Amazon inflating product measurements and raising FBA fees
We opened a case with Amazon over 1 of our products, which was singled out and assigned a higher FBA fee despite being the same dimensions and weight as some of our other products. After investigating, Amazon claims that they ran the unit through a cubiscan system, and that the resulting measurements should cause our FBA fees to be even higher.
Our units were specifically packaged to meet Amazon’s specs for Small Standard-Size apparel, with poly bags measuring 12" x 15" when empty (sometimes as low as 13" long when sealed), and we’re selling thin cotton dresses that fold down to well under 0.75" in thickness. Yet Amazon claims their cubiscan measurements were:
Length: 17.299999982354 in
Width: 14.699999985006 in
Height: 1.199999998776 in
So they somehow added over 2 inches in length, 2 inches in width, and almost 0.5" in height, despite using a machine that is touted for accuracy. This is a massive difference and seemingly impossible considering the maximum dimensions that our poly bags can accommodate. It causes our FBA fee to jump from what should be $2.81 for small standard-sized apparel, to $9.80.
In our case, this fee increase completely destroys any economic benefit of using FBA at all.
I’ve sent photos to Amazon justifying our own measurements and asked them to re-measure on their end. Have other sellers experienced a discrepancy like this? How was it resolved?
Seller_cMTU19uN3HSyp
I’m providing an update on this for those that are interested.
Amazon remeasured my product about 3 days after I pointed out their measurements were inaccurate. The results?
Length: 12.8 in
Width: 11.4 in
Height: 1.1 in
Weight: 0.399 lbs lbs ( 4.8 oz)
A full 4.5 inches shorter in length, 3.3 inches shorter in width, and 0.09 inches shorter in height than what they supposedly measured for the same product 3 days prior. Now, this is still taller than any of the units I’ve measured and causes the shipping tier to come in as Large Standard Size vs. Small Standard Size, so I requested a THIRD measurement. After some runaround about only being able to request 2 re-measurements in a 1-week period, Amazon caved and re-measured the following:
Length: 12.9 inches
Width: 11.2 inches
Height: 0.7 inches
Weight: 0.35 pounds
A full 0.4 inches shorter than the last measurement. After this, they explained that they were correcting FBA fees for this product from $9.80 to $2.81.
In order to request a fee refund, I had to provide the specific order IDs that were affected, so I spent 20 minutes pulling a list. I know I didn’t get all the orders, but I got all the ones that were grossly miscalculated. The refund I calculated was about $97 for a week’s worth of overcharges, per https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/201112650
The refund Amazon sent me was $17.40. No calculation provided, and they entered a # of units in the refund description that’s different from the # of units in the order list I provided.
So I’m back at the case log again. I’m still owed $79, and I’ve sent Amazon my calculations. This has been an incredibly frustrating experience, and as an active participant in several entrepreneurial circles, I’ll be advising other DTC brands to stay away from Amazon FBA and MCF altogether unless it’s core to their business model.
Seller_L6kzkPrx9nmGt
How do you request a measurement from Amazon, I´m experiencing a similar problem.
Seller_cMTU19uN3HSyp
HDMS is right. If you’re unfamiliar with Seller Central Support, here’s how to get to the form to request a re-measurement:
- Go to https://sellercentral.amazon.com/help/hub?ref=/cu/contact-us
- At the bottom under “Need more help?” click “Contact Us”
- In the new page that asks, “What service can we help you with?” select “Selling on Amazon”
- Select Fulfillment by Amazon > Investigate Other FBA Issues > Confirm/Request Reimbursement for Product Weights and Dimensions and submit the form.
Good luck, I hope you’re able to reach a resolution.
Seller_L6kzkPrx9nmGt
Thank you both for your reply, I have opened a case with support.
