With the approved TikTok transfer deal clearing the path for a U.S.-based ownership structure, Amazon sellers are assessing how TikTok Shop’s growth could reshape external traffic, live selling, and product discovery strategies.
For years, Amazon sellers have operated with a single focus: master the Amazon ecosystem. Now, the approved TikTok transfer deal has cemented a powerful new competitor’s place in the U.S. market.
This competitor is not just a trend; it’s a financial juggernaut. A PartnerCentric survey found U.S. shoppers under 60 already spend an average of $708 on TikTok Shop annually, with an average purchase of $59.
This data confirms that TikTok Shop is siphoning significant e-commerce dollars. Amazon-only sellers must now confront the reality that their primary sales channel is no longer the only one that matters.
China Approves TikTok Deal, Ending Market Uncertainty
Rachel Wolff"The conditions could still change, but as it stands, ByteDance’s continued involvement and financial interest in TikTok’s US business raises questions about whether the deal complies with the 2024 sale-or-ban law."
With the transfer deal now approved, the path to finalizing TikTok’s U.S. operations is much clearer and is easing long-running security tensions between Washington and Beijing.
David Shepardson write in his Reuters report that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that the agreement is now moving forward following approval from China’s Commerce Ministry. This development ends 18 months of significant uncertainty for the platform and its 170 million American users.
Mr. Bessent stated the agreement was finalized in Kuala Lumpur after President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He now expects the deal to move forward in the “coming weeks and months.”
China’s Commerce Ministry confirmed it will work with the U.S. to “properly address” the issues. The app’s parent company, ByteDance, did not offer an immediate comment on the news.
The approved TikTok transfer deal provides a resolution to a 2024 law that required TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell the app’s U.S. assets by January 2025. President Trump signed an executive order on September 25, 2025, declaring the new plan meets national security requirements.
That order delayed the enforcement of the 2024 law until January 20, 2026. It also provided 120 days for the consortium of U.S. and global investors to complete the transaction.
The new agreement fundamentally changes the app’s U.S. operations and oversight. Key details of the new U.S. venture include:
- Ownership – ByteDance will hold less than 20% of the new TikTok U.S. entity.
- Board Control – The new company’s board will have seven members, with six being Americans. ByteDance will appoint the single remaining member.
- Algorithm Control – The algorithm will be retrained and monitored by U.S. security partners. Its operation will be under the full control of the new joint venture.
Despite the agreement, some officials have voiced lingering doubts. U.S. Representative John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on China, stated that a licensing agreement for the algorithm raises “serious concerns.”
Veterans Warned Amazon-Only Sellers Are "Disadvantaged"
The approved TikTok transfer deal has reignited attention on the platform’s growing e-commerce potential, with many top Amazon sellers shifting their focus toward TikTok Shop’s fast-growing marketplace.
According to a Business Insider article by Kathleen Elkins, sellers agree that TikTok’s integrated shopping model has become one of the most powerful channels for online sales in 2025.
Veteran sellers who once dominated eBay and Amazon are finding the traditional playbook less effective as algorithm changes and rising competition squeeze profits. Many now view TikTok Shop as the next major opportunity for growth, citing its viral shopping culture and creator-driven affiliate ecosystem.
TikTok Shop, which launched in the U.S. in 2023, has quickly evolved into an “everyone-can-sell” environment that allows users to buy and sell products directly within the app. Sellers describe it as both explosive and unpredictable—offering massive sales potential but with less reliability than Amazon’s established infrastructure.
Key takeaways from top sellers:
- Shift in platforms – Amazon veterans are diversifying into TikTok Shop for faster exposure.
- Hybrid strategies work best – Combining Amazon’s stability with TikTok’s viral momentum helps sellers balance risk and reach.
- Product fit matters – High-price items tend to underperform, while affordable, visually engaging products thrive on TikTok.
- Live selling surge – TikTok LIVE is emerging as the modern version of QVC, where creators drive significant real-time sales.
The approved TikTok transfer deal could strengthen this trend further by solidifying TikTok’s U.S. operations and giving sellers more confidence to invest in its marketplace. As live selling and creator-led commerce expand, Amazon sellers may need to adapt quickly or risk losing visibility to competitors thriving on TikTok Shop’s fast-moving platform.
TikTok Becomes a Real-Time Product Research Engine for Amazon Sellers
Beyond direct integration, one of TikTok’s most powerful uses for an Amazon seller is as a 24/7 product research and trend-validation tool. This strategy represents the foundational “Crawl” phase of a mature TikTok plan.
