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FBA

FBA basics are key to keeping a tidy account for inventory.

December 21, 2020 Leave a Comment

FBA basics that can save you thousands of dollars

By: Emanuela Elias

While it is exciting and exhilarating to be part of this global marketplace, Amazon is such an expansive operation that it is critical to be organized with your inventory and shipments.

While you may start out strong, over time and the busier you get, the less thorough you may become.

What you can control, do.

There is no need to ship your inventory to Amazon and just hope for the best. You can’t control what happens on the way or at the warehouse, but you can control your record keeping as well as how you package your items from the beginning.

  1. Do not skip any of the labels. Each box, pallet and master carton needs its own label. If your boxes and cartons get separated from the shipments, the label will help them find their way back into your inventory. Amazon will almost always default to not searching for or reimbursing you if you did not follow proper labeling guidelines.Tidy FBA

What you can control in the FBA process is keeping a tidy account of everything you send in and everything that goes out. When the inevitable happens, (your inventory goes missing), these additional steps will help your case in the reimbursement process for your missing inventory.

  1. Keep your paperwork super organized. From original invoices, tracking numbers and proof of deliveries, to signed bills of ladings, make sure to keep an organized digital file of each shipment. When something goes missing, Amazon will want proof you sent the inventory to them.
  2. Keep an account of your inventory. Know the quantity you ship in, what you sell, and what you should still have in your inventory. When you are a small operation, you may do this manually though it may be time consuming.  As you grow, inventory management software could do the trick. Using a system to keep track of inventory will help to know when you are missing items. When you notice, and can prove discrepancies, this give you the best chance to be reimbursed.

In conclusion

Setting these labeling and record keeping habits early on will save you much frustration when you have to open a case for missing inventory. Never assume Amazon will just take care of it even when using their shipment labels.

Be diligent and organized to maximize your experience and profitability on Amazon.

Have questions on how to control the FBA process? Send Riverbend Consulting an email or give us a call! (877) 289-1017


Emanuela, Riverbend ConsultingEmanuela leads the monthly services team. She stays on top of critical performance metrics and ensures we secure every owed reimbursement, to keep our clients ahead of game. Emanuela’s background in e-commerce includes leading and empowering teams to work more efficiently. She loves to see a team take off on its own, become independent thinkers and problem solve together. Emanuela is a full-time foodie who loves to cook and create vegan dishes. She is also a long-time aficionado and teacher of the classical Pilates method.

Filed Under: Account Health, Amazon, Amazon seller, Arbitrage, ASIN, General, Inventory Sourcing, Seller Central, Seller Performance, Supply Chain, Vendor Tagged With: Amazon, Amazon FBA, Amazon seller, Arbitrage, FBA, FBA inventory, Inventory, Inventory management

Are you taking responsibility for something you didn’t do?

October 28, 2020 Leave a Comment

Amazon said you need to admit fault. But do you really?

By: Jay Morane

“I didn’t do anything, why should I admit that I did?”

In the time I worked with Amazon and while at Riverbend, this is one of the most common statements that I’ve heard from Sellers. It revolves around the mistaken assumption that you have to admit fault when submitting your appeal or Plan of Action. That is not necessarily true.

Don’t take it personally.

Do not take anything that happens with your seller account personally. Everything Amazon does is a business decision. Nobody at Amazon woke up one day and thought “Hmm, let’s get (insert your name here) and ruin their life.” There are millions of sellers on Amazon so most of the actions taken are based on algorithms and automated reviews, there is nothing personal about it.

If you did it, admit it.

If you did what Amazon says, then you need to admit fault. You may not have done it intentionally, but you still did it. Compare this situation to when you get pulled over by the police. They come up to your window and ask you “Do you know why I pulled you over?” They know why they pulled you over, but they want you to admit fault for the situation. You may not have been speeding intentionally, but you still did it. If Amazon takes an action on your account, they know why and they are looking to see what you are going to say. If you are at fault, explain why it happened and how you will prevent it from happening again. There is a difference between guilt and guilt with intent. Amazon guilt

Guilt versus responsibility

If you are not at fault, then you do not have to say you are, but you do have to accept responsibility for what happened. After all, it is your account and Amazon feels you should be responsible for what happens with it.

Sometimes it is the little things that are overlooked then the buyer breaks out their microscope and brings it to Amazon’s attention. Buyers have more free time than ever which means they are scrutinizing the items they receive more closely. They are finding the little scratch that was on their new item.

