Amazon Seller Support

What is the status of my case?

You’ve probably already noticed that many of Amazon’s e-mails contain a subject line that starts with a case ID number. When you contact Amazon Seller Support with an issue, we track your issue through our case system. We understand your concerns are important, and we do our best to research and resolve them as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, some cases take longer than others depending on the complexity of the reported issues. The wait can be painful, but not receiving any updates during the wait would be just plain agonizing.

The Amazon Services Case Log was created to alleviate this pain point. This functionality:

• Allows Seller Support to update your case in real time by leaving a contact within the case that can be seen through the case log (no need to create a new e-mail or call Seller Support to find out the status).
• Captures communications between you and Amazon by logging all messages to and from Seller Support (no more worrying about missing important messages and updates).
• Sends e-mail confirmation when you create or update a case (which includes the case number for your convenience).
• Provides historical case history if you’re looking for helpful information from previous cases (no need to scan all your old e-mails).
• Gives you the ability to add a message directly to your case (ensuring that all related information is kept in one place).
• Tells you the status of the case (if it’s “open,” we’re working on it).

In addition, when you contact us by phone, you can help us assist you even faster by providing the case number, which is now clearly visible in the Amazon Services Case Log!

- E.K.

Daylight Saving Time is here!

You may know to change your clocks to accommodate Daylight Saving Time, but it is also important to update your computers and servers that handle your seller account information. If you use any automation on your machines, not updating the time can hinder your ability to use it.

Did you know...about your payments?

It usually takes 3-5 business days from the time when Amazon settles your account and initiates an ACH transfer before the funds arrive in your bank account.

If you entered your checking account information within the preceding 24 hours of your first settlement date, your payment may be delayed.

If you ever need to update your checking account information, you must do so at least 24 hours before your next automatic settlement.

You can find your next settlement date in the Payments section of your seller account.

Why did my listing move from open to closed?

Q:  Why did my item move from the open to closed listings section of my seller account? Should I re-list it?

 A:  Please do not re-list this item in your inventory; it automatically moved from open to closed listings due to an order being placed, but you will not see the order on your orders page if it is still pending. Orders can be pending because we may still be in the process of validating the buyer’s payment method. As soon as it has been validated, a "Sold, ship now" notification will be sent to you and the order will be readily viewable in your seller account. If the payment method is not validated, the order will be canceled and your inventory will automatically be added back to your open listings. While an order is pending, it is not in a shippable status and should not be shipped, even if the customer contacts you directly. Pending orders will not have confirm and cancel buttons in the Manage Orders section of your account, and they will not appear in Order Reports or Unshipped Orders Reports.

To view pending orders, follow these steps: 

1. Log into your seller account.
2. Go to the orders section.
3. In the Search section at the top of the page, click the "Advanced Search" link. You will see a page with multiple search options. The default order display is for the last 3 days.
4. Click the "Include pending orders" checkbox.
5. Pending orders will appear in gray in order of the purchase date within your search results. In the status column, the order will be listed as Pending.

Once an order is in a shippable status, the confirm and cancel buttons will appear in Manage Orders and the order will be included in your order reports. At that point, the order should be shipped and the shipment confirmed in Manage Orders or with a feed.

For more information about searching for and viewing orders, please access the Help section of your seller account and search for “Manage Orders.”

-Rahul
Amazon Seller Support

What is a Concession?

As previous posts covered, 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. These buyer credits which 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 in to 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.

Do I have to refund this order?

When a buyer wants to return an order, you will want to know what the policies are. The following are a few frequently asked questions Seller Support receives, and answers to help you navigate the refund process.

Q: Do I have to refund this order?

A: If it is within 30 days of the order, then yes, you must accept a return and issue a refund.

Q: Who pays for return shipping of an order?

A: This is completely left up to you, the seller. Returns and refunds provide an opportunity to have your customer service shine. If you choose to pay for the return shipping, you can either provide a pre-paid shipping label to the buyer, or you can initiate a concession through the order management page in your seller account. For your own protection, be sure to process all financial transactions with buyers through Marketplace Payments.

Q: The buyer initiated an A-to-z Guarantee claim (or a chargeback with their credit card company). Should I still refund?

