FBA lost goods outbreak, some sellers lost more than 5,000 pieces

Amazon has been losing goods frequently, especially since this year, and there seems to be a trend of concentrated outbreaks. Sellers have reported significantly more complaints about this issue. However, what makes everyone most upset is the platform's attitude towards handling lost goods - after repeated delays, it finally came to nothing...

Concentrated outbreak of lost goods

Recently, a large number of Amazon sellers have lost goods. Compared with previous situations, the probability of loss seems to be higher and more frequent, and some sellers have lost a large amount of goods.

Seller Adam lost 5,076 items . He said that a large batch of his goods was delivered to the Amazon warehouse on June 24. Since then , the goods have not been registered and are in the "delivered" state . Adam missed all the Prime Day promotions . You can imagine his loss!

Another seller, A Fei, mentioned that he shipped 120 items to the Amazon distribution center via UPS on May 24. Amazon received the package and claimed that it received an empty box. A Fei was helpless: "Amazon lost our inventory and put the blame on us. This is not the first time!"

Incidents of lost goods similar to those involving the sellers mentioned above are occurring in large numbers.

Since the beginning of this year, sellers have been describing their lost goods in related forums almost every month. And there will be many sellers who have similar experiences to reply. The topic of lost goods has attracted a lot of attention, and a group of sellers have reported similar problems.

“- I have lost more than 250 shipments this year, and I never had this problem before 2024;

- We sent a box with 120 items weighing 33 pounds, and tracking showed that Amazon FBA had received the package. But after investigation, Amazon insisted that 60 items were missing, which was $3,500 worth of inventory! The goods were lost in the Amazon warehouse, FBA is not responsible, and we were also accused by the platform of "inaccurate shipping quantities";

- The distribution center is a mess. I sent a batch of different colors of products, and they covered the correct label with the wrong one so that they could charge me for the service.

A box with 29 items worth about $5,000 was shipped on April 3. Tracking showed it was delivered and signed for by Amazon on April 15, but Amazon said it had not received any items.

——My goods were also lost. The loss rate of goods in Amazon warehouses is very high;

Amazon and UPS lost $40,000 worth of my inventory. It took over 6 months to resolve the issue. It was a nightmare and my business has yet to recover from the loss.

- Shipped via UPS, tracking info showed "shipping" but never reached shipped status. Amazon kept moving the destination until 6 months later. "

One thing worth noting is that a seller mentioned that there is a probability of lost goods before 2024, but it is not that high. He has encountered lost goods several times this year.

After the goods are lost, many sellers will ask Amazon to investigate, but the platform’s “delayed” handling method disappoints the sellers.

The investigation was delayed and ended in nothing.

After 5,076 pieces of goods were lost, Adam requested Amazon to investigate the issue . He received a reply confirming that the investigation would begin on July 17. However, after this date, Adam did not receive any news. At this time, Amazon replied that his shipments would be eligible for investigation only on August 1.

In Adam's opinion, Amazon may continue to delay the investigation into its lost shipments and will not help with search and compensation, making it increasingly difficult to operate on the Amazon platform.

Seller Alex 's experience makes him believe that Amazon will just ask you to provide various information and then drag the issue out until all evidence is erased.

According to him, Amazon lost his shipment and changed the investigation date 2 or 3 times. It has been more than a month since the investigation began, and he has not seen a penny of compensation. The platform asked for an invoice for the lost items, and he sent the invoice. Then they asked for an invoice for the number of ASINs shipped last year , and it goes on and on ...

The same Luggage Century also mentioned that he shipped about 100 pieces and sent Amazon a proof of inventory and an invoice. Before he had the opportunity to file a claim, Amazon said that the investigation of the shipment had been completed. What shocked him was that he saw many sellers in similar situations on the forum.

Everyone is also complaining about this issue. In their opinion, Amazon often directly denies the request for investigation of lost shipments, claiming that they have no record of receiving any items. In the cases where investigations are launched, many people believe that Amazon always delays the investigation, and in the end, nothing is done, and the sellers who lost the goods often do not get compensation.

Even if they get compensation, many sellers only get part of it. One seller said that Amazon lost 60,000 of his inventory, and compensated 50% a few weeks later, admitting that the goods were received, but pretended to be confused about the remaining 50%...

Regarding this case, one seller pointed out that this situation is very common. Once they lost my entire pallet of games worth $80,000. After 4 months of communication, the platform refunded the money in the form of inventory credit. They deliberately made the inventory management system very complicated so that they could avoid responding to claims.

The seller questioned why Amazon's system showed that all items had been received, but then lost in transit, and still had to wait 90 days to file a claim? By this time, many items were out of season or expired.

" If Amazon doesn't take action soon, I think they will face a class action lawsuit in the future ! " said an industry insider.

How can sellers get compensation?

After not receiving the proper compensation for lost goods, one seller said bluntly: “This is why I withdrew some products from FBA.”

It’s not uncommon for items to be misplaced or damaged in Amazon’s vast network of warehouses and shipping centers. As a seller, learn how to identify lost or damaged inventory and take advantage of Amazon’s reimbursement policy to minimize the impact of lost inventory.

There are some key indicators for identifying lost or damaged inventory. For example, if you notice that inventory levels are lower than expected or that certain items are always out of stock, that could be a sign of a problem. In addition, you may also receive notifications from Amazon about damaged or missing items.

Amazon offers several different types of compensation after a loss of shipment, and the policies and procedures for each type of compensation may vary. It is important to understand the requirements and deadlines for filing a claim.

In order to successfully obtain compensation, first of all, the seller’s goods must be lost or damaged in the Amazon warehouse; secondly, you must comply with Amazon’s shipping inventory policy, otherwise the platform may reject your application; finally, the compensation application must be filed within 18 months. If a claim is filed after this, Amazon will not compensate.

When submitting a claim, it is important for sellers to provide as many details as possible about the lost or damaged goods. This should include the date the goods were lost or damaged, the value of the goods, etc. You should also include supporting documentation, such as photos or invoices.

Inventory loss caused by lost goods can have a huge impact on sellers, especially small businesses. In addition to the direct costs associated with lost goods, there will also be indirect costs that may lead to a decrease in seller sales and profits. I hope the platform can have a more complete solution.

Amazon

Lost goods