Dump Amazon SAS Core and Amazon Vendor Services (AVS) for accountable, affordable alternatives.
Sellers and vendors can save thousands – even millions – and get better results than using Amazon SAS Core. Amazon’s premium “support” services for sellers and vendors are an expensive, unmitigated failure. Fortunately, there are better options for your Amazon business.
What is the Amazon SAS Core program?
Amazon SAS Core stands for “Selling Partner Support Core Program.” It’s a specialized program designed to provide dedicated support and assistance to Amazon sellers, helping you overcome challenges, resolve issues, and optimize your selling experience.
Is Amazon’s SAS core or AVS worth it?
The answer? Debatable. The e-commerce giant has stepped up its hard-selling techniques for its high-priced service packages within Amazon SAS Core and Amazon Vendor Services (AVS).
- Strategic Account Services (SAS-Core): Designed for Amazon’s third-party (3P) sellers. The service costs $1,600 per month plus 0.3% of a seller’s sales in the previous month. Fees each month are capped at $5,000.
- Amazon Vendor Services: Offered to top-tier members of the Amazon Vendor program. Pricing starts at $250,000 annually but can run to $1 million or more.
Supposed benefits of Amazon SAS Core
Amazon will tell you their SAS-core benefits are limitless, but stay tuned for a reality check on exactly what you can expect from the program. Here are a few of the supposed benefits:
#1 Personalized support: Gain access to dedicated assistance from Amazon’s Selling Partner Support team, which Amazon touts as being tailored to meet your business needs.
#2 Expedited issue resolution: Priority handling for inquiries and faster resolution of challenges, minimizing downtime. Let’s be honest: Does Amazon offer any fast support?
#3 Proactive monitoring: Benefit from proactive account health monitoring and guidance to maintain a strong standing on the platform. TBD!
#4 Tailored solutions: Receive customized recommendations and solutions specific to your business goals, from listing optimization to pricing strategies.
#5 Additional resources: Access exclusive training materials and resources to stay informed and improve your selling skills.
What can you really expect out of Amazon SAS Core?
What do you, as sellers and vendors, receive for your hefty Amazon SAS Core payment? According to the hundreds of Riverbend clients, not very much. Spoiler alert: many 3P sellers and vendors pay much lower fees to outside agencies and get better results than what the SAS-core program can offer.
Most importantly, your team can hold agencies – including Riverbend Consulting – accountable.
Amazon’s rich pitch for SAS-Core
Wouldn’t it be great to have your very own Amazon seller account manager? That’s the big draw for SAS-Core. Amazon claims these magical unicorns work directly with 3P sellers in the SAS-Core program. They will “only” manage 12 to 15 accounts at a time.
Work closely with your account manager to “prioritize your next steps that can impact your sales.” You get a monthly call to review your business plan and “develop tailored action items each month.”
These so-called experts will provide advice in “key areas like fulfillment and inventory, account health, selection and conversion growth, merchandising and advertising, and global expansion.” Plus, they can help with listing creation and detail page recommendations. How about one-on-one coaching and mentoring, too?
Wow. Those are some super-skilled account managers who know everything possible about running a successful Amazon seller account.
In case you missed the sarcasm, there’s a reason the open market is filled with specialists, particularly in Amazon subject matter areas. Entire agencies are dedicated to Seller Performance challenges, PPC advertising, fulfillment and inventory management, etc.
The idea that a single person at Amazon has the expertise to advise across all these areas in an in-depth, value-added manner is nothing short of ludicrous.
Today’s reality of Amazon SAS Core
Most 3P sellers we’ve spoken to who signed up for SAS-Core specifically wished to have Amazon insider help if and when they had a problem with a suspended account or ASIN. Since the SAS-Core team is supposed to help solve critical issues, their reasoning made perfect sense.
Unfortunately, many sellers of this premium service are sorely disappointed by a combination of Amazon’s internal policies.
- Lack of training and know-how on the part of SAS-Core reps.
- A lack of reasonable and fast internal escalation paths inside Amazon.
- Lousy customer service, similar to what you might see with Seller Support.
Find examples of upsetting failures by Amazon SAS Core that Riverbend has resolved for clients below.
Ineffective Amazon appeals: A 9-figure seller had their account suspended by Seller Performance. Their initial appeal was rejected, and they submitted a new one. They asked SAS-Core to escalate. SAS-Core demurred. Telling them they had to wait a full 72 hours before they could escalate. Before the 72-hour time period expired, we helped the seller escalate and gain reinstatement.
ASIN suspensions: A seller’s most important ASIN was suspended, but Seller Performance provided no reason or appeal path. After two business days, the seller reached out to their SAS-Core rep, who responded that they did not know the reason for the suspension but would try to find out. Before the rep provided any additional information, we helped the seller determine the suspension reason, appeal, and get their ASIN back up and running.
