Selling through Amazon FBA

[Mark Twain]

I love how Amazon glitching for a few hours turns us all into crazed beasts desperately trying to please a bot with “please turn back on the selling thingy, here’s stubs of paper from 8 years ago from a company that no longer exists.”


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Darth_Raichu]

Did Amazon roll back the hard gate across multiple brands because the gate was not supposed to happen (ie a glitch)?  Or was the gate supposed to happen but someone in accounting realized that removing 70% of sellers across multiple brands in 1 swoop was not a good idea? 

[Bold-Arrow]

I’ve been in contact with West End Toys, now ReVend, since the email from Amazon came out. The folks at WET told me that they have been in discussion with Amazon’s hierarchy and to expect the gating to be lifted by today and so it was. 
Giving credit where credit is due. 

[Darth_Raichu]

7 minutes ago, Bold-Arrow said:

I’ve been in contact with West End Toys, now ReVend, since the email from Amazon came out. The folks at WET told me that they have been in discussion with Amazon’s hierarchy and to expect the gating to be lifted by today and so it was. 
Giving credit where credit is due. 

So the gate was planned and not a glitch.  Curious what were discussed to change Amazon's plan  

[ravenb99]

15 minutes ago, Bold-Arrow said:

I’ve been in contact with West End Toys, now ReVend, since the email from Amazon came out. The folks at WET told me that they have been in discussion with Amazon’s hierarchy and to expect the gating to be lifted by today and so it was. 
Giving credit where credit is due. 

https://youtu.be/p3j2NYZ8FKs

[gmpirate]

1 hour ago, Bold-Arrow said:

I’ve been in contact with West End Toys, now ReVend, since the email from Amazon came out. The folks at WET told me that they have been in discussion with Amazon’s hierarchy and to expect the gating to be lifted by today and so it was. 
Giving credit where credit is due. 

yep, greater volume gets you better access

[gmpirate]

49 minutes ago, ravenb99 said:

https://youtu.be/p3j2NYZ8FKs

first thing that always enters my mind too

[severalads]

Not entirely LEGO-related, but thought I'd share my experience of ungating for another brand.

So I wanted to start selling another brand (Bandai) and thought I'll see if I can get an approval.

I ordered some Gundams from Amazon Japan for myself and thought I could try to just give that invoice to Amazon; worst case they will decline the application.

When I clicked on "Apply to Sell", page opened with short training video on selling authentic products, followed by couple of very easy questions.

Then I clicked "Submit" and got immediate approval. 

Like, really? Not even asking for invoice? Where's the catch???😆

[gmpirate]

4 minutes ago, severalads said:

Not entirely LEGO-related, but thought I'd share my experience of ungating for another brand.

So I wanted to start selling another brand (Bandai) and thought I'll see if I can get an approval.

I ordered some Gundams from Amazon Japan for myself and thought I could try to just give that invoice to Amazon; worst case they will decline the application.

When I clicked on "Apply to Sell", page opened with short training video on selling authentic products, followed by couple of very easy questions.

Then I clicked "Submit" and got immediate approval. 

Like, really? Not even asking for invoice? Where's the catch???😆

It's generally excepted to submit first to see if you get instant approval.

[Bold-Arrow]

2 minutes ago, severalads said:

Not entirely LEGO-related, but thought I'd share my experience of ungating for another brand.

So I wanted to start selling another brand (Bandai) and thought I'll see if I can get an approval.

I ordered some Gundams from Amazon Japan for myself and thought I could try to just give that invoice to Amazon; worst case they will decline the application.

When I clicked on "Apply to Sell", page opened with short training video on selling authentic products, followed by couple of very easy questions.

Then I clicked "Submit" and got immediate approval. 

Like, really? Not even asking for invoice? Where's the catch???😆

so what are the questions? I saw them somewhere on the forums few weeks ago, but I forgot what they were.

