As Amazon tightens its Selling Partner API limits, API usage has become a direct cost factor for public selling partners. This case study demonstrates how targeted SP-API optimization enabled an e-commerce SaaS platform to reduce unnecessary API calls, avoid overage charges, and remain within Amazon’s basic plan without disrupting operations.
In October 2025, the platform recorded 2.3 million SP-API calls, putting it close to Amazon’s 2.5 million GET call limit under the basic plan. For a public selling partner already paying an annual $1,400 SP-API access fee, crossing this threshold would have triggered additional usage charges.
A usage breakdown showed that 2.1 million calls were order-related, with 1.8 million going to the Order Address API alone. At Amazon’s overage rate of $0.40 per 1,000 calls, even a small increase in volume could have led to recurring monthly costs.
The issue stemmed from how address requests were handled. The system checked for shipping addresses every five minutes across all orders, including those in Pending status. Under Amazon’s rules, shipping addresses are only available once an order reaches Unshipped or Partially Shipped status. Calls made earlier returned empty responses while still counting toward usage.
We audited the order workflow and aligned system behavior with Amazon’s data availability rules.
The order address logic was redesigned so that address requests are made only when an order reaches Unshipped or Partially Shipped status. This ensured every API call was timely, purposeful, and guaranteed to return usable data.
The platform stayed comfortably within Amazon’s basic tier while continuing to scale.
Many platforms focus on adding features and onboarding more sellers, but overlook how often and why their systems call Amazon’s APIs. This method didn’t affect the operations in any way but resulted in thousands of dollars worth of annual savings. There was:
This case shows that optimization does not always require major rewrites. Sometimes, it is about asking the right questions, understanding Amazon’s rules, and designing workflows that work with the platform instead of against it.
As a backend provider for e-commerce marketplaces, we work closely with selling partners to design, audit, and optimize SP-API-driven systems. Our goal is to help platforms scale sustainably while staying compliant and cost-efficient.
If you are building or managing a selling partner application and want clarity on SP-API usage, costs, or optimization opportunities, the right backend decisions today can save you significant effort and expense tomorrow.
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