Previously many established third-party sellers profited significantly from Lightning Deals and Hot Deals in the past as Amazon did not charge for the promotions until the summer 2016.  The number of promotions was limited and only available to established sellers. However, in August 2016, Amazon changed its policy, opening the promotions to virtually all sellers and charging a fee per promotion.  The effectiveness of Lightning Deals and Hot Deals has dropped notably since due to considerable decreases in revenue achieved per deal, as well as the increase in the variety of products offered.

Prior to the policy change, it was not unusual for a promotion to achieve in excess of $5,000 in sales.  However, a study of 580 deals run in the 1st half of 2017, showed an average of less than $500 in sales per promotion.