Amazon Seller Support

Get paid: Keep valid credit card info on file in your Amazon seller account

Amazon sellers are extra busy during the holiday shopping season. While you’re focusing on delivering great customer service, it can be easy to overlook some account details, like having your credit card on file with us expire. You must have valid credit card information in your seller account before you can be paid.

You can easily check your credit card information on file with us and update it if you need to:

1. Log in to your seller account.
2. On the Settings tab, click "Account Info."
3. Click "Edit" on the right side of the Charge Method box.
4. If your credit card has expired, you can update it now. Either select an existing credit card or add a new credit card and billing address. If you choose to add a new credit card, be sure to enter the information requested exactly as it appears on your credit card statement.

What is a Concession?

Sellers can always issue partial or full refunds for order costs, but the Amazon system also allows sellers to compensate buyers for order issues as an alternative to or in addition to refunding order amounts. Buyer credits that exceed the order total are called concessions. There are situations where you may want to issue funds to the buyer beyond the cost of the item(s) and shipping amount. For example, if a buyer receives a defective item and you want to compensate them for return shipping along with the order refund, you could issue a concession.

Concessions can be issued as partial refunds, with partial refunds, or along with full refunds. There are limits on the total amount sellers may provide to buyers when they issue order refunds and concessions. An order refund can't exceed the total amount originally paid by the buyer; however, the amount allowed in concessions may exceed the total cost of the order itself. Amazon displays the concession maximum for each item in an order using a formula that calculates the higher of the following two numbers:

Limit 1: 50% of the sum of original buyer-paid shipping plus product price
Limit 2: Twice the original buyer-paid shipping, plus $10 plus $20

To issue a concession:

1. Log into your seller account
2. Go to your orders section and bring up the details of the specific order you want to refund
3. Click the "Refund order" button on the Order Details page
4. Choose the tab that fits your refund: Full (which is the default page) or Partial Refund (which is a tab below the order number)
5. Use the pop-up menu to select the appropriate Reason for Refund
6. Enter the amount of the return shipping and/or other concession into the Amount to Refund box
   You will receive a pop-up asking you to confirm the concession
7. Add a memo to the buyer
   This is optional but highly recommended, allowing up to 255 characters
8. Click the Submit Refund button

Additional facts to note about concessions:

• It can take 15 minutes for the data to be updated in the order to reflect the refund in your seller account
• Buyers will see a concession amount as a different entry than a partial or full refund on their payment statement
• Concessions do not contribute to the refund percentage in your seller performance metrics. If one or more products in an order are fully refunded, then the order is counted as a refunded order and is included in your Refund Rate

If you would like a more in-depth look at concessions, please access the Help section of your seller account and search for concessions.

Getting Paid: Top Questions Answered

How will I be paid?

When your account is settled, we post a settlement report in the Reports section of your seller account and transfer your funds to your bank account using an Automated Clearing House (ACH) or electronic funds transfer. It usually takes 3-5 business days from the time that we settle your account and initiate an ACH or electronic transfer before the funds arrive in your bank account.

For a settlement to take place, you must have:

• A positive account balance. Subscription fees and customer refunds, if any, can affect your balance.
• Valid information in your seller account for a U.S. checking account or for a bank account located in the UK or a country in the Eurozone (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain).

Why didn't I get paid?

Some common reasons why you might not receive a disbursement:

• Missing or invalid bank account information
• Invalid credit card information
• Negative or no account balance

For more information, search with keywords "Getting Paid" in seller Help.

Dealing with negative feedback

When you sell at Amazon.com, you should work with buyers to resolve any differences. Communication is usually the key--simply explaining a delay or reassuring a buyer puts most issues to rest. But sometimes an order results in the seller receiving negative feedback from the buyer.

If you receive a feedback comment that you are not happy with, we encourage you to contact your buyer, and work with them to resolve any order issues. Your buyer could then remove the feedback if they feel it would be appropriate.

If the buyer has indicated that they're willing to remove the feedback, here are simple instructions to give them. They are also available on our buyer Help page, Leaving Feedback.

1. Go to http://www.amazon.com/your-account
2. Under "Personalization," in the "Community" column, click "Seller Feedback Submitted By You."
3. A list of all of the feedback left by you will display. Click the "Remove" link next to the feedback would like to remove.

(If there is no "Remove" option next to a comment, this means the 60-day removal period has expired.)

Amazon will remove feedback only in the following cases:

1. The feedback includes obscene language
2. The feedback includes personally identifiable information
3. The entire feedback comment is a product review
4. The entire feedback comment is regarding fulfillment or customer service for an order fulfilled by Amazon

When you receive negative feedback, put it in perspective. A 0-2% negative feedback rate is great! If your negative feedback rate is greater than 5%, you may want to review your business practices. Remember that you can do a lot to avoid receiving negative feedback by providing great customer service!

