Amazon overcharged me on fefferal fees and they tell me that I am not entitled for the full reimbursement despite admitting their mistake.
I’m a registered brand owner who exclusively sells baby products. In September, I noticed that some of my ASINs were incurring higher FBA fees than others. After some investigation, I discovered that Amazon’s bot had classified some of my products under the “Home and Kitchen” referral fee category. This didn’t make sense at all, as they were listed in the baby category and had never been in any other category. Moreover, I had been asked to provide lab testing specific to baby products. The problem was that my products sold for $9 each. Baby products sold below $10 in the Baby Category have an 8% referral fee, while those in the Home and Kitchen category have a 15% referral fee. As a result, Amazon was overcharging me 7% in fees on each sale. Given that I sell thousands of these ASINs per month, this had cost me thousands of dollars over what seems to be more than a year.
Upon realizing this, my first step was to contact Seller Central Customer Service. They opened a case and, surprisingly, acknowledged a few days later that I was right and changed the referral fee category for these ASINs. However, they didn’t mention anything about reimbursing the overcharged fees – something I had expected them to do automatically.
When they didn’t, I opened a case requesting reimbursement. The case was marked as “Transferred” for several days without any response. When I checked on its progress, I was surprised to discover that it had actually been closed and couldn’t be reopened with no response at all. I called Amazon Seller Support and asked for the case to be escalated. To my surprise, the clerk connected me to her supervisor after putting me on hold. After explaining everything again, I was put on hold once more before receiving two shocking pieces of information.
Firstly, I was told that I need to create my own report and send them a reimbursement request despite them having all necessary data. Secondly, I was informed that I’m only entitled to reimbursement for the last 90 days due to Amazon’s “Internal Policy.” This seemed grossly unfair – they admitted their mistake and took my money, yet I’m not allowed to get it back? I searched all Amazon policies and my contract but found no mention of this 90-day limitation for reimbursements.
Naturally, I want my money back and am prepared to fight for it. However, before taking any further steps, I’d appreciate hearing from any fellow sellers who have had similar experiences or could share some advice or opinions on the matter.
Amazon overcharged me on fefferal fees and they tell me that I am not entitled for the full reimbursement despite admitting their mistake.
I’m a registered brand owner who exclusively sells baby products. In September, I noticed that some of my ASINs were incurring higher FBA fees than others. After some investigation, I discovered that Amazon’s bot had classified some of my products under the “Home and Kitchen” referral fee category. This didn’t make sense at all, as they were listed in the baby category and had never been in any other category. Moreover, I had been asked to provide lab testing specific to baby products. The problem was that my products sold for $9 each. Baby products sold below $10 in the Baby Category have an 8% referral fee, while those in the Home and Kitchen category have a 15% referral fee. As a result, Amazon was overcharging me 7% in fees on each sale. Given that I sell thousands of these ASINs per month, this had cost me thousands of dollars over what seems to be more than a year.
Upon realizing this, my first step was to contact Seller Central Customer Service. They opened a case and, surprisingly, acknowledged a few days later that I was right and changed the referral fee category for these ASINs. However, they didn’t mention anything about reimbursing the overcharged fees – something I had expected them to do automatically.
When they didn’t, I opened a case requesting reimbursement. The case was marked as “Transferred” for several days without any response. When I checked on its progress, I was surprised to discover that it had actually been closed and couldn’t be reopened with no response at all. I called Amazon Seller Support and asked for the case to be escalated. To my surprise, the clerk connected me to her supervisor after putting me on hold. After explaining everything again, I was put on hold once more before receiving two shocking pieces of information.
Firstly, I was told that I need to create my own report and send them a reimbursement request despite them having all necessary data. Secondly, I was informed that I’m only entitled to reimbursement for the last 90 days due to Amazon’s “Internal Policy.” This seemed grossly unfair – they admitted their mistake and took my money, yet I’m not allowed to get it back? I searched all Amazon policies and my contract but found no mention of this 90-day limitation for reimbursements.
Naturally, I want my money back and am prepared to fight for it. However, before taking any further steps, I’d appreciate hearing from any fellow sellers who have had similar experiences or could share some advice or opinions on the matter.
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Seller_1idNlTUpfKbZW
write to jeff at amazon dot com.
Here's a shorter version of your message, thanks to chatgpt:
As a registered brand owner specializing in baby products, I observed higher FBA fees on some ASINs in September. Investigation revealed misclassification under the "Home and Kitchen" category by Amazon's bot. Despite being listed in the baby category and meeting testing requirements, my $9 products were charged a 15% referral fee instead of the correct 8%. This error cost me thousands over more than a year.
Upon contacting Seller Central, they corrected the category but didn't address reimbursing overcharged fees. After opening a reimbursement case, it was mysteriously closed without response. Amazon support, after escalation, informed me to create a reimbursement request, and due to an "Internal Policy," I could only claim fees for the last 90 days, which was not mentioned in any policies or contracts.
