That will finish it for me...
Just received:
"Your account has a gap of two days or more between your set handling time and your actual handling time. You can choose to close this gap by manually setting an accurate handling time on your account and SKUs or by enabling automated handling time.
On September 25, 2024, your handling time gap will be measured, and if it remains above two days as per our policy for on-time delivery, you will be auto-enrolled into having automated handling time enabled and will no longer be able to disable automated handling time. "
So this is the second time I will be punished for delighting buyers with early delivery by being forced to make promises I can't always keep, disappointing buyers, getting negative feedback and other issues because instead of early, items are delivered late (USPS is good about that lately)
I will delete every SKU they force this on and close out if it affects too many. of course first I will have a few late shipments as I don't care what they tell me, i KNOW what days I can ship or not. So it's my fault that some buyers purchase on a shipping day and it goes out that same day, while others purchase 3 hours later and it CAN'T go out until 3 days later?
I am so tired of everything here.....
That will finish it for me...
Just received:
"Your account has a gap of two days or more between your set handling time and your actual handling time. You can choose to close this gap by manually setting an accurate handling time on your account and SKUs or by enabling automated handling time.
On September 25, 2024, your handling time gap will be measured, and if it remains above two days as per our policy for on-time delivery, you will be auto-enrolled into having automated handling time enabled and will no longer be able to disable automated handling time. "
So this is the second time I will be punished for delighting buyers with early delivery by being forced to make promises I can't always keep, disappointing buyers, getting negative feedback and other issues because instead of early, items are delivered late (USPS is good about that lately)
I will delete every SKU they force this on and close out if it affects too many. of course first I will have a few late shipments as I don't care what they tell me, i KNOW what days I can ship or not. So it's my fault that some buyers purchase on a shipping day and it goes out that same day, while others purchase 3 hours later and it CAN'T go out until 3 days later?
I am so tired of everything here.....
65 replies
Seller_FwpA1naSVnywt
Very bad policy.
At least they say they will not de-activate over late shipments re items that get entrapped by this monstrous policy.
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
LOL, yeah....right.......
Seller_LFkcBs5YkkhhM
Too many Amazon employees sitting around with nothing to do except to dream up outrageous, monstrous, hurtful, and idiotic policies that antagonize and torment long time sellers. Ideas are then passed up the Amazon food chain until they arrive at the desks of prime candidates for induction into the "Peter Principle" hall of fame.
Seller_TTc5Vo48AaOHg
post.Unfortunately, walking away isn't an option for us. I've spent a very significant amount of time this week focused on figuring this out and trying to get clarification, and so far nothing has actually been answered or even acknowledged that the questions have been heard. Just cut and past links back to the same language in the same announcements and emails that I asked to be clarified.
So, the only way to interrupt that response, is that this is a take it or leave it edict. OK then, I'm a rule follower. I will do my best to comply.
But, something I hope someone, somewhere will consider is that while I've been focused on this, I have not added any new products, started any advertising campaigns, worked on adding any EBC or video content, improving any images, no AB experiments, none of that.
The only actual Amazon related business tasks accomplished so far this week are limited to decreasing the maximum allowed order qty and waiting until the Ship By Date on the order to process it, which appear to work counter to the good buying experience that was stated as the goal. I can't make sense of it, but cannot afford to spend much more time and energy trying to.
I cannot be pressured and leveraged into FBA. Its not that I wouldn't love to turn fullfillment over to others, but my products aren't suited and cannot be modified to be suitable. So, given my current dependency on the platform, only being allowed to use FBA puts me out business, literally. How do I justify continuing to invest resources into Amazon with threat of being deactivated over things I cannot control constantly looming? Hold on and tread water and hope they change their mind? Business plans built on hope do not typically work out very well.
So, where do we go from here? No clue right now. Suggestions and strategies are welcomed.
Em
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
Just make sure you FULLY understand what kind of ice you stand on...and put efforts into other options....they will find a reason to suspend you at some point and over night hold your money for weeks, maybe months......be prepared.
