Hi all,

I’m looking for advice from experienced sellers as I’ve reached a complete dead end with Amazon and I’m facing a £700 loss.

This is an FBM order on Amazon.co.uk for a custom gaming PC.

Order ID: 026-6421254-9144323

Item value: £699.99

Dispatch date: 8 May 2026

Tracking info, Evri: C00HHA0626632254

Amazon has issued a full refund of £699.99 and my proceeds show -£699.99, so I’ve completely lost the funds.

What has happened is that I dispatched the item albeit slightly late with valid tracking, but Amazon refunded the buyer before the situation was fully resolved.

I submitted a SAFE-T claim which was denied, and I’ve been told I cannot appeal further because it is outside the 7 day window. Seller Support keeps telling me to contact the buyer, which I have already done multiple times but have been purposley ignored.

Actions I’ve taken so far:

I have messaged the buyer multiple times through Amazon with no response.

I have sent a formal letter by post to the delivery address and have had no response after over a week.

I have tried escalating through Seller Support but have been told there is nothing more they can do.

Current situation:

The buyer has the refund.

I do not have the item back.

Amazon has closed the case.

SAFE-T is no longer available.

I am left with a £700 loss.

At this point I need to understand what realistic options I have left.

Has anyone successfully escalated a SAFE-T denial after the 7 day limit?

Is there any internal escalation route that still works at this stage?

In situations like this, is the only option now either a courier claim or small claims court against the buyer if delivery is confirmed?

Has anyone actually taken legal action against a buyer in a case like this and recovered the money?

I’m not looking for generic advice like “contact the buyer” as I have already done that multiple times with no response.

Any advice from sellers who have dealt with high value FBM losses would be really appreciated.

Thanks.

Thank you for your response, Billy.

I understand that Amazon now works with third-party financing providers, but in my experience these providers are nowhere near as good as Amazon Lending was.

One of my biggest concerns is that third-party lenders require direct access to a lot of personal and business information, including bank account details and identification documents. As a seller, it is much easier to trust Amazon, a company I have worked with for over 8 years, than multiple external finance companies.

The repayment structure is also much less attractive. Amazon Lending offered clear and straightforward terms with fixed repayments. Many third-party providers take a percentage of sales, which can become very expensive and makes it harder to plan cash flow and business growth.

Over the years, I received several Amazon Lending offers, including facilities approaching £200,000. I never had any issues, always made payments on time, and found the process simple, transparent, and fast. The funds were available quickly and helped me grow my business significantly.

I strongly believe Amazon should bring back its direct lending facilities, or at least offer sellers the option to choose between Amazon Lending and third-party providers. Many long-term sellers would feel much more comfortable dealing directly with Amazon rather than external lenders.

I hope Amazon seriously considers this feedback, as direct Amazon Lending was one of the most valuable benefits available to growing sellers.

Thank you.

@Seller_NsKjQqJ8b47ISwe keep going round in circles. WE have had the same incorrect responses again today. This is crazy. Can you intervene and get this urgently looked at by a specialist in the catalogue team plesae. None of the support agents know how to sort this problem out and just send the same stock answers when they can't. This has now been a live issue since 28th April and our case is now on 8 pages of nonsense, doesn't this show everyon what a joke Amazon is these days?

Have only recently been moved onto the DD+7 policy but was expecting to be able to disperse my first 3 payments today but still zero funds available.

1) first order was on 5 May, delivered 8 May, expected disbursement 15 May

2) second & third orders were on 6 May, delivered 8 May, expected disbursement 15 May

Is there any obvious reason for the payments not to be showing as available for disbursement for today?

First of all, I would like to state that this order was dispatched on time and delivered 2 days earlier than the estimated delivery date.

The customer appears to have attempted to obtain a free exchange of the hoodie. When we refused this, the customer damaged our item and returned it back to us.

We have provided all evidence, including photos taken before dispatch, proof that the item was brand new, and the customer’s own damage photos. The photos supplied by the customer clearly show a hoodie that looks approximately 6 to 10 months old. However, after we made it clear that we had evidence, the customer returned our actual product back to us instead.

Anyone who properly reviews the full message history and evidence will clearly understand what happened and who is correct.

