Selling Lego on Amazon.com

[Bold-Arrow]

Just now, Brickbuilder.g said:

Got a message a couple of weeks ago about a return and item not sellable...just received it today and looks perfectly new like I sent it? Got lucky I guess?

if u mean FBA, i have had those more often lately, especially if buyer claims not as described to get around return shipping

[Brickbuilder.g]

if u mean FBA, i have had those more often lately, especially if buyer claims not as described to get around return shipping

Yeah fba. Fine with me just happy it's still new

[LegoEdison]

3 hours ago, HappyHawkeye said:

Also got an A-Z claim today for a Tumbler sold on 1/7. Item was delivered on 1/16 and today I get the claim stating that " Hello, got the shipment of the item I ordered. This is not the item I bought. This is a fake. Even box is a fake. Please make a full refund. "

Well, it wasn't fake of course. Guy didn't contact me first just went straight to the claim. Name on account is different from name of the person it was delivered to.

I've contacted the guy directly asking what gives & have not heard back yet. I'm bummed as it seems like there's no defense against this kind of scam.

I have the excite situation like you. Follow what BA told you to do.

i also messaged Amazon and they said keep contact with the buyer. I complained about I am not going to ship my $550 item for free (they read the case and see I request buyer to return). They said if they don't return the item, they will record buyer want to get item for free. I'm in my second week and email the buyer every other day. 

[LegoEdison]

2 hours ago, Bold-Arrow said:

Open a case . They won't tell u the outcome , but it will be onfile . Enough of those and it should land the buyer in hot waters . 

The claim won't be closed nor granted in your favor but u are buying urself somet time till u get the item back . Once u receive the item u decide how u want to proceed ( refund , fight it , ect...) 

What if the buyer never reply or return? Still won't be closed nor granted? Or wait until the return period is closed and the case will close eventually?

[Migration]

do you really know 15 same scam? could you provide the information? in order to win the scam, if those scam happens all in Amazon, it might not hurt to notify Amazon simultaneously to alert Amazon?

BA outlined the best way the deal with this. Best outcome on your end is for Amazon to fund the claim. The couple that I'm aware of that have been completed had Amazon refund the buyer and found the seller not at fault, i.e. Seller kept their $$$.

[Bold-Arrow]

28 minutes ago, LegoEdison said:

What if the buyer never reply or return? Still won't be closed nor granted? Or wait until the return period is closed and the case will close eventually?

i am not 100% sure, but IIRC u will need to ask for the claim to closed if u never receive the item.. Amazon doesn't provide a specific period for a customer to return product so it is always a good rule of thumb to specify a deadline for the buyer when u send the prepaid label  , usually 30 days .

[tyclin]

29 minutes ago, Migration said:

BA outlined the best way the deal with this. Best outcome on your end is for Amazon to fund the claim. The couple that I'm aware of that have been completed had Amazon refund the buyer and found the seller not at fault, i.e. Seller kept their $$$.

BA = Bold-Arrow? where to find the best way outlined?

[Bold-Arrow]

adding :

a scammer is almost certain never to reply to messages, it is in their best interest to run down the clock in oder to get their money back and keep the item. an honest seller will be working too hard trying to reach the customer that they will forget about the AZ claim and boom, Amazon rules against them for not responding to case in a satisfactory manner.

look at it as a game of chess with a clock. u need to force the other "player" to make their move or run out of time 

3 minutes ago, tyclin said:

BA = Bold-Arrow? where to find the best way outlined?

Baldwin, Alec

 

[tyclin]

2 minutes ago, Bold-Arrow said:

adding :

a scammer is almost certain never to reply to messages, it is in their best interest to run down the clock in oder to get their money back and keep the item. an honest seller will be working too hard trying to reach the customer that they will forget about the AZ claim and boom, Amazon rules against them for not responding to case in a satisfactory manner.

look at it as a game of chess with a clock. u need to force the other "player" to make their move or run out of time 

Baldwin, Alec

 

Hmmm.... then what is BA?

[Bold-Arrow]

1 minute ago, tyclin said:

Hmmm.... then what is BA?

ur guess was correct, just messing with ya 

[tyclin]

Just now, Bold-Arrow said:

ur guess was correct, just messing with ya 

I thought so..

 

On 8/29/2016 at 10:57 AM, exciter1 said:

In light of the recent extension of seller restrictions on Amazon, I'll sticky this:

http://selleressentials.com/amazon-restricted-brands

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/29/amazons-plan-to-fight-counterfeiters-will-cost-legit-sellers-a-ton.html?__source=yahoo|finance|headline|headline|story&par=yahoo&doc=103896179&yptr=yahoo

 is this the outline you are referring to?

[Bold-Arrow]

Just now, tyclin said:

 is this the outline you are referring to?

i believe he meant sending a prepaid return label to customer then assessing the situation upon receipt of item.

