Today (12/20) I got a return request, with reason “Item arrived too late” The buyer comment was “You sent me a message that it was delayed and would be a problem.”
Well, I sent no message to the buyer as the package is in transit with a delivery window of 12/21-12/27. If the buyer is truthful in his comment, then Amazon must have sent the message to the buyer. If so, why would they do that and how would they know it was going to be delayed? If they did, this is F’d up!
Amazon sends messages to buyers that their orders may be delayed if the tracking something something the delivery date something something… Basically, Amazon sends these when they feel like it.
Tell the buyer that the item is still in transit and should arrive on time. If the item does arrive later than they can use, they are free to return it. Then get a snack. I’m thinking Triscuits.
I’ve had this happen to me a few times.
I am a prime first buyer
I buy a lot of supplements on amazon viz a viz Prime
Sometimes these supps are prime available
Sometimes these very same listings are FBM - guessing when their prime stock runs out.
Since I avoid subscibe and save like the plague lest I get orders I don’t need/or can’t use
I “Buy it Again” - but sometimes I don’t see that the listing is now FBM and the delivery window is out of the 2 day window and can be a ways away.
So if the item has shipped and I didn’t notice it then but the next day or the day after and there is still 2 days remaining on delivery - then the customer would’ve contacted amazon.
Amazon would’ve sent a message on the customers behalf
The seller would’ve responded - and seller support would’ve said seller was not willing to help the situation and opened an A-Z claim on said item
By that time, I would’ve purchased a substitute.
I am only relating the possibility of how these things happen and from the customers’ vantage point - this is all being done through amazon as they don’t make the distinguish between Amazon, 1P Sellers, 3P Sellers FBA, 3P Sellers FBM - and quite frankly it isn’t the customers’ problem - now clearly the buyer didn’t message you but perhaps spoke with amazon customer service via chat which is all chat support from India - that adds another layer of complication.
Additionally, I’ve had it where before an item is delivered FBA - amazon has missed the fulfillment promise date and I’m on a plane the next day and I can’t get the shipment - if the item is undelivered, chat support will tell the customer to call UPS to stop the shipment although the customer can’t really do this. But upon delivery, the customer can ask for a refund without having to return the item back. In my case, it was outside my porch for about a week a half before I got back.
Again, highlighing the various possibilities of amazon and ecom
I would if I did not have to authorize a return request within 24 hours or be subject to an A-Z. Communicating with buyers in the message system is usually pointless with time sensitive issues.
Authorize the return request off the bat, as there is no reason not to. But I would still send the buyer a message telling them that their item is expected on time. If the buyer doesn’t want the item, be it late or any other reason, they can return it anyway.
Unless you are selling something that isn’t automatically eligible for returns?
Yes, and it has done so for many, many years.
`Twasn’t until the advent of the COVID-19 Crisis scare that it became particularly aggressive with such missives year-round, but in the ¼-century since I first created my original Amazon Buyer Account, I’ve noticed that it has increasingly become more aggressive during the holidays, especially-so in recent years.
I’m with our friend Maintak here, Wade.
I would not dispute your assertion that B-SM communiques of this nature often go unnoticed - especially-so since Amazon, in its infinite wisdom, allowed members of the Buyer Community to opt-out of communications from 3P Sellers - but being able to demonstrate that one went to all-available lengths in an attempt to provide Customer Satisfaction can be a Pearl of Great Price when mounting a defense in an appeal.
I agree but additionally, the point is, I have to provide a prepaid return label that I have to monitor if unused to get refund in 28 days (on Shipstation) and I have a sale that has potentially been sabotaged by Amazon by telling the buyer it will be late without any real evidence of such.
And still at my prepaid label expense.
The “return item” button is not a working option to submit a return request if it is an ineligible return item.
Fair enough, but for most returns Amazon automatically authorizes the return and issues a prepaid return label which the seller is only charged for if it is used. I’m not sure why your sales are not auto authorized, I assume it has to do with what you sell.
I also assume that a non paid return label is out due to the seller faulted return reason.
Unfortunately, this information doesn’t change anything, it only adds to your work and frustration. The fact is that Amazon does send these messages, often without any rational reason, and it does occasionally arouse anger in buyers for no good reason as their orders are on time. We are all in the same boat in this regard.
Had this exact thing happen to me but as a buyer. Was a 3rd party order so I was surprised:
Sure enough, at the time, the tracking was saying Delayed on the USPS page. And sure enough, USPS was over-estimating the impact, and the item arrived on 12/18, which was in the original EDD.
I agree Amazon should not stick their nose in, especially for those of us who they don’t allow to use their labels for returns! But yeah, authorize it, explain amazon gets over anxious, and the thing will probably get there. Then refund your label in a month.
It’s physically possible but that only pisses off the already impatient buyer and the seller will lose if an A-Z is involved.
Except the cost of a return label for a false return reason (handmade category orders have no Safe-t claim eligibility)
we have no safe-t, and we have to prepay and upload the label ourselves…and amazon doesn’t accept a PDF which is the shipstation version, so we have to do magic and make it a jpg first - it’s a HUGE pita to do this manually, all un-earned labor even if we end up refunding the label.
I usually take a screenshot which I save as .jpg with the order number in the file name, but I have also used https://pdf2jpg.net/.
But yes, still extra steps no matter what, when FBMs have to a send a Buyer a pre-paid label.
Yes that’s what I do, but time is money and aggro I don’t need.