Field notes
Insights
Operator notes on AI transformation, Amazon vendor economics, and eCommerce monetization, written from P&L experience, not press releases.
AI Transformation
017 min
Human in the Loop AI: Verify, Not Approve
Most human-in-the-loop AI advice describes approval. The gate that holds is verification: compare the output to a reference, cheaply, every single time.
026 min
Agentic Workflows: When Not to Use Them
When agentic workflows pay off, when a script or a single prompt is the better tool, and the five-question test operators run before building an agent.
033 min
Why AI Pilots Fail at Mid-Market Companies
Most mid-market AI pilots die in the gap between demo and daily work. A post-mortem pattern from the field, and the checklist that prevents it.
Amazon Vendor Economics
015 min
Amazon Compliance Chargeback Codes, Mapped
Every Amazon vendor compliance chargeback category mapped to its trigger and fee, the 2025-2026 restructures, and the evidence that reverses each code.
025 min
Amazon Co-op Deductions (Contra-COGS) Guide
What Amazon co-op (contra-COGS) deductions are, how the accrual mechanics work, the defects that overbill vendors, and how recovery actually happens.
036 min
Vendor Central vs Seller Central (1P vs 3P)
The real differences between Amazon 1P and 3P: margins, payment terms, control, and how to decide which model (or hybrid) fits your brand in 2026.
044 min
How to Sell to Amazon Directly (1P)
What selling directly to Amazon means, how Vendor Central invitations really happen, who qualifies in 2026, and whether you should accept one.
054 min
Is That Amazon Chargeback Alert Real?
How to tell a real Amazon chargeback notification from a phishing scam, where legitimate 1P chargebacks actually appear, and what to do about each.
066 min
What an Amazon Vendor Manager Actually Does
The Vendor Manager role from the inside: what VMs control, what they're judged on, and how 1P brands should work with them at AVN and beyond.
076 min
Amazon Shortage Claim Disputes: 2026 Guide
Amazon short-paying invoices? The 2026 shortage claim dispute process: the 35-day matching block, signed BOL evidence, the 2-year window, and settlements.
086 min
Amazon Deductions Explained (Vendor Central)
What Amazon vendor deductions are, the five types, what they cost 1P brands, and which are recoverable, with dispute windows and evidence that wins.
096 min
SupplyPike vs Carbon6 vs ChargeGuard (1P)
SupplyPike, Carbon6, and ChargeGuard all sit under SPS Commerce now. What that means for Amazon 1P vendors comparing deduction-recovery options.
The fastest way to get our thinking on your specific P&L is a working session, or start with the Margin Recovery Audit if you run a Vendor Central P&L. Unfamiliar terms are defined in the glossary.