Amazon killing my handmade business: loosing inventory
Hello,
Recently, Amazon has been losing more and more of my shipped inventory. In one shipment, they claimed to have received 0 items out of the 135 shipped, resulting in the loss of over a thousand dollars in potential sales. These items are handmade greeting cards, which I create and pack myself. This makes it challenging to provide traditional invoices, as it can take me months to prepare the items, and I sometimes store them before shipping. I never order the amount shipped, I order big amounts of material and make my cards over time. The only receipts I can provide are from my suppliers for materials such as paper and packaging sleeves. Even after providing this documentation, Amazon still closed my cases, instructing me not to reopen it because they couldn't locate the items (of course, since they lost them!).
How can I successfully prove that I shipped my items in the future and that they lost them? Usually, I absorb the loss when Amazon loses 1 to 10 items because it's not worth my time to appeal. However, losing 135 items is unacceptable and killing my business..
I hope a representative can see this and help or provide good tips for getting refunded next time. I've read all the requirements, and I feel like what I submitted should have been sufficient.
Thank you.
Amazon killing my handmade business: loosing inventory
Hello,
Recently, Amazon has been losing more and more of my shipped inventory. In one shipment, they claimed to have received 0 items out of the 135 shipped, resulting in the loss of over a thousand dollars in potential sales. These items are handmade greeting cards, which I create and pack myself. This makes it challenging to provide traditional invoices, as it can take me months to prepare the items, and I sometimes store them before shipping. I never order the amount shipped, I order big amounts of material and make my cards over time. The only receipts I can provide are from my suppliers for materials such as paper and packaging sleeves. Even after providing this documentation, Amazon still closed my cases, instructing me not to reopen it because they couldn't locate the items (of course, since they lost them!).
How can I successfully prove that I shipped my items in the future and that they lost them? Usually, I absorb the loss when Amazon loses 1 to 10 items because it's not worth my time to appeal. However, losing 135 items is unacceptable and killing my business..
I hope a representative can see this and help or provide good tips for getting refunded next time. I've read all the requirements, and I feel like what I submitted should have been sufficient.
Thank you.
32 replies
Seller_NbYSGJ8Tehgbv
There is too much to know and Amazon, deliberately, changes their rules all the time. [Moderator Edit: Off Topic]
Seller_MxyR30NXlGuuX
Years ago, I was told to list myself as the manufacturer. I make handmade jewelry. I buy components and assemble them myself. the real time and creativiety is in the design time, which can never be charged for or recaptured unless something is successful and sells well.
Seller_WtOwWhtSrFjva
One of the many reasons we stopped using FBA. They claimed I sent three empty boxes despite having the receipt from UPS showing the weight.
Seller_PNvwIFOnmwUBe
I've only been selling since April & they've already lost $900 worth of product. Sorry to hear about your sitation, best of luck to you.
Seller_FChyHYcTu7od4
Sorry to hear about your loss. Amazon is killing everybody's business here.
Seller_8ESHZD3bXlVUv
How did you ship? Were they checked in on your FBA plan? What about scanned as received? I think you're on the correct path but might be taking the wrong approach. If they were checked in and processed, Amazon is responsible for repayment of your loss. If they were not - you will have to deal with the courier themselves and any insurance on those parcels.
Some things that may help you with your claim: Do you have photos of the box you shipped it in? If so, send those photos up as part of your case.
If you do not - please make this a priority. I take an image of the carton open, with contents, and the carton taped closed and labeled - for EACH shipment.
Also - I overlabel. For smaller shipments (non-palletized) I use Amazon's courier - for small parcels it's usually UPS. I use one UPS shipping label per box, but the Amazon scannable contents label, I print 6 copies and put one on all sides. I also place one in the bottom of the carton before I put items inside, and one on top of the carton before I tape and seal. That way - no matter which way it's opened, something is always easily scannable for the warehouse worker who may have forgotten to scan the package before opening, or if the barcode is damaged on the container exterior.
I save those images in a folder on my computer titled by the shipping plan, so if there's ever an issue, I can retrieve what I need easily.
My palleting process is similar - I photograph and overlabel the scannable labels on those as well.
This might not help you with your current issue - but it should prevent future issues.
Regarding invoices, seeing as how you're in handmade, you may just need to make an invoice payable to yourself for the items. What Amazon needs when they ask for it is a total value for the items so they can reimburse you, and their system requires it in invoice form. Not sure if invoicing yourself is ok to do, though, so approach with caution.
Good luck!
Seller_M94fHI9Bg7LMX
Amazon just needs a packing invoice slip so they can tick the box that documentation has been received. Don't try to confuse them with invoices for your raw materials as they won't know what to do with those. Here is the template I use when disputing things myself - although I have also just moved to GETIDA and am very happy with their service:
This signed packing slip has (knock on wood!) always worked for me so far. Good luck disputing your "empty" box!
Dominic_Amazon
Hi @Seller_gGqIsS0yKqeXn,
Dominic from Amazon here, would like to try to assist. Can you please provide me with the Case ID for this?
Best,
Dominic
Seller_QxGdFbMQybcMX
If it provides you any solace, I sent in 21 units of an item in January 2024, the tracking showed delivered to the warehouse, Amazon had received the package, but in the process of checking in the units they claimed they received 0 units. They claimed they received an empty box. I went round and round with seller support trying to get them found (after multiple searches, they still couldn't find them (or did they really go looking for them at all), or get a refund. And even with an invoice for refund compensation, they wouldn't refund because they say they never got the units.
Sometime in March I gave up and just swallowed the cost, and it was costly ($1300 spent on the 21 units of the item).
But in July, I miraculously suddenly had 21 units of the item in stranded inventory and needed to create a new listing for them (I had deleted the listing as I was not planning on continuing to sell that item given the costly loss).
So point is, if your cards are FNSKU labeled, which I suspect they are since they are made by you and therefore don't have a standard manufacturer UPC on them, they might magically appear in your stock some time in the future. I could be 6, 9, 12 months, but I suspect someone will stumble across them in a warehouse somewhere and go, "Why are these here?" and add them to your inventory (they'll know they are yours because the unique FNSKU is directly connected to your seller account.
