Year-End 2025 Community Reflections: Insights from Europe and Asia with Augustas Kligys

Mike Michelini sits down with Augustas from Orange Klik and the European Sellers Conference to discuss the challenging realities facing Amazon sellers as we head into 2026. With both event organizers seeing firsthand how the community is shifting, they share honest insights about margin compression, the post-aggregator landscape, and why the strongest sellers are the ones willing to adapt and try new approaches in uncertain times.

Topics Covered in this Episode

The Post-COVID, Post-Aggregator Reality
The industry experienced a massive shift as successful sellers sold to aggregators during the 2020-2022 boom, creating a gap in the community and changing who attends events today.

Margin Compression Is Hitting Everyone
Both hosts report sellers across all markets—US, Europe, and Asia—are experiencing tighter margins and harder times, with even seven-figure sellers downgrading from VIP tickets due to financial pressure.

The Event Industry Reflects Market Health
When sellers struggle, sponsorship decisions slow down and ticket sales shift, making events harder to sustain but also revealing which organizers are truly committed to the community.

Europe's Fragmented Seller Ecosystem
Unlike the US market, European sellers operate in separate bubbles by country, with Germany having its own tools and software ecosystem that makes pan-European events challenging to organize.

Asia's Expat vs. Local Seller Dynamic
The Asian Amazon community consists primarily of English-speaking expats and digital nomads selling to US markets, with local communities in China, Vietnam, and Thailand operating separately.

The Canton Fair Sourcing Trip Decline
Fewer experts are organizing group sourcing trips to China compared to previous years, reflecting both market maturity and reduced discretionary spending among sellers.

Consider Dual-Track Events for Marketplace + DTC
As more sellers explore Shopify and direct-to-consumer alongside Amazon, event organizers are considering separate tracks for marketplace vs. DTC strategies.

One Hack Can Pay for Your Ticket
Established seven-figure sellers can often implement a single strategy learned at events that generates immediate ROI, making the investment worthwhile despite tight budgets.

Change Is Opportunity, Not Just Threat
Rather than staying stagnant in difficult times, sellers should use uncertainty as a catalyst to experiment with new categories, strategies, and approaches.

The Real Event Organizers Are Standing Strong
While some events disappeared during COVID or the aggregator era, the organizers still running events in 2025-2026 are the ones truly committed to the community long-term.

People / Companies / Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Augustas' VIP Page
• EUROPEAN SELLER CONFERENCE – annual event in Prague. Usually held in March each year.
• Cross Border Summit 2026 – November 3-5, Chiang Mai –
  2026.crossbordersummit.com

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