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Amazon’s acronym language explained

October 22, 2020 Leave a Comment

New sellers can get lost in the abbreviations

By: Kayla Forrest

Amazon loves to use acronyms. They are apart of Amazon’s love language and are used daily. This is something that you may notice when interacting with Amazon or even reading through the Seller Forums. Numerous Amazon acronyms are commonly used and we’ve gathered a few that every seller should know. This list has been compiled for you and will hopefully help you navigate Amazon. Especially for you newer sellers out there.

Amazon acronyms from A-Z:

3P – Third-Party Seller
A third party seller uses inventory they have purchased to sell to consumers on Amazon

AMZ – Amazon
The acronym is a more simple way to say Amazon.

ACOS – Advertising Cost Of Sale
This represents the percentage of sales that was spent on advertising.

API – Application Program Interface
The code that allows software programs to communicate with each other.

ASIN – Amazon Standard Information Number
All products on Amazon will have an ASIN.

ASP – Average Selling Price
The net sales divided by the number of products sold will get you the ASP.

AWS – Amazon Web Services
A subsidiary of Amazon that provides cloud platform and API services.

B2B – Business to Business
Unlike business to customers, the service is for business to business.

BB – Buy Box
This is the box where buyers see the button to purchase products.

BOGO -Buy One, Get One (Free)
This is a great promotional deal that allows you to offer two products for the price of one.

BSM – Buyer-Seller Messages
The messages between the customer and the seller.

BSR – Best Seller Rank
The rank of the item in a category.

DP – Detail Page
The page for the product.

DSP – Demand Slide Platform
This represents the display advertising service.

EAN – European Article Number
A 23 digit number for retail products in Europe.

EBC – Enhanced Brand Content
The detail page description and show enhances content like images.

FBA – Fulfilled By Amazon
The program where Amazon is responsible for storing products and shipping them to buyers.

FBM – Fulfilled By Merchant
The seller is responsible for the inventory storing and fulfilling orders.

FC – Fulfillment Center
Amazon’s storage facility where orders are fulfilled.

FNSKU – Fulfillment Network Stock Keeping Unit
Amazon’s unique identifier used to label units in the fulfillment centers.

GTIN – Global Trade Item Number
A unique 14 digit number used globally to identify products and services.

IP – Intellectual property
Property that is protected such as trademarks, patents, copyrights.

ISBN – International Standard Book Number
A 13 digit number to identify individual books.

MAP – Minimum Advertised Price
The price is determined by a manufacturer. Sellers will be instructed to not sell the product below that price.

MCF – Multi-Channel Fulfillment
Inventory that is stored and fulfilled by Amazon but the order is from another sales channel.

MSRP – Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price
This is to keep prices similar for different stores, sales channels, platforms, etc.

ODR – Order Defect Rate
A performance metric based on the percentage of orders with defects such as A-to-z claims and negative feedback.

OOS – Out Of Stock
Items are no longer in stock.

OTC – Over The Counter
Products that do not need a prescription to purchase.

POA – Plan Of Action
When seller accounts or ASINs are suspended, Amazon frequently requests a Plan of Action from the seller explaining what happened – and how they will stop it from happening again.

PL – Private label
Sellers may have a brand but have a manufacturer. These are the suppliers’ products but they do not make them.

Q1 – First Quarter
The portion of the year including January, February and March.

Q2 – Second Quarter
The months of April, May and June of each year.

Q3 – Third Quarter
This includes July, August and September of a calendar year.

Q4 – Fourth Quarter
Busy months for retail. Q4 includes the last three months (October, November and December) of the year.

QA – Quality Assurance
To ensure the desired quality of the service and/or product.

SC – Seller Central
The seller portal for the Amazon marketplace. Amazon Seller Central

SFP – Seller Fulfilled Prime
The program where sellers must meet Amazon’s Prime requirements.

SKU – Stock Keeping Number
The code to identify a product.

