Small and Light - Pro vs Cons, Please let me know!
Hi,
I have been selling mainly “standard” FBA for 2-3 years. I have just pushed 1-2 items into Small & Light Program.
I know the main pros vs cons in terms of Prime-bagde and next day delivery.
Have anyone of you noticed that “Standard FBA” are selling more in volume vs SnL? Many of my items are valid for SnL but I have seen also other sellers stayed out of this program even if the items are approved into SnL. Any reason?
Thanks very much for letting me know your experience about SnL vs “Standard FBA”
Happy selling!!
14 replies
Seller_DFxYoLWOQaOFI
We sell both Pan EU FBA and UK Only Small n lite.
One thing happened recently that caused our FBA stock and SnL stock to be commingled - which is an absolute pain to sort out.
Small and Lite is pretty great though as fulfilment warehouses tend to process them so much faster than standard FBA stock.
Another great thing is that because they’re small enough to post through post boxes - you get less customers asking ‘where’s my stuff’ and less carriers leaving items in silly places/taking them back to the sorting office.
My 2 cents anyway!
Seller_iBrSIJDZKlsXi
We do use both fulfilment methods within UK market, and main pro for SnL is that all products are fulfilled as they are sold no matter the price, while standard fulfilment tends to make cheap items be ADD ON which makes some of products really hard to sell.
Main con for SnL is that they are NOT OFFERING next day option to customer, even tho these products are prime eligible
In terms of the sales we can see no difference in quantity sold
Hope this will help you to make informed decision
Jan
Seller_saK5Ah2SaNYjL
We’ve just removed our last S&L offering when it went out of stock. I will never use it again.
The problem with S&L is that they scan the bin in which the product is stored rather than the barcode on the product itself. Products get put in the wrong bin and customers get the wrong product A LOT.
We had 15 refunds due to picking errors in December. 2 negative seller feedback and 3 one star product reviews. All of which were hard to get removed. For us on a LL sized item the saving of 79p just isn’t worth the stress.
We sold cotton tote bags on S&L in 3 designs. Customers got key rings (11x) the others got a CD, a greetings card, playing cards and a packet of golf tees. There’s a long thread about the issues here:
Seller_LxmKM3xyFWe7g
Pros:
-
Lower fulfilment charges
-
Can avoid the item becoming an “Add On” item
Cons:
-
Slower delivery [note: indirectly reduces conversion of the listing, which can damage product ranking and ultimately lower sales]
-
Amazon regularly often ship out the wrong item (in the small and light program they don’t scan each individual unit when picking - they scan the barcode on the storage location - if the wrong item gets in the wrong storage location, Amazon pick and ship the wrong item) [note: this leads to negative reviews and we’ve never had success getting Amazon to remove such reviews, negative reviews reduces conversion, which can damage product ranking and ultimately lower sales]
-
If a customer attempts to return the item via Amazon’s Returns Center they customer gets a message “This item is non-returnable” [note: this leads to negative reviews and we’ve never had success getting Amazon to remove such reviews, negative reviews reduces conversion, which can damage product ranking and ultimately lower sales]
-
If a customer contacts Amazon Customer Services asking for a refund Amazon will refund the customer and let them keep the product [note: the seller isn’t reimbursed by Amazon for this refund and takes the loss, this system is open to abuse and very costly in instances where a customer orders multiple units and then gets a refund]
Our verdict:
- Don’t use Amazon’s Small and Light program. The extra saving/profit from lower fulfilment charges will be lost from increased customer service problems, loss on returns, negative reviews, reduced sales, etc. We’ve pulled out of in the UK. And we’re in the process of pulling out of it in the USA.
Seller_amUAzjvL5uIzu
Used S & L from when it started now 100% S & L would not use anything else.
My experience is completely at odds with the previous poster.
Returns are reimbursed,never had a buyer keep goods & get refund as well.
Problems are very minor compared to the rewards of using S & L.
Small and Light - Pro vs Cons, Please let me know!
Hi,
I have been selling mainly “standard” FBA for 2-3 years. I have just pushed 1-2 items into Small & Light Program.
I know the main pros vs cons in terms of Prime-bagde and next day delivery.
Have anyone of you noticed that “Standard FBA” are selling more in volume vs SnL? Many of my items are valid for SnL but I have seen also other sellers stayed out of this program even if the items are approved into SnL. Any reason?
Thanks very much for letting me know your experience about SnL vs “Standard FBA”
Happy selling!!
Small and Light - Pro vs Cons, Please let me know!
Hi,
I have been selling mainly “standard” FBA for 2-3 years. I have just pushed 1-2 items into Small & Light Program.
I know the main pros vs cons in terms of Prime-bagde and next day delivery.
Have anyone of you noticed that “Standard FBA” are selling more in volume vs SnL? Many of my items are valid for SnL but I have seen also other sellers stayed out of this program even if the items are approved into SnL. Any reason?
Thanks very much for letting me know your experience about SnL vs “Standard FBA”
Happy selling!!