A: Follow the instructions provided to you by the A-to-z Guarantee claim team or the chargeback team. Ultimately, we want buyers to be happy, but we also want to make sure duplicate refunds are not initiated. Please keep the A-to-z Guarantee claim team or the chargeback team informed of any actions you plan to take, and send them any questions you have regarding the claim or chargeback.

Q: Do I refund before or after I receive the returned order?

A: When to refund is left up to you. We have found that some sellers like to refund a portion in good faith and the rest after the item is returned to them. Others wait until the item is returned. If you refund an order before you receive the return, there is nothing Amazon can do to make the buyer return the item. So decide when to issue the refund based on the particular situation.

Have more questions?

The exact and up-to-date policy is written out in the Participation Agreement, also known as the "Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement" which was agreed to when you signed up for selling on Amazon.com. You can find the document by searching for "agreement" in your seller account Help.

Bulk order refunds (video)

If you are currently handling your order confirmations in bulk through feeds, but have wanted to also learn how to process refunds or cancellations in bulk, take a look at this video for some help. (time: 4:41)

Refunding orders: full or partial refunds

When you want to issue a refund for an order there are several options: full refund, partial refund, and refund concessions.

Which one you choose depends on why you are refunding and how much you want to refund.

To start any kind of refund, the order must have already had the shipment confirmed. If it is not confirmed and you will not ship the item, you can cancel the order and the buyer will not be charged, therefore no refund will be necessary. If the order was confirmed you can proceed with these steps:

1.    Log in to 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

To proceed with a Full refund, once you have followed the first three steps above, you would use the default page that comes up when you click "Refund order."

4.    Choose the reason for the refund
You will see several options in the drop-down, choose the most appropriate one.
5.    Write a note to the buyer in the "Memo to buyer" field
While this is optional, a personally written note provides a good customer experience
6.    Click the "Submit Full Refund" button

By following those steps you will have refunded the item and shipping amount.

To proceed with a Partial refund, once you have followed the first three steps above, follow these steps:

4.    Click the Partial Refund tab, which is under the order ID
5.    If the item is listed by name only, click the check box for the item being refunded on the right hand side; if the item details are displayed, proceed to the next step
6.    Select the "Reason for refund" from the drop-down
7.    Enter the "Amount to refund" for the Product or the Shipping or both
8.    Write a note to the buyer in the "Memo to buyer" field
While this is optional, a personally written note provides a good customer experience
9.    Click the "Submit Partial Refund" button

You do not need to enter any information in the two concession fields for either type of refund if you do not want to. A concession is an amount you can refund aside from or in addition to refunding basic order costs. More information about concessions can be found in the Help section in your seller account by searching on the word "concession."

~Aleece

Top 5 Ways to Get Answers from Seller Support Faster

There are a few things that you can do when contacting Seller Support that will help us answer your questions more quickly.

1. Log into your seller account when contacting us.
   Seller Support verifies account security information prior to providing support. If you contact us when you are logged into your seller account we can get right to answering your question.
2. Provide details, even when asking general questions.
   Provide as much detail as possible, including links to the pages you are referencing, either in your account or on Amazon.com, exact wording of an error message you may see, and specific order IDs, ASINs, and SKUs. If you have a general question, providing an example will help us understand your desired result and allow us to share the best methods for getting to that desired result.
3. If you call us about an existing case you’ve created, please mention the case number to the Seller Support associate right after we've verified your account security information.
   If we know the existing case number, we can give you the current status of the actions taken to resolve the issue. This also helps prevent duplicating research already completed for your issue. Referring to case notes can help us shorten resolution time.
4. When using the Contact Us form, take an extra moment and choose the most fitting topic and subject.
   Based on the topics and subjects you choose, your contact is routed to a Seller Support associate who is best able to help with your particular issue. 
5. Check Help pages.
   Seller Support is continually updating and improving Help documentation. Clearly stated information, tables, and videos will help you walk through common seller issues. Check out the Getting Started Guides in seller Help if you are starting out or for a refresher if you are a seasoned seller.

Follow Amazon Seller Support on Twitter

You can now follow Amazon Seller Support on Twitter!  We will be tweeting our latest blog posts, seller news, and best practices for successful selling.  Follow us at http://www.twitter.com/sellersupport.