Seven Areas for Seller Success on Amazon

We’ll be highlighting seven areas to help you sell more successfully! So check back often and don’t miss out on the inside scoop as we focus on the following:

• Signing up
• Product Listing
• Order Fulfillment
• Returns, Refunds, & Cancellations
• Business Information & Policies
• Marketing your Products
• Buyer Communications

Note: This blog is not monitored. If you need help or have questions, please contact Seller Support.

Getting Paid: Top Questions Answered

How will I be paid?

When your account is settled, we post a settlement report in the Reports section of your seller account and transfer your funds to your bank account using an Automated Clearing House (ACH) or electronic funds transfer. It usually takes 3-5 business days from the time that we settle your account and initiate an ACH or electronic transfer before the funds arrive in your bank account.

For a settlement to take place, you must have:

• A positive account balance. Subscription fees and customer refunds, if any, can affect your balance.
• Valid information in your seller account for a U.S. checking account or for a bank account located in the UK or a country in the Eurozone (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain).

Why didn't I get paid?

Some common reasons why you might not receive a disbursement:

• Missing or invalid bank account information
• Invalid credit card information
• Negative or no account balance

For more information, search with keywords "Getting Paid" in seller Help.

Avoiding and Diffusing Negative Feedback

Customer feedback is one of the most important measures that buyers use when deciding to purchase from you. Your successful handling of negative feedback takes a combination of best practices and professionalism.

Many negative feedback issues can be avoided by ensuring that your listings are as accurate and complete as possible. A major source of buyer dissatisfaction is not receiving what they thought they ordered. This happens when detail page information is inaccurate or misleading. As a best practice, when you create a listing, take the time to create a complete and accurate record of the item you are selling.

We provide a variety of tools that help you respond to and resolve issues with buyers. These tools call on your professionalism and human-relations skills when you ask about the source of a buyer's unhappiness and devise a resolution. Handled correctly, a negative situation and potential escalation can be happily resolved. In the best case, a buyer might even remove their negative feedback from your record.

Create a successful product listing

Key information, such as images, brand, and description, helps customers find, evaluate, and purchase your product on Amazon. The better the quality of your listing information, the better your listings can sell. For example, our research indicates that products with images are up to 4 times more likely to be purchased than products without an image.

Why is the quality of your product listing so important?

• Images provide a visual cue that helps customers select the product from search results. A successful image allows customers to quickly confirm that your product is the one they want to buy.

                         

• Descriptions provide detailed information that helps customers compare similar products and decide to purchase a product.

Example of a good product description:

Cut for active wear, these pure cotton canvas pants might be the most durable and comfortable trousers you've ever worn. Washable faux suede trim on back pockets and D-ring add durability and extended wear. In brown, green, khaki, and stone. Washable. Imported.

Example of a poor product description:

Corduroy jacket with front pockets.

• Brands are frequently used by customers to filter search results. If your listing is missing the brand, even if it's included in the description, customers might not find your product.

For more information about product listings and detailed guidelines, search for "product detail page" in seller Help.

Dealing with negative feedback

When you sell at Amazon.com, you should work with buyers to resolve any differences. Communication is usually the key--simply explaining a delay or reassuring a buyer puts most issues to rest. But sometimes an order results in the seller receiving negative feedback from the buyer.

If you receive a feedback comment that you are not happy with, we encourage you to contact your buyer, and work with them to resolve any order issues. Your buyer could then remove the feedback if they feel it would be appropriate.

If the buyer has indicated that they're willing to remove the feedback, here are simple instructions to give them. They are also available on our buyer Help page, Leaving Feedback.

1. Go to http://www.amazon.com/your-account
2. Under "Personalization," in the "Community" column, click "Seller Feedback Submitted By You."
3. A list of all of the feedback left by you will display. Click the "Remove" link next to the feedback would like to remove.

(If there is no "Remove" option next to a comment, this means the 60-day removal period has expired.)

