Rising rates of theft from inbound stock at BHX4

#1

Hello,

Starting to become very frustrated with Amazon. Every time we send a case (qty 120) to BHX4, 119 are only ever checked in. We meticulously check, and every time, 119 are checked in.

Amazon used to accept our documentation and reimburse for the one item “missing”, but now they refuse to do so because they have “proactively checked on our behalf” and found there was no discrepancy.

We are infuriated by the amount of missing stock that is clearly being stolen from our inbound at BHX4. We never experience this France/Germany/Italy but consistently for the UK warehouses, and now ALWAYS at BHX4.

There is clearly a problem here that Amazon does not wish to acknowledge. Since they just robotically copy & paste messages and refuse to help, what other recourse do we have? Raise prices to compensate for Amazon staff stealing items at inbound? It’s criminal activity, and Amazon is supporting it.

I know, “cost of living crisis”, but there should be no excuse for systematic theft like this.

Seems Amazon’s new policy is that they no longer reimbourse for lost items. We’ve been delaying but clearly it is time to start looking for a better 3PL.

  • Ashley
Shipments to BHX4 Constantly Missing Units
Shipments to BHX4 Constantly Missing Units
#2

Hello @Owl_Bee_UK,

I totally understand your frustration regarding this issue even if im not a seller. I can assure you that this is not a practice accepted by Amazon and im 100% sure that every claim made will be investigated.
Here is link with information on the " FBA Lost And Damaged Inventory Reimbursement Policy", maybe you can find some useful information.

Kind regards.
Nickolas

#3

To be fair I don’t think it is theft I think it is a systematic problem Amazon have.

Often you will see that the items all get checked in but when they get transferred to other fulfilment centres they go missing.

Sometimes I can challenge this and other times Amazon just say they have counted the shipment and found no discrepancy. I know there is a discrepancy as every item is checked into the shipment.

Mine are mostly low value with cost prices less than a £1 so I really don’t challenge too much.

I also notice that sometimes a few months later the missing items turn up and get added to my inventory.

#4

@Nickolas_Amazon

Claims are not investigated. It frequently says investigation completed so we can not complete the reconciliation process.

It is clearly rubbish because sometimes they say I have sent 101 when I have only sent 100. I only purchased 100 from the supplier. I only printed 100 labels. Seller Support insist they are right.

It is more often the other way though and I end up having dozens of units go missing.

#5

I have to say, in all our years and many many FBA deliveries to BHX4 we get very few discrepancies and always get a reimbursement so it definitely isn’t Amazon policy not to reimburse. If they are consistently finding issues with your deliveries the issue may be at your end.

What size are the items going missing? Are you actually opening the ‘case’ and checking the quantity? Maybe it’s your supplier short shipping you to save money? Is it possible two items are sticking together so being counted as one?

I wouldn’t be making accusations like that without proof.

#6

I feel like most support responses are AI. I recently had a month of back and forth over an issue getting a document for Swedish VAT. Seller Support sent the same copy & paste garbage for weeks and then finally someone came and admitted the automatic AI responses sometimes get it wrong, and then proceeded to still give me wrong information. A few more weeks of pushing and I got through to someone who had a clue and could resolve the issue, but it costs so much time and energy.

I think it’s the same for the FBA shipment process, they have probably over-automated it.

#7

Ok Betsy, calm down. You’re essentially accusing us of being incompetent, so watch our for your own accusatory tone.

We are the manufacturer. The case is not full without it being 120 units. We always pack 120 units. We always print 120 labels for FBA and always 120 go on 120 items per case. The weight is always checked and confirmed the same with UPS.

We always have 119 checked in and received at BHX4. We rarely have issues at any other fulfilment centre.

It’s clearly theft, unless Amazon have piles of stock just rolling around on the floor randomly. The items never magically come back into stock later.

#8

Hello @Owl_Bee_UK,

Have you tried to request a callback directly from Seller Support?

Can be an option if the answer received by email is not answering your question.

Regards.
Nickolas

#9

I am sorry that you feel that I was accusing you of being incompetent, that wasn’t my intention at all.

I was asking some questions to try to help you get to the bottom of why your stock is going missing.

You clearly believe that Amazon is stealing from you, I hope you manage to sort it out.

#10

@Nickolas_Amazon Isn’t this the issue Nickolas? Why isn’t the email answering the question? They are incapable of even answering the most basic question.

#11

You have absolutely no proof of that whatsoever; this is your own interpretation of events. You are suggesting that every time you send in a shipment of 120 items, one of them gets nicked. Just one. Why not two, or three? If somebody wants to steal one of your items from every shipment, they would clearly think that it’s worth doing so, therefore why not take two? There are also cameras everywhere in FC’s, for obvious reasons. I’m not saying stock can’t be stolen, what I’m saying is the repetition of your particular stock going missing is likely to be for another cause, not theft.

For what it’s worth, we’ve been doing FBA for 8 years and never had one single discrepency at a FC…ever. And BHX4 seems to be the most efficient of all of them so there may just be a different explanation for your problem (even though you can’t necessarily see one)? :thinking:

#12

We have the same issue with BHX4, it is terrible. Something in the warehouse isn’t working properly as I see many sellers complaining about BHX4 in the forums in regards to having missing units.

Out of 11 shipments thus far, 6 have had “missing units” according to BHX4, 3 of which we have been able to get reimbursements of, the other 3 we just get the same answer (Amazon: We checked and they weren’t there). Its getting beyond ridiculous, it is easy to see there is a clear issue with something in the warehouse due to the number of sellers reporting about BHX4.

Unfortunately there is no way to choose what warehouse we send our shipments to when we send shipments via amazons partnered carrier, as far as I am aware, and so we are stuck using BHX4 even though we half of the shipments we send have units missing from. It is really starting to kill our business and amazon don’t seem to give a toss.

#13

Not sure if this is usual at this time of year, but we shipped one carton ( with 20 units of a handmade item ) into BHX4 and it is showing as UPS delivered it there on 20th November - but it is still not showing as being checked in. My wife spent many hours making the product and now she is worried that they have lost the goods at BHX4. Does anyone know if this sort of delay is usual there at this time of year?

#14

Yes, this is usual for this time of year. Normally, shipments are checked in quite quickly but they can take a while. Have you confirmed it has actually been received at the FC? Make sure on UPS it does not say “Awaiting collection”. If that is the case, UPS are holding it until Amazon are ready for it. Having said all that, everything we send goes via BHX4 and it is clearing in a couple of days, max.

#15

You must be the only one out of 1000’s of FBA sellers :rofl:
Discrepency on mine is about 70% of shipments.(15 out of last 20)

#16

I find that truly astonishing. Even when I send a simple shipment of 10 cases of 6 units of the same item, they still usually get it wrong.

#17

Seriously, on my childrens lives, not one thing ever. I’ve only ever had about half a dozen items damaged (which have all been reimbursed properly) but never a single thing missing.

#18

Maybe it’s because I rarely send the same things in, multiple times. Lots of our stuff is “one off’s” or maybe the same thing, twice a year. Whatever it is, not one thing, ever, has been lost. The worst I ever get is the occasional “stranded” which I just then get removed and then I send it back in again.

#19

Astonishing you must have super powers or your a relative of Jeff Bezos :thinking:

#20

I find it astonishing that so many sellers are saying they get so many discrepancies, we really do get very few. and they always sort it out.

If I was having that many issues with stock going missing I don’t think I would be selling on Amazon any more.