May 2025 (updated on September 8, 2025) — Nike is back on Amazon in a big way, with its first direct sales on the site since 2019. This decision is part of the company’s larger plan to realign its retail strategy and bring its wholesale business back to life after it had been put on hold.
A Change in Plan
The big athleticwear company left Amazon in 2019 because there were more and more worries about fake goods and unlicensed merchants hurting the brand’s reputation. Instead, Nike focused on its direct-to-consumer (DTC) model, which means it put more emphasis on sales through its own website and app so it could better manage the customer experience.
But with time, the benefits of that strategy have lessened. A lot of buyers wanted to buy from more than one place, including wholesale partners like Macy’s and Foot Locker. Elliott Hill became the new CEO in October 2024. One of the main parts of his goal to turn things around is to revamp Nike’s wholesale and partner strategy.
Back to Amazon
Nike will start selling directly to customers on Amazon in the US again later this year. Amazon is also anticipated to start carrying a wider choice of Nike products. Third-party merchants that have overlapping goods have until July 19 to sell it all.
Hill reinforced this return on an earnings call as a careful move toward extending the company’s footprint in both digital and physical stores. This showed hope, but not yet expecting a big immediate financial benefit.
Raising Prices Because of Tariff Pressures
Along with going back to Amazon, Nike is also raising the prices of several adult sneakers and clothes in the U.S. starting June 1:
Prices for items that cost more than $100 will go up by $2 to $10.
Items that cost between $100 and $150 will usually go up by $5.
Prices for shoes that cost more than $150 may go up by as much as $10.
Notably, prices for kids’ clothes and vintage items like the $155 Air Force 1 sneakers will stay the same. These changes happen at the same time as seasonal pricing schemes and are a result of higher costs for retailers in general, such as tariffs.
What It Means for Buyers and Sellers
For Nike customers, Amazon’s renewed connection means they can get real things more easily and have them delivered faster. This is especially crucial because they were having trouble with fake and gray-market listings in the past.
This decision is more of a symbol for the brand than a change that will have an immediate impact on its finances. As Hill said, wholesale growth is still slow, but there is a positive trend starting to happen, with traditional retail partners becoming more involved and the offering becoming clearer and more consistent.