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Get your Seller Fulfilled Prime up and running – now!

March 24, 2020 Leave a Comment

Amazon has loosened its metrics for Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) shippers

By: Lesley Hensell

With Amazon’s FBA shipments falling further behind each day, Seller Fulfilled Prime has become more valuable than ever. Unfortunately, many sellers who once had SFP privileges lost them for a performance misstep. Today, likely in reaction to the Covid-19 panic, Amazon has loosened up the metrics for SFP sellers.

Unlike before, the new metric doesn’t punish sellers for carrier missteps. Now is the time to create a differentiator and win the Buy Box by getting your listings a Prime badge. Start listing your products for SFP shipping, or get your SFP privileges back with a great appeal!

Amazon’s new SFP metrics

Amazon’s basic standards for maintaining SFP eligibility are:

On-time shipment rate of at least 99%
Use of Buy Shipping for at least 99% of orders
A cancellation rate of no more than 0.5%

But recently – probably in reaction to Covid-19 fulfillment issues – their fourth metric was updated to read:

An on-time delivery rate of at least 97% on Prime orders when shipping is purchased outside of Buy Shipping services

In the past, sellers had to maintain a 97% on-time delivery rate no matter what. If their carrier made a mistake and delivered late, Amazon held the seller responsible. It appears that this is no longer the case – at least for now.

Appeal your SFP privileges

If you lost your SFP privileges in the past, now is a great time to appeal. Amazon wants to see a three-part plan of action:

Explain the root cause of your SFP suspension. Put simply, which metrics did you violate and why? Amazon wants to know that you understand the mistakes you made.
Explain what you did to remediate the problem. How did you deal with customers whose deliveries fell outside of their delivery window, for example. This section is focused on immediate actions to address past problems.
Detail your plan for maintaining acceptable metrics in the future. Provide a specific plan that directly addresses the mistakes listed in your “root cause” section. This section of the plan should be proactive – not reactive (like part 2 was).

Be sincere and apologetic, but don’t grovel. Be detailed enough to show you’ve solved the problem, but keep it as brief as possible.

If you need help with your SFP appeal, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Call 877-289-1017 or visit our website.

Four rules to support Amazon merchant-fulfilled (MFN) sales in tough times

March 24, 2020 Leave a Comment

With current Amazon FBA limitations, take shipping into your own hands

By: Cathy Ceely

Sellers are suddenly embracing Amazon merchant-fulfilled (MFN) orders to keep their businesses afloat. Sellers need to handle the details – the right way.

Thanks to Covid-19, and a massive influx of orders for basic household goods, Amazon has taken two major actions:

Limited inbound FBA shipments of non-essential items through April 5 – It’s possible that date may be extended
De-prioritized fulfillment of orders of non-essential items, with some promise dates for delivery now extending into May

We suggest that Amazon sellers who are growing their MFN capabilities, or are new to MFN, follow these strategies to best manage their ability to fulfill orders:

Limit purchase quantities. Customers are buying massive quantities of some items.
Extend handling time. Instead of “usually ships now” or “ships in 24 hours,” change your handle time to 2-3 or 3-5 days.
Cancel orders sooner rather than later, if you must. When stock moves quickly, you may find it necessary to cancel orders. Rather than waiting days or a week to see if you get more stock on hand, we suggest that you cancel the order right away. Buyers may be less angry and less apt to complain or leave negative feedback.
Hit pause, early and often. If you see your metrics are in danger of missing targets, put your store on vacation – immediately. Get your existing orders filled and cleaned up before you change back to an active status. If you ship Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP), remember you have the ability to set a maximum number of SFP orders per day. Use it.

If you have challenges with your Amazon merchant-fulfilled orders or Account Health metrics, Riverbend Consulting can help! Give us a call at 877-289-1017 for more information. Or follow us on social media for constant updates.

NY Lockdown – What it means for your Self-fulfilled Amazon Business

March 24, 2020 Leave a Comment

By: Lauren Barbera

What should Self-fulfilled Amazon Business owners think with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announcing the mandate that all employees of non-essential businesses must stay home? It’s natural to have fears that this will directly impact your merchant-fulfilled Amazon business, especially if you already took a hit with Amazon’s temporary FBA moratorium of inbound items that they deem “Non-Essential Household Goods.”

We here at Riverbend had the same concerns, so the moment we were made aware of the announcement we started researching what this means for you and your employees.

We have good news!

Per New York State’s designation of “Essential Services”, warehouse/distribution and fulfillment make the cut as “Essential!” Mail and delivery services also fall under this designation.