Was there something you could have done to prevent this? Updating the detail page, a better inspection process for condition, or checking for a Rights Owner.

It is tough to accept responsibility for something that may be out of your control. FBA returns going back into sellable, buyer mistakenly thinking something is inauthentic when it isn’t. These situations are harder to appeal because you, as a seller, may not have done anything wrong but because of a bad buyer experience, your ASIN or account is deactivated.

How can you get that account reinstated?

This is where may sellers try to argue principles with Amazon rather than taking responsibility for their account. Don’t. You may be right but the person who reviews your appeal is not the one who is going to say that Amazon was wrong and reinstate your account nor can they change Amazon policy. If you feel that strongly about something, write to Jeff Bezos at his email address. There is a team that actually reads those emails and acts on them. Sellers are deactivated wrongly, it happens more than it should, but arguing that point with Amazon is not going to get your ASIN or Account reinstated.

If you need any assistance with account reinstatement, or anything else give Riverbend a call (877) 289-1017. We are happy to help!


Jay MoraneJay is a strong advocate for the sellers and goes above and beyond to use his skills to help in every way he can. Jay has experience in Amazon Seller Support/FBA as well as the Amazon Account Health Team. There he worked with sellers to assist them in understanding the metrics and policies related to their Account Health as well as assisting them with reinstatement. Jay enjoys spending time with his wife and has been known to tell Dad jokes on occasion.

Filed Under: Account Appeal, Account Health, Amazon, Amazon Appeal, Amazon seller, Amazon Seller Central, ASIN, Customer Serivce, FBA, General, Seller Central, Seller Performance Tagged With: Account Health, Account Reinstatement, Amazon, Amazon guilt, Amazon seller, ASIN, FBA, Suspension

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.acronyms as explained by Riverbend Consulting.

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 at Riverbend

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.

Filed Under: 3P, Account Health, Amazon, Amazon Appeal, Amazon seller, Amazon Seller Central, ASIN, FBA, General, SFP, USA, VA, VIP Tagged With: 3P, ACOS, Amazon, Amazon Acronym, Amazon seller, Amazon Seller Central, ASIN, DSP, FBA, ISBN, ODR

This simple hack can save your business

October 20, 2020 Leave a Comment

Prepping inventory for FBA means thinking the process through

By: Lesley Hensell

The Amazon seller was baffled. His account had been shut down for inauthentic goods. But he sourced all inventory direct from the manufacturer. How could this be?

He sold thousands of pairs of shoes every month. We discussed his business processes at length. How was he prepping inventory for FBA?

“Tell me about your boxes. Are they the original branded shoeboxes?” I asked.

“Yes, of course,” he said.

“And how are you keeping the boxes closed?” I asked.

Silence.

Turns out, the seller was not securing the shoeboxes.

How did I know? Complaint after complaint said that pairs of shoes did not match. They were two different sizes, brands or colors. It’s a perfect example of not thinking through how the FBA fulfillment center handles sellers’ inventory. Unsecured boxes may be spilled out of cartons or open in the warehouse. It’s unreasonable to expect that Amazon employees will carefully re-pair shoes that have become mixed up.

The solution? For this seller, I suggested plastic bands that could be used to secure the boxes without damaging the cardboard. Rubber bands will work for fast-moving items, but they should not be used if inventory will remain in the FC for long. Cold or heat could cause them to become brittle and break.

The rubberband hack for Amazon sellers.

Selling items as sets

Many sellers send ASINs to the fulfillment center bundled together as a set. Unfortunately, workers at the Amazon warehouse can make tremendous mistakes by separating items that are meant to be sold together.

For example:

  • One client sold a two-pack of a medicine that was shrink-wrapped together. Amazon workers broke the two-packs into singles, causing many complaints when buyers did not receive two items.
  • Another client sold a bundle with multiple components in a polybag. Amazon workers broke the bundles up, which caused havoc.

How can sellers prevent these problems? Add a prominent sticker that says: “Sold as a set. Do not separate.” This should stop the fulfillment center from making such egregious mistakes.

When in doubt, box, polybag or shrink-wrap

Amazon fulfillment centers are not sterile environments. Products are moved around multiple times. They become dusty and dirty. They are dropped on the floor. The best solution for most products? Keep them clean, safe and in brand-new condition by placing them into protective packaging. This could mean placing them in a box, a polybag, or shrink wrap. This is an extra step that takes time and costs a few pennies. But it will more than pay off with fewer buyer complaints.