SLA – Service Level Agreement
The agreement details the expected level of service.

TOS – Terms Of Services
The rules and regulations that the seller must follow.

UPC – Universal Product Code
A 12-digit code is associated with the barcode of a product.

VAT – Value Added Tax
For products sold in the United Kingdom and Europe. This is a consumption tax levied on products at each and every point of sale in which value was added.

For more articles using these acronyms visit our website. Have questions about managing your Amazon account? Call us 877-289-1017

Kayla focuses on appeals for Amazon account and ASIN reinstatements. Kayla has 4 years of Amazon experience where she worked in Seller Support and as an Investigation Specialist. In those roles, Kayla dealt with escalations and focused on FBA, intellectual property rights, as well as brand and product gating. When not helping clients save their Amazon accounts, Kayla can be found gardening or cooking with her two children and husband.

Seller Performance is shutting down seller accounts for imaginary price gouging – when will it end?

April 23, 2020 Leave a Comment

Amazon enforcement goes nuts!

Seller Performance is shutting down seller accounts for imaginary price gouging – when will it end? And a big “yup, that’s what she said” on second and related accounts. They are going down faster than ever. Find out more with Kelly Johnston and Lesley Hensell on today’s Amazon Seller Happy Hour.

Follow us on Facebook for extensive content about the constant changes we are seeing. We are hosting Amazon Seller Happy Hour several times a week. Amazon sellers, we are here for you and your business! Let’s talk 877-289-1017 or visit our website.

Why a suspension for “inauthentic” doesn’t mean fake

April 21, 2020 Leave a Comment

When Amazon takes down an ASIN or seller account for inauthentic, that’s not usually what they mean

By: Lesley Hensell

“Item is FAKE.”
It’s feedback that every Amazon seller dreads – and most long-time sellers have received at least once. Unfortunately, that one negative comment from a buyer can quickly transform into a notification from Seller Performance, demanding you disprove their accusation of “inauthentic.” Or, even worse, it can lead to an account suspension. Please know that “inauthentic” doesn’t mean fake.

For most sellers, accusations of inauthentic are downright confusing. And for good reason.

What does “inauthentic” really mean?

When Amazon suspends an ASIN – or a seller account – for accusations of inauthentic, Amazon itself is not saying, “You are selling fake stuff.” Rather, Seller Performance is expressing concern that a pattern of complaints, feedback, reviews and returns have indicated there could be problems with the authenticity of merchandise.

This could mean any number of things.

You could be selling fake stuff. It happens. We’ve worked with sellers who truly believed they were selling authentic goods – but were not. Buyers who are loyal customers to a brand can spot the inconsistencies and will point it out. This is where excellent sourcing relationships become key. If you purchase liquidation inventory or buy things that “fell off the back of a truck,” you cannot guarantee authenticity.
You could be selling generic items on a branded ASIN. There are two flavors of this problem. In one instance, you could be listing your generic product against a recognizable, major brand – which is a major no-no. In other cases, the problem is more difficult to untangle. Sometimes, a “generic” listing will be modified by a competitor to show their brand. This can get you in trouble. Our best advice? Don’t list generic products. Always include a brand and manufacturer.
You could be selling items in bad condition. Amazon buyers expect merchandise to be in perfect, gift-giving condition. This means the packaging – inside and outside – should be free of dings, creases and shelfwear. When applicable, seals should be present. When an Amazon buyer receives an item with box damage, they may (unfortunately) complain of inauthentic. To prevent these kinds of complaints, up your inspection game. Ensure that outer packaging is always perfect.
You could have lousy prep and pack. Your items could be getting damaged in transport – whether you’re sending them to the Amazon FBA warehouse or direct to customers. When buyers receive broken cosmetics, leaking shampoos and bent posters, they complain. You cannot control what their complaint might be – and some assume that a broken or damaged item must be fake. Improve your shipping performance, from upgrading packaging to better prepping items.
You could have an FBA problem. Let’s face it. Amazon does a poor job of receiving and grading returns. Sometimes, when opened and used items are put back into your fulfillable inventory, it can lead to authenticity complaints.
You could be commingling inventory. Commingled inventory is a nightmare. Don’t be tempted to go down this road. With commingled inventory, another seller’s fake items could be used to fulfill your orders. Instead, take the time to sticker all of your inventory – or pay Amazon to do it for you.

