Amazon is giving my customers wrong information that leads to refunds
I sell decals, and since the post office changed all the rules for tracking, I've had to resort to shipping without tracking. All my products are under $10, so the Amazon rules allow me to do this. This week I found out that Amazon has been sending emails to my customers telling them their orders are lost in the mail. Again, there is no tracking on the orders. I know this is happening because some of my customers have contacted me telling me that they received their order and to stop asking if they got it. So I told one of them it wasn't me sending the emails and asked her what was going on. After she had already received her order, Amazon sent her several messages saying her package was still on its way and she sent me screen shots showing Amazon marked her package as lost in the mail.
So I contacted Seller Support and their excuse was her Amazon app must be malfunctioning. I don't think that is true. Especially since this isn't the only customer who has messaged me to tell me they got their package and to stop asking if they got it. This customer is just the only one who was willing to send me screenshots to show what happened.
All this got me to realizing that even though I send all my orders across all platforms the same way, only on Amazon do I get several customers a day requesting refunds for non-delivery. On every other platform - Etsy, eBay, Walmart, etc. - I have maybe one or two orders a month that did not arrive. But it's a chronic problem on Amazon. Now I think I know why. It's not that they are not being delivered at an amazingly less rate than on other platforms. It's that Amazon is telling them it has not been delivered and they are entitled to a refund as a result, basically encouraging people to defraud a seller.
Amazon is giving my customers wrong information that leads to refunds
I sell decals, and since the post office changed all the rules for tracking, I've had to resort to shipping without tracking. All my products are under $10, so the Amazon rules allow me to do this. This week I found out that Amazon has been sending emails to my customers telling them their orders are lost in the mail. Again, there is no tracking on the orders. I know this is happening because some of my customers have contacted me telling me that they received their order and to stop asking if they got it. So I told one of them it wasn't me sending the emails and asked her what was going on. After she had already received her order, Amazon sent her several messages saying her package was still on its way and she sent me screen shots showing Amazon marked her package as lost in the mail.
So I contacted Seller Support and their excuse was her Amazon app must be malfunctioning. I don't think that is true. Especially since this isn't the only customer who has messaged me to tell me they got their package and to stop asking if they got it. This customer is just the only one who was willing to send me screenshots to show what happened.
All this got me to realizing that even though I send all my orders across all platforms the same way, only on Amazon do I get several customers a day requesting refunds for non-delivery. On every other platform - Etsy, eBay, Walmart, etc. - I have maybe one or two orders a month that did not arrive. But it's a chronic problem on Amazon. Now I think I know why. It's not that they are not being delivered at an amazingly less rate than on other platforms. It's that Amazon is telling them it has not been delivered and they are entitled to a refund as a result, basically encouraging people to defraud a seller.
52 Antworten
Seller_aDUgZrxyfFfe9
Hello Guys,
Im new to Amazon. I joined over about three months ago. Amazon have deactivated my Seller Fulfilled Merchandise and have frozen all my disbursements. I cannot release any money that I have put into this as they keep sending me the same generic email stating that they require proof of delivery etc etc. I have provided them with all the tracking information on USPS, UPS, etc etc and the tracking information shows that the package was delivered, where it was delivered to, the time of delivery etc. However, Amazon keep refusing to reinstate my FBM and have said that no funds will be released until proof of delivery. Has anyone any further info about why Amazon wont allow me to access FBM ans access the money that I earned through selling on the platform??
Seller_s7F7fMBDtix0d
I am not sure how it works, but evidently that envelope program has limited tracking on Ebay orders (shipped with their labels). I wonder if someone at Amazon could figure out what they do and apply it to their labels.
Seller_AuFcCxfvsnR72
I suggest writing to the CEO Andy Jassy . Floor his email and contacts with complaints about how Amazon allows buyers to rip off sellers. These forums don’t help neither does customer support. Tell him you’re going to stop using his platform to sell AND BUY. And that you’re going to tell all your friends about how they ripped you off as a seller. It’s really the only language they understand.
andy@amazon.com (Amazon), ajassy@amazon.com (Amazon), or amazon-pr@amazon.com (Press).How do I meet Andy Jassy?Meet Andy Jassy at one of his product launches, movie/TV show premieres, live events, meet-and-greets, store openings, or bidding on a charity auction.☎️ What is Andy Jassy’s phone?Call Andy Jassy at 1-888-280-4331 (Amazon Toll-Free), 206-266-2958 (Amazon), or 206-266-1000 (Amazon).📲 How do I text Andy Jassy?Text Andy Jassy at 262966 (Amazon).
Seller_3ytsKyY2oXqoP
amazon ai is causing the problems
Seller_CW0P5hgbsiqWX
OP: "This week I found out that Amazon has been sending emails to my customers telling them their orders are lost in the mail."
