping demand.
As its household staples and medical supplies are running out of stock, it will prioritise certain categories in order to "quickly receive, restock, and ship these products to customers".
Essential products include baby products, health and household items, beauty and personal care, grocery, industrial and scientific, pet supplies and books.
An Amazon spokesman told Mirror Money: "We are seeing increased online shopping and as a result some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock.
"With this in mind, we are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so we can more quickly receive, restock, and deliver these products to customers.
"We understand this is a change for our selling partners and appreciate their understanding as we temporarily prioritize these products for customers.”
The company said the new protocol applies to its retail inventory as well as to the products of third-party sellers on its platform.
Amazon's two-day shipping guarantee has in some cases slowed to up to seven-day delivery, Baird Equity Research analyst Colin Sebastian said in a note.
This move aims to speed up the operation, at the risk of limiting the availability of non-essential items like electronics that typically are a big part of Amazon's business.
