PRODUCT DAMAGED BY THE CUSTOMER
I have a $120 product which frequently has returns in which customers say they are returning it for this reason: "Unwanted item" however the product is returned to Amazon (FBA) "damaged by the customer." So far I have lost money in these cases. Does any of you know if you can make a claim to Amazon (FBA) to request a refund for these sales? That is, when customers damage items sold by FBA, does the seller lose money?
PRODUCT DAMAGED BY THE CUSTOMER
I have a $120 product which frequently has returns in which customers say they are returning it for this reason: "Unwanted item" however the product is returned to Amazon (FBA) "damaged by the customer." So far I have lost money in these cases. Does any of you know if you can make a claim to Amazon (FBA) to request a refund for these sales? That is, when customers damage items sold by FBA, does the seller lose money?
0 replies
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
Amazon always claims damaged by customer, because that is on YOU......
Seller_J46Ruz3VzvWCV
Sadly there is nothing you can do unless you sell FBM.
Seller_jq3BWDvk1Efln
Welcome to Amazon, by this question I am assume you are new seller.
In this case you have to make an removal order for damaged item, check if your product is actually damage or not by your self, ofcourse you have to pay for return as well. if your product really damage contact amazon with product opening video. You might get some reimbursement this time but not always.
When you do FBM, you will face situation like product never arrived even if you ship with tracking information and coverage. When shipping company says product delivered, you are not eligible for any claims. and good luck with A to Z customer claim. You have to fight for weeks or sometimes months. Be ready to spend times with Amazon due to some fraud customers.
Further in some category like Clothing, Shoes and Jewelry which comes in various sizes USA market place return ratio is high and always free return policy by Amazon both with FBA or FBM. As international seller I hate this policy but there is nothing I can do.
Seller_z1JDNz6de1lqc
Even with FBM majority of the time you still loose. At least we all learned something that it is ok to buy items and damage them thanks Amazon we got one back where customer punched hole through item while opening shipping carton guess it was our fault or the did not approve guy that has gotten 5 orders past us all returned opened and missing parts again thanks Amazon educating us on what is ok to to do with purchases made from this site.
Jameson_Amazon
Hi @Seller_dg1xm3bwgchfi,
Thank you for reaching out about this! I'm happy to see that other seller's have chimed in with some insights here.
Please note that for an item to be eligible under the FBA inventory reimbursement policy, all of the following must be true:
- The item is registered in FBA at the time it is lost or damaged.
- The item complies with FBA product restrictions and with FBA inventory requirements.
- You have sent us the exact items and quantities stated in your shipping plan.
- The shipment for the item is not in canceled or deleted status.
- The item is not pending disposal or was not disposed of at your request or because we have exercised a right to do so.
- The item is not defective and was not damaged by a customer.
- When a lost or damaged item claim is filed, under review, and during any appeals, the seller’s account must be in normal status.
For more information on this reimbursement policy, I would highly recommend reading through this help page.
I know this unfortunately wasn't the answer you were hoping for, I apologize for that! If you have any additional questions about this, please don't hesitate to reach out.
All the best,
Jameson
Seller_aEzr9PjpfpuxN
yes there is something you can do. stop selling through FBA sand start selling through FBM
Problem solved
Seller_Ha6JyVvDK6Ybs
Product damaged by customers result in denied safe-t claims and loss on all shipping they it is not covered when customers damage items.
Seller_y7K2usRrDUAe8
1) FBA isn't for everyone and/or every product. I wanted to state this because there are sellers that dive STRIAGHT IN with FBA without considering the multitude of factors that impact your long-term profitability.
2) No, there is NOT MUCH you can do with cases like this. You can submit for reimbursement, but there is a lot of "what if" that would prevent you from getting that reimbursement.
3) For anyone who worked in retail before, we would die laughing when the industry tried to follow Amazon's return policy, and boy it was a fun one seeing those returns.
Seller_24FzucbyGtgZS
Better yet sell on another platform. We have a catalog of more than 20,000 item but only list 400 on Amazon. The entire catalog is on eBay, our own website, 1000 select items on Ecrater and custom order products on Etsy. Plus we have a brick & mortar store.
Amazon is a fraction of our business and we would NEVER give Amazon 1 inch or control more than necessary to be profitable. That includes NEVER selling FBA.
With bad Amazon customers (remember they belong to Amazon and NOT us which Amazon loves to remind us of) - if they commit fraud we report them to their local police departments as well as to the Postal Inspectors.
When an Amazon bot deactivates a listing because it picked up a key word in a scammer's return request we zero out the quantity so Amazon buyers cannot order it - eventually removing the listing completely from Amazon's store.
Seller_CyGI7lF1437gx
Online sales (no matter where you sell) is a rent-a-center type of business. We are all it. If the item is salvageable, sell it as used.
