As we send inventory to Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon), you may encounter problems with Amazon that block your (and our) ability to ship inbound shipments to Amazon.
Use this guide to help you resolve issues for shipment(s) that have already been sent and received by Amazon but is facing issues that prevent you/us from shipping more items to Amazon FBA or even causing that shipment's items from being added to your inventory.
It is important that you Acknowledge/Resolve this issues with Amazon so that we may continue shipping items in.
NOTE: This guide focuses on fixing inbound shipment blocks that have occurred after the items have been shipped and received at Amazon's warehouse.
Issue: The shipment was flagged due to discrepancies between the items listed in the box-level content information and the way that Amazon accounted for the items in the shipment.
How to Resolve:
Accept: If you recognize the error, do nothing, and Amazon will eventually process the correct items.
Contest: Open a case with Amazon Seller Support and provide documentation that proves the correct content information (packing lists, box contents). You can ask them to manually reconcile the discrepancy and release the items into your inventory.
As we package your items to be shipped to FBA, we always make sure that the box weight is under 50lbs, as per Amazon's requirements. We enforce this in multiple ways via processes, and System verification so that it does not happen. Occasionally, and unfortunately, Amazon has some automation errors that incorrectly flag one of our boxes. Issues with Amazon Automation Processes like 2 boxes being weighed as one, an operator error, a machine errors, etc... occur and trigger these incorrect alerts.
It is important to remember that Amazon usually focuses on high Volume & Costs, not in perfection for these types of issues.
Issue: Amazon has Blocked your account from inbounding due to a shipment being flagged as overweight or oversized upon receipt, which blocked you from further processing.
How to Resolve:
Acknowledge : You acknowledge the error and say that it will not happen again..
Contest: Tell Amazon that they made a mistake in Seller Central.
Go to the Easy Book Prep Manager and open the Corresponding Batch
Select the Corresponding Shipment
Find the Corresponding Box
Get the Proof of Shipment Report what show all Contents and Total Weight Shipped.
Go to Seller Central
Open shipments and find the shipment with the issue
Contest the Issue
Provide this "Proof of Shipment" Document to Confirm the weight and size information at the time of shipment, including carrier information showing the shipment's weight and dimensions where correct and not contested to Amazon.
Wait for Confirmation that this block has been removed.
Issue: After receiving your shipment, Amazon flagged it for non-compliance with FBA packaging guidelines, such as missing barcodes or incorrect labeling.
How to Resolve:
Accept: Amazon may process the shipment after charging you non-compliance fees, such as re-labeling the products themselves.
Contest: Open a case with Seller Support, provide evidence (photos of properly labeled items), and request that they waive the fees or manually correct the issue. Sometimes, offering documentation that proves the correct labeling can lead to faster resolution.
Issue: Amazon detected restricted or prohibited items within your shipment, which can lead to blocked processing.
How to Resolve:
Accept: Amazon will hold or remove these items, and you may face penalties or removal fees.
Contest: If you believe the item was incorrectly flagged, open a case with Amazon Seller Support. Provide compliance documentation or proof that the item meets Amazon's selling criteria, and request that they process the item accordingly.
Issue: Amazon found that your shipment had missing or invalid labels upon receipt, leading to a delay in processing.
How to Resolve:
Accept: Amazon may charge you fees for re-labeling or correcting the label issues and process the shipment afterward.
Contest: If you believe the labels were valid, open a case and provide images of the properly labeled packages prior to shipment. Request that Amazon manually correct the issue and process the shipment without penalty.
Issue: Your inbound shipment has been held because your Inventory Performance Index (IPI) score is too low, leading to storage restrictions.
How to Resolve:
Accept: You can allow the shipment to remain in the blocked state and take steps to improve your IPI score over time, such as removing stranded inventory, reducing excess stock, or improving your sell-through rate.
Contest: If you believe your shipment should not be restricted based on your IPI score, open a case with Amazon Support and provide a rationale (e.g., rapid sales of other products, recently liquidated inventory). You can request Amazon release the shipment as a one-time exception.
As we package your items to be shipped to FBA, we always make sure that the boxes contain the items as indicated by the Box Level Contents information. We enforce this in multiple ways via specific packing processes and system verification. Each item is scanned into each box, as we pack them and the system Keeps track of what was packed and making sure that it matches. We even send the Packing information to Amazon to verify that no items where missed, making it very difficult to have any errors. We have a track record of less than 3 confirmed packing errors each year since 2019 and continually adding additional ways of catching errors, when they are correctable (before shipment) earlier in our process. Yet it is possible that they happen on our end, and we do what we can to detect & prevent them.
Unfortunately, Amazon processes are much more complicated, distributed, and process much more inventory than we do. They have not had such a good record preventing receiving errors and preventing lost or Damaged inventory, as they, redirect Shipment, Boxes and Items between their carriers and multiple warehouses in their distribution network. We have seen a single shipment of about 50 items be reshipped to over 40 different warehouses, before confirming there check-in weeks after the carrier delivered the shipment.
It is important to remember that Amazon usually focuses on high Volume & Costs, not in perfection for these types of issues.
If any Items are reported Damaged, they where damaged after leaving our warehouse, as we do not shipped damaged items. Contact Amazon and the Carrier for reimbursement of any damaged items.
Issue: Amazon marked items as damaged or missing during check-in, preventing those items from being added to your inventory.
How to Resolve:
Acknowledge : If you accept the situation, the damaged items will be removed, and the missing items will be marked as unrecoverable. You may be reimbursed for some lost items based on Amazon's FBA reimbursement policies.
Contest: If you believe the items were damaged or lost by Amazon, file a claim through Seller Support.
Contest: Tell Amazon that they made a mistake in Seller Central.
Go to the Easy Book Prep Manager and open the Corresponding Batch
Select the Corresponding Shipment
Find the Corresponding Box
Get the Proof of Shipment Report what show all Contents Shipped.
Go to Seller Central
Open shipments and find the shipment with the issue
Contest the Issue
Provide this "Proof of Shipment" Document to Confirm the content information at the time of shipment, including carrier information showing the shipment's weight and dimensions where correct and not contested.
Request reimbursement or correction of the inventory count.
Wait for Confirmation that your inventory was found or that you have been reimbursed.
Issue: Amazon flagged your product as hazardous or unsafe, preventing it from being processed.
How to Resolve:
Accept: If the item is hazardous or unsafe, you can arrange for its removal or destruction at Amazon's fulfillment center.
Contest: If you believe the item is safe and was incorrectly flagged, open a case with Amazon Seller Support. Provide safety certifications or product documentation to prove the item is compliant with safety standards, and request that it be processed.
Issue: Amazon received your shipment but has placed it on hold due to exceeding your account’s storage limit.
How to Resolve:
Accept: Your inventory will be held until you reduce your stock through sales or removals. No further action is needed, though you may incur additional storage fees.
Contest: If you believe there has been an error in calculating your storage limits, open a case with Seller Support. Provide documentation of recent sales, removals, or shipments that should have adjusted your storage capacity, and request a reevaluation.
Issue: Your shipment has been checked in but is still delayed or stuck in processing.
How to Resolve:
Accept: You can wait for the processing to resume, as Amazon may clear the delay without further action.
Contest: If the delay persists, open a support case with Amazon, providing tracking information, shipping receipts, and other documentation. Request an investigation into the delay, and ask for a status update on the shipment.
By following these steps, you can resolve FBA inbound issues that block your inventory from being added to your store. Most issues can be contested by providing Amazon with detailed documentation or opened cases in Seller Central. Acting quickly can help minimize delays and avoid extra fees.