14 replies
14 replies
Seller_DFxYoLWOQaOFI
We sell both Pan EU FBA and UK Only Small n lite.
One thing happened recently that caused our FBA stock and SnL stock to be commingled - which is an absolute pain to sort out.
Small and Lite is pretty great though as fulfilment warehouses tend to process them so much faster than standard FBA stock.
Another great thing is that because they’re small enough to post through post boxes - you get less customers asking ‘where’s my stuff’ and less carriers leaving items in silly places/taking them back to the sorting office.
My 2 cents anyway!
Seller_iBrSIJDZKlsXi
We do use both fulfilment methods within UK market, and main pro for SnL is that all products are fulfilled as they are sold no matter the price, while standard fulfilment tends to make cheap items be ADD ON which makes some of products really hard to sell.
Main con for SnL is that they are NOT OFFERING next day option to customer, even tho these products are prime eligible
In terms of the sales we can see no difference in quantity sold
Hope this will help you to make informed decision
Jan
Seller_saK5Ah2SaNYjL
We’ve just removed our last S&L offering when it went out of stock. I will never use it again.
The problem with S&L is that they scan the bin in which the product is stored rather than the barcode on the product itself. Products get put in the wrong bin and customers get the wrong product A LOT.
We had 15 refunds due to picking errors in December. 2 negative seller feedback and 3 one star product reviews. All of which were hard to get removed. For us on a LL sized item the saving of 79p just isn’t worth the stress.
We sold cotton tote bags on S&L in 3 designs. Customers got key rings (11x) the others got a CD, a greetings card, playing cards and a packet of golf tees. There’s a long thread about the issues here:
Seller_LxmKM3xyFWe7g
Pros:
-
Lower fulfilment charges
-
Can avoid the item becoming an “Add On” item
Cons:
-
Slower delivery [note: indirectly reduces conversion of the listing, which can damage product ranking and ultimately lower sales]
-
Amazon regularly often ship out the wrong item (in the small and light program they don’t scan each individual unit when picking - they scan the barcode on the storage location - if the wrong item gets in the wrong storage location, Amazon pick and ship the wrong item) [note: this leads to negative reviews and we’ve never had success getting Amazon to remove such reviews, negative reviews reduces conversion, which can damage product ranking and ultimately lower sales]
-
If a customer attempts to return the item via Amazon’s Returns Center they customer gets a message “This item is non-returnable” [note: this leads to negative reviews and we’ve never had success getting Amazon to remove such reviews, negative reviews reduces conversion, which can damage product ranking and ultimately lower sales]
-
If a customer contacts Amazon Customer Services asking for a refund Amazon will refund the customer and let them keep the product [note: the seller isn’t reimbursed by Amazon for this refund and takes the loss, this system is open to abuse and very costly in instances where a customer orders multiple units and then gets a refund]
Our verdict:
- Don’t use Amazon’s Small and Light program. The extra saving/profit from lower fulfilment charges will be lost from increased customer service problems, loss on returns, negative reviews, reduced sales, etc. We’ve pulled out of in the UK. And we’re in the process of pulling out of it in the USA.
Seller_amUAzjvL5uIzu
Used S & L from when it started now 100% S & L would not use anything else.
My experience is completely at odds with the previous poster.
Returns are reimbursed,never had a buyer keep goods & get refund as well.
Problems are very minor compared to the rewards of using S & L.
Seller_DFxYoLWOQaOFI
We sell both Pan EU FBA and UK Only Small n lite.
One thing happened recently that caused our FBA stock and SnL stock to be commingled - which is an absolute pain to sort out.
Small and Lite is pretty great though as fulfilment warehouses tend to process them so much faster than standard FBA stock.
Another great thing is that because they’re small enough to post through post boxes - you get less customers asking ‘where’s my stuff’ and less carriers leaving items in silly places/taking them back to the sorting office.
My 2 cents anyway!
Seller_DFxYoLWOQaOFI
We sell both Pan EU FBA and UK Only Small n lite.
One thing happened recently that caused our FBA stock and SnL stock to be commingled - which is an absolute pain to sort out.
Small and Lite is pretty great though as fulfilment warehouses tend to process them so much faster than standard FBA stock.
Another great thing is that because they’re small enough to post through post boxes - you get less customers asking ‘where’s my stuff’ and less carriers leaving items in silly places/taking them back to the sorting office.
My 2 cents anyway!
Seller_iBrSIJDZKlsXi
We do use both fulfilment methods within UK market, and main pro for SnL is that all products are fulfilled as they are sold no matter the price, while standard fulfilment tends to make cheap items be ADD ON which makes some of products really hard to sell.
Main con for SnL is that they are NOT OFFERING next day option to customer, even tho these products are prime eligible
In terms of the sales we can see no difference in quantity sold
Hope this will help you to make informed decision
Jan
Seller_iBrSIJDZKlsXi
We do use both fulfilment methods within UK market, and main pro for SnL is that all products are fulfilled as they are sold no matter the price, while standard fulfilment tends to make cheap items be ADD ON which makes some of products really hard to sell.