A full list of New York Essential Services can be found here:

https://esd.ny.gov/guidance-executive-order-2026

Of course, the health and wellbeing of you and your employees is the highest priority and sheltering in place at home may be the right choice for some or all of you. However, if you are able to take orders, know that this New York Executive Order does not prevent your warehouse operations and order fulfillment to continue at whatever capacity you can currently execute.

If your Amazon business needs additional support through this trying time, know that Riverbend Consulting is here to help. We can assist in monitoring your account to ensure that your shipping metrics or Seller Fulfilled Prime status stays healthy among a host of other services that may help you keep your account up and running.

We are open for business and would be happy to discuss your concerns regarding your Self-fulfilled Amazon Business or whatever is keeping you from sleeping at night. No issue is too big or too small. Follow us on social media for constant updates. Call us for peace of mind. 877-289-1017

Amazon Now Requires Separate Funds Appeal after 90 Days?

March 11, 2020 Leave a Comment

By: Lesley Hensell

In the past, Amazon automatically released the funds for most suspended sellers about 90 days after their account was blocked. That seems to be changing. Now, Amazon is telling suspended 3P sellers they can appeal separately to get their money after 90 days, and a fresh investigation will be launched. This makes it more important than ever for sellers to get their appeals right the first time.

If you’re left with more questions than answers, Riverbend can help. You can contact us here.

A view from Seller Support: How to get the most out of Amazon reps

March 9, 2020 Leave a Comment

Asking Amazon Seller Support for help can be frustrating for third-party sellers

By: Lesley Hensell

Does Amazon Seller Support continually frustrate you or your staff? If you’re a third-party seller on Amazon, the answer to this question is likely a resounding “yes!”

The Riverbend Team includes many former Amazon employees from a wide range of departments, such as Seller Performance, Seller Support, Seller Account Health and Strategic Account Management. These quality professionals have some excellent suggestions for how to get the most out of your relationship with Seller Support.

A spoonful of sugar

The first piece of advice is the simplest – and most powerful. Being friendly and positive can go a long way with Amazon Seller Support reps.

“I worked in customer service/business support/seller support for over 15 years, and I am still surprised at how agents are treated,” one of our team members says. “I can’t tell you how many times I have been told to stick my computer in any number of uncomfortable places and then asked to do something extra for that same person.

“Excuse me, you just insulted me, my family, my dog, then shared your thoughts on my intelligence (or lack thereof) and now you want me to help you? Ummmm, not likely. Why would anyone want to do more than the bare minimum for someone who just got done insulting them and screaming at them through the telephone (or using all caps in an email)?”

Oftentimes, callers to Amazon Seller Support and Seller Account Health start things out all wrong – screaming about an issue before the rep even knows what’s going on.

“You said ‘Hello,’ and the next thing you heard was someone yelling profanities in your ear and insulting you,” our intrepid former SeSu rep said. Telling you how stupid your question is or asking how someone with so little intelligence makes it through the day on their own. After the initial shock, you would be angry about how you were treated, yet many people still feel there is nothing wrong with abusing the agents. This is a two-way street, treat people as you would want them to treat you, with professionalism and courtesy.”

“But, it’s their job!”

An agent’s job is to assist you, but it is not their job to be the target of your anger and frustration with the company they represent. A front-line agent has no power to change the policies within the company. As tempting or appropriate as it may seem to vent your thoughts and feelings about the company or the events which took place, it is never a good idea at this level.

As good as it may make you feel, these rants will usually work against you. The fact is, that agent may agree that the policy is unfair and that you have been put in a bad situation, but they are not the one who makes the policies.

If you have an issue with an Amazon Policy there are channels to voice your opinion, but front-line agents are not the way.

“Give me your supervisor right now … ”

A SeSu or Seller Account Health agent would like nothing more than to be able to pass an upset seller off to their supervisor and let them take the abuse; however, that is not how it works.

Agents are required to attempt to de-escalate the contact. If they are unable to do so, they may take your information for a supervisor callback. You may want to talk to that supervisor right now, but there may not be one available or may not even be one on the floor. Agents are hired for their ability to work without constant and direct supervision, so if you are told there is not a supervisor available, it is probably true.

Now that we have gone over a few of the “dont’s,” let’s look at ways to maximize each contact and have a better chance of achieving your objective.

Take a deep breath

If you are getting ready to contact Amazon, take your own temperature first. If you can feel the heat coming off your face, your fists are clenched, and your heart is pounding so hard that other people are slowly backing away from you … this may not be the time to call.

