FBA disaster - help!
Ok so my first time using FBA has been a disaster, they’ve made a catalogue of errors and I’m tearing my hair out. I’ve now requested the items back, I won’t be charged for this for my first order will I?
Firstly they marked some as received 1 instead of 10, you can’t ask them to check for 3 weeks! Refund for these was pathetic
Then they “lose” items of stock so I have to monitor the stock levels
Stuff didn’t sell as well as expected (which is fine, it’s the time of year) except 1 so I sent a further 58 to keep up with demand only for amazon to undercut me and throw me onto the second page. I’ve now reduced my price making a loss, still don’t have buy box but just hoping to clear it as I’ll be charged for storing it
All but 2 items were showing as large letter but all fit comfortably in small (they’re small balloons so the size of a folded sheet of a4 paper). Well they eventually re-measured and showing as ridiculous sizes, most they’ve measured the whole bundle and 1 product is the equivalent of 10 so this is where my missing products are - but now they’ve increased the delivery charge!
And worst of all, they delivered an item late, gave buyer a refund from my pocket but only credited me some. So the end result is it costing me £1.80 in fees, plus posting to amazon, and I’ve lost the product with no refund. Apparently I still have to pay for delivery etc and MIGHT get a credit note for the item in 6+ weeks?!
If anyone has any tips on this I’d appreciate it. I only sent the products as I needed some help, and its ended up being the worst thing I’ve ever done with the time and expenses sucking the life out of me
62 replies
Seller_DTrNv5POp8UZl
well you’ve been very unlucky on your first order… so addressing your points…
Ok 1 unit booked instead of 10… have you waited til you can reconcile order? theres a reconcile tab you click on after the date they tell you… if it’s wrong ask them to investigate and they should go and check the warehouse and hope your item of 10s not been sold but I have had this and opened a case to be told to wait but I’ve expressed an urgency incase they sold it and they did…
yes you will be charged for removals regardless of it being your first item 60p+vat so dont do that unless you have to (you can cancel them if you’ve just done it as very costly)
Amazon are sods, and ive done exactly that in the past sent more as selling fast, then amazon change the algorithms and they fall off a cliff (have units still in there)yes you get storage fees but just sit it out, amazon my run out so you’re just playing a game of race to the lowest price if you do that too soon.
Re postage look on the details page of the sku where you see inbound/outbound/event tabs and top left are the measurements and weight they have set your item… these are often wrong re decimal points etc… if they are not right open a case to be amended… there has to be units in the warehouse for them to check with and dont just change your details tab, that doesnt change theirs… if it is wrong, and they change it, apply for refunds, takes a while to sort out, if its correct then that’s the price, OR you need to package it smaller then have it remeasured etc
item went missing customer refunded: that’s the disadvantage of FBA. buyer is always refunded and you have to wait for a reimbursement but you still pay fees and lose money… just got to accept that…
Seller_j0crb70EojY3j
I’ve opened so many requests and I just get cut and paste answers. I genuinely don’t know how they stay in business!
Seller_j0crb70EojY3j
How do I cancel the removal order? This is honestly the worst thing that’s happened to my business so far
Seller_j0crb70EojY3j
Where do I get the removal order ID?
Seller_j0crb70EojY3j
Got it and cancelled thanks. I’ll just harass them until they listen
Seller_j0crb70EojY3j
They’re reviewing it and if they don’t correct it I’ll have to take the hit. For the benefit of anyone considering FBA to help their business, DON’T DO IT
Seller_j0crb70EojY3j
I sent the following products:
Standard -
10 of 1 product, they lost 9 and then refunded the other without getting the item back and charging me to deliver it (late). Takes 3 weeks to get credit for lost (very low) and in 6 weeks I might get credit for the item the buyer kept
10 of 1 product, lost 9, overcharging me for delivery as it’s small letter but they’re saying it’s large. 3 weeks to get a credit and it’s low
10 of 1 product, lost 9, overcharging me for delivery so remeasured and looks like all 10 are being lumped as 1 so now is small parcel. Again 3 weeks to get credit for lost and now this 1 product is actually 10
Small and light -
24 of 1 product, delivery cost correct, sold well so sent them 58 and they undercut me and moved me to 2nd page (under people charging x6 the amount)
24 x 7 products, all slow as I’ve had to add a bit extra as they’re overcharging me for delivery (they’re small but charging me for large)
Plus every now and then 1 will drop off
So yeah massively unlucky but the service is shocking and I keep messaging them and getting nowhere
All packed the same way - in a clear bag with the products inside, a pen mark saying how many enclosed, I followed the guidance and double checked with customer services. All the products have their individual barcodes etc, I’ve followed everything to the letter and they have not said I didn’t do something properly they are just not understanding the problems
Seller_j0crb70EojY3j
Thing is Neil I could sell some at £100 and I’d still be at a loss because they just lose everything and don’t credit you correctly. I wouldn’t mind that 1 refund if it wasn’t the only 1 of that product they hadn’t lost. I thought 3 normal to see if I could get them to small and light and 7 of my biggest sellers (so quick trial) was a good idea. Nothing prepared me for stock randomly disappearing, losing, charging for a service they hadn’t provided, ignoring problems then undercutting me for the only product that was a success!
Seller_j0crb70EojY3j
I do agree, they can’t be that bad and stay in business but as they’re small items I did everything I could to make it clear. I’ve dropped the price but will increase once Amazon runs out or goes up again. In the meantime the only consolation is they’re not making much money on them. It’s very frustrating and even if it improves, the service just isn’t up to coping with problems and I won’t be sending them more stock
Seller_FOoZN9kAqnFjE
Also agree with Neil; FBA has definitely benefited us. Our first FBA shipment was a disaster as well but stick with it and you should start to see the benefit over time. Amazon Seller Support is virtually useless though, and although I don’t know for certain I’m pretty sure a large percentage of the communication we have with seller support is with AI robots rather than real humans.