Questions about how to keep your account safe? Ask us at Riverbend Consulting.


Lesley Hensell

Lesley is co-founder and co-owner of Riverbend Consulting, where she oversees the firm’s client services team. She has personally helped hundreds of third-party sellers get their accounts and ASINs back up and running. Lesley 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, thanks to her boys (18 and 13) who do most of the heavy lifting.

Filed Under: Account Health, Amazon, Amazon Appeal, Amazon seller, Amazon Seller Central, Customer Serivce, FBA, General, Seller Central, Seller Performance, Warehouse Tagged With: Amazon, Amazon account, Amazon FBA, Amazon seller, Amazon Seller Central, FBA, Fulfillment center, Inventory, Inventory Prep

The many kinds of intellectual property violations on Amazon

May 18, 2020 Leave a Comment

Intellectual property violations on Amazon run the gamut, but all put your seller account at risk

By: Kayla Forrest

Intellectual property rights are taken seriously. Why? Because intellectual property violations on Amazon can turn into a legal issue. 

When it comes to Intellectual Property (IP), Amazon protects itself. And to protect itself, Amazon gives the benefit of the doubt to the alleged Rights Owner. If a Rights Owner (RO) made a complaint that their IP was violated, and Amazon did not act, Amazon would be legally liable. 

Unfortunately, this creates terrible headaches for Amazon sellers who are often incorrectly warned – and even suspended – over trademark, copyright, patent and counterfeit claims. 

Intellectual property
Standard IP complaints on Amazon

Trademark is one of the most commonly filed IP complaints. A trademark is a legally registered symbol or word(s) that is used for representing a product or company. If an RO has a registered and active trademark, and is being shown on someone else’s detail page or product, enforcement can occur.

This can also happen with a Common Law Trademark (unregistered trademark). Amazon will warn sellers for Common Law Trademarks when the trademark can be verified. This means the trademark must be known in the region it is being reported, and it must be associated with the RO.

Copyright infringement means that the RO’s work is being used without permission. This applies to a picture, book, film, song and many other forms of media. On Amazon, this complaint is more likely to occur with images. If an RO can show that there is a violation by providing information about the work or the copyright registration number, the seller will be warned. Technically speaking, the media does not need to be registered at all.

There are two types of patents that can be reported to Amazon. These are design patent and utility patent. To put it simply, a design patent is for the visual qualities of a product. A utility patent will protect the functionality of a product. A valid, registered and active patent must match a supposedly infringing product. Dealing with a patent infringement issue can be very difficult. It may be best to seek legal advice if the situation occurs.

The most common IP complaint: counterfeit

The most common infringement type that a seller may face is for counterfeit product claims. For an RO to report a counterfeit claim, they must have a registered and active trademark. The trademark must be seen on the product, and the RO must be claiming the products are fake or counterfeit. Frequently, an RO will declare exclusive distribution when supporting their counterfeit claim. Amazon clearly states that they will not support an exclusive distribution claim. Therefore, it would be useful for sellers to look out for exclusive distribution when attempting to contact an RO.

What to do when IP complaints are filed

In conclusion, all of these intellectual property claims can cause headaches for sellers. But with the right knowledge, you can gain reinstatement for your account or ASIN. Even though Amazon is looking to protect itself and the RO, all sellers deserve a chance to appeal infringement warnings. Proper advice can help the seller move past the issue and prevent future enforcements.

Most importantly, don’t ignore IP complaints. Address them head-on. If Amazon thinks you are not serious about these and other warnings, you are at much higher risk of losing your selling privileges — maybe permanently.

Need to talk about intellectual property violations on Amazon issue in your account? Give us a call 877-289-1017 or visit our website.


Kayla Forrest 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.

Filed Under: Account Health, Amazon, Attorney, Customer Serivce, FBA, General, Intellectual Property, IP, Lawyer, Seller Performance, Trademark, Verification Tagged With: 3P, 3P seller, Amazon, Amazon FBA, Amazon seller, Appeal, Common law trademarks, Copyright, Coronavirus, Counterfeit, Deactivated, Deactivation, Documents, Fake, FBA, Inauthentic, Intellectual property, Inventory, IP violation, Patents, Reactivated, Rights owner, Suspended, Suspension

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