# In-Stock Head Start Program **URL:** \ **Category:** Selling on Amazon\ **Tags:** ai, seller-support-chat, fba\ **Created:** [September 23, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/in-stock-head-start-program/7577 "2026-09-23T18:18:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SellerFeller](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/sellerfeller/32/7364_2.png) [@SellerFeller](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/SellerFeller)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/in-stock-head-start-program/7577/1 "2026-09-23T18:18:14Z")
Just had a lovely chat, first with AI and then with Hemant. I have an FBA order sitting in Pending status for a product that has no inventory at Amazon. AI actually understood the predicament pretty quickly but still wanted me to perform the irrelevant “Check FBA order reimbursement status” before handing me off to a live agent. The live agent took about 10 minutes to figure out what the AI had already concluded. Seems to me that the appropriate response would have been to cancel the customer’s order. Nope. Hemant informed me, “This order is currently in a payment pending status — specifically, it is awaiting payment verification — and was placed through Amazon’s In-Stock Head Start program. In-Stock Head Start uses predictive technology to make temporarily out-of-stock products available for purchase before new inventory arrives at the fulfillment center, based on your shipment history and past replenishment behavior.” Problem is that I’m not sure that I want to replenish this inventory at Amazon (for a number of reasons) and, even if I did, it’ll be another two weeks before I can ship and probably another two weeks before Amazon registers it as available and another week before customer receives it. This is after they’ve already been pending for 7 days. The, “Please allow 6-8 weeks for shipping and handling,” is pretty old-school and unlikely to be appreciated by the customer. Then Hament throws in this little tidbit: “Because the order is still pending payment verification, no fulfillment action has been triggered yet, and there will be no impact on your seller metrics as a result of this order in its current state.” In what way would any of this impact my seller metrics? Is Amazon going to ding me for never sending in more inventory that I never promised to send in? My experience has been that FBA orders marked “Pending Payment Verification” are more likely to be waiting on inventory as they are waiting for a payment to clear. I know this because when I’m out of FBA inventory, the pending orders build up (as Pending Payment Verification) and then all flush out when the inventory hits the FC; Amazon’s likely been too lazy to add another pending classification. So, now I wait for the customer to get mad, cancel their order, ding me on Feedback, and Amazon to deny my request for removal. Thank you sir; may I have some more? ---
**Author:** ![VTR](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/vtr/32/14279_2.png) [@VTR](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/VTR)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 7:44pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/in-stock-head-start-program/7577/2 "2026-09-23T19:44:19Z")
It was my understanding and experience, that the head start program requires inventory to be in transit for it be implemented for any buy box. That means if you have not shipped said inventory, there will not be sales against a 0 expected inventory. “This prediction is based on your _ **shipment information** _ and past replenishment behavior. When a product is identified as eligible, it becomes available for customers to find and purchase, _ **even before it arrives at the fulfillment center** _” [LINK](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub/reference/GTBBP39NRMSMZK98) It does not imply or say that it is made available before you put a shipment into in transit. We have played around with this extensively, and have never identified a product available for sale with no pending shipments. We also have seen based on some fulfillment actions we have no head start products even when Amazon is moving large quantities from a receive center to fulfillment centers, and it only becomes available once its distributed to an actual FC. My assertion is backed up here. “If you _ **have created a shipment** _ that’s on its way to a fulfillment center, we’ll use that information to estimate the in-stock date for your products and provide an estimated delivery date to customers. If you haven’t created a shipment yet, or if we aren’t confident of a shipment’s arrival date, a “Temporarily out of stock” message will display. These products will not display an estimated delivery date.” [LINK](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/fba/programs/oos/about) ---