Example of the catch : If you answered yes to anything that relate to understanding Amazon's rule and policies regarding authenticity then they have you on the hook to agreeing to only source from legitimate sources like authorized distributors and manufacturers and not retailers. if you get a counterfeit complaint and are unable to provide invoice from said sources, then you would have provided false info to Amazon on your application and that's ground for suspension/termination. 

[severalads]

3 minutes ago, Bold-Arrow said:

so what are the questions? I saw them somewhere on the forums few weeks ago, but I forgot what they were.

Example of the catch : If you answered yes to anything that relate to understanding Amazon's rule and policies regarding authenticity then they have you on the hook to agreeing to only source from legitimate sources like authorized distributors and manufacturers and not retailers. if you get a counterfeit complaint and are unable to provide invoice from said sources, then you would have provided false info to Amazon on your application and that's ground for suspension/termination. 

Are you a reseller/distributor, a manufacturer, or both for the products you want to list?

Reseller/Distributor

Manufacturer

Both

 

Which of the following statements describes your responsibility when listing products on Amazon:

Once I'm approved to sell in a category, I can sell any product without needing to vet the product.

I don't need to review every product I sell on Amazon because I'm sure Amazon will just remove the product if it isn't allowed.

If another seller is already selling the product on Amazon, then I can assume it is allowed to be sold on Amazon.

I'm responsible for all products I sell on Amazon and for understanding whether they violate the law or are otherwise restricted from sale on Amazon.

 

If you list products for sale on Amazon that are illegal or otherwise in violation of Amazon policies, the following consequences could result (please select the best answer):

Your offer for the products in question may be removed.

Your eligibility to sell in a particular category may be removed.

Your entire seller account may be blocked (in the case of more severe offenses, such as selling an illegal supplement).

All of the above.

 

Which of the following represent a best practice when selling on Amazon to ensure compliance with our policies:

Assign one or more employees to be responsible for reviewing each product you plan to sell. This employee should have deep and up-to-date knowledge of the products as well as the industry, including laws applicable to those products.

Carefully review our Restricted Products policy, including the "Examples of Prohibited Listings", and your product catalog on a regular basis. This includes any products that are included in inventory feeds or uploaded using an automated system.

If buying inventory from a source other than the manufacturer, apply extra diligence to understand the provenance of the products and the legal framework in which they may be sold.

When in doubt about whether a product may be sold, do not list it.

If selling drugs or supplements, understand the ingredients in these products and research whether they are permitted.

All of the above.

 

All products I intend to sell are authentic. Counterfeit, replica, or knock-off products are prohibited on Amazon.

All products I intend to sell are authentic. Counterfeit, replica, or knock-off products are prohibited on Amazon.

[MinifigW]

16 minutes ago, severalads said:

Not entirely LEGO-related, but thought I'd share my experience of ungating for another brand.

So I wanted to start selling another brand (Bandai) and thought I'll see if I can get an approval.

I ordered some Gundams from Amazon Japan for myself and thought I could try to just give that invoice to Amazon; worst case they will decline the application.

When I clicked on "Apply to Sell", page opened with short training video on selling authentic products, followed by couple of very easy questions.

Then I clicked "Submit" and got immediate approval. 

Like, really? Not even asking for invoice? Where's the catch???😆

A lot of brands are like that, you'll get instant approval if you apply to be ungated. 

[Bold-Arrow]

2 minutes ago, severalads said:

 

All products I intend to sell are authentic. Counterfeit, replica, or knock-off products are prohibited on Amazon.

All products I intend to sell are authentic. Counterfeit, replica, or knock-off products are prohibited on Amazon.

Thank you for sharing. One of the biggest misconceptions on Amazon by sellers is how Amazon defines authentic. In Amazon's eyes, authentic doesn't just mean selling the correct brand but also that it is sourced from legitimate places as mentioned earlier and not other retailers or liquidators. Best of luck to you though and hopefully it is smooth sailing.