[redcell]

Slightly off topic, but does anyone have the weight of 10188 and each of the interior boxes of the set?  Just got one returned and it had been opened.  I weighed it and it was a different weight than another 10188 that I still have on the shelf, but none of the interior boxes show any sign of having their tabs popped or otherwise being tampered with or opened.  Just trying to figure out what the story is.

[tyclin]

23 minutes ago, Bold-Arrow said:

i believe he meant sending a prepaid return label to customer then assessing the situation upon receipt of item.

I guess I am very confused. B-A and exciter1...hmm

[newbie77]

34 minutes ago, redcell said:

Slightly off topic, but does anyone have the weight of 10188 and each of the interior boxes of the set?  Just got one returned and it had been opened.  I weighed it and it was a different weight than another 10188 that I still have on the shelf, but none of the interior boxes show any sign of having their tabs popped or otherwise being tampered with or opened.  Just trying to figure out what the story is.

My record says my lots varied from 18lb 5.6 oz to 18lb 7.7oz 

what the weight on yours? 

Don't have weight of each white box!

 

 

 

[LegoEdison]

1 hour ago, Bold-Arrow said:

a scammer is almost certain never to reply to messages, it is in their best interest to run down the clock in oder to get their money back and keep the item.

 

how can buyer / scammer not response to seller and they end up winning?  i really don't understand Amazon logic? If buyer not returning, there is no refund. Same like you order from Amazon. If you are not satisfy with the item, you have to return in order to get the refund. no? 

[Bold-Arrow]

5 minutes ago, LegoEdison said:

how can buyer / scammer not response to seller and they end up winning?  i really don't understand Amazon logic? If buyer not returning, there is no refund. Same like you order from Amazon. If you are not satisfy with the item, you have to return in order to get the refund. no? 

I meant if a seller waits for buyer to return communication instead of sending a prepaid return label . U would be be surprised how many new sellers fall into that trap . 

[donbee]

I meant if a seller waits for buyer to return communication instead of sending a prepaid return label . U would be be surprised how many new sellers fall into that trap . 

Is a prepaid label the only way allowed?
You would have a better case against some scammers if they shipped it back themselves with your promise to refund the shipping, or even refunding the estimated cost First. I believe I read that Taby won a case once, not an Amazon, because the scammer sent the package back, but the weight was significantly different then the recorded weight when mailed.
If you can get them to send something back, at least you'll have evidence.

I meant if a seller waits for buyer to return communication instead of sending a prepaid return label . U would be be surprised how many new sellers fall into that trap . 

Is a prepaid label the only way allowed?
You would have a better case against some scammers if they shipped it back themselves with your promise to refund the shipping, or even refunding the estimated cost First. I believe I read that Taby won a case once, not an Amazon, because the scammer sent the package back, but the weight was significantly different then the recorded weight when mailed.
If you can get them to send something back, at least you'll have evidence.

[Bold-Arrow]

2 minutes ago, donbee said:

Is a prepaid label the only way allowed?
You would have a better case against some scammers if they shipped it back themselves with your promise to refund the shipping, or even refunding the estimated cost First. I believe I read that Taby won a case once, not an Amazon, because the scammer sent the package back, but the weight was significantly different then the recorded weight when mailed.
If you can get them to send something back, at least you'll have evidence.

The issue is u are dealing with Amazon at that point and not the buyer ... ur options are limited when it comes to "fake" or not as described .. if u choose to fight it before having ur item back, u stand a good chance of being out of product and money . So say u try to tell Amazon u sent the right authentic product but u have no proof - invoice - then it turns into a he said she said situation and buyer has upper hand. 

A prepaid label moves the ball back into buyer court and u would have something to use as proof of a scam if the item sent back is not the original item . * not saying it is 100% win but seller's odd of winning claim would be significantly higher 

[LegoEdison]

Amazon want his customer have the highest buying satisfaction. you need to provide outstanding customer service for your customer. a prepaid label is a must in this situation. same like when you return, amazon send you a label.

 

I had a buyer refuse my shipment and want me to refund including shipping. I asked Amazon what to do. Guess what? they told me to refund the shipping because this is part of the buying experience you provide as a seller. buyer can give me negative  because they are not happy about the service and amazon is not going to take off the feedback in my case. lesson of the story, you need to go ALL the way out to cover your back 

[micbelt]

I sell mainly though fba which is an entirely different beast but have sold quite a bit FBM and have never had an experience like you guys are describing. The few returns I have had were due to finding it cheaper elsewhere and when I spoke with Amazon they said never refund until receiving the item back. I had one person that filed negative feedback about a cmf that I sold that was clearly marked as being opened to verify the figure in the blind pack. Amazon removed the feedback because I had clearly noted in the condition field that it was opened to confirm and just about every other seller had listed the same thing.

