Can I prevent amazon from sending inventory to UK?

#1

Hello,
I’d like to start using amazon FBA and start it in Italy first since I have a VAT ID there and check if it’s viable for us. But here is the problem: I can’t prohibit amazon from storing items in the UK since it’s our home marketplace. We are actually based in Poland and I don’t have UK VAT ID yet ( I will in a month) so amazon moving our inventory to UK for any reason would be a big no. I made a case with seller support to move my home marketplace, but they replied that I am in a new system and it’s impossible.

Here is my question- can I do anything to prevent amazon from moving our inventroy to UK? Why would amazon even move products to UK if I am making my FBA SKU only on Italian marketplace? Would disabling shiping program and export work? Or should I just give up for now and wait for VAT registration in UK to come through?

#2

If you are selling in Italy and have it set to only store stock in Italy, then your stock will stay in Italy.
Even when someone from another buys and returns, as long as you have the above setting set, the stock should be returned to Italy.
There is second setting for global sales, that you need to switch off, to stop inventory being stored anywhere else.

#3

Are you writing about the setting ‘Allow inventory to be stored in other countries:’? Because that’s my issue- I can’t turn off storage in UK because it’s my ‘home marketplace’, whatever that means.

I talked on a phone with someone ( account manager?) from amazon and he said that if I list the SKU only in Italy, there should be no reason amazon would sent my items to UK. Can anyone confirm this?

#4

Unless your prepared for the possibility of registering for VAT in the UK.
I think that the only way you can do this, is to change your home marketplace.
If your FBA, then your settings are fixed for shipping.
So you can’t exclude selling to the UK from Italy, or indeed any other EU country.
The problem is a possibility, but not a certainty.
If someone buys something from the UK and returns it, then that item will probably be sent to a UK centre. If you don’t have the UK excluded for holding stock, then it will probably stay there.
This in turn, will then kick off your liability for VAT.

The thing is, it literally only takes one item to be stored to kick off that liability.

#5

I am registering now, but It’ll probably take another month.
Can’t I disable shipping to UK on FBA through ‘Shipping programmes and export settings’ There clearly is a shipping restricions tab and an option to disable it alltogether. Did I miss something? Does the setting concern something else?

I understand a return would be a problem because if we allow storage because the return can be sold from UK centre? What about a simillar situation if, for example someone from Spain returns something? Will amazon just let a return go to Spanish centre. Will it be forwarded to somewhere I allow storage?

Thanks for help.

#6

If your registering, then I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
UK VAT doesn’t take that long. I think I had mine completed in a couple of weeks.

There really isn’t much that you can do with FBA. If Amazon allow it, you can’t turn it off basically.
It is the same situation with the other countries, but you should be able to disable the settings for storage in other countries. You obviously only have the issue with the UK, because of your home marketplace.

#7

Thank for your help
I guess I’m a little paranoid after reading the forums and problems people have.