Listings deactivated due to customer complaints that used book sold as new. Please help

Countries

Read only
Australia
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Egypt
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Netherlands
Poland
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
United Kingdom
imgSign in
Country changed
user profile
Seller_o32Nt9UVyhzSJ

Listings deactivated due to customer complaints that used book sold as new. Please help

Hi All

some of my listings are deactivated as described by Amazon. Below is an email I received from them.

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?
To send us the required information, please visit your Account Health Dashboard (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/performance/dashboard?ref=ah_em_pq) in Seller Central and click on the appeal link next to the impacted ASIN.
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.

We’re here to help
You can get help creating your plan in Seller Central Help (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/200370560).

You can view your account’s performance at (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/performance/dashboard?ref=ah_em_pq)
or select Account Health on the home screen of the Amazon Seller app on your iOS (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/amazon-Seller/id794141485)
or Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.sellermobile.android&hl=en) device.
The Account Health dashboard shows how well your account is performing against the performance metrics and policies required to sell on Amazon.

Thank you,
Amazon

Below is my action plan which was rejected.

Dear Amazon Seller performance Team

My listings have been deactivated due to a complaint logged by a customer regarding order listed below:

Used Item Sold as New

0571299474

From Quantum to Cosmos: The Universe Within

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to appeal against this and reactivate my listings.

I understand that Amazon takes failures to comply with their requirements very seriously and I would like to share with you my Plan of Action in which I explain what I have done to resolve the issue and what I will do to prevent similar complaints in the future.

Background:

I source my books from private individuals and selling books from my own library. These books are in the majority brand new never read. Some books are second hand and I list all books according to their condition. Used books are always listed as used and listed from the drop down menu on how used they are whether as new or acceptable.

There has been an incident recently where a book was sent to a customer that did not match the description. Upon receiving a message from the customer I immediately sent a message back to apologise for this accident. I also sent in that message possible option for me to resolve the issue for the customer leaving it in the customers discretion to decide which action he/she would like to take. This customer replied to my message asking to keep the book and receive a partial refund. I submitted the refund immediately upon receipt of the customers message.

Plan of action:
    The issue that led to the complaint was that the book contained some pencil marks as described by the customer. This was an omission on my part and resolved immediately with the customer by submitting a partial refund. I have given the customer an option to return the book with return postage paid by me.
    I have taken a few steps to prevent this incident from happening in the future by implementing a full book check prior to dispatch. If for some reason the book does not match the description for future sales I will get a replacement book sent out to the customer from a variety of sources including quick ordering of a book that does not match the description from local book retailers such as Waterstones, Heffers and Cambridge University Press all of which will be able to provide me with new condition books if necessary within a 24 hour period of time.
    I have Gone over my inventory in the last 3 days (approximately 1500 books) and have checked that each book listed on Amazon matches the description. All books checked are now matching the description as listed on Amazon.
    I have taken into account customer feedback which has not revealed any discrepancies in condition of books listed in the past apart from the one incident which led to my listings being deactivated.
    As always I package my books in safe cardboard packaging which ensures that books bought from my store always arrive in the condition described on Amazon and meets the strict Amazon policies.
I am a small seller of books on Amazon. I do not meet the thresholds for Ltd company set up nor do I meet the thresholds for VAT registration. The books I sell are mainly my own books that I have bought over a period of last 15 years creating a small collection of books. I have also purchased many books of of Amazon and am now reselling these. I have also sourced some of my books previously from private people. I do not use commercial suppliers unless the condition of the book does not match the condition specified on Amazon.

I hope that the above plan of action is sufficient to have my listings reactivate and that steps taken to resolve this will prevent any issues arising in the future.

Yours sincerely

Any advice on how to reword it to ensure that it gets accepted. I understand that nothing is guaranteed I could do with all the help I can get.
thanks in advance
Jimmy

680 views
23 replies
Tags:ASIN, Fees, Listings, Pricing, detail page
00
Reply
0 replies
user profile
Seller_qZO3ZCjoBXEeL

This would be your first mistake. The books you are selling are clearly second hand if you are buying from private individuals. As such they cannot be in ‘New’ condition, at best they can be ‘Used - Like New’

You are not buying new stock from a publisher to sell, so you cannot be selling new stock. Maybe frame your plan of action around that?

