A Few Questions for Booksellers or Others

[UserID]

Been a bookseller on Amazon since 2014 and have a few questions I’ve long wondered about… A few details:

• I am FBM only (tried FBA years ago, and won’t again for many reason), and am a “pro-seller” paying the $40/mo fee.

• I pay NO other additional ad or enhanced service fees to Amazon.

• I have ~10k active listings. All of which are Feature Offer Eligible. Most are set with pricing automation to be the cheapest as well.

• I have perfect Account Health (100% positive feedback career/year/30days; 100% valid tracking and ontime shipping rates; no policy violations of any kind); I ship well over 15 orders/day on average. The only violations I ever get are the occasional high-priced bots, which I fix within hours.

• I do get occasional returns (approx 2-3/mo) and most use the spurious seller-faulted reasons.

So…

1. Why will my Account Health Rating never go above 248? I know at 250 you get some special treatment if major issues arise supportwise. I exceed the 15 orders/day avg, so what’s up? I suspect it’s b/c I don’t pay for ads or do FBA. Or at worst b/c I had a return in last month that’s my fault. But what sellers don’t? Thoughts?

2. I have never had anything other than 0% in the Featured Offer % score… why?

These 2 persistent realities make me feel the system is rigged against honest booksellers who aren’t megas or paying buttloads in additional fees. Thanks for any feedback.

[bookwormapril]

This could just as well be posted in the general Amazon selling section as it isn’t specific to books. You’ll have a wider audience. I am going to flag the post and suggest that it could be moved.

[papy]

@UserID may I move this to either Selling on Amazon (public) or SAS Confidential (members only) (private but visible to all SAS)? And if yes, which do you prefer?

Thank you @bookwormapril

[UserID]

Go for it. Thanks!

[papy]

Done @UserID ! Great questions

[GGX]

1. Because you need > 25 orders / day on average to get account health assurance
2. Because you’re FBM

[oneida_books]

Several of us have written posts/threads on this topic.

Here’s the basics.

Metrics do not affect the AHR.

Violations do though, but only have a “negative.”

The only way to increase your number is through Sales.

This is all explained if you read the “Learn more” link under the AHR.

I wrote in detail about it here: أمازون

I’m gonna explain this exactly how Amazon does if you read closely what is published with an edit or 2.

1. All new sellers start with a score of 200.

• Because they have no sales and no violations.
• 200 is the baseline

2. Points are …

• deducted from your AHR score each time we find a new policy violation, and;
• added back when you successfully address that violation.
• Point values for each violation are based on severity level and typically range from 2 to 8, though critical violations automatically bring your AHR score to zero. (I guess we’ll only know what violation is what value when sellers post them)
• Also, if you violate the same policy multiple times, in some cases negative point values double per repeat violation.

3. To ensure your AHR is evaluated in context of the size of your business, you also gain 4 points for every 200 successful orders you fulfilled over the last 180 days.

Bottom line: we all start at 200 and work our way up!

532 could = No violations; 16,600+ successful orders within the 180 days

311 (odd for no issues) could = (seemingly a violation for 1 point); 5600+ successful orders within the 180 days

244 could = No violations; 2200+ successful orders within the 180 days

NOTE: Assuming my quickly done math is correct for no violations just on the orders.

Score - 200 = Orders Points

Orders Points / 4 = Orders Points Calculation 1

Orders Points Calculation 1 * 200

Example:

532 - 200 = 332

332 / 4 = 83

83 * 200 = 16,600 orders

[UserID]

Thanks.

1. I swear when they rolled this out they stated >15 orders/day. But can’t find that any longer, nor can I find 25 for that matter.

2. Is that a policy written anywhere?

[UserID]

OK, so 180 days to add 50 points to my starting score of 200, would mean:

you also gain 4 points for every 200 successful orders you fulfilled over the last 180 days.

• 50 pts / 4 pts = 12.5

• 12.5 x 200 order = 2500 orders

• 2500 orders/180 days = 13.9 orders/day.

So yeah, doing over 15 orders/day should get you there if other violations don’t knock you down.

PS: I’m an English major, so please double check my math

[GGX]

I think I did the math wrong actually, it’s 200 orders in the past 180 days = 4 points, so 2500 / 180 = 13.9 orders / day. But you need to maintain that order flow and if you dip below for more than 10 days you’re not eligible for AHA.

It’s not a “policy” that you don’t get featured offer for being FBM, it’s just that you typically don’t win the buy box as FBM so it’s normal for your number to be low enough to round down to zero. Something like 10-20% of sales happen outside of the buy box so you’re getting those sales by being lowest price even without featured offer.

[Lost_My_Marbles]

@UserID

Why will my Account Health Rating never go above 248?

We would note that the 4 pts per 200 means you have to get the 200 before the points are granted. We are not sure that 300 translates to 6 pts but we are sure that 400 translates to 8 pts. If we are correct, then that magic number you are chasing would be 260 ( 200 + 60 ).

56 / 4 = 14
14 x 200 = 2800
2800 / 180 = 15.5555
(so a little over 15 orders a day average … would make your 15 day goal but would miss Amazon whereas 16 per day would be solid )

52 / 4 = 13
13 x 200 = 2600
2600 / 180 = 14.4444 (so a little under 15 day average … you would be short)

Using the above math, we would strive for 260 ( 200 + 60 )
60 / 4 = 15
15 x 200 = 3000
3000 / 180 = 16.6666

Finally, this is a rolling count … add a day … drop a day … type thing so you want your average to be ahead of the curve when seeking that “special treatment”.

ARH is a friend of high volume. You can be low volume and perfect for years … then get a single violation and be in trouble with ARH.

[oneida_books]

@Lost_My_Marbles

We would note that the 4 pts per 200 means you have to get the 200 before the points are granted.

You do not have to get them, they are granted. “All new sellers start with a score of 200”

@Lost_My_Marbles

We are not sure that 300 translates to 6 pts

It does not. You get 4 pts per 200. No “splitsies.”

[Lost_My_Marbles]

@oneida_books

You do not have to get them, they are granted. “All new sellers start with a score of 200”

Let us clarify … you need to get the 200 orders to obtain the 4 pts. that will get added to the base 200 pts.
We know everyone starts with 200 pts.

@oneida_books

You get 4 pts per 200. No “splitsies.”

That was the point we were trying to make with have 300 orders.
200 orders = 4 pts
300 orders = nothing extra from the 4 pts granted at 200 orders
400 orders = 8 pts … = 4 pts from 1st 200 orders and 4 pts from 2nd 200 orders

@Lost_My_Marbles

We would note that the 4 pts per 200 orders means you have to get the 200 orders before the points are granted. We are not sure that 300 orders translates to 6 pts but we are sure that 400 orders translates to 8 pts.

Probably would have been more clear if we had added that one word.

[GGX]

So how many orders exactly do you have for the past 180 days?

You need 2600 to hit an AHR of 252.

I would say if you have 2800+ and you never exceed 248 then something’s up. If you’re borderline I would chalk it up to how your old orders “roll off” in their back end before putting on the tin foil hat.

[UserID]

Ah, I have 2546. So that’d be the problem. Like mentioned above I’ll let the earlier slower months roll off I guess and see what happens in a few.

[UserID]

Fun update: I’m up to an account health rating of 252 as of this evening Woo hoo!

Thanks you all for the feedback.

[Dogtamer]

@UserID

Fun update: I’m up to an account health rating of 252 as of this evening Woo hoo!

Huzzah!

May The Sales Be With You.