[Kenxxx]

I've seen a lot of stories here in the past week, gotten several PMs from other Brickpickers, plus my own experience (a few pages back)... all leads me to one conclusion: perhaps due to the holiday "boom", Amazon is dealing with (probably) thousands of A-to-z claims everyday right now.  They are making a new, "special" effort to cut their losses on these claims. Maybe solely at their own discretion, or perhaps they given the (outsourced) claims department some special incentive to reduce those losses...? There's no way to know, but clearly they are taking a new, harder line on us sellers, making us shoulder the cost of claims whenever possible, facts or reason be damned. Scammers are clearly aware of the change... they know that Amazon is churning through these claims without paying attention to the details right now; they know that they have the upper hand when buying from a 3PS (the customer is always right); so they are running more scams and pocketing free money while they can.

From what I've seen in the Amazon Seller Help Forum, the best defense for FBM sellers right now is to ship signature required, at least on higher dollar items.. To defend against Item Not Received claims, it shouldn't be necessary. But Amazon is ignoring their own policy on this.

[tyclin]

1 hour ago, Kenxxx said:

I've seen a lot of stories here in the past week, gotten several PMs from other Brickpickers, plus my own experience (a few pages back)... all leads me to one conclusion: perhaps due to the holiday "boom", Amazon is dealing with (probably) thousands of A-to-z claims everyday right now.  They are making a new, "special" effort to cut their losses on these claims. Maybe solely at their own discretion, or perhaps they given the (outsourced) claims department some special incentive to reduce those losses...? There's no way to know, but clearly they are taking a new, harder line on us sellers, making us shoulder the cost of claims whenever possible, facts or reason be damned. Scammers are clearly aware of the change... they know that Amazon is churning through these claims without paying attention to the details right now; they know that they have the upper hand when buying from a 3PS (the customer is always right); so they are running more scams and pocketing free money while they can.

From what I've seen in the Amazon Seller Help Forum, the best defense for FBM sellers right now is to ship signature required, at least on higher dollar items.. To defend against Item Not Received claims, it shouldn't be necessary. But Amazon is ignoring their own policy on this.

My claim was resolved within 24 hours. And the result was that Amazon granted the claim and Amazon funded the buyer (not me).

[tyclin]

When I got the claim yesterday (1/19), I first quickly checked on the tracking info in the order (since I always purchase the shipping label via Buy Shipping Services) and then checked on carrier's website. Both showed confirmed delivery. I then responded to the claim immediately.

I then started checking on our forum and communicated with various members privately to figure out any similarity of the claim. From the forum, I learned about the following which I never knew before (I just felt it was a convenient service)

Product(s) Shipped with Tracking via Buy Shipping Services (sellers within the US and Mexico)

If an order was shipped with tracking via Buy Shipping Services, and the buyer files a claim stating the order was not received, Amazon will cover the A-to-z claim and the claim won't be included into your Order Defect Rate. To be eligible for this benefit, the order must be shipped using a label purchased via Buy Shipping Services.

 

However, some members were not sure whether that Amazon will really take care of the claims.

 

I then decided to open a case with customer service though I know the customer service most likely is not handling the claim. Somehow, the customer service called and reviewed the case with me. I explained the situation and my concerns. The conclusion was she felt the claim should be in favor of me because I shipped the item on time, and the item showed confirmed delivery within the expected delivery period, I responded to the claim very fast and communicated with the buyer, and I purchased the shipping label through Buy Shipping Services.

 

In addition, I knew the importance of the signature confirmation but do not use it often because I myself do not like the signature confirmation if I receive the packages. Not many people could stay home just to wait for the packages. I only reserved that for the expensive items because the cost for getting signature confirmation will be blended in pretty well in the expensive sets and of course, add another layer of security no matter to the seller or the buyer. But if I choose signature confirmation, I will then email the buyer not only to notify them but also to explain why I do that to make sure they are aware of the package requiring signature; at least, they can be prepared. Majority of the buyers are ok with that. Otherwise, I check the address to help decide whether I should use the signature confirmation. For example, for an apartment with unit number, I would most likely to get signature confirmation to make sure the buyer does get the item.

 

Edited January 20, 2017 by tyclin

[Darth_Raichu]

13 minutes ago, tyclin said:

I then decided to open a case with customer service though I know the customer service most likely is not handling the claim. Somehow, the customer service called and reviewed the case with me. I explained the situation and my concerns. The conclusion was she felt the claim should be in favor of me because I shipped the item on time, and the item showed confirmed delivery within the expected delivery period, I responded to the claim very fast and communicated with the buyer, and I purchased the shipping label through Buy Shipping Services.

So, was the claim decided for the seller?  What customer service person felt meant nothing if the claim was decided against the seller