Gift sets sell well in Q4, because shoppers would rather click "Add to Cart" once than hunt down three matching products. That makes product bundles one of the simplest ways for an Amazon brand to raise its average order value this holiday season.
But the rules are about to change. Amazon has announced that, effective January 11, 2027, most bundles listed as a single ASIN must be packaged by the original manufacturer or brand. Homemade bundles that don't qualify for an exception will be deactivated. The good news is that bundles built with Amazon's Virtual Bundles tool are exempt.
In this article, you'll learn the difference between hard kit and virtual bundles, what changes on January 11, who can use virtual bundles, how pricing and discounts work, how to create one step by step, and how to plan bundles for the 2026 holidays.
A great bundle starts with great products. This free checklist is used by Bubba Academy students to research products, launch faster, and avoid costly rookie mistakes.
Amazon's product bundling policy defines a bundle as two or more complementary products that give customers price or convenience value. Every bundle has a primary product, which is the highest normally priced item, plus one or more items that enhance its use. A multi-pack of identical products is not a bundle.
All items must be allowed for sale, in the same condition, branded and categorized by the primary product, and fairly priced.
A hard kit is physically packaged together as one product with its own UPC or EAN, or a GTIN exemption for the primary brand. Hard kits are returned as a single unit, the primary product's referral fee applies to every item, and components can't be changed after creation.
A virtual bundle is not packaged together and has no unique identifier. It sells from one detail page, but each component ships separately. Amazon's policy uses Dawn dish spray as the example: you can't create your own hard kit of Dawn spray and refills, but you could list the same products as a virtual bundle if you're qualified to sell each one.
In its Seller Forums announcement, Amazon says that from January 11, 2027, most bundles listed as a single ASIN must be packaged by the original manufacturer or brand. Bundles that weren't packaged by the brand are still allowed in three cases:
The same announcement loosens some old limits. You can now create bundles in Books, Music, Video, DVD, and Video Game categories, bundles with secondary generic products or service plans, and bundles with gift cards. Multi-brand bundles in Consumables are allowed with LOAs.
You can keep selling noncompliant inventory until January 11. After that, noncompliant bundles will be deactivated, appear as listing violations on your Account Health dashboard, and trigger an email. If your bundle is flagged and you have an LOA, Amazon says you can upload it through Account Health. Leftover FBA stock would need a removal order. Our guide to your Account Health Rating explains why violations matter.
Some sellers in the thread report violations already, so review your bundles now.
Gift baskets get the most flexible treatment. Amazon's policy describes them as a curated collection of items, often from different brands, physically packed in one container designed for gifting. A gift basket doesn't need a primary product or brand packaging, but it must sit in a gifting browse node and clearly state gifting intent on the detail page.
Camera bundles, meaning a camera plus compatible accessories, are exempt too, as long as they're listed in a camera product type. For any other category, you need an LOA from the brands or manufacturers of all products in the bundle.
According to Amazon's virtual product bundles help page, the tool is available to sellers with a Brand Representative or Authorized Reseller role for at least one brand in Brand Registry. If you aren't enrolled yet, start with our guide to Amazon Brand Registry.
Amazon lists 11 stores: Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the UK, and the US. It may not yet be available for every brand or fulfillment channel.
Bundles work best when you own a brand with several complementary products. Bubba Academy's step-by-step program shows Amazon sellers how to choose products, register a brand, price for profit, and grow a catalog that sells together.
You don't type in a bundle price. Amazon calculates it as the sum of the component prices, then applies the discount percentage you set, spread proportionally across the components. Some rules to know:
That last rule matters in Q4, when components often go on deal. Our guide to coupons, deals, and Prime Exclusive Discounts explains how each promotion type changes the price shoppers see. If a bundle shows a wrong price, Amazon suggests re-saving it from Manage All Inventory.
Here's an example with made-up numbers. Say you sell a $24 face serum, a $16 eye cream, and a $20 moisturizer from the same brand:
Amazon says virtual bundles have the same seller fees as the individual items, with no additional fee. Still, run the numbers with our guide to calculating your true per-unit cost, and remember that holiday peak fulfillment fees apply from October 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027, averaging $0.32 more per unit, according to Amazon's Holiday 2026 announcement.
Make sure every product already exists as an individual listing. Then open the Virtual Bundles tool in Seller Central (Amazon recommends Chrome or Firefox) and follow the steps in Amazon's bundling policy:
Virtual bundles can't be created or edited with product spreadsheets or APIs. Editing one through a feed can make it unbuyable.
The main component decides where the bundle appears in search and browse, and the bundle inherits its search keywords. You can't change it later. To switch, you'd delete the bundle and recreate it with a new SKU, or wait 24 hours to reuse the old one.
Whether it's a hard kit or virtual bundle, Amazon's policy sets four detail page rules:
After publishing, you can edit the text, discount, and images, but not the components, main component, fulfillment type, or SKU.
Amazon's help page says a "Bundles with this item" widget can show your bundle on component detail pages when the bundle is at least 1% cheaper than buying the items separately, is buyable, and holds the winning offer. It can take up to 4 hours to appear.
Virtual bundles work with coupons, A+ Content, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Products. They can run as Deals if they meet the standard criteria. Each bundle gets its own reviews, and components can be returned individually.
To pick products, Amazon's bundling tips article points to the Market Basket Analysis dashboard in Brand Analytics, which shows what customers buy together.
For each bundle you sell, check whether it's brand-packaged, exempt, covered by LOAs, or should become a virtual bundle. Sell through noncompliant stock before January 11.
Pair your best seller with 1 to 4 complementary items and a clear gifting angle.
Recheck bundle prices whenever Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals start or end.
The key takeaways:
Your next step: Audit your bundles this week, then build one virtual gift set before Black Friday.
Bubba Academy trains sellers on product research, Brand Registry, listings, FBA, ads, and promotions, so you can stay compliant as Amazon's rules change and build a brand that lasts.
Join Bubba Academy Today →A virtual bundle groups 2 to 5 complementary ASINs that customers buy together from a single detail page. The items aren't packaged together and ship individually, and Amazon calculates the price from the components minus your discount.
Most bundles listed as a single ASIN must be packaged by the original manufacturer or brand. Exceptions include gift baskets in gifting browse nodes, camera bundles, repackaged bundles with letters of authorization, and virtual bundles.
Sellers with a Brand Representative or Authorized Reseller role for a brand in Brand Registry. Each component needs active FBA inventory in New condition, and all components must share the same fulfillment type.
No. Amazon says virtual bundles have the same seller fees as the individual items, with no additional fee. You still fund the bundle discount.
The title must include the word Bundle, the description must name every item, the first bullet must state it's a bundle of X items, and the main image must show every product in the bundle and nothing else.