Because of the evidence, we refunded only 1% of the order value, as Amazon does not allow a 100% deduction in the return refund process. The customer then opened an A-to-z Guarantee claim. Unfortunately, as usual, the claim was granted without properly checking the evidence, and ODR was incorrectly applied to our account.

This is extremely frustrating. The A-to-z team must properly review seller evidence before making decisions that directly damage our business. Please recheck the full evidence, remove the incorrect ODR impact, and reverse this wrong decision.

25 Apr 2026 19:33

Dear Amazon Seller,

This is Amazon’s Customer Service team. A customer reached out to us with some questions about a purchase they made from you. Here’s a description of the issue:

Return requested: No

Reason for contact: Item have burnt hole in it so please issue refund without returning the item

Please respond to this request within 48 hours.

Thanks,

Amazon Customer Service

25 Apr 2026 19:45

Hi Joshua,

Thank you for your message.

We’re sorry to hear about the issue reported.

To properly assess this, we kindly ask you to provide clear photos from multiple angles, including:

The outer packaging

The product itself

Close-up images of the reported damage (burnt area)

Any internal packaging

This helps us fully understand the situation and take appropriate action.

Please note, in line with our return policy, we do not offer returnless refunds. If the item is confirmed to be faulty or damaged, it will need to be returned to us for inspection before a refund can be processed.

Once we receive the requested photos, we will guide you through the next steps.

Kind regards

25 Apr 2026 19:55

There is a whole at the top the logos are coming off, it’s smells of fire and the white has dirt marks on it

25 Apr 2026 19:56

Please send me a good quality one

25 Apr 2026 19:57

It’s very selfish what you done with the ability since it’s a present, don’t try and scam me. You clearly send a 2nd hand one to me.

25 Apr 2026 20:19

Dear Joshua,

Thank you for the photos.

We are sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the condition of the item. However, we must be very clear that we do not send used or second-hand items. This item was purchased as new before dispatch, and we also hold the purchase invoice and dispatch evidence confirming this.

We understand your frustration, especially as you mentioned this was intended as a present, but please keep the communication respectful. We are a serious business and we will review this matter properly with Amazon using the photos you provided and our own evidence.

As explained, we do not offer returnless refunds or replacements without the item being returned first. Please return the item through the normal Amazon return process. Once the item is received back and inspected, we will process the refund or replacement according to Amazon policy and the condition of the returned item.

Kind regards

25 Apr 2026 21:05

Your quiet clearly not a professional bussiness sending used items out as new,

I’ll send it back and Amazon are also investigating. It’s a scam

25 Apr 2026 21:12

Hi Joshua,

Thank you for your message.

We would like to clearly state that we do not sell or dispatch second-hand items. All products we supply are brand new and sourced through verified channels. This is standard practice across Amazon, as any used or returned items would not be resold as new.

We understand your concerns, however we kindly ask that communication remains respectful while we work towards resolving this matter.

As previously advised, please proceed with the official return process. Once the item is received and inspected, we will take the appropriate action in line with Amazon policies.

Kind regards

25 Apr 2026 21:13

We have already opened a case with Amazon and provided our purchase invoice and full dispatch records for their review. We are fully cooperating with Amazon to ensure this matter is investigated properly.

25 Apr 2026 22:32

Yeah you can provide all that but the evidence still stands it was delivered today at 6pm and photos taken at 6:10pm to show the damage you ruined a birthday present with this second hand item

It will come back to you Monday

Thanks again for ruining someone’s day with this scam

25 Apr 2026 22:39

Hi Joshua,

You are purchasing through the Amazon platform, where you always have the option to return an item if you change your mind or are not satisfied with it.

No seller on this platform would send a second-hand item and expect a customer to accept it, as this would simply result in a return. It is not a logical or sustainable way to operate.

As mentioned before, we have an invoice confirming that your item was purchased as brand new. We do not open or inspect the internal contents of sealed products; we check the external labels and dispatch them directly to customers.

Therefore, the suggestion that we are intentionally sending used items is not correct or professional.

Please proceed with the return through Amazon, and once we receive the item, we will inspect it and resolve the matter accordingly.

Kind regards

3 May 2026 08:10

It was defiantly second hand don’t try and mug me off, the item was posted back yesterday.

