Amazon Sellers See ‘Scary’ Holiday Season as Consumers Pull Back

The effects are rippling from sellers to firms that support them, including small business lenders. Amazon merchants commonly borrow about $100,000 to buy inventory and pay for marketing campaigns during the holidays, paying the loans off with their proceeds. Seth Broman, chief revenue officer of Swiftline, which offers loans to online merchants, is turning down more loan applications this year. Rising costs and slower growth has simply made lending sellers money too risky, he said.