 

[severalads]

1 minute ago, Bold-Arrow said:

Thank you for sharing. One of the biggest misconceptions on Amazon by sellers is how Amazon defines authentic. In Amazon's eyes, authentic doesn't just mean selling the correct brand but also that it is sourced from legitimate places as mentioned earlier and not other retailers or liquidators. Best of luck to you though and hopefully it is smooth sailing.

 

Thanks and agree, this is particularly relevant for sellers who do RA; LEGO that us "investors" sell is also not 100% authentic in Amazon's eyes.

I'll see with Bandai how it goes, shipping cost from Japan is prohibitive at this point 😄

[Tonka858]

1 hour ago, Bold-Arrow said:

so what are the questions? I saw them somewhere on the forums few weeks ago, but I forgot what they were.

Example of the catch : If you answered yes to anything that relate to understanding Amazon's rule and policies regarding authenticity then they have you on the hook to agreeing to only source from legitimate sources like authorized distributors and manufacturers and not retailers. if you get a counterfeit complaint and are unable to provide invoice from said sources, then you would have provided false info to Amazon on your application and that's ground for suspension/termination. 

Galactic toys, Direct imports Bandai think he does wholesale. 

[smittypop2]

EE also has bandai products at wholesale. This would be acceptable for Amazon, but it did seem like BlueFin would go after people on Amazon who were not importing with them at certain points. They have made Amazon have sellers take down items even with proper invoices. 

[Tonka858]

30 minutes ago, smittypop2 said:

EE also has bandai products at wholesale. This would be acceptable for Amazon, but it did seem like BlueFin would go after people on Amazon who were not importing with them at certain points. They have made Amazon have sellers take down items even with proper invoices. 

I wonder if EE is importing as the boxes are different when you do.

[Darth_Raichu]

29 minutes ago, smittypop2 said:

EE also has bandai products at wholesale. This would be acceptable for Amazon, but it did seem like BlueFin would go after people on Amazon who were not importing with them at certain points. They have made Amazon have sellers take down items even with proper invoices. 

Does BlueFin go after any Bandai product or mainly the expensive ones?  There are plenty of sellers selling Bandai products, most of them do not look like they can maintain Bluefin memberships.

[smittypop2]

Just now, Darth_Raichu said:

Does BlueFin go after any Bandai product or mainly the expensive ones?  There are plenty of sellers selling Bandai products, most of them do not look like they can maintain Bluefin memberships.

No, it is totally random. It feels like once a year I will get the BS email from some lawyer at Bluefin and then the item will be down to just a few sellers. I just pull it down if it happens and sell it elsewhere. I am just letting you know it can happen. I do not think the packaging is any different if you get it from EE or bluefin. I would guess the Bluefin sticker would be the only difference. 

[severalads]

2 minutes ago, smittypop2 said:

No, it is totally random. It feels like once a year I will get the BS email from some lawyer at Bluefin and then the item will be down to just a few sellers. I just pull it down if it happens and sell it elsewhere. I am just letting you know it can happen. I do not think the packaging is any different if you get it from EE or bluefin. I would guess the Bluefin sticker would be the only difference. 

thanks for sharing. I was looking at Bandai distributor in UK, but didn't find any. Maybe market here is too small, or maybe I didn't look good enough

[SleepingGiant]

Anyone else's account health page saying internal error??? ... on my dashboard it says my account is at risk of deactivation a critical even has occurred.  1 hour ago we had 1000 health now this...I'm SO SICK OF AMAZON 

Internal Error

• The website is having a technical problem, please try again.

"

[Bold-Arrow]

Just now, SleepingGiant said:

Anyone else's account health page saying internal error??? ... on my dashboard it says my account is at risk of deactivation a critical even has occurred.  1 hour ago we had 1000 health now this...I'm SO SICK OF AMAZON 

Internal Error

• The website is having a technical problem, please try again.

"

same 

[brunoros1]

same 

Same
Account at risk of deactivation ?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bold-Arrow]

Better be an effin glitch.... .

[LegoBro]

comes up right at the top of my app

"Your account is at risk of deactivation"

arghhhhhhhhh