Let’s talk about it again: Buyer claims "item not received" even with signed POD — Amazon refunds anyway
I know this has been discussed countless times, and it's still hard to believe how little protection FBM sellers have — even when we do everything right.
A buyer placed an order for two of our heavy gym machines:
- 1 Leg Extension Machine (shipped in one box)
- 1 Hack Squat Machine (shipped in three boxes)
Shipping timeline:
The Leg Extension Machine was delivered on April 18, marked as delivered with tracking.
The Hack Squat Machine’s three boxes were all delivered on April 22, and we have a signed Proof of Delivery (POD) from the customer.
[Moderator Edit: removed personal information]
Despite this, the buyer filed an "item not received" claim for the Hack Squat Machine.
And what did Amazon do? They refunded $900 — without contacting us at all.
We submitted a SAFE-T claim (ID: 17683-95921-5073423) with all the delivery evidence, including POD, tracking details, and carrier confirmation.
Amazon rejected the claim. No explanation. No appeal. No support.
So what are we supposed to do as sellers?
We shipped a 250+ lb machine. We paid for freight. The buyer signed for it. And Amazon still refunded the order out of our pocket.
This isn't a small, lightweight package that might go missing. It’s a massive machine that takes effort to deliver and install.
There’s simply no accountability when buyers make false claims, and it's sellers who eat the loss — every time.
How can any of us have confidence selling high-ticket items on this platform when even a signed POD means nothing?
12 replies
Minerva_Amazon
Hello @Seller_JqmJP9mcdOOf2,
I had to delete some images because a full address was visibile which is considered a personal data according to the Community Guidelines.
I reviewed the SAFE-T claim and decided to open an internal review requesting for more information on the rejection. According to the notification received in the Manage SAFE-T Claims section of Seller Central, the rejection was due to not using the claim-protected Buy Shipping Services but I requested more information on this.
I will keep you updated here as soon as I receive more info!
Seller_kARZ2itTTksYY
Does this mean that using Buy Shipping Service is the ONLY way to get protected? Is Signature Confirmation equal to nothing if Buy Shipping Service is not used?
Amazon, just use Yes or No to answer the above questions. No need to waste more playing-around words.
Seller_Ha6JyVvDK6Ybs
That customer used the exact wording to get FREE items courtesy of Amazon. Customers like this are Amazons #1 customers as they generate lots of transactional fees and are repeat claimers of FREE service.
Seller_tYAyyNfQLr75G
If you use Buy Shipping in Amazon, select Fedex, and you don't request a signature, then Fedex (and UPS) takes a picture of the delivery. If you ask for a signature, then the assumption is a photo is not needed as it was handed to a person - but a picture is worth more than a signature. If you go to Fedex/UPS website, you will be able to download the pictures and upload them as evidence. Doesn't help you know. But maybe in the future.