Please return my money, my grandads friend Brian Olsavsky who’s the CFO is looking into it now

3 May 2026 08:23

Hi Joshua,

We acknowledge your message.

As previously explained, all items we dispatch are brand new and sourced through verified supply channels. We do not sell or dispatch second-hand products under any circumstances.

You have confirmed that the item has now been returned. Once the return is delivered to us, it will be inspected in line with Amazon’s return policy. After inspection, the appropriate outcome will be processed, whether that is a refund or otherwise, depending on the condition of the returned item.

At this stage, a refund cannot be issued before the item is physically received and checked.

We also ask that communication remains respectful. We are handling this matter in full compliance with Amazon policy and will continue to cooperate with any review.

Kind regards

6 May 2026 01:04

Hi Joshua,

We have now received and fully inspected the returned item.

We need to be very clear. The photos you sent before returning the item do not match the returned item we received.

In your original photos:

The item appears visibly used and worn

The print/pattern appears faded and aged

The hole appears larger and different in shape

The condition shown is not consistent with a brand-new item

The item returned to us is our product, but the damage is different from the photos you provided. The hole on the returned item is smaller and does not match the original damage shown in your photos.

This means the photos you originally provided were not a true representation of the item returned to us.

Also, your original claim was that the item had a “burnt hole.” We have inspected the returned item and there is no burn smell, no fire smell, no melting, and no evidence of heat damage. The damage is a tear, not a burn.

We have supplier invoice and dispatch evidence confirming the item was sent brand new and unopened.

After we refused a refund without return, the item returned to us now has damage in a similar area, but it does not match the photos you originally sent. This is a serious inconsistency.

We have already sent all evidence to Amazon, including:

Your original photos

Our inspection photos

Full message history

Supplier invoice proving the item was brand new

Amazon has confirmed that no refund has been issued and that the refund decision is at our discretion.

Because the returned item is damaged, not in original condition, and not resalable, we will not be issuing a refund.

This case will also be reported to Amazon due to the inconsistent evidence and return condition.

Kind regards

6 May 2026 06:10

Dear Amazon Seller,

This is Amazon’s Customer Service team. A customer reached out to us with some questions about a purchase they made from you. Here’s a description of the issue:

Product:

Order number:

Return requested: No

Reason for contact: Please kindly help the cx with the full refund and also the return postage refund

Please respond to this request within 48 hours.

Thanks,

Amazon Customer Service

6 May 2026 08:40

Hello Amazon,

We have already submitted all evidence, including supplier invoice, buyer photos, inspection photos, and full buyer-seller message history, to both Amazon Customer Support and the A-to-Z team for review.

From our side, we have followed Amazon policy correctly at every stage:

* Item was dispatched brand new and unopened

* Returnless refund request was refused in line with policy

* Return was accepted for inspection

* Full inspection was completed upon receipt

At this stage, due to the inconsistencies identified and the returned item being damaged and not resalable, we do not agree to issue a refund or return postage reimbursement.

We will now wait for Amazon’s final review and decision based on all evidence already provided.

Kind regards

6 May 2026 22:14

Please don’t refund 36p please refund the full amount £36 and postage

6 May 2026 22:30

Hi Joshua,

We need clarification regarding the differences between the photos you originally sent and the item returned to us.

In your original photos:

- The hole appeared much larger

- The print/pattern looked faded and heavily worn

- You described it as burnt and smelling of fire

However, the returned item:

- Has a smaller tear in a different shape

- Appears in much newer condition

- Shows no burn marks, melting, or fire smell

Can you please explain why the item in the original photos does not match the item returned to us?

Kind regards

8 May 2026 19:16

Could you also resend me the postage fee please

8 May 2026 19:29

Hi Joshua,

We have already asked you to clarify the serious inconsistency between the photos you originally sent and the item returned to us, but you have not answered this question.

Regarding the postage fee, please clarify what postage fee you are referring to. As far as we can see, the return was processed through Amazon and a free return label was provided. We have not received any evidence that you personally paid any return postage cost.

If you believe you paid a separate postage fee, please provide proof of payment showing the amount paid, the date, and the tracking/reference number.

Kind regards