Amazon Seller Support

Pending orders: What do they mean for me?

Orders in pending status indicate an issue with the customer's payment method. They should not be shipped, even if a buyer contacts you directly to provide a shipping address. (No shipping address is provided in your seller account until an order is in a shippable status.)

Remember, only ship orders to the shipping addresses provided in your seller account!

Pending orders will not have confirm and cancel buttons in Manage Orders, and they will not appear in Order Reports. Once an order is in a shippable status, the confirm and cancel buttons will appear in Manage Orders and the order will appear in both the Order Report and the Unshipped Orders Report. At that point, the order should be shipped and the shipment confirmed in Manage Orders or with a feed.

For more information, search on "pending orders" in seller Help.

Have a checklist in case the weather turns worse than usual as winter winds down

Here we are in February already!

Winter still has plenty of time to surprise us, so keep a checklist handy in case you have to deal with shipping complications.

Here are some options to consider for your list:

1. Check carrier websites periodically to see if they have any shipping delay information posted.
2. Tell buyers about possible delivery delays as soon as you know about them. Buyers like to know what to expect whenever possible.
3. Temporarily remove the option to have orders shipped internationally. For more information, search on "shipping settings" in seller Help.
4. Temporarily remove your listings from Amazon.com altogether, by setting all of them to "Inactive" status. For more information, search on "listing status" in seller Help.
5. If you can't ship your orders at all for a while, telephone buyers at your first opportunity. Again, buyers want to know.

You'll have your own priorities on your list, based on your location, carriers, and product types, among other things that can affect shipping. The main thing, especially if you are not that rare person who is calm and collected no matter what, is to have that list!

Hurricane Sandy may impact fulfillment of orders

Amazon will handle all communications for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) orders impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

For seller fulfilled orders to be shipped within areas potentially impacted by Hurricane Sandy, sellers are encouraged to contact buyers about the status of their orders.

If sellers anticipate being unable meet their shipping service levels, Amazon encourages sellers to temporarily set their listings to inactive. For instructions on how to change listing status, see Listing Status Settings.

Hurricane Sandy updates can be found on the National Weather Service website.

Join Our Holiday Selling Webinar on Sept. 26

Are you ready for the holidays? Join Amazon Marketplace experts for a 45-minute holiday selling webinar. Our experts will offer tips to help you have a successful holiday season selling on Amazon.

Topics:

• Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) tips and deadlines
• Shipping best practices
• Listing quality and key search terms
• Product and brand opportunities with Amazon Selling Coach
• Key customer performance metrics
• Guidelines for selling in the Toys & Games category

The webinar will be broadcast at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. ET) on Wednesday, September 26.

To register for the webinar, contact marketplace-webinars@amazon.com

Packaging Tips to Increase Buyer Satisfaction

Buyers expect to receive their orders on time, in excellent condition.

To help protect your items and provide a world-class buying experience, follow these packaging tips when packing orders for shipment.

Choose the right box

If you’re not using Fulfillment by Amazon and ship your items yourself, make sure to package your items in strong, corrugated cardboard boxes. Check the bottom of the box for a weight limit. Don’t wrap the outer box in any kind of paper, as it could tear off and your shipment could be lost in transit or delayed.

Use the right packing materials

Invest in packing peanuts and bubble cushioning, especially if you’re sending anything fragile. Leave enough space between items in the box, and wrap individual items with double cushioning if necessary.

Know how to send high-dollar items

Ship expensive jewelry and other valuables in a box no smaller than 7-by-4-by-2 inches. Make sure to use a signature confirmation service to confirm receipt. No seller wants to hear their high-dollar item “never arrived.” Also, don’t attach anything to the outside of the box that could reveal the item’s value.

Shipping and getting paid for your orders

Two things are true for almost all orders—they must be shipped and you'd like to be paid for them.

Here's how it works…

Shipping Credits

• You can ship your orders using the carrier and method of your choice. We require only that the method you choose fulfills the order within the buyer's chosen timeframe.
• Amazon collects a shipping fee directly from the buyer, then passes a shipping credit to you.
• You must ship the order even if the shipping credit does not cover all shipping costs. Please consider the item's weight and regional shipping costs when selecting your shipping options.
• For more information on how fees and credits are calculated, search on "commission fee" in seller Help.

Getting Paid!

The first step in getting paid for an order is for you to confirm the shipment. This notifies us and the buyer that the order is on its way, and it starts the process of crediting your seller account. If the shipment is not confirmed within 30 days of the order date, we will cancel the order and the buyer will not be charged.

Am I required to include tracking information?

Delivery confirmation or tracking information, while not required, is beneficial to buyers. Including tracking information for your shipments can help buyers verify the status of their packages and anticipate the delivery of their items. If you use tracking information, be sure to enter it when confirming the shipment of your items.

 

Signature confirmation is encouraged for high-value items because it helps verify the items reached the buyer. If an A-to-z Guarantee claim is filed for non-receipt, and signature confirmation verifies your item was delivered to the buyer or another recipient on behalf of the buyer, the A-to-z Guarantee team may deny the claim.