If your ASINs or account are down for accusations of inauthentic, don’t struggle on alone. Let Riverbend Consulting help. We can assist you in pinpointing and solving the underlying problems. Then, we will help you work with Seller Performance. We are here for you and your business! Let’s talk 877-289-1017 or visit our website.

Lesley is co-founder and co-owner of Riverbend Consulting, where she oversees the firm’s client services team. She leverages two decades as a small business consultant to advise clients on profitability and operational performance. She has been an Amazon seller for almost a decade.

It’s prime time to sell on Amazon

April 21, 2020 Leave a Comment

It’s prime time to sell on Amazon.

In crisis, there is great opportunity. With brick-and-mortar stores closed and wounded, Amazon has stepped up its game. Join Joe Zalta and Lesley Hensell as they discuss strategies Amazon sellers can use to capitalize – right now and in the future. Don’t despair. It’s prime time.

Follow us on Facebook for extensive content about the constant changes we are seeing. We are hosting Amazon Seller Happy Hour several times a week.

Amazon sellers, we are here for you and your business! Let’s talk 877-289-1017 or visit our website.

When disaster strikes, Amazon sellers need to be ready

April 21, 2020 Leave a Comment

Every business – big and small – needs a disaster plan

By: Lesley Hensell

Don’t think it cannot happen to you. For small and mid-sized businesses, disasters can take many forms:

Fires that destroy your home, warehouse or office
Tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and severe storms that damage office and home locations or take out power and communications
Power or internet outages – from a day to a week – that disrupt your ability to fill orders and communicate with customers
Personal illness or family emergencies that make owners, managers or key employees unable to fulfill their work responsibilities

So what’s a small business to do? Have a disaster plan in place – and train your entire team on the details. Think through these action steps:

Make sure more than one person has the ability to put your Amazon seller account on vacation mode. If a fire, flood or something else strikes and you cannot fulfill orders, it’s critical to go on vacation ASAP while you sort out the details.
Have more than one team member trained to answer customer service messages. Again, in the event orders cannot be filled or are filled late, you must be able to communicate this to customers as soon as possible. By being open and honest, you will avoid negative feedback and unwanted cancellations.
Train your team to understand that going on vacation mode to protect your account is more important than ensuring a flow of new orders. Don’t let the panic of temporary lost revenue tempt you into making business-ending mistakes.
Have a backup location for your inventory. Do you know of a storage space, warehouse, or other solution in case your current location is damaged or off the grid? How would you move your inventory there in a disaster?
Create a virtual “fulfillment relocation kit.” Know which technology and tools would be needed to quickly and easily replicate your fulfillment operations in another location – such as a laptop, label printer, shrink wrap solution, boxes, labels, etc.
If your business operates on platforms other than Amazon, be ready to leverage social media to communicate to your customers. Have canned graphics ready to go, and let your loyal customers know what’s going on, how they can help, and when they can expect you to be back in business.

Planning ahead can save you a lot of headaches in the end – and ensure your business is creating cash flow faster.

We are here for you and your business! Let’s talk 877-289-1017 or visit our website.

New sellers can get lost in the abbreviations

By: Kayla Forrest

Amazon acronyms from A-Z:

Amazon enforcement goes nuts!

When Amazon takes down an ASIN or seller account for inauthentic, that’s not usually what they mean

By: Lesley Hensell

This could mean any number of things.

It’s prime time to sell on Amazon.

Every business – big and small – needs a disaster plan

By: Lesley Hensell

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