Incorrect Amazon FBA reimbursements: Amazon mistakenly provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in refunds under the guise that products were recalled – when they were not. SAS-Core said they had no way to help recoup those funds. Using a multi-pronged strategy, Riverbend helped the client get their money back.
Inability to change SAS-core Reps: A 3P seller with multiple best-selling brands in their category was dissatisfied with their assigned account rep. He was not responsive and did not know how to solve the seller’s critical challenges. The seller contacted their rep’s manager, asking for a change. Amazon refused to assign a new rep – for more than a year. Riverbend helped write escalations that got our client a new SAS-Core rep.
In all of these cases, the seller paid Riverbend far less in fees than they paid for Amazon SAS Core. We solved their problems when these “Amazon insiders” could not or would not.
What is Amazon Vendor Services (AVS)?
AVS is a suite of services Amazon offers to vendors who sell their products directly to Amazon as wholesale suppliers. Unlike third-party sellers who list their products on the Amazon Marketplace, vendors participating in AVS enter into direct partnerships with Amazon as suppliers of goods.
Unfortunately, only high-volume performers can afford the program’s massive price tag. AVS promises to improve listing content and searchability to drive conversion rates.
Supposed benefits of Amazon Vendor Services
When exploring AVS, hearing about the seemingly endless benefits is expected. But let’s delve deeper into what AVS truly offers. Here are a few advantages Amazon claims.
#1 Wholesale purchasing: Sell your products to Amazon in bulk, supposedly ensuring consistent revenue. Amazon also says they’ll help you expand your product range.
#2 Detailed analytics: As a vendor, Amazon states you’ll gain access to detailed retail analytics provided, including sales data, inventory levels, and performance metrics.
#3 Marketing and promotions: Amazon provides marketing and promotional support in AVS, including product placements, advertising campaigns, and special promotions.
#4 Inventory management: Amazon will help manage inventory levels and replenishment in AVS. (We’re not convinced it’s wise to lean on Amazon to help manage your inventory for obvious reasons.)
#5 Dedicated customer service: Vendors should expect to benefit from Amazon’s world-class customer service infrastructure, including order fulfillment, shipping, and customer support. We’ve yet to see/hear this to be true.
Amazon Vendor Services and the illusive pot of gold
A vendor approached Riverbend with a severe problem. They own several brands, all of which are part of Amazon Brand Registry. Despite this, unwanted and inaccurate changes were continually made to their listings by third parties. The results were disastrous. ASINs were removed because inaccurate ingredient information was added to the detail page.
The vendor reached out to Amazon Vendor Relations to request help. Ultimately, a Vendor Manager said, “Brand Registry problems are frustrating. If you want us to fix your listings, you can join our AVS program for $1 million annually.”
That’s right, folks. The Vendor team essentially said they would not provide basic, reasonable, and critical customer service to ensure others did not incorrectly edit this brand’s listings. But for a cool million, they might find the time to fix it. There are lots of words that might describe this “sales pitch.” However, the term “extortion” comes to mind.
Today’s reality of Amazon Vendor Services
Sellers who are part of AVS have expressed many pain points with the program. Anything from poor customer service, inadequately trained reps, extreme delays in addressing critical issues, and a refusal to address financial errors such as overcharges and underpayments by Amazon.
Forget spending $1 million with Amazon. Vendors can hire Riverbend Vendor Central Consulting to address operational issues, plus hire us to expertly manage your catalog, inventory, and more. The best part? Expect to have cash left over.
Pay for real results instead of Amazon SAS Core or AVS
Consulting firms like Riverbend offer several critical advantages over these high-priced Amazon programs.
Accountability: It is nearly impossible to hold account reps, account managers, and others at Amazon accountable. There are many reasons for this. The result is all that matters. You cannot set standards or performance expectations even if you are an eight- or nine-figure seller. You are the little guy. You are at their mercy.
Results: If you submit a request for help, nobody at Amazon is focused on ensuring you get results. In contrast, at a consulting firm, we are deeply invested in helping our clients achieve the results you need.
Customer service: The Service Level Agreements (SLAs) at SAS-Core and AVS have little meaning. At Riverbend, we adhere to our SLAs. We have employees on board whose sole job is ensuring we respond promptly to clients – even if your assigned consultant or sales rep is busy. Another massive differentiator? You can reach us on the phone, unlike Amazon, where you’ll be stuck in the never-ending loop of Seller Support emails.
If you’re paying through the nose for one of these programs – or considering it – think again. Give us a call at 877-210-7761. Hire our expert Vendor Consulting Services and ditch Amazon SAS Core for measurable results. We’re here to help.
Seller Account Health. Solved.
