Unfortunately I might have to say goodbye to Amazon
Hi all,
I’m posting here to see if anyone has any idea on what to do next otherwise I will have to close my account.
I’ve been selling in the “beer and wine” category in UK since like 2018 always using FBA. Amazon keeps encouraging via email sellers to add more products, expand to more marketplaces etc so over time I went from selling a single product to have a catalogue of around 25 and also expanded to Germany.
I have a full time job so this little business has always been a hobby. Some times I was tempted to hire staff to help me, rent a building, create my own brand etc but I always ended up not taking any risks. In retrospective, I’m glad I did that.
A month or so ago, suddenly all my products become stranded, showing that “You need approval to sell: Beer & Wine category”. I got this a few times over the years and was always able to provide the required documentation and get this sorted out quickly. Unfortunately, this time seems to be different as I’m getting “your account does not qualify” message right away. After a long exchange of messages with customer support finally someone pointed out to the guidelines where I saw a new requirement being added:
“Your country of establishment must be within the UK to sell Beer, Wine & Spirits on Amazon.co.uk.”
https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/help/hub/reference/201815620
In summary, a few weeks ago Amazon was encouraging me via email to add more products to their catalogue with special conditions (no storage fees for a few months I think) and all of a sudden they put that requirement in place and block all my stock.
Chat support, ticket support and calls are useless. I always get the same copy paste messages.
I’ve always done everything to comply with Amazon guidelines. Account is healthy, lifetime feedback is 100%. After Brexit kicked in it took me ages to understand how to fill in all the required paperwork to pay the correct import VAT and excise duties etc. It’s very annoying having to close my little business that I’ve kept investing in it (money and time) and growing slowly over the years.
The DE marketplace is a very small percentage of my sales so I won’t keep the business open if I can’t get a way around this requirement in the UK.
This message is my last hope to see if anyone has any idea on what to do next, but I guess with that requirement in place and my company being established in the EU there’s not much to do.
Is it worth sending an email to the MD inbox? I heard some people here recommending that for other issues but I don’t know if they even reply.
Thanks in advance!
0 replies
Seller_esvgLzKXw2YAl
Where are you actually located? Not in the UK I presume?
If so, then it’s likely to be something to do with the licensing laws, rather than Amazon itself.
I would suggest that you start finding out, before having the battle.
Have you checked through the below?
Note: You can find further information on the responsibilities of food business operators in the EU on the European Commission’s website, and information on the responsibilities of food business operators in the UK on the UK Government Food Standards Agency’s website.
Seller_Xs9z0CQY3t4Xf
Thanks for your replies.
@NEil Company is established in Portugal. I’m not really interested in moving the country of establishment to the UK (if that’s even possible) or open a new company but based in the UK for this…
I checked those links but can’t find anything showing non-UK companies can’t sell “beer, wine, liquors” in the UK. Now with Brexit all products have to be declared for customs and import VAT and duty is paid when they enter the UK so I don’t understand the reason for this requirement.
@The_Little_Shop Yes, VAT registered in the UK and DE as I’ve always sold using FBA.
Seller_Nprc5XWvdLYk9
It might be worth writing to the MD office.
and also mention they didnt warn you in advance that the rules were changing.
and the recent emails encouraging you to expand your product range etc.