**Author:** ![SellerFeller](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/sellerfeller/32/7364_2.png) [@SellerFeller](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/SellerFeller)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/in-stock-head-start-program/7577/3 "2026-09-23T20:16:59Z")
The error in your comment is that you presuppose that Amazon follows its own policies, which this forum has demonstrated time and again to be an incorrect assumption. > [@VTR](#): > > My assertion is backed up here. > “If you _ **have created a shipment** _ that’s on its way to a fulfillment center Nope, no inbound shipments. ![Inventory](https://sellersasksellers.com/uploads/default/original/3X/5/d/5db9f4380b12feaa8e22cdbc4292a7597877367d.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![VTR](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/vtr/32/14279_2.png) [@VTR](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/VTR)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/in-stock-head-start-program/7577/4 "2026-09-23T20:22:35Z")
> [@SellerFeller](#): > > The error in your comment is that you presuppose that Amazon follows its own policies, which this forum has demonstrated time and again to be an incorrect assumption. Nope. Using their own words. " If you haven’t created a shipment yet, or if we aren’t confident of a shipment’s arrival date, a “Temporarily out of stock” message will display." I have never seen an offer for an item we do not have enroute. Are you showing an item available for sale with a projected sell date on the detail page? Do you have any negative receipts for this item in your inventory ledger? I missed if you said you have an active buy box, or if you had inventory that is no longer showing due to Amazon BS, after the customer placed an order, ---
**Author:** ![VTR](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/vtr/32/14279_2.png) [@VTR](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/VTR)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/in-stock-head-start-program/7577/5 "2026-09-23T20:37:53Z")
I say this because we have had customers order stuff then Amazon lost it upon receipt using a negative receipt only for it to show up a week later and fulfill the order. Here is an example of how that happens. ![Inventory FU Amazon](https://sellersasksellers.com/uploads/default/original/3X/c/6/c6cec681cd46c622480f0d0b850d04dfcacf7959.png) Customers expected to get inventory that Amazon has determined they want to move or lose. It does not mean that they are selling items they didn’t have an indication of receiving in the first place. 99% of the time the inventory shows up later on. ---
**Author:** ![SellerFeller](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/sellerfeller/32/7364_2.png) [@SellerFeller](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/SellerFeller)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 8:40pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/in-stock-head-start-program/7577/6 "2026-09-23T20:40:32Z")
> [@VTR](#): > > Nope. Using their own words. That was my point: You were assuming that Amazon had followed their process. Which they didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![SellerFeller](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/sellerfeller/32/7364_2.png) [@SellerFeller](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/SellerFeller)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/in-stock-head-start-program/7577/7 "2026-09-23T20:42:01Z")
> [@VTR](#): > > only for it to show up a week later It is a week later. And there’s no inventory to magically show up. ---
**Author:** ![VTR](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/vtr/32/14279_2.png) [@VTR](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/VTR)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 8:45pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/in-stock-head-start-program/7577/8 "2026-09-23T20:45:30Z")
> [@SellerFeller](#): > > That was my point: You were assuming that Amazon had followed their process. Which they didn’t. Have you ever seen items for sale when you have 0 inbound inventory and 0 on hand? Did you have inventory when this order was made either inbound or on hand? Help me steel man your assertion so we can reproduce it with others. ---
**Author:** ![VTR](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/vtr/32/14279_2.png) [@VTR](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/VTR)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 8:50pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/in-stock-head-start-program/7577/9 "2026-09-23T20:50:46Z")
> [@SellerFeller](#): > > And there’s no inventory to magically show up. Yes, but explain this then… How do you know there is not going to be a +1 like Sep 17 below if you are looking at this on Sep 13, or worse, not looking at all. ![Amazon Dorks](https://sellersasksellers.com/uploads/default/original/3X/9/d/9d58c9c0a4dacc247b500e1caafe63760c51750b.png) Respectfully, I am just saying there are many variables other than the one you present. ---
**Author:** ![VTR](https://sellersasksellers.com/user_avatar/sellersasksellers.com/vtr/32/14279_2.png) [@VTR](https://sellersasksellers.com/u/VTR)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 8:57pm UTC](https://sellersasksellers.com/t/in-stock-head-start-program/7577/10 "2026-09-23T20:57:41Z")
> [@SellerFeller](#): > > In what way would any of this impact my seller metrics? I don’t think there are metrics for Amazon cancelled orders. > [@SellerFeller](#): > > Is Amazon going to ding me for never sending in more inventory that I never promised to send in? Nope. Not possible to give you a shipment defect problem for a non existent shipment. You will probably pay the low inventory surcharge fees, but that is not the same thing as a metric ding.