I have canceled prime today, no longer supporting Amazon where I don't have to. Taking even more of my shopping elsewhere. Working on a complete transfer and cut-off from Amazon.
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
I started on Yahoo auctions, 1999, then Ebay and Half.com. Didn't include Amazon until 2014. It went pretty good for a few years until problems started. I had other income for a few years and ran both sites as a side gig, but I let Ebay completely slide for about 2 years. When things started pointing a certain way here, I put a LOT of effort into rebuilding my Ebay store. I now make 20 times the sales there, that I make here in a good month. It's a different field and you have to approach it differently (such as off site advertising via google and alike), but you can certainly rake in the same amount of sales and it will cost you so much less......
Seller_TTc5Vo48AaOHg
I've devoted about all the time I can to trying to figure this out here. I had never sent an email on the day I decided to try listing on eBay. I actually had to create an email address to open an account, and had a slow as molasses in winter aol dial up connection, yet somehow, I managed to figured that out, so I guess I will figure this out too.
I hate it. Like I said, I'm a team player. Tell me what you want from me, show me the playbook and the rules, and I'm your Huckleberry. But don't set me up to fail.
No matter how I try to rationalize it and look for an upside, this is a setup to fail because there is a Gotcha qualifier hidden in every sentence. An eBay Exec once said to me, 'well, every product is not suitable for every platform indefinitely', and it would seem that has proven to be true. Perhaps I have just worn out my welcom here and the Amazon PTB want all products in their warehouses under their control. Ok, my products are not suited for that, and that's ok, things change. But, they could have just said that in an upfront and straightforward way instead of this.
But the upside is that I know my niche, and am one of only a handful on the platform who are fully licensed and certified to ship to every state legally, so there's another door opening somewhere as this is closing. There is always a demand for quality products and Sellers who care about what their customers want and need. I will find a way.
Seller_pTj1n4z2Twkii
Having your own platform, your own domain store is something I am looking into too, I have been experimenting with things, the good thing is, you own your store, you have your own pricing and everything runs smooth with no fear or mini heart attacks just like we have here!
Seller_4lw6ILteSlST6
same here. We’ve put all of our efforts into other platforms and though sales are less, we’re making more money and I sleep much easier at night knowing Amazon can’t throw my business and life into chaos over a bogus IP complaint, or a bogus new as used complaint. My business has never been suspended, but the stories on this forum are the stuff of nightmares, if you’re too dependent on a company that has zero interest in building a lasting business relationship with you. Here you are treated as rubbish, and Amazon considers you a liability,not an asset. On every other sales platform they treat you like an asset.
Seller_pTj1n4z2Twkii
Oh Man!
What gonna we do if pros like you don't want to do it anymore?!
Amazon please do something about it, please!
Seller_hB7z6KRp3zrRU
My on time delivery and late shipment rates just took a minor hit. Let's see how long it takes a package to get from Indiana to Ocala FL. Everything that has occurred is completely out of my control and still I'm the one that Amazon blames. I believe all of these issues are ploys by Amazon to force us to use FBA (not gonna happen) or to use their delivery service (also not gonna happen).
7-2. Customer ordered. (Post office has already picked up my mail so I get it ready for tomorrow.
7-3 Post office picks up and scans.
7-5 It's in Orlando FL and then goes to Jacksonville FL (also on 7-5).
7-14 It finally shows up in...Puerto Rico.
7-18 It's back in Jacksonville, FL.
7-19 It's in Ocala, FL.
7-19 Held at Post Office at Customer request.
7-23 Finally delivered to customer.
Seller_hLH0bAcCwYcos
And DON'T FORGET, the new late delivery metric. They just added a BRAND-NEW metric to everyone's account health page that counts late deliveries past the NEW, SHORTENED, estimated date range. By eliminating that 2 day cushion, and upping everyone's delivery date to 2 days faster, they are INTENTIONALLY PUSHING US DIRECTLY INTO late delivery violations for that metric, AND SUBSEQUENT THREAT NOTICES FROM AMAZON TO DO BETTER ON DELIVERY SPEED, OR BE SHUT DOWN. Its forcing us into receiving a violation for something we INTENTIONALLY left alone, so we would NOT overpromise and underdeliver. So discouraging...
