Does Amazon staff steals from inbound shipments?
It happens with almost every 2nd shipment that Amazon claims to have all units received. Let's say 211 of 211.
4 days later, the shipment is closed, and Amazon claims to have received only 205 of 211 units. Despite the fact that we shipped 211 to Amazon.
Why can I be so sure? Because it happens at least once a month that stuff is missing from FBA inbound shipments. Therefore, we have measures in place that make it impossible to ship wrong quantities. I don't want to explain it in detail, but the reader can trust that our quantities are in fact 100% accurate.
For me there is only 2 possible reasons for the differences:
1. A big flaw in the Amazon system. Either in software or processes.
2. Someone is filling up their own pockets.
Since the problems are independent of the warehouse we ship to, I will rather believe that 1. is the reason and Amazon workers are nice and honest people.
What freaks me out the most of all when dealing with Amazon is the truly unmatched arrogance. I know, it's not the people (hopefully), it's their automated systems. Telling me "Investigation completed – shipment contents counted and confirmed" every time Amazon loses or staff embezzles something, will one day give me a heart attack. I never have the feeling someone would take me serious, and open an internal ticket to address the embezzlement. Or the glitch in the system that causes the differences. Whatever it is.
From our last shipment of 18 different SKUs is of each of 5 SKUs 1 unit missing. Small bags with electronic parts. Just about 7x13cm and 5mm thick. No more than 10g a piece. Small products that can easily slide into someone's sleeve or socks without being noticed.
But if Amazon has a problem like that, and has no cure to fix it, then they can't blame it on me and tell me I wouldn't have shipped enough product. They must investigate, and maybe even fire and sue some people. But letting me pay for a problem that lives only within Amazon's own walls, is not what I understand under a fair business partnership.
Does Amazon staff steals from inbound shipments?
It happens with almost every 2nd shipment that Amazon claims to have all units received. Let's say 211 of 211.
4 days later, the shipment is closed, and Amazon claims to have received only 205 of 211 units. Despite the fact that we shipped 211 to Amazon.
Why can I be so sure? Because it happens at least once a month that stuff is missing from FBA inbound shipments. Therefore, we have measures in place that make it impossible to ship wrong quantities. I don't want to explain it in detail, but the reader can trust that our quantities are in fact 100% accurate.
For me there is only 2 possible reasons for the differences:
1. A big flaw in the Amazon system. Either in software or processes.
2. Someone is filling up their own pockets.
Since the problems are independent of the warehouse we ship to, I will rather believe that 1. is the reason and Amazon workers are nice and honest people.
What freaks me out the most of all when dealing with Amazon is the truly unmatched arrogance. I know, it's not the people (hopefully), it's their automated systems. Telling me "Investigation completed – shipment contents counted and confirmed" every time Amazon loses or staff embezzles something, will one day give me a heart attack. I never have the feeling someone would take me serious, and open an internal ticket to address the embezzlement. Or the glitch in the system that causes the differences. Whatever it is.
From our last shipment of 18 different SKUs is of each of 5 SKUs 1 unit missing. Small bags with electronic parts. Just about 7x13cm and 5mm thick. No more than 10g a piece. Small products that can easily slide into someone's sleeve or socks without being noticed.
But if Amazon has a problem like that, and has no cure to fix it, then they can't blame it on me and tell me I wouldn't have shipped enough product. They must investigate, and maybe even fire and sue some people. But letting me pay for a problem that lives only within Amazon's own walls, is not what I understand under a fair business partnership.
21 replies
Seller_7LrAV0m5llaI7
It's usually just stuff that gets broken or roughed up in transit. It doesn't meet Amazon's packaging requirements anymore for "NEW" so it doesn't get received.
They SHOULD put it in unfulfillable inventory and send back to us, but that's too much work for the warehouse workers based on how many items they are required to receive per hour to keep their metrics up.
Seller_Njs9EOk09UnvP
I face this same exact issue every other shipment. Normally 1-2 items will go missing out of 150-200 units or, at times, a box will be missing (15 to 20 units) which I'll need to submit a claim for. The biggest problem is as you stated, when the shipment declares "Investigation completed – shipment contents counted and confirmed" removing the option of obtaining credit. In many of the cases they locate the stock afterwards so it resolves itself but it does get tedious having to track each one instead of having the trust in place to know it'll all get there safely.