Take a breather, walk around a bit, or do something else until you are calmer. Coming in hot will not be good for anyone, and if you do it often enough will get you Final Worded. Also, NEVER make a threat to an Amazon agent, not even as a joke! Amazon has closed accounts for this, and there is no appeal process for that type of closure.

The clock is ticking

Unfortunately, Amazon’s front-line agents have metrics they must meet to keep their jobs. I say “unfortunately” because often this leads to a less-than- ideal seller experience when they are trying to help you. One of these metrics is Handle Time, the amount of time spent on each call or case while

working on it. While this may not matter to you, I assure you that it is in the back of the agent’s mind while they are helping you.

Having your thoughts and information organized and ready to go when you contact Amazon will work to everyone’s benefit:

Know what you want to ask and maybe even write down the questions you want to ask, so you do not forget.
Be logged into your Seller Central account before you call, so you can follow along with the agent.
If you have specific ASINs, shipments or orders you want to talk about, write the numbers down so you do not have to take time searching for them.

Pro Tip:

If you have multiple ASINs, orders, or shipments that you need to be addressed, say for “no listing” errors, limit them to 5-10 per case. Do not send a case with 100 ASINs. This will drag out the amount of time it takes to get your problem solved. By breaking it up into smaller groups, the workload will be spread to multiple agents rather than one agent having to do all of them. This means it gets done faster!

You catch more flies with honey

Be polite and professional on the phone or in your emails. Common courtesy goes a long way and will often get you that extra effort from the agent. Setting a positive tone for the contact will work to your benefit. When I am talking to a customer service agent, I always ask the agent how their day is going. After the initial surprise of someone asking that, they are happy to help me and will often do a little more.

There is no reason to insult an agent or demean them. You are a professional, so be sure to act like one. Amazon has a large overseas presence for their front-line agents. Realize that the person you speak with may have a heavy accent and work with that. If you are having trouble understanding them, ask them to speak more slowly but do not insult them. Prejudice is ugly in any form, and these are people that are working hard to do what they can.

It never hurts to ask, but you can’t always get what you want

If you are unsure whether something can be done, ask. If it can be done, the agent will try. If it can’t be done, then you may have to accept that. If you are asking for help on how to do something, listen to what the agent is telling you.

“It never ceased to amaze me how many people would call in asking how something should be done,” says one of our team members. “Then after telling them the right way (based on doing that job for years), they would tell me I was wrong. If you knew how to do it, then why did you call? My guess is that your way did not work.”

If the method that the agent tells you does not work, explain why so they can problem solve with you.

Statement + specifics = understanding

Make a statement about something you are experiencing or a problem you are having. Explain not only the main problem, but also the steps you have already taken or any error messages you are getting. “It’s not working” does not give any information. “When I try to create an inbound shipment, I receive this error message (and state the error message)” is something that an agent can work with.
Be clear and concise with the information you are presenting.
Answer the agent’s questions with answers, not sarcasm. If you feel the anger creeping back in, take a deep breath and try to stay calm.
We all know Amazon can be very frustrating, but calm is more effective than anger.
If you are looking at a specific screen or area of your Seller Central account, tell the agent what you are looking at so they can see what you see.
Stating the steps you have already taken will save both of you time by not repeating actions that have already failed. The agent may still try them again. If this happens, do not get insulted as if they do not believe you. It may be that they are required by the system to go through certain troubleshooting steps as part of the process within

Amazon workflows

We hope this view from “the other side” is helpful. Often, we are so caught up in our own situation that we lose touch with the person we really are, and our frustration gets the best of us. We are all professionals that are working within the policies set by Amazon – even the agents who work for Amazon.

If we recognize that we are not each other’s enemy and treat each other with respect, it will benefit everyone in the long run.

If there are other ways, Riverbend Consulting can use our experience to help you. Please contact us here.

Amazon has loosened its metrics for Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP) shippers

By: Lesley Hensell

Amazon’s new SFP metrics

Appeal your SFP privileges

With current Amazon FBA limitations, take shipping into your own hands

By: Cathy Ceely

We have good news!

By: Lesley Hensell

Asking Amazon Seller Support for help can be frustrating for third-party sellers

By: Lesley Hensell

A spoonful of sugar

“Give me your supervisor right now … ”

Take a deep breath

The clock is ticking

Pro Tip:

You catch more flies with honey

It never hurts to ask, but you can’t always get what you want

Statement + specifics = understanding

Amazon workflows

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