**********************************************************************************************************
I equate this to pushing someone into oncoming traffic while they are patiently waiting on a "walk" sign, and then writing them a ticket for jay walking. BRILLIANT!
**********************************************************************************************************
While they're at it, they should push people under the cover of shelter, outside into a rainstorm, and then take away their umbrellas. "WE THINK YOU ARE UNDERCUTTING YOUR DELIVERY SPEED. SO WE ARE TAKING AWAY 2 OF YOUR DELIVERY CUSHION DAYS. AND NOW THAT WE HAVE TAKEN AWAY YOUR SAFETY DAYS, WE WILL BEGIN TRACKING YOUR LATE DELIVERIES, RIGHT AFTER WE REMOVED YOUR DELIVERY CUSHION, AND NOW ALSO PENALIZE YOU WITH LATE SHIPMENT VIOLATIONS WHEN USPS HAS A DELAY, AND YOU NEED THOSE DAYS, BUT CAN NO LONGER USE THEM. ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT.
HOW TO UPSET MORE CUSTOMERS AND SELLERS 101: WITH LATER THAN PROMISED DELIVERIES, INCREASED CUSTOMER RETURNS, AND INCREASE VIOLATION NOTICES FOR SELLERS. HOW IS THAT A "WIN" FOR ANYBODY? IT'S NOT HELPING AMAZON, CUSTOMERS, OR SELLERS?
WE DON'T GET NEARLY ENOUGH NOTICES ENDING WITH THE WORDS "IF THIS ISSUE IS NOT CORRECTED, WE MAY DEACTIVATE YOUR ACCOUNT. "
YOUR 100% ON-TIME DELIVERY RATE IS GOING SMOOTHLY... A LITTLE TOO SMOOTHLY. YOU CAN DO 50 PUSH UPS. NOW LETS SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH 1 ARM TIED BEHIND YOUR BACK. WE FEEL IT NECESSARY TO ADD MORE STRESS IN YOUR LIFE. YOUR JOB IS NOT TO SELL AND MAKE MONEY FOR YOURSELF AND AMAZON. ITS TO PUSH YOU PAST REASONABLE STANDARDS, AND GIVE YOU REGULAR STRESS TESTS. ONLY THIS ISN'T A "TEST". IF YOUR ORDERS ARE DELIVERED LATE PAST OUR NEW SHORTENED DELIVERY PERIOD, YOU WILL BE WARNED AND SUBSEQUENTLY SUSPENDED." LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. All I can say is "WHY?". If other sites want to guarantee faster deliveries, they are also offset with higher customer dissatisfaction rates, and higher revenue-muting return rates. Then people look on THEIR site, and then on Amazon (which HAD reasonable delivery standards before this change), see a higher satisfaction rate on here, and go with us? Why rock the boat Amazon? Ever ask yourself, "WE COULD promise a faster delivery rate, but it will result in exponentially more late deliveries, and returns, so WHY would we do that?" That would be a good question to ask. How many "missed fulfillment promise" credits do you already issue for FBA orders? Why would you subject yourself and us, to more with FBM? This isnt a GRAND PRIX on here. THERE CAN be multiple Etailer winners. Delivering quality product within REASONABLE timeframe should be the goal for ALL of us! We can ALL win. Unless you make standards so unattainable that you end up suspending you entire 3rd party seller base.
Seller_pTj1n4z2Twkii
i respect that, i have seen your comments, your posts here, i know you are expert at this and i have respect for that. :)
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
Be aware! Being successful on your own site is extremely time and money consuming. I have tried 3 times over the last 15 years and eventually given up on each. Though I have many dedicated, return customers, especially on the bay, I could not convince them to buy stuff on my site no matter what the lure (like 15% off...) People just don't go for it, unless you have some really unique type product or an established brand.
