Unavailable Balance makes it impossible to run a business
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.
27 replies
Seller_WxGMUbc9SZuKD
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.
Seller_2BrPSydGy6oyq
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?
Seller_TX7yhVegrfOrA
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.
Seller_hC0hNVDuILaKO
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.
Seller_QOwDDuKmoItYH
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 
Seller_v6lZpD66qvvmY
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!
Seller_4lEfHxGrzewPp
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.
Seller_3rGQ0nbPRMStA
I honestly think Amazon don’t really want us using their service, I can’t think of any other reason why selling on Amazon is made so difficult and awkward and unpleasant and the help team are so singularly unhelpful incompetent useless and stupid.
Seller_FZLmkAPnHuV4L
If you can’t run a business on Amazon due to unavailable balance, then just don’t sell on Amazon. Make your own website and pay a professional SEO agency to get traffic.