60
user profile
Seller_SDxk7G4q1WEMa

Trust me guys it is happening across a lot of different things not just books.
Looks like the bots are screwing up again. I had one removed for a used comment.
But I have had no returns, no negative feedback, nothing,
Cannot reason with a bot?

30
user profile
Seller_Qw9EPWXsOkzvw

Exactly the same thing happened to us in the run-up to Christmas with a brand new metal sign that we have sold for years at around £6. The customer gave no reason why they thought it might not be new, but they had previously returned it because they didn’t like it and we had already sent a full refund, so were very shocked by their accusation. Amazon deactivated the listing and also removed the premium shipping option from ALL of our listings for 4 weeks. Just before Christmas. Perfect!

Like you, we were told to jump through hoops and provide a detailed action plan etc to re-instate the listing. It simply wasn’t worth the time and effort for a £6 item so we withdrew it from Amazon completely and continue to sell it happily elsewhere, including a well-known “auction” site where it achieves a higher fixed price than Amazon ever did. We’ve reported the malicious “customer” and blocked him from buying from us ever again.

It’s disgusting that Amazon can treat it’s real customers (ie the business sellers) so badly and demand action plans and confidential business information without requesting a shred of evidence from the person making the accusation of selling second hand items instead of new ones.

Come on Amazon, you need to rethink your policy on this issue.

10
user profile
Seller_cDarHnP6PRJ0v

Hello @jackandjimmy,

As per the information provided I understand that you want some suggestion on writing an effective plan of action.

The books which you will procure from the manufacturer/supplier directly are considered as "NEW", if you are procuring the books from private individuals then those are not considered as new. These books should be sold under "USED" condition so that the buyers are not misled.

Below are some suggestion which will help you to write an effective plan of action:

Root Cause:

Along with this point write in detail why did you list the books which you got from an individual in NEW condition? Did you check the policy of amazon before listing these products?

Refer to the below link to understand the product condition policy:

LINK - https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/help.html?itemID=200339950&

Corrective Measure:

Mention the same in the appeal along with the immediate steps which you have already taken on the account to re-categories all other ASIN correctly.

Preventive Steps:

Above mentioned details are more reactive but as a part of preventive measures, you need to provide proactive steps which will avoid these complaints in the future.

1 - What proactive steps will you take to ensure the books are sourced from a reliable suppliers?

2 - Give detail description of change in the packaging which you have implemented.

3 - How will you ensure Amazon that the courier service you are using are handling your products correctly? If not, then what will be your steps against them?

4 - What steps will you take to ensure that you are shipping the correct item to the buyer?

Focus on the above points to make your appeal effective and make sure you have implemented those changes and then send the appeal.

You also need to send the invoice of the given ASIN, below are the requirement:

1 - Invoices must be procured with in last 365 days.

2 - Must have your supplier details.

3 - Quantity in invoices must reflect the sales volume on Amazon selling account.

If you have invoices then kindly submit it along with the plan of action. If in case you do not have the invoices, mention in the plan of action as to why you do not have them.

Good Luck,
Dhoni.

00
user profile
Seller_9UUlSlJeeHU0I

I too sell books. In my opinion there is a difference between “new” and “as new” . I buy many books from charity shops and many are in “as new” condition, not read (easy to notice if a book has been read or not) and in great as new condition. In addition many “new books” that one say buys from Waterstones, even if new many have bumped corners etc. If amazon think “as new” is equivalent to “new” they should not have that option for sellers to use.

Best Regards
Simone

00
user profile
Seller_ovMH8VuyV3OaR

Hi

I had similar problems with a customer as mine had a sticker mark on the seal (it was a DVD in my case ) basically Amazon Seller Support will make you jump through hoops but i will tell you what i did and it was the only way i got the listing reactivated , it may not be the best solution but at least the listing was reactivated , i described the item as Like New and in the Product Information column i described about the sticker mark on the seal.

Hope this helps

10
Follow this discussion to be notified of new activity