Used sold as new - Appeal Rejected - what now?
Hi,
I sell FBM pet items and had a return request on 4th Dec with reason “The item is damaged but the box or envelope is undamaged”, no notes but I have auto-accept returns enabled so not an issue.
A week later on 11th Dec, I received an A-Z, which was granted almost instantly, for the same transaction with reason “It’s got a big scratch scuff on the collar”.
The item had not yet been returned (and still hasn’t), so I appealed the A-Z stating the item wasn’t back yet but I was happy to refund on receipt. This was also almost instantly rejected as Amazon “did not receive the specific information we requested on December 4, 2019”. No info was requested on the 4th other than the return request which was auto accepted.
I put it down to experience and thought that was that.
Yesterday though I’ve now received through a “Used sold as new” complaint with the title “Action Required: Listing Removed from Amazon.co.uk”. The ASIN has been disabled but my selling account is still live.
Dear Seller,
We removed some of your listings because of customer complaints about items listed at the end of this email. Customers may be complaining because the items they received did not accurately match the condition or description of the product mentioned in the product detail page of your listings.
Why did I receive this message?
Amazon has several product detail and listing policies to ensure customers have a consistent buying experience and receive items in the condition they expect. Products listed in "new" condition are expected to arrive in brand new, unopened condition with no signs of damage or wear. If customers receive a product that does not match this description, it may lead them to perceive the item as being previously opened or used.Learn more about our policies in Seller Central Help:
- Condition Guidelines (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/200339950)
- Product Detail Page Rules (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/200390640)
- Prohibited Seller Activities and Actions (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/200386250)
How do I reactivate my listings?
To reactivate your listings, please provide us the following information:
- A plan of action that explains:
- The issue(s) that led to the complaints about the product condition or description of your items.
- The actions you have taken to resolve the issue(s) that caused the complaints about the product condition or description of your items.
- The steps you have taken to prevent future complaints about the condition of your items.
Here are a few things to consider as you create your plan:
- Sourcing: Are you sourcing the product from a trusted supplier that sells items in condition?
- Listing: Is the product accurately described on Amazon? Have you ensured that there is no ambiguity and the customer is well informed?
- Packaging: Is the product in its original manufacturer packaging as listed on Amazon?
- Shipping: Have you taken all appropriate steps and quality checks to ensure that the product is stored, packed, and shipped appropriately, and will not be damaged when shipped?
- Review your communications, reviews, and feedback from buyers to better understand the issues.
- Be as specific as possible in your plan.
- Do not limit your plan to issues with specific orders.
Copies of invoices or receipts from your supplier issued in the last 365 days for the ASINs listed below:
- These documents should reflect your sales volume on Amazon during the last 365 days.
- Please include contact information for your supplier, including name, phone number, address, and website. We may contact your supplier to verify the documents. We will maintain the confidentiality of your supplier contact information.
- You may remove pricing information, but the rest of the document must be visible. For ease of our review, you may highlight or circle the ASIN(s) under review.
You can only send .pdf, .jpg, .png, or .gif files. These documents must be authentic and unaltered.
How do I send the required information?
Please send the above information to pq-product-review@amazon.co.uk.What happens if I do not send the requested information?
If we do not receive the requested information your listings will remain deactivated. If we receive additional complaints about your listings, we may deactivate your Amazon seller account.
I followed Kika’s example post in another thread and submitted the following appeal today, however, this was rejected with the reasons below.
Dear Amazon UK Product Quality Team,
I would like to appeal the removal of my listing with ASIN xxxxxxxxx due to "Used Sold As New" product condition complaint. This item is a personalised item produced at our shop.
I understand that Amazon takes complaints about the product quality very seriously and I would like to share with you my Plan of Action addressing the issue.
What caused the complaints:
After carefully reviewing my entire account, all orders received for the ASIN xxxxxxxxx, reading my seller feedback, product reviews, checking the A-Z claims and returns comments, I determined that the complaints were caused by insufficient packaging on the item being shipped leading to damage in transit.
The product (a pet collar) was not packaged in a protective packaging, which would protect it against damage during transit.
