Q4 is an Amazon seller’s Super Bowl. Sales pick up, certain listings go wild, and the right products can make up a huge chunk of your yearly revenue. But Q4 can also get expensive fast if inventory gets stuck, cash gets tied up in bad buys, or you wait too long to figure out FBM.

The good news? You don’t have to guess when to make your moves. Here are the key dates and what you should be doing during each one.

September: Get Your Account Ready

September is the time to build your foundation before the holiday rush.

If you’re starting from zero, one major goal is reaching 200 units sold. Once you reach that milestone, your account starts building trust with Amazon, opening additional opportunities as it gains sales history.

This is also the perfect time to work on ungating. Boxem’s Bulk Ungate tool lets you quickly check which ASINs you’re already approved to sell before you spend time sourcing them. If you’re not sure where to start, the Suggested ASINs List scans hundreds of ASINs at once to help you find products you can source and sell without wasting time on gated listings.

Auto-ungated products are an easy place to start, but consider getting approved to sell one or two large brands with plenty of products. One major brand approval can open the door to a lot of potential inventory.

September is also a good time to get comfortable with FBA-optimized shipments. When you send five or more identical boxes together, Amazon can spread them across fulfillment centers, helping you avoid placement fees and reduce check-in lag.

October: Prime Day Sourcing Opportunities

October 6–7 brings Prime Day, and retailers will fight for the same shoppers. That creates a wave of deals beyond Amazon itself, making this one of the year’s best sourcing windows.

Don’t get obsessed with one category. Q4 demand is broad, so focus on profitable opportunities instead of forcing yourself into a particular niche.

If you’re newer to Amazon, quick flips are usually safer than buying a pile of inventory and hoping prices rise in December.

October is also when fall and Thanksgiving-related products start getting more attention. Halloween creates another sourcing opportunity, although the deals may not be as strong as Prime Day.

Early November: Get Ahead on Black Friday & FBM

Early November is one of the year’s most underrated sourcing periods. Early Black Friday promotions often begin between November 3 and November 15, giving you a chance to find inventory before the biggest holiday rush.

When you’re sourcing, look beyond the advertised sale price and stack discounts wherever possible:

• Retailer rewards
• Tax exemption
• Discounted gift cards
• Coupon codes

A product that looks mediocre at first glance can become a great buy once you stack several discounts.

If you’ve never fulfilled an FBM order, now’s the time to practice. Get comfortable with packing orders, shipping on time, and handling the process before December. You don’t want to be learning FBM while Christmas orders are piling up.

Mid-November: Shift Your Focus to FBM

By mid-November, it’s time to wrap up your FBA shipments and shift your focus toward FBM. Amazon fulfillment centers are handling a huge surge of holiday inventory, so check-in times can become less predictable and delay when your inventory becomes available for sale.

Around November 15–25, start testing FBM on listings where other sellers are already fulfilling orders successfully. Every listing becomes FBM-friendly at a different time, so there’s no single date when you should switch everything over.

This is also the time to protect your cash. If you’re newer to Amazon, don’t feel like you need to buy every deal you find. Stick with products that are profitable today rather than tying up cash in inventory that might become profitable later.

Late November: Black Friday & Cyber Monday

The holiday rush really starts building during the five-day window before Black Friday. Deals can begin as early as the Sunday before, giving you time to buy inventory, list it, and complete an FBM sales cycle before the biggest shopping days.

You also don’t need to lower your prices automatically for Black Friday.

Customers are shopping more, which can push demand up even if your price stays the same. In some cases, you can actually raise your price while maintaining Buy Box share.

Early to Mid-December: The Money Window

December 5–20 is peak season.

Your goal now is to fulfill as many orders as possible and keep proven winners in stock.

This is where FBM can really shine. Same-day pickup orders from retail stores and fast shipping can help you keep selling products that are difficult to replenish through FBA.

December 10–20 is especially important. Last-minute Christmas shoppers will pay more for products they need quickly, so test higher prices and consider raising your expedited shipping rates.

Random products can suddenly take off. Toys, video games, electronics, clothing, seasonal candy, and plenty of unexpected listings can see huge sales jumps.

Don’t let that shift your focus completely away from your existing leads and past winners. Boxem’s Restock feature makes it easy to track products you already sell and spot opportunities to restock winners before they sell out.

Late December: Let the Market Tell You When Q4 is Over

After Christmas, demand starts to slow, but it doesn’t disappear overnight.

Gift card season can keep Amazon sales moving, and every listing has its own timeline. Some products may stop selling well around December 15, while others can stay strong into January.

Watch the listings rather than following an arbitrary calendar.

When an item stops being a good FBM opportunity, that may be the time to send it back into FBA using Boxem so you can get it moving again.

Keep Your Q4 Strategy Simple

The best Q4 strategy isn’t about finding magical products. It’s about making good products better with smart sourcing, discounts, and rewards.

Get ready in September, hunt deals through November, shift toward FBM, and make the most of the December rush. Then let the market tell you when it’s time to slow down.

Ready to learn more? Check out the free YouTube walkthrough for a deeper look at these Q4 strategies: