B2 News Business Culture & Trends · May 25, 2026

You’ve been trying to get around Amazon – but it’s not that easy

Amazon now secretly delivers for thousands of small brands, making ethical shopping nearly impossible.

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Switch if this feels too hard or too easy.

You felt good about it. Instead of clicking straight to Amazon, you found a small ceramics maker on Etsy, ordered from a Shopify kitchenware store, and chose the indie soda brand that went viral on TikTok. The packaging arrived in plain brown cardboard, with no logo in sight. But here's the uncomfortable truth: Amazon probably shipped it anyway.

Amazon's logistics network — its warehouses, trucks, and delivery infrastructure — has quietly been handling fulfillment for over 200,000 independent retailers for years. Brands like Dragon Glassware and Poppi used Amazon's Multi-Channel Fulfillment service to ship orders placed on their own websites, with the packaging deliberately left unmarked. On May 4, 2026, Amazon formalized and expanded this invisible empire, launching Amazon Supply Chain Services and opening its network to businesses of every size, from small founders to Procter & Gamble.

You may think you've made a conscious choice, but you've just walked through a different door into the same store. Every time Amazon ships an outside order, it collects fulfillment fees — roughly $15 per package — plus storage fees, plus real-time data on what competitors are selling and to whom. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has called it a "major growth opportunity," the same language he once used for AWS, which now powers a huge portion of the internet.

Small brands aren't naive — they're doing the math. A small kitchenware founder shipping out of her own garage can only get a wine glass to a customer in three to five days, whereas Amazon can deliver in two. After 15 years of Prime, two-day delivery isn't a perk anymore — it's the baseline. For independent brands trying to stay competitive, opting into Amazon's network isn't selling out. It's survival.

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📚 Key vocabulary

fulfillment (noun)
the process of storing, packing, and shipping products to customers after an order is placed
"The startup outsourced its fulfillment to a third-party logistics provider to handle rapid growth."
infrastructure (noun)
the basic systems and structures that a business or service needs to operate, such as warehouses, networks, or transport
"The company invested heavily in digital infrastructure to support its global e-commerce operations."
opt into (phrase)
to choose to participate in a system or service, often one that has trade-offs
"Several regional retailers are opting into the national distribution platform to reduce delivery times."
competitive (adj)
able to succeed against rivals, often by offering similar quality, price, or speed
"To stay competitive in the e-commerce market, the brand reduced its standard delivery time to 24 hours."
formalize (verb)
to make something official or structured after it has existed informally for some time
"The two companies formalized their partnership with a signed agreement after two years of informal collaboration."

✨ Useful phrases for this topic

"shop small"
Use this phrase when talking about the consumer habit of deliberately choosing small or independent businesses over large corporations.
"The campaign encouraged customers to shop small during the holiday season by highlighting local artisan brands."
"the baseline"
Use this phrase to describe a standard or minimum level of expectation that people now take for granted in a market or industry.
"In the software industry, 24/7 customer support has become the baseline — anything less and clients look elsewhere."
"invisible empire"
Use this phrase to describe a business system or structure that is extremely powerful but largely hidden from the people who use it.
"Cloud computing has allowed a handful of tech firms to build an invisible empire beneath almost every digital service we use."

Advanced sentence structures

Patterns from this article you can use in meetings, emails, and everyday English

Structure 1

In context

You may think you've made a conscious choice, but you've just walked through a different door into the same store.

The skeleton

Frame: You may think [belief], but you've just [verb phrase that reframes the situation].

What it does: Sets up a false assumption and then corrects it with a surprising reframe.

Quick swap: "You may think you're saving money, but you've just traded one problem for another."

More examples

  • "You may think switching to a plant-based diet is simple, but you've just entered one of the most complex areas of nutrition."
  • "You may think working from home means fewer distractions, but you've just moved the office into your living room."
  • "You may think hiring more staff will solve the problem, but you've just added a layer of complexity to an already fragile system."

Easy exercise

Arrange the words and add the missing structural elements to build a correct sentence.

  1. a different platform · you've just · you may think · but · entered the same system · using
  2. you may think · but · retiring early · you've just · gives you freedom · taken on a new kind of pressure
Show answers
  • "You may think using a different platform, but you've just entered the same system."
  • "You may think retiring early gives you freedom, but you've just taken on a new kind of pressure."

Open exercise

Write your own sentence using this structure. You can write about anything — here are some ideas if you need them:

  • Shopping habits — buying 'ethical' brands or switching apps
  • Workplace decisions — changing jobs or moving to a new team
  • Everyday life — trying a new diet, routine, or technology

One possible answer: "You may think deleting social media will help you focus, but you've just shifted your distraction to a different screen."

Structure 2

In context

A small kitchenware founder shipping out of her own garage can only get a wine glass to a customer in three to five days.

The skeleton

Frame: [Subject] can only [verb] [object/result] in [time/quantity], whereas [contrasting subject] can [same verb] [better result] in [shorter time/smaller quantity].

What it does: Contrasts two parties on the same measure to show a gap in capability or resources.

Quick swap: "A local courier can only deliver parcels across the city in four hours, whereas a national logistics company can cover the same distance in under ninety minutes."

More examples

  • "A newly qualified teacher can only manage a class of fifteen students comfortably at first, whereas an experienced colleague can handle thirty with ease."
  • "A small independent cinema can only screen two films at a time, whereas a multiplex chain can run twelve simultaneously."
  • "A freelance designer working alone can only complete two full projects per month, whereas a studio with a team can deliver ten in the same period."

Easy exercise

Arrange the words and add the missing structural elements to build a correct sentence.

  1. two days · a small brand · can only · ship an order · in five days · whereas Amazon · can manage
  2. a start-up · can only · whereas · reach · a hundred customers a week · a major retailer · tens of thousands
Show answers
  • "A small brand can only ship an order in five days, whereas Amazon can manage two days."
  • "A start-up can only reach a hundred customers a week, whereas a major retailer can reach tens of thousands."

Open exercise

Write your own sentence using this structure. You can write about anything — here are some ideas if you need them:

  • Delivery, technology, or logistics — comparing large and small providers
  • The workplace — comparing what a junior and senior employee can handle
  • Everyday life — comparing two tools, services, or methods you use

One possible answer: "A small local gym can only offer six fitness classes per week, whereas a large chain can run thirty across multiple locations."

💬 Discussion questions

1

When you shop online, how much do you think about where your money actually goes — and has this story changed how you feel about that?

2

Is it fair to blame consumers for accidentally supporting Amazon, or is the responsibility on brands to be more transparent about who ships their products?

3

In your industry, are there situations where companies rely on a dominant player's infrastructure even while trying to compete with them — and what problems does that create?

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