A strong, organic consumer behavior pattern has formed what is called the “TikTok + Amazon Growth Loop.” Shoppers discover a product in a viral video, then immediately switch to the Amazon app to find and buy it, trusting Amazon’s fulfillment and review system.
This trend is proven by massive user engagement, as noted by Repricer. Key hashtags illustrate this pipeline:
- #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt has accumulated over 40 billion views.
- #AmazonFinds has generated over 1.5 billion views.
This organic behavior shows how TikTok can drive measurable sales velocity on Amazon with zero advertising spend. The approved TikTok transfer deal cements this consumer pattern as a stable, long-term market dynamic.
For savvy sellers, this pipeline now offers a reliable, free window into emerging consumer demand. It is no longer just a sales channel but a core research tool for finding the next winning product.
"TikTok-First" Product Research
The approved TikTok transfer deal solidifies TikTok’s role not just as a sales channel, but as a core product-sourcing engine. Based on discussions within a Reddit thread, sophisticated sellers now use a “TikTok-first” research model, a shift from finding existing demand on Amazon to finding emerging demand before it saturates the market.
This process transforms TikTok from a simple marketing tool into a vital component of a seller’s product sourcing and R&D strategy.
This method involves a clear, three-step process:
- Step 1. Trend Spotting. Sellers must first monitor what is gaining traction on the platform. This can be done manually by following viral hashtags like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt or by using specialized TikTok data tools like FastMoss, Kalodata, or Exploding Topics to analyze trending products.
- Step 2. Competitive Analysis. The free TikTok Creative Center is an essential tool for competitive intelligence. Sellers can use it to reverse-engineer successful campaigns by identifying top-performing ads, regional trends, and competitor metrics like ad spend and click-through rates.
- Step 3. Data Validation. This is the most critical step, as a viral TikTok product is not guaranteed to be profitable on Amazon. Validation is mandatory, requiring sellers to cross-reference the trend with Amazon-specific data tools like AMZScout or Helium 10.
The goal is to find a product that matches the “low competition, high potential” criteria. Sellers must ask if the TikTok trend correlates with rising search volume on Amazon, check the competition level, and confirm if the product can be sold profitably after all fees.
TikTok as an "External Traffic" Playbook for Amazon
One of the most critical and actionable strategies for brand-registered Amazon sellers is emerging. It involves actively driving paid traffic from TikTok directly to an Amazon listing.
This strategy, often called the “External Traffic” Playbook, is gaining importance now that the approved TikTok transfer deal has secured the app’s U.S. presence. Sellers are now looking for reliable ways to use TikTok’s massive audience to their advantage.
TikTok Traffic Fuels Amazon's Algorithm
As Amazon’s internal PPC costs rise, driving external traffic has become essential. Amazon’s A10 algorithm actively rewards listings that bring new customers from off-platform.
The approved TikTok transfer deal solidifies the app as a stable source for this traffic. This creates a “flywheel effect,” where TikTok traffic boosts sales velocity, which Amazon’s algorithm rewards with higher organic rankings.
This strategy is potent, with some campaigns reporting conversion rates as high as 58.6%. Case studies, such as Micro Ingredients, have seen revenue grow 4-5x by successfully funneling TikTok traffic to their Amazon listings.
The Brand Referral Bonus for Amazon's Incentives
Amazon actively encourages this external traffic strategy with its Brand Referral Bonus Program. This program pays brand-registered sellers a bonus, averaging 10% of the sales price, for driving external traffic.
This bonus is a credit that offsets future referral fees. This makes ad spend on platforms like TikTok 10% cheaper, improving the ROAS of these campaigns.
The approved TikTok transfer deal makes this a more stable, long-term strategy, and one that every Amazon agency should be implementing for its clients. The bonus also applies to all purchases made by that customer from the brand for 14 days after the initial click.
Using Amazon to Fulfill TikTok Shop
The most advanced strategy for scaled sellers is the “Hybrid Model.” This “Run” phase uses a standalone TikTok Shop for sales while leveraging Amazon’s logistics network for fulfillment.
With the approved TikTok transfer deal securing the app’s future, sellers no longer have to choose between platforms. They can now combine the strengths of both.
This model uses TikTok Shop for its seamless, in-app checkout, which is ideal for “impulse buys.” It then uses Amazon’s Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) for its trusted and unparalleled logistics backbone.
Data shows 97% of TikTok Shop purchasers also shop on Amazon, proving their trust in Amazon’s fulfillment. In this hybrid strategy, Amazon effectively becomes a B2B logistics provider for the seller’s TikTok sales.
Appeal Wizards"Data shows that when products go viral on TikTok, Amazon sellers often experience a significant boost in visibility, traffic, and conversions."
