The Problem With Amazon Not Providing Customer Email Addresses
I fulfil my orders FBM and I have a high percentage of orders in Europe, it is already extremely difficult to fulfil these orders due to Brexit, IOSS and customs errors. When booking deliveries the delivery companies require me to provide the customer’s email address. In this day and age everyone communicates via email, it is even the preferred method of communication for Amazon. Amazon does not provide the customer’s email address to sellers, this is causing a lot of problems with fulfilling orders as the delivery companies need this to communicate when the order will be delivered to the customer. I have now noticed that many companies are now providing a PIN number that the customer is required to provide the delivery driver to complete the delivery. The PIN is provided via email, this means without the customer email the delivery can’t be completed. I usually provide my own email address and then communicate the information to the customer however many customer’s don’t check their Amazon messages, others don’t like opening attachments and others don’t even receive the messages at all.
With Amazon’s outdated feedback and A-Z claim policies, the unfair pricing policy and the detrimental and damaging EDD +7 account reserve policy it’s already extremely difficult to survive on this platform. Amazon already provide customer telephone numbers so why not provide the email as well? It is now vital information in these times, it always feels like Amazon want to make life difficult for us sellers. No doubt if a customer’s order is returned or a negative feedback or claim is placed by the buyer because they did not have the PIN number Amazon won’t say okay it’s not your fault, what they’ll do is smash the seller’s ODR and penalise the seller. Providing the email address is such a small thing but makes a massive difference to the seller. Here is an example of the communication from SEUR the Spanish delivery service:
@Julia_Amazon
@Ezra_Amazon
@Winston_Amazon
Seller_76AUwmqvSyRIM
I sympathise.
You can get the customer email address by downloading an order report (from the order reports menu). I have software that does it but you can easily do it manually.
However, the email address is an Amazon one and most likely, any emails sent to it will be blocked by Amazon as being unsolicited (or blocked by customer choice) and won't be delivered.
Seller_O8uJKvMnYDGVw
I text them on the provided number and explain why i need the email, it's a pain I know but works a treat.
Seller_IQo80d99W2DzP
Don_Dadda_Unlimited - you will have lots of issues if you just provide the email address to the courier.
You need to provide your own email address, then contact the Buyer via Amazon email when you receive any update from the courier.
The email address you can obtain is not the real email address, it is an alias, as such, Amazon forward the email, BUT, unless you put [Important] in front of the title header, the email is rejected most times (as Amazon's default is to say Buyers do not want emails from Sellers). As such the couriers email will be blocked and you will not know either!
You may always go to the Buyers Order, click on the Buyers name and send a Legal email, have an attachment with details of how to contact ref couriers etc. That way Buyers know it is important.
Once that email us sent, go back to the emails sent, click on All emails and it shows you the Buyers Alias email address. You can then forward any further email from the courier to the Buyer. BUT, Amazon can say a violation if any phone numbers etc! (so again worth taking a screenshot and providing as an attachment), just saying in the main body of the email URGENT regarding the Amazon Order Courier Delivery, please action the attachment immediately.
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Many Buyers of course ignore all email messages, or they go to Junk, so unless a door-to-door delivery, maybe do not send to that country, or use a different courier. You leave yourself open to A-Z Claims, Bad Feedback, etc.
Clearly, Amazon really only want Sellers to use FBA internationally, they cause so many problems otherwise. It is a pity they do not have a scheme like eBay to forward parcels internationally.
