Seller Fulfilled Prime
Hey Guys,
We are looking at the Seller Fulfilled Prime option at the moment, and hoping to get some advise.
What are the benefits vs FBA, are there any big issues with the service.
Also looking at the rates in the user manual for 20-50 items these seem quite high. Does the prices drop the more you send via amazon shipping? Anyone got any examples of volume they send via prices.
Any help would be great before we jump in.
Thanks
0 replies
Seller_a7MrxjS6zgY22
If you search the forum for ‘Seller Fulfilled Prime’ and ‘SFP’ you’ll get a wealth of information.
There’s a couple of discussions about its pitfalls on the front page as we speak.
Seller_EJIX7rqDNQJi2
I would strongly advise you not to opt into the Seller Fulfilled Prime.
Otherwise, be prepared to see the Amazon Customer Service issuing full refunds on your behalf with no prior notice or option to appeal, as all customer service for SFP is handled by Amazon.
Then, you will have to spend weeks fighting to get your money back from each of those refunded orders by filling Safe-T claims, which are often denied if you fail to meet any of their numerous conditions.
FBA is much better and hassle-free, at least according to my own experience.
Seller_j4qOx3FnSoENm
Tried it, didn’t like it.
Call me a control freak but I don’t like putting control of customer service , refunds etc. all in the hands of Amazon.
Plus it’s very easy to lose SFP with the on time delivery metrics (we’ve lost next day delivery a couple of times because RM special delivery didn’t deliver on time).
If you do go for it, don’t put all your inventory through it - only those where you can absorb the higher postage cost that you will need to do.
Seller_saK5Ah2SaNYjL
I trialled if for 6 weeks but took any SFP products off it 2 days ago. We sell personalised products on SFP that we can’t sell FBA. We were getting 20+ orders in the hour before cut off with no chance of getting them completed in time. I might try it again in the New Year without the stress of Christmas order volumes. I haven’t decided yet.
The metrics were quite poor too. Although 100% dispatch on time and no cancellations, delivery was running at 90%. With RM backlogs it doesn’t stand a chance at Christmas. We were fortunate not to have any INR refunds or return requests. The idea of getting those on customised products is a bit of a worry.
Seller_DqrfcjPSz97ET
Thanks for input so far. What about the rates through amazon shipping do they reduce greatly on volume?
Seller_THte9Ti6D9kqC
Good:
- Generally you will get more sales but not as much as FBA.
- You do all the logistics\postage and customer service
- You don’t have to post to Amazon FBA (saves a little there)
- No lost inventory when shipping to FBA
- No lost inventory whilst at FBA
- No FBA additional Fees
Bad:
- You have to use specific couriers DPD and Royal Mail 24h/48h sevice - you cannot just use Royal Mail Special delivery
- We were using it but whilst we had 100% postage ratio, due to DPD failures we lost SFP status due to late and “refused” deliveries. 1 item lost and 1 item stolen in transit - that was very bad experience for us
- Also if customer returns any items original DPD fee is non-refundable so you’re at loss if customer returns unwanted item and that’s like £7- £8 a pop
- Due to late deliveries we’ve received negative feedback which was actually never removed, despite 2 appeals - both denied. Eventually I resolved it with customer at a £23.00 loss.
I would definitely try it, not sure if I would use it anymore though
Seller_Zl4t3wrkSGi8T
I used SFP for the (as Amazon recommend) slower moving items and larger heavier items. 95% (I think) of your orders must be bought through Buy Delivery on Amazon. This meant of the 4 orders I had for SFP in one month, one of them had to be sent via UPS, which meant only 75% of my orders were shipped via Amazon, I had to submit an action plan grovelling!
Month 2 - 2 orders. Both had to be sent via UPS (DPD wasnt available at the time on buy shipping) - Another action plan submitted.
Really not worth the hassle or the expense, especially as I had to re-apply for a royal mail collection when my tracked one was cancelled, which no one told me about. Had to leave early to drop mail sacks off at the post office every day for a week