Amazon will remove feedback only in the following cases:

1. The feedback includes obscene language
2. The feedback includes personally identifiable information
3. The entire feedback comment is a product review
4. The entire feedback comment is regarding fulfillment or customer service for an order fulfilled by Amazon

When you receive negative feedback, put it in perspective. A 0-2% negative feedback rate is great! If your negative feedback rate is greater than 5%, you may want to review your business practices. Remember that you can do a lot to avoid receiving negative feedback by providing great customer service!

FBA Returns, Refunds, and Reimbursements

One of the many reasons customers choose to buy from Amazon is our clear return policies. Products sold on Amazon.com and fulfilled through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) are covered by these policies.

Returned in Sellable Condition

In most cases, when a buyer returns a product that is in sellable condition, Amazon will issue the buyer a refund, debit the seller's account, and place the returned product back into the seller's active inventory.

Defective Products

If a buyer returns a defective product, Amazon will generally refund the buyer and treat the product as unsellable. The seller may then submit a removal order for the product.

Damaged Products

When buyers return damaged products, they are reimbursed according Amazon's refund policy. Damaged products are generally treated as unsellable and processed based on how the damage occurred:

• Products damaged by buyers: Sellers may submit removal orders for buyer-damaged products and decide whether to relist them in a different condition. For example, a seller may relist a previously new product as used if it has only cosmetic damage.
• Products damaged in transit: Amazon generally reimburses sellers for products damaged in transit between Amazon and buyers based on our reimbursement policy.

Returns and Refunds: Wait for the return (and other tips and options)

If you haven't been asked for a refund yet, great! If you have received such a request, you are not alone; most sellers get a refund request sooner or later.

Check out these tips and options for handling refund requests that involve the possibility of a returned item:

• After you authorize a return request, you can wait until you receive the returned item from the buyer before you issue the refund. In fact, we encourage it. After you refund an item, you are still welcome to ask the buyer to return it, but there is no way to compel the buyer to return the item if you already issued the refund.

• If you prefer, you can allow the buyer to keep or discard the item even if you decide to issue a refund. Sometimes this is the most efficient and customer-friendly choice.

• If a buyer returns an item to you in worse condition than it was in when you sent it, you have the option to issue a partial refund.

• If you decide to issue a partial refund, explain your decision to the buyer in advance to help avoid misunderstanding or a possible A-to-z Guarantee claim.

• If you described and listed an item accurately, but the buyer simply decides not to keep it, you have the option to refund the item price and retain the shipping costs.

For more information, search on "manage returns" in seller Help.

Expert Tips for Creating Satisfied, Loyal Customers

Real profit is fueled by loyal customers, not just satisfied customers. Successful Amazon sellers know how to increase customer loyalty by listing items properly, managing orders well, and providing top-notch customer service.

To keep your buyers coming back, follow these tips from veteran Amazon sellers:

• When listing your items, put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Look up an item in the catalog  using search and browse. Did you find your item quickly and easily?  Identify the best offer in  terms of pricing and promotions. How do you compare to the competition?
• Review your business reports regularly. Pay attention to the page views, sessions, and click information to understand buyer behavior.
• Take the time to read the Amazon Seller Discussion Forum for helpful selling tips.
• Ensure accurate orders. Buyers expect professional and accurate fulfillment of their orders. Before you ship, ensure that the product is correct and that it is in the condition you listed.
• Package your item well. The way you package your products goes a long way in making a favorable impression on customers.
• Ship orders only to the address in the order confirmation e-mail sent to you by Amazon. If a buyer asks you to ship to a different address, cancel the order and ask them to purchase the item from you again after they’ve updated their delivery address on file with Amazon.
• Pick up the phone. Most of the time, questions and problems can be addressed in e-mail.  But sometimes, if buyers provide their phone number, it can be more efficient to simply pick up the phone. A courteous phone call can be a welcomed change and can assure the buyer that a real person is handling their order. Follow up on your conversation with an e-mail through the Buyer-Seller Messaging Service (in your seller account) so you have a record.
• Refund timing. Issue a refund to a buyer only after you receive their returned product.
• And finally, do not conduct transactions outside of the Marketplace Payments by Amazon service.  Such transactions are not covered by the Amazon A-to-z Guarantee claim.

Remember: World-class products and quality customer service generate world-class profits.