Amazon customers need to be able to shop with confidence and receive products in the condition they expect. As a seller on Amazon, you play an important role in ensuring that buyers know what to expect when they purchase an item from you. Describing your products accurately and addressing potential product condition issues early by following the best practices below will help you prevent customer complaints, protect your reputation as a seller, and keep your account healthy.
Product condition issues create a poor customer experience and can negatively impact your Account Health. By following Amazon’s Product authenticity and quality guidelines, Listing quality guidelines, and Condition guidelines, you can ensure that customers have a positive experience when shopping on Amazon.
Below are some of the most common product issues that can lead to customer complaints. Whether you fulfil your own orders or use FBA, proactively identifying and addressing these issues will ensure a positive customer experience and help you avoid potential enforcements.
Condition issue | Reason for complaint |
---|---|
Scratches, scuffs, or other physical imperfections | Scratches, scuffs, or other physical imperfections are not consistent with New condition guidelines, and can lead customers to perceive an item as Used. Any products listed in New condition should have no scratches or scuffs. |
Items that are dirty, soiled, or have hair, stains, odours, or other substances | These issues indicate previous use and create a poor customer experience. Soiled, dirty, or heavily stained products are not permitted on Amazon under any listing condition. |
Previously opened product packaging | A product package that has been previously opened indicates that a product is used or has been returned and resold. In order to meet New condition guidelines, products should arrive in their original, unopened packaging. |
Missing or broken seal or protective covering | When customers receive items that have a broken seal or are missing a seal entirely, they may believe the item has been used or tampered with, especially in the case of consumable products and liquids, gels, or creams. A lack of seal can also lead to spilling, leakage, and other product issues.
Keep in mind that customers’ expectations and perceptions may be different for e-commerce items as compared to items bought in a physical store. Seals for items purchased online help improve customer confidence in the product they receive. |
Wear and tear, signs of age, or damage | These issues indicate previous use and create a poor customer experience. While signs of wear are acceptable for Used condition items, damaged or expired products are not permitted on Amazon under any listing condition. |
Missing parts | Missing parts compromise the functionality of an item and may lead to complaints about the product being defective or used. Shipping an item that is missing essential material or parts is prohibited. |
Item doesn’t work at all or doesn’t work as expected | Customers expect products to work as described in the listing. If a product arrives and does not function, in whole or in part, this creates a poor experience for customers. |
Wrong item, size, colour, or style received | Customers expect to receive the correct product in the correct size, colour, or style they ordered. Shipping the wrong item or a different size, colour, or style of a product without notifying the customer first creates a poor customer experience. |
Different language, country version, model, or edition | Customers expect to receive the specific country version, language, edition, or model that they ordered. Shipping a different version of an item than advertised in the listing is prohibited. |
The best way to prevent and proactively address complaints is to monitor your feedback from customers. Review buyer messages, customer feedback, product reviews, claims, returns, and the Voice of the Customer dashboard to understand what customers are saying about your products. This information can also be a helpful indicator of the things that could affect the quality and condition of your products.
Consider the following factors if you receive customer complaints regarding the quality and condition of your products:
Accurate listing
Quality audits
Secure packaging
Storage and shipping
Returns processing