The news: A group of Amazon sellers paused ad spending for 24 hours to protest recent changes to the company’s payment policies. The boycott was organized by Million Dollar Sellers, a community of more than 700 Amazon merchants that collectively generated over $14 billion in revenues over the past 12 months.

How we got here: The boycott, held April 15—16, coincided with the planned rollout of Amazon’s controversial ad payment policy, which would automatically deduct ad costs from sellers’ earnings instead of allowing them to pay by credit card. That move was met with consternation from sellers, many of whom rely on credit-card cash back and points and are worried that the change would limit cash flow and their ability to operate.

Amazon said it would delay the planned change to ad payments to August 1 following seller feedback. But it is holding firm on another shift. The retailer in mid-March implemented a policy for some US sellers that lengthened the time between sale and payment. Merchants now only receive earnings seven days after products are delivered, rather than seven days after orders are shipped under the previous policy. That, coupled with the recently implemented 3.5% fuel surcharge, is putting further strain on sellers’ finances.

Implications for Amazon and sellers: While sellers have long expressed discontent with the high cost of operating on Amazon’s marketplace, the boycott suggests that frustrations are beginning to boil over. Amazon’s decision to delay the start of the ad-payment change shows that the retailer is responsive to feedback and aware it must tread carefully, if only to keep sellers from switching their focus to marketplaces like Walmart and Temu that (for now) offer more generous terms.

Still, despite sellers’ dissatisfaction, abandoning Amazon is not an option for most. The retailer accounts for nearly two-thirds of total US online marketplace sales and close to 40% of ecommerce sales, per our forecasts, making it too valuable a channel to walk away from. However, rising unhappiness—as well as a growing cash crunch—could push merchants to spend less on Amazon Ads and other third-party services.