Keep Safety and Security in mind

Amazon wants to be the safest place to buy and sell online. Here are some things you can do to help us in that goal:

• Only accept payment through Marketplace Payments by Amazon for your orders. Transactions that are conducted outside of the Marketplace Payments by Amazon system are not protected by the Amazon.com A-to-z Guarantee.
• Ship orders only to addresses provided to you by Amazon. If you are asked to ship to a different address, cancel the order and ask the buyer to place a new order with the preferred address selected. Learn more about seller protection.
• Learn about “spoof” emails and how to report them to us immediately.
• Change your password regularly.
• Consider setting up a separate bank account for disbursements from your Marketplace Payments account.
• Amazon.com never asks you to verify sensitive information via e-mail. Submit such information only when completing an order on our website, registering for Marketplace Payments by Amazon, or contacting us directly through our online forms.
• Review the terms of our online Privacy Notice and our other Privacy & Security resources.

Getting Paid - How It Works

A top concern for every seller is getting paid. To get paid for your Amazon sales, you need to be sure you've set up your seller account correctly and then remember to confirm your shipments.

The Basics

After you first register to sell on Amazon, the funds from your sales will accumulate in your Payments account for 14 days. This holding period is a very important security requirement.

At the end of this time, we settle your account – that is, we subtract amounts you owe, such as for selling and subscription fees and customer refunds.  The remaining funds are then sent off to you via an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfer to your checking account. This is your first disbursement. After this, disbursements from your Payments account will occur automatically every 14 days.

Disbursements usually appear in your checking account within 3-5 business days. Note that for a disbursement to take place, you must have a positive balance in your Payments account. Amazon fees and customer refunds, if any, can affect your balance.

Important Details

Enter the information for a valid U.S. bank checking account into your selling account

Amazon transfers funds from your transactions directly to the bank account you specify in your seller account. If you enter your checking account information too late (less than 24 hours before your first scheduled disbursement) it can delay  disbursement of your funds for another 14 days. We suggest entering all requested checking account information when you first set up your selling account, or before you list your first item.

Confirm shipment of each order you have fulfilled

After you receive an order and mail the item to the buyer, you must confirm shipment in order to be paid. We charge the buyer after you confirm shipment (rather than when the buyer places the order), and then we credit your Payments account. If you do not confirm shipment of an order within 30 days, we automatically cancel it and you will not be paid for the order. Learn more about confirming orders in our online "Charge When Ship" Help pages.

Payment Hold-ups

 

There are several reasons why you might not have been paid as you expected:

• You have not confirmed shipment of every order you have fulfilled.
• You have not yet entered your bank account information into your selling account.
• You recently began selling on Amazon.com and your first 14-day settlement period has not concluded.
• The bank account information you entered is incorrect. Contact your bank to confirm the checking account number and ACH (Automated Clearinghouse) routing number.
• You entered debit card information instead of checking account information. A checking account with an ACH routing number is required for seller disbursements.
• Your bank does not accept ACH transfers. Contact your bank to confirm that they accept ACH transfers. If they don't, provide a checking account from a bank that accepts ACH transfers.
• Your bank is outside the United States. A checking account in a US-based bank is required for seller disbursements.
• You entered information for a bank account that is now closed. Contact your bank to obtain the checking account number and ACH routing number for your new bank account.
• You do not have a positive account balance.

If you still have questions about disbursements, please contact Seller Support via our online Contact Us form and we'll be happy to assist you.

We hope our Holiday Selling Tips have been helpful.  Happy holidays from all of us at Amazon Seller Support!

What is a Concession?

Sellers can always issue partial or full refunds for order costs, but the Amazon system also allows sellers to compensate buyers for order issues as an alternative to or in addition to refunding order amounts. Buyer credits that exceed the order total are called concessions. There are situations where you may want to issue funds to the buyer beyond the cost of the item(s) and shipping amount. For example, if a buyer receives a defective item and you want to compensate them for return shipping along with the order refund, you could issue a concession.

Concessions can be issued as partial refunds, with partial refunds, or along with full refunds. There are limits on the total amount sellers may provide to buyers when they issue order refunds and concessions. An order refund can't exceed the total amount originally paid by the buyer; however, the amount allowed in concessions may exceed the total cost of the order itself. Amazon displays the concession maximum for each item in an order using a formula that calculates the higher of the following two numbers:

Limit 1: 50% of the sum of original buyer-paid shipping plus product price
Limit 2: Twice the original buyer-paid shipping, plus $10 plus $20

To issue a concession:

1. Log into your seller account.
2. Go to your orders section and bring up the details of the specific order you want to refund.
3. Click the "Refund order" button on the Order Details page.
4. Choose the tab that fits your refund: Full (which is the default page) or Partial Refund (which is a tab below the order number).
5. Use the pop-up menu to select the appropriate Reason for Refund. 
6. Enter the amount of the return shipping and/or other concession into the Amount to Refund box.
   You will receive a pop-up asking you to confirm the concession.
7. Add a memo to the buyer. 
   This is optional but highly recommended, allowing up to 255 characters.
8. Click the Submit Refund button.

Additional facts to note about concessions:

• It can take 15 minutes for the data to be updated in the order to reflect the refund in your seller account.
• Buyers will see a concession amount as a different entry than a partial or full refund on their payment statement.
• Concessions do not contribute to the refund percentage in your seller performance metrics. If one or more products in an order are fully refunded, then the order is counted as a refunded order and is included in your Refund Rate.

If you would like a more in-depth look at concessions, please access the Help section of your seller account and search for concessions.