Just an observation! INR's

Sell On Amazon General Selling on Amazon Questions
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This doesn’t particularly become an issue for us as it’s rare but anyone else experience this; buyer places an order (low value item, sent standard 2nd class post), following day they’ll send a message asking for tracking and ‘when will it be delivered, needed yesterday!’ type comment despite only just ordered. 9/10 times that customer will message on or day after due date reporting as INR require refund as have bought elsewhere.

Call me a sceptic but it’s a definite pattern albeit rare, and I’m convinced these are customers trying it on! :laughing:

2

You are not wrong but this has been happening for ever.

It’s common with dodgy dropshippers but also with the general public. Just like shoplifting.

You only have some protection if you have tracking.

As you said, it is rare for you so probably nothing for you to worry about.

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Yes not worried, we just raise a knowing eyebrow when a customer chases delivery only just after ordering like theyre testing the ground. The tea-leafs.

4

Yes, exactly, or asking for the obviously already shipped order to be cancelled.

Unfortunately, many of these Amazon customers may not realize they are purchasing from a third party seller. When they need something for a birthday or event next day, they try their luck, familiar that Amazon’s cheaper purchases can be easily rejected or refunded returnlessly. Then, the package arrives late in the form of an envelope found in their mailbox and not via a courier, once they no longer need it and they don’t want to go through the hassle of returning it, thinking that Amazon is just eating the loss when they lie.

With FBA, some of my sales are fully refunded within minutes after dispatch, with the return reasons ranging from indicating non-receipt to late-receipt.

The buyer will think they are getting an easy freebie at Amazon’s expense when the order did not arrive in time for when they needed it anyway and unaware a seller is being charged for a standard non-receipt claim, which they are used to lodge with Amazon’s customer service.

In Slovakia, we have so called “money orders”. It’s uncommon for buyers to pay for anything up-front. Everyone, who needs something urgently will order from 2-3 different e-shops at the same time, anticipating to only pay the one which may arrive on time for when they needed it, while rejecting the other deliveries unpaid.

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That sounds like a system even more open to abuse!

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We did have an order today sent standard large letter post, which Amazon had emailed the customer that it’s running late or lost and suggesting to ask for a refund (thanks, Amazon!). I checked the 2D barcode, “Delivered”. Sent customer a screenshot of the tracking page with time, date, and exact map coordinates (their house) where it was scanned on delivery. The customer almost immediately marked the issue as resolved. :laughing: #smallvictories

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7

That’s so great that you are able to “track” untracked deliveries sent by 2nd class. How does it work? Does it mean, that everything can be tracked in the UK, even the untracked envelopes named large letters which are sent using just stamps and no entering of recipient addresses into system?

From my experience, Amazon will mark every single untracked shipment as lost and send the buyer a message alerting them about it and prompting them to request a refund.

Yes, it is indeed open to abuse. But nothing we can do about it.

I would say 90% of all e-commerce orders in Slovakia and in Eastern Europe in general are sent with a money order. This means that the seller packages and ships each order at their own expense, hoping that the buyer will take the package and pay.

Many buyers will order and then refuse the delivery. This means that the seller has to pay two lots of postage - the postage to the buyer and back to the sender.

Some kids play by placing dozens of such orders, even though they have no money for the goods.

This system is in place, because in the past, when e-commerce was still in the beginning, initially it was the sellers who sent empty boxes, bricks etc in place of expensive items. And because of this, the money order service was created, which allows the buyer to see what is being delivered to them and then decide if he wants to pay.

Although, they cannot open the box first, they can see from its appearance or size if it’s a legit delivery. Sometimes, the post officer will secretly allow the buyer to open the package before payment, but still requires them to pay, if they decide to take it. It would be impossible to open the package, take something out of it without paying and then let the package be returned. The post officer is responsible for the package until it’s paid.

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…and we in the UK complain about Amazon customers and UK deliveries! Wow. I would’ve thought as part of the EU that practice would be regulated / mandated! Crazy.

We buy postage via Amazon so the customer address is registered at that point and it creates the 2d code. 2D barcodes work IF the postie actually scans on delivery, but most as far as I can see, don’t. Certainly not had much luck tracking delivery on letters, you simply get a “This item will show once delivered” which it has been of course, just not scanned. The large letter orders seem a little better for actually getting tracking info, perhaps as the postie considers it a small parcel delivery. So it’s by no means a full-proof tracking method in that sense!

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2nd class is totally untracked but “Royal Mail 48” is a “scan on delivery” service.

Similarly, 1st class is totally untracked but “Royal Mail 24” is a “scan on delivery” service.

There are so many services available so you need to be sure you pick the correct one. Prices can vary and some are available only if you have a business account or buy via Amazon.

The issue is that only around 75%-80% of RM24 and RM48 packages are scanned by the postperson (reasons unknown, maybe just laziness?) so when Amazon sees that the packages have not been scanned as delivered, they assume that they have been lost so they send a lovely message to the customers saying “Claim a refund from the seller as the item may be lost, why don’t you, it’s not our money”.

Very few items are actually lost. It does happen but this is exceptionally rare.

I rarely use RM48 and I’ve had a few refund requests. I always ask the customers to wait another week. Very few come back to request again.

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10

I thought this previously, but as I said previously, we are using 2nd class / 2nd class large which has a 2d barcode, and that code is (in my above example) “trackable” in at least, if the postie scans on delivery it shows as delivered, with the scan co-ordinates, date and time. As they generally don’t scan though, it isn’t something to rely on. Someone else either on this or another forum said they put a message a la “postie please scan on delivery” which they claim works a bit better.

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11

Do you know if I could buy shipping from Amazon as a non-UK seller? My brother lives in the UK and comes home every weekend. So, it would make sense to give him all UK envelopes so he ships them from there.

This sounds really bad. I thought Amazon covered any non-receipt scenarios for sales where shipping was bought from them.

When you ship using a carrier not integrated with Amazon, they will send these messages to buyers as well.

I have so many buyers messaging me daily with screenshots of the messages they received and informing me that their order arrived weeks ago despite Amazon says it’s running late.

Thanks for confirming, this is what I thought. Otherwise, I don’t understand why would the codes be there.

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Sorry, I have no idea but if it is available on your Seller Central order page, then you can buy it. Maybe you will have to add a UK “ship-from” address.

In theory but they rarely do what they say. Just last week, I had an A-to-Z for a “non-delivered” item, postage purchased via Amazon. No delivery scan so A-to-Z was awarded to the customer. I am not arguing with that but my ODR was also affected. I appealed twice regarding the ODR, which Amazon state would be protected, and they refused. Unfortunately, what they say they will do and the reality is very different.

I don’t know for a fact whether they send “ask for a refund” messages to customers if a non-integrated carrier is used but there is a current thread on the Amazon UK forum about such an instance. It seems like they do.

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Yes. And often they will order again after getting away with the first refund.

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Yes, they 100% do. All of my buyers are getting these messages.