The product was not being sufficiently examined for defects prior to being shipped to the customer.
What I have done to resolve the complaints:
I have authorized all return requests for ASIN xxxxxxx, carefully inspected all returned merchandise and refunded the buyers.
I have personally checked all my remaining inventory for the ASIN xxxxxxxxx and discarded any units with damaged packaging.
Prior to sending any new customer orders I am carefully examining the item to ensure that there are no manufacturing defects.
While the collars used to be packaged loose, I have now covered them with bubble wrap and placed into padded bags to prevent any damage during transit.
I have reviewed my product listings for all of my inventory to ensure they accurately reflect the item being sold.
I am ensuring that all returned items are discarded to avoid them being resent to another customer. This will help me prevent used-sold-as-new complaints related to prior returns.
What I will do to prevent similar complaints in the future:
I will continue sourcing all my inventory directly from a trusted supplier.
I will be regularly checking the condition of my items to ensure that all customers receive them in a 100% perfect state.
I will make sure that all items are packaged as securely and carefully as possible to prevent damage during transit.
I believe that my Plan of Action sufficiently addresses the issue and I am looking forward to having my offer reinstated.
Hello,
We received your submission but do not have enough information to reactivate your listings at this time. We cannot accept this invoice because we are unable to verify the supplier.
What happens now?
Your listings for the below item(s) will remain inactive. If we receive more complaints about your listings, we may deactivate your Amazon seller account.
The issue I have with my supplier invoice is that I produce the items on-site so the invoices that I sent are for the component parts highlighting the individual materials used in the production of the item.
The invoices do have supplier name, address, contact number, email and VAT number on them. The only thing the invoice doesn’t have is their website as they don’t sell online.
This is the first issue of this kind that I’ve had on any of my items on Amazon in nearly 8 years of selling, but I’m worried that based on other threads in the forum my account is now at risk.
What do you think the best approach is from here?
A - Leave it at that as the account is still ok for now. I’m not overly concerned about the single ASIN being deactivated.
B - Submit a further appeal with my supplier’s ltd. company number and more details about how I make the items up
C - Submit a further appeal with a letter from my supplier confirming their details and that they supply me with most of the component parts to make the item in question.
If there is something else that could be sent that I’m missing I’m open to suggestions too.
Any guidance would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Mark
34 replies
Seller_qHzcAWcsPVCfg
If I read your post correctly - you manufacture or assemble to goods yourself - therefore you need to invoice your sales dept from your assembly dept - invoice yourself - as Amazon want to see the purchase invoice of the product you sell.
Seller_qHzcAWcsPVCfg
I neither assemble nor manufacture - so no.
There are threads - including the K|ka one - which advocate this - as the only way to give Amazon what they want. Their bots never seem to understand a long explanation.
Seller_WTluE0oRgG3cy
I have done that even up to date invoices and a letter from the Rotary direct . stating i am authorised dealer
Seller_JlB6qM4r5mkjz
This is very odd as i have had the same complaint, just curious have sold alot of this item lately i mean a lot more than you would usually sell?
Seller_bmZ7TPb2qPaEl
I have done that even up to date invoices and a letter from the Rotary direct . stating i am authorised dealer
Would you be able to provide some info on what you actually included on the “in-house” invoice? That would really help if you are ok to share?
This is very odd as i have had the same complaint, just curious have sold alot of this item lately i mean a lot more than you would usually sell?
No, not really more than I have been if I’m honest. My issue is with a transaction where a customer has purchased from me previously and on that transaction left 5-star feedback so I’m not sure there was any malice from the customer. I could be wrong though!
Sorry, I wasn’t being clear. What I meant was create an invoice for a batch of items. I say this because I imagine you buy your materials in bulk in order to create your items in bulk. Also Amazon will usually want the invoices to cover the amount you’ve sold in the past year so it make sense. They’ll want the asins to be shown so don’t forget to add that.
Thank you. It is crazy as no supplier invoice would have ASINs on it, even for normal items purchased for resale. EAN or similar I would get but ASIN isn’t something I come across with suppliers outwith the Amazon bubble.