@Seller_7LrAV0m5llaI7 Probably likely stated the gist of it, stock that got damaged during transport or elsewhere. It could be theres a review process somewhere that puts these items on the side to be investigated before going on the shelf. Would explain why my little quantities tend to pop back up after 1-2 weeks..
Seller_Oiwqfqacqs9Uk
Same issue here across the board. The worst so far is YYC6 Calgary. Just don't ship anything there. They lost 2 full shipments with exactly the same scenario like yours. It arrived in August, then in September (a month later) they started receiving it and accounted for all items, but all of a sudden a week later all disappeared and still no clue where it is. Tried contacting support, and as you guessed, they were as good as dead. Told me to wait till mid November to start investigation. As a result, I have several ASINs with no inventory, inventory sitting somewhere catching dust and me losing money on the cost of the inventory and the lost sales that will affect ASINs metrics.
DON'T SHIP TO YYC6!
Seller_7LrAV0m5llaI7
Those review people are called Amazon problem solvers.
Seller_jJMWSiU3JcZpY
only one way. Our access is limited. They do and they charge whatever they want. Support team terrible! So, just quite until they make us leave
Seller_RVCE1rfnKjp3q
I have seen this on a client account that i am doing the bookkeeping for inventory, cost of goods sold, profit and loss statement and balance sheet.
initially i thought that Alibaba supplier sent the incorrect qty, but it was repeated when he himself sent again from his office .
so first shipment has like 8 pieces missing and then another 1 was extra and so on.
really annoying when you are trying to calculate cost of inventory and specially the accounts.
Seller_rHG3Ag4sXpee8
The most ridiculous is when we ship 48 pieces and they receive 49. Then they declare a shipping issue and make us take some training on how to count and pack shipments. When we appeal the fictional over-receipt they dig heels in and insist that their count was correct.
Laughable to even think that 49 pieces could arrive in 4 boxes of 12 each.
That's YHM1 for you!
Seller_BlkJnrWnC5CGI
Happened to me a few years back. 2 smartphones... I assume left in some employee's pocket.
Seller_aB5D14n4zEwOf
Amazon FBA took 305 units from an inbound shipment of 380 units.
Normally 1-5 units go missing per order but this was the straw that broke the camels back for us.
We got no support from Amazon so we had to quit using FBA.
It is a very bad service.
Seller_NGr7Q3qfRuZND
In this case from the evidence it appears Amazon FBA workers are not properly supervised.
Maybe to have more or cheaper staff or with faster onboard, at a cost of losing things.
The 1 of 2 units loss are common and they just pay.
However this is made up for since the money / time they save on staff can be used for compensations, and we're made whole.
When these staff either misplaces or As the post suggest steals a few thousand dollars or more our experiance has been they start to try to get out of it somehow. And that is my concern.
1) Example would be 28 units shipped in 7 boxes, lost 22 units.
After investigating, claimed there was no records of receiving the items.
Well tracking showed 7 boxes, but 6 units. So there was also an emply box.
$20,000 loss on this shipment they refused to pay out.
2) Example whole shipment lost, tracking shows delivery of a 20KG box.
0 units received, FBA Claim no records to reciving anything.
$3000 Loss
3) Was a switch tactic based on 2 separate shipment.
Item 1 in its own shipment shipped 90 units, Loss 30.
Agreed to compensate 30 units. As per loss.
Item 2 in a different shipment [simular item but more expensive], lost 104.
Agreed to pay 14 units @ item 2 out of the 104.
Went into shipment 1 and took [Reminding 60 units ] and applied to item 2's shipment.
And paid 30 more units out at item 1 pricing.
Summery:
Shipment 1 loss 30 = Expected comp 30.
Shipment 2 loss 104 = expected comp 104.
Actual compensation
Shipment 1 paid 90 units + 90 more. [180 units] When we only shipped 90.
When 60 units are now applied to our inventory.
Shipment 2 paid 14 when we shipped 104.
So they can pay the cheaper item. They just added shipment 2's manifest to shipment 1 and paid less.
$2000 lose in value.