Amazon has been doing this for a few years. In fact. it is done to entice sellers to pay out on the INR claim. But there is more and a simple solution. Of course all of this will only pertain to sellers who buy their shipping thru Amazon.
- USPS NEVER displays an item is lost on the tracking. They only display the item will be delayed. Amazon is sneaky and does tell the buyer the item is lost. And, to make things worse, if the buyer calls customer service and complains, the CS Rep will refund on the spot directly from your account.
- HOWEVER: The payout will show up as an A_Z claim. APPEAL IT. Amazon's policy clearly states that, "IF tracking shows a delay at the end of the delivery window, Amazon will handle the claim". We have been refunded in full every time we file an appeal showing the SC Rep did not follow Amazon's Policies.
If you buy your shipping off site, you are a=on your own to resolve, and if sellers do not resolve it quickly, Amazon will.... From your account.
Seller_u5NhC61gK9Rhg
Hello @KJ_Amazon. Could you also provide me with updates about how Amazon displays VTR-exempted shipments to customers? The current tracking page for untracked shipments is broken and results in much higher refunds than any other sales platforms using the same shipping method.
Seller_yp5DqfSl6OXdE
I was able to get this clarified by Amazon support. Basically, every order that does not have tracking will be marked as lost and allow for a refund. I think this constitutes fraud and I intend to report it to my state's Attorney General.
Carissa
8:32 AM
If an order does not have tracking it is considered lost as it cannot be tracked.
Carissa
Me
Sent at 8:34 AM
So what you are saying is that the policy that allows sellers to ship without tracking if the product is under $10 also includes the policy that Amazon will mark all the orders as lost and allow any customer to request a refund.
Me
Sent at 8:34 AM
Please clarify that is the policy.
Carissa
8:34 AM
As mentioned that order ids without tracking cannot be tracked and are considered lost.
Carissa
8:34 AM
Accordingly the buyers are refunded by Amazon CS.
Seller_u5NhC61gK9Rhg
The issue is how Amazon displays untracked shipments to customers. On the tracking page it is incorrectly displaying to customers that their shipment is "On the way, but running late" after the expected delivery date has passed. This is not true as the items have almost always arrived by then. Additionally our customers are getting confused as they receive notifications about their late/missing shipments and we have received several messages from them about this. All Amazon needs to do to fix this is for the tracking page on untracked orders to say "Your item was shipped with USPS first class mail, it should arrive in your mailbox on X date".
Seller_yp5DqfSl6OXdE
A customer of mine, who received her order on time, shared this email she got from Amazon after she contacted them about her order being marked as "lost" on her orders page. She just wanted to let them know she got it and to remove the "lost" designation. She was really angry that they sent her this email suggesting she get a refund.
Seller_7STxzA93KoQVs
It's been so bad for me lately.
With OTDR, orders aren't even 1 day late and customers are asking for a refund. What can I do besides just refund them?
@KJ_Amazon @Danny_Amazon
Can the product team please look into this? It's kind of crazy that this is allowed. A much cleaner message would help.
"Your item was shipped by your seller using USPS standard mail envelopes. According to our delivery estimates it will arrive in your mail box by XX/XX/2024"
Customers are often confused believing they are receiving a "package" when the message says "your package is running late"
@Seller_yp5DqfSl6OXdE is lucky to have an honest customer (out of the many who aren't) who was able to share that with him. It's becoming a major problem for some of us :(
KJ_Amazon
Hello @Seller_7STxzA93KoQVs
I have continued to share seller feedback on this issue with our partner teams.
Those teams have been working on improving the experience for sellers (and buyers) for VTR-exempted shipments. I do not have any updates on those improvements, but I will follow up in this thread when they become available.
KJ_Amazon
Seller_yp5DqfSl6OXdE
I would like the team to provide us with a written policy explaining that if you ship VTR exempt your orders will be automatically marked as lost. This is information that should be given to the sellers before we ship VTR exempt.
KJ_Amazon
Thank you for that question @Seller_yp5DqfSl6OXdE.
I understand that you are not happy with the current messaging used to update buyers on shipments sent without tracking.
I have shared this feedback with our partner teams for their review. Those teams have been working on improving the experience for sellers (and buyers) for VTR-exempted shipments. I do not have any updates on those improvements, but I will follow up in this thread when they become available.
KJ_Amazon
Hello @Seller_yp5DqfSl6OXdE @Seller_7STxzA93KoQVs @Seller_u5NhC61gK9Rhg and other sellers asking about buyer messaging for VTR-exempt/untracked shipments.
I received confirmation from our partner team that beginning this week we have updated the message US customers see for packages shipped without tracking information, such as small/flat items under $10 shipped in USPS first-class envelopes.
This update aims to provide a more informative and reassuring experience for customers awaiting their deliveries, while informing them of the package details and the likely delivery status. These updates should reduce the number of customers who reach out requesting refunds.
KJ_Amazon