I’m going to take the advice and generate an invoice from me to me. I’ll update on how it goes if/when I hear back.
Seller_JVrK6emk6S3ur
Here’s some fake products that have been selling on amazon for years, yet amazon never does anything about it. They punish normal sellers the most. Its us genuine sellers that get the brunt of amazons force, not china.
I could link you thousands of listings, but i dont have the time.
Seller_aCJieShlpku0I
Hi don’t hold your breath. I had the same problem. Sent an image of the item in the original packaging showing Part No and Bar Code along with purchase Invoice from supplier and it got rejected as I need to enter a plan of action. For what I do not know. Madness
Seller_Gl5Go8reaxyYV
Same issue, a personalized item done unique, madness, there is no way around it, appealed like 3 times, been in the phone with amazon for hours. Always tell me the same thing, provided everything and it is obvious it can not be used as it is one of a kind. I gave up…
Seller_1cBeGNMRCRMac
We faced a similar issue recently where an item we sold had a micro scratch, customer asked for a swap which we agreed upon return of the original item but in the meantime our Best Seller listing was consequently removed.
Coming to your specific questions, each one under its own heading
What do you think the best approach is from here?
A - Leave it at that as the account is still ok for now. I’m not overly concerned about the single ASIN being deactivated.
Don’t ignore it because if you have another complaint about any other ASIN your whole account might be blocked and it will be 10 times harder to then satisfy Amazon.
Looking at your reply, you need to explain little bit more about what ‘in specific’ steps you have added to your packaging and production steps so this does not happen again. It may sound counterproductive but you need to write a lot more, however, boring this may sound. Just imagine writing for someone who does not know anything about your business or anything about packaging and sending/posting an item to your customer. Trust me. You will need a lot of patience to go through this. I am sure you feel what about my previous 5 star rating or 8 years of previous excellent selling on Amazon, unfortunately, the people or bots on the other side will not be considering that.
Cover any additional production and packaging steps you have added since this one incident and show that you are genuinely doing something so it does not happen ever again, a bit like ideal world situations. Also, add things like you have spoken to your supplier that they will add more packaging/checks when they are sending raw materials to you.
Also, include (if you have received the item back from the customer) what was your findings on receiving the item back, was any of it customer fault as they assembled the item? or they scratched it accidentally? Again don’t blame the customer outright, just be open and honest that you might have equally missed the flaw in the product to the customer.
B - Submit a further appeal with my supplier’s ltd. company number and more details about how I make the items up
Yes, definitely. In body of your email to the Product Review Team add a separate section about supplier information. In this section include as many details you can about your supplier, for example, Director/Owner name, Company number, Company name, VAT number and phone number. Also, explain here why your supplier does not have a website and how they can be contacted by Amazon if they need to verify their details.
To go a step further from the invoice you received from your suppliers mark each item for example A, B, C, D on the invoice and explain in your email how these items are used in your final product, a bit like step by step guide how your item is made.
Again this may sound long-winded process and sometimes giving away too much knowledge about your inside working but again this comes to the thing I wrote earlier, imagine they do not know anything about how your items are made.
To also show a genuine relationship between your company and supplier include a snapshot of bank statement where you have paid their invoice by Card/Bank Transfer.
I would suggest against producing invoices yourself for your own business like one department to the other as previously suggested.
C - Submit a further appeal with a letter from my supplier confirming their details and that they supply me with most of the component parts to make the item in question.
You can add this if they are happy to provide like a reference on their letter headed paper.
Again any pdf documents, pictures you attach to email, number them appropriately and then use these number reference in your email, for example please see attachment number 4 - A letter attached from our supplier confirming they supply raw materials to us since X number of years and then ensure this letter pdf/picture is attachment number 4 in your email.
Again you will need a lot of patience to go through this hurdle but it will be necessary if you want to eliminate any further dangers on your account. Think of this as your weekend assignment that you did not want but now you have to do it 
Good Luck and I hope this gets sorted for you quickly.
Aj