Main con for SnL is that they are NOT OFFERING next day option to customer, even tho these products are prime eligible
In terms of the sales we can see no difference in quantity sold
Hope this will help you to make informed decision
Jan
Seller_saK5Ah2SaNYjL
We’ve just removed our last S&L offering when it went out of stock. I will never use it again.
The problem with S&L is that they scan the bin in which the product is stored rather than the barcode on the product itself. Products get put in the wrong bin and customers get the wrong product A LOT.
We had 15 refunds due to picking errors in December. 2 negative seller feedback and 3 one star product reviews. All of which were hard to get removed. For us on a LL sized item the saving of 79p just isn’t worth the stress.
We sold cotton tote bags on S&L in 3 designs. Customers got key rings (11x) the others got a CD, a greetings card, playing cards and a packet of golf tees. There’s a long thread about the issues here:
Seller_saK5Ah2SaNYjL
We’ve just removed our last S&L offering when it went out of stock. I will never use it again.
The problem with S&L is that they scan the bin in which the product is stored rather than the barcode on the product itself. Products get put in the wrong bin and customers get the wrong product A LOT.
We had 15 refunds due to picking errors in December. 2 negative seller feedback and 3 one star product reviews. All of which were hard to get removed. For us on a LL sized item the saving of 79p just isn’t worth the stress.
We sold cotton tote bags on S&L in 3 designs. Customers got key rings (11x) the others got a CD, a greetings card, playing cards and a packet of golf tees. There’s a long thread about the issues here:
Seller_LxmKM3xyFWe7g
Pros:
-
Lower fulfilment charges
-
Can avoid the item becoming an “Add On” item
Cons:
-
Slower delivery [note: indirectly reduces conversion of the listing, which can damage product ranking and ultimately lower sales]
-
Amazon regularly often ship out the wrong item (in the small and light program they don’t scan each individual unit when picking - they scan the barcode on the storage location - if the wrong item gets in the wrong storage location, Amazon pick and ship the wrong item) [note: this leads to negative reviews and we’ve never had success getting Amazon to remove such reviews, negative reviews reduces conversion, which can damage product ranking and ultimately lower sales]
-
If a customer attempts to return the item via Amazon’s Returns Center they customer gets a message “This item is non-returnable” [note: this leads to negative reviews and we’ve never had success getting Amazon to remove such reviews, negative reviews reduces conversion, which can damage product ranking and ultimately lower sales]
-
If a customer contacts Amazon Customer Services asking for a refund Amazon will refund the customer and let them keep the product [note: the seller isn’t reimbursed by Amazon for this refund and takes the loss, this system is open to abuse and very costly in instances where a customer orders multiple units and then gets a refund]
Our verdict:
- Don’t use Amazon’s Small and Light program. The extra saving/profit from lower fulfilment charges will be lost from increased customer service problems, loss on returns, negative reviews, reduced sales, etc. We’ve pulled out of in the UK. And we’re in the process of pulling out of it in the USA.
Seller_LxmKM3xyFWe7g
Pros:
-
Lower fulfilment charges
-
Can avoid the item becoming an “Add On” item
Cons:
-
Slower delivery [note: indirectly reduces conversion of the listing, which can damage product ranking and ultimately lower sales]
-
Amazon regularly often ship out the wrong item (in the small and light program they don’t scan each individual unit when picking - they scan the barcode on the storage location - if the wrong item gets in the wrong storage location, Amazon pick and ship the wrong item) [note: this leads to negative reviews and we’ve never had success getting Amazon to remove such reviews, negative reviews reduces conversion, which can damage product ranking and ultimately lower sales]
-
If a customer attempts to return the item via Amazon’s Returns Center they customer gets a message “This item is non-returnable” [note: this leads to negative reviews and we’ve never had success getting Amazon to remove such reviews, negative reviews reduces conversion, which can damage product ranking and ultimately lower sales]
-
If a customer contacts Amazon Customer Services asking for a refund Amazon will refund the customer and let them keep the product [note: the seller isn’t reimbursed by Amazon for this refund and takes the loss, this system is open to abuse and very costly in instances where a customer orders multiple units and then gets a refund]
Our verdict:
- Don’t use Amazon’s Small and Light program. The extra saving/profit from lower fulfilment charges will be lost from increased customer service problems, loss on returns, negative reviews, reduced sales, etc. We’ve pulled out of in the UK. And we’re in the process of pulling out of it in the USA.
Seller_amUAzjvL5uIzu
Used S & L from when it started now 100% S & L would not use anything else.
My experience is completely at odds with the previous poster.
Returns are reimbursed,never had a buyer keep goods & get refund as well.
Problems are very minor compared to the rewards of using S & L.
Seller_amUAzjvL5uIzu
Used S & L from when it started now 100% S & L would not use anything else.
My experience is completely at odds with the previous poster.
Returns are reimbursed,never had a buyer keep goods & get refund as well.
Problems are very minor compared to the rewards of using S & L.
