Unavailable Balance makes it impossible to run a business

#1

Hello Everyone, so My account has been opened Since 2016, we have had reserves placed on our balance ever since we signed up, so new year and everything, and it has always been a struggle to run a business. It’s just getting a bit ridiculous, what ever we turn over we have to pay wages, and roughly 50% of the turnover is supplies that need to be re-invested back into the business.

So we turned over roughly £1,000 over a fortnight, which means about 75% needs to go back into the business in order to keep it healthy and the cashflow good.

We requested the payment, amazon is letting us have £150… does not even cover the rent.

How long do we have to put up with the unavailable balance bs?

We are a LTD company, registered, positive feedback.

#2

i agree to your point of view. even we are facing same situation. Large Unavailable balance at every payment cycle. We even don’t know what % of revenue become reserve. Once payment date comes, they automatically increase reserve and pay less. I even do not understand their reserve criteria/policy and why they do hold money for even prepaid orders.
we do not get any advantage of increased sales in terms of increased money in our hand to invest back to business because we do not get increased payment immediately but it was given in staggered/ deffered manner by increasing hold.

opaque policy.

#4

Perhaps the intent is to force you into taking a loan from Amazon finance to keep your cash flow going?

It used to be possible to send the performance team a business plan with projected sales (Amazon) to get velocity limits increased and release funds, it may be an option to try, but nothing to lose by approaching them with a plan and request to improve payments?

#5

Nice little interest earner for Amazon, mind :slight_smile:

#6

Out of interest why did amazon put the reserves in place? From what you are saying you are doing rather low volumes in sales on Amazon?

#7

i have been selling for some years now, but i have no idea why amazon holds some reserve to your fund. Really interested to understand the reason behind this reserve.

#8

Are you a LTD business VAT Reg?

#9

Since August 2016 Amazon placed a 2 week reserve for refund reasons. so if u sell something on the 1st the money is available on the 15th. I signed up to Amazon October 2016 and have had to deal with it. Its frustrating and puts a “holt to processing” till you reach a certain level of sales then you will find it shouldn’t matter. I found once i was turning over more than 100k a year then it didn’t effect me anymore.

#10

Is all about a risk factor for Amazon. I remember we had the limit for a very short period. Only way to get out of it is to push FBA as much as possible as you are then reducing your risk level also.

#11

If you opened the account after 15th August 2016 then it isn’t a “reserve” it is simply the way that you are paid.
The funds for each order will only be available for disbursement to you from the 7th day after the last estimated delivery date.
So for an order placed 1st Feb, for instance, with a last expected date for delivery of 10th Feb the funds wouldn’t become available until 17th Feb even though they would show in your current balance.
This will be the case for every order for the duration of your account.

#12

Really- I have funds available for withdrawal as soon we dispatch an order. No reserves are shown in my “Statment View”. If you have any reserved funds shown under Statment View" this is down to not completed velocity review or other policy issues such as poor feedback as a new seller.

#13

Was your account opened prior to August 2016 or afterwards?
According to your profile it was April 2016, so you made the cut and don’t get the payment hold, those accounts opened after August 2016 missed the cut and get the hold til 7 days after last delivery date.

#14

Ok mate fair enough. Good to know.

#15

Yea It was around October 2016, It was a limit to protect the buyers interest, but I’m sure it was supposed to stop after selling for 3 months, Christmas was incredibly hard, Thousands in amazon owed, not enough stock, having to borrow money of family members… Really not professional.

Well our Turnover will never be 100k, it’s close to 40k.

#16

No time limit on the payment method for you, you don’t get paid for any order until 7 days after the last delivery date, for the duration of your account… unless Amazon change their policy.
With the number of hacked accounts last year and the ensuing mayhem a policy change like that is unlikely though.
You will simply have to build that payment plan into your business model.

#17

It’s awful isn’t it.
I had a previous account with Amazon that I was paid on straight away - it was great. Then I went Ltd etc and the option to continue that same account wasn’t allowed so basically had to close one account, open a new one and start again with ratings, the lot. And within this change came the 7+ day restriction - which feels like a lifetime actually as I re-started around April 2017 and although you get used to it eventually it is awful.

It’s a shame Amazon don’t reduce that restriction after a certain period of excellent activity (even if it was 6 or 12 months) so that sellers can cope - as you say, cash flow is everything isn’t it. However, I’m not sure it’ll ever change as it just provides Amazon with a old of cash too which probably just makes life much easier for them… but so much harder for us sellers :frowning:

#18

WE have same issue have contacted seller support and and just get there rubbish copy and paste reply.

Have also contacted MD to see what the actual reason we have had a limit and no reply as of yet.

pain in the arse missed a few shipments out of china before CNY because of it!

#19

If any thing like us they give loads of options and look on performance and can not see any issues

#20

Thanks for all replies, it’s kinda nice to know that we are not the only ones effected, perhaps if we group together then things can change.

It’s fair for amazon to do this, but it’s done in the wrong way.

Every Month we turn over roughly 2000, and our refunds for the month would be around 10% if that, so that means we only need £200 to be reserved, so why not allow us to deposit a voluntary amount in place for a reserved return funds.

Then allow us to have our money correctly, so lets say you deposit £200 into your account, you then voluntary top up those funds every month or so depending on how much is required.

This way our cash-flow is not effected.

Or

I would be happy to receive my payments in full every 30 days, as amazon seem to give us 15% the first fortnight then the rest the other fortnight but it takes roughly another week for the balance to appear in your bank, which means we have to wait 6 weeks to receive the full balance.

#21

Yes We had one in 2012 actually, it was setup as a partnership, had to close and start a new one for our LTD company.