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Used Item Sold as New POA Help

by Seller_AE81piMrvFK9i

Hello all,

As some others have experienced here, our product listing has been deactivated by Amazon because they claim that we shipped a Used Item Sold as New. Like others have stated, this is a completely false claim as all of our items that we ship are always new in the manufacturer’s original packaging. We have tried submitting three or four appeals already and they are all coming back with Amazon asking for greater detail. I have taken a look at this great post (How to Handle Used as New Complaints Version 2) to help get my Plan of Action as detailed and concise as possible but it’s getting to the point where I don’t know what else to address.

We did have a couple complaints and have addressed them all in the Plan of Action, with the bent items being delivered to the customer the most concerning. I reached out to the pq-product-review@amazon.com team this morning to try and track down to see which order ID caused the “Used Item Sold as New” complaint and I am waiting to hear back. I have taken out any personally identifiable information as well as our item’s information but if anyone would like to know any additional information, I am more than happy to provide it. Below is the our revised Plan of Action, with some additions from the last appeal we sent to Amazon:

Hello,

We received a request to provide more information in order to reactivate our listing ASIN#XXXXXXXXXX, (Item Name), which was deactivated last week. I have read all the supporting links that were provided (Condition Guidelines, Amazon Product Authenticity and Quality Help Page, etc.) and completely understand them. Below you will find a clear and concise plan of action with an explanation for all issues as well as the supporting evidence.

Plan of Action; Complaints and How to Solve Them:

  1. We received two complaints recently concerning the item arriving bent. This was caused during the shipping process by USPS. In both cases, both the packaging as well as the product had been bent during the shipping process. This lead to us having our listing (ASIN#XXXXXXXXXX) deactivated due to a “Used Item Sold as New” complaint. We have issued a refund to the customer who was not satisfied with the product and a replacement to the other who appreciated our good business practices. We will be taking the following steps to ensure that future orders have no issues with bent items:

A) In addition to the sturdiness of the mailer (0.037” thick), we will be adding two additional cardboard inserts to the packaging to make sure all items arrive in perfect condition. These cardboard inserts are 0.022” thick each which will increase the total cardboard thickness to 0.081” total, over a 60% increase in the overall sturdiness of the packaging. This will solve any future issues that might have otherwise arose.

B) The item itself is also very sturdy too. It is three layers of laminated 22 pt. SBS (66 pt. total) for the card and spinner. These specifications haven’t changed in the last four years.

C) All (Item Name) that are sold are always new in the original packaging as listed on Amazon.

D) We have also spoken with our supplier, (Supplier Name), to let them know what has happened and to inform them that the item needs to be flat. The newest order of items we received is extremely flat since it was packaged in smaller boxes which didn’t let them curve during shipping. We let him know that we would like to continue with this smaller packaging which the bulk items arrive in on future orders. This will prevent any future items arriving bent.

E) The items are carefully stored in a storage area inside and will continue to be thoroughly checked over before they are packed. We have checked all of our existing inventory and have not found any bent or defective products. We will monitor and inspect every (Item Name) that is packed to ensure that all that are shipped perfectly flat.

F) This, combined with the increased packaging material and sturdiness, will also ensure that the items do not arrive bent in the future.

G)We will continue to put a “DO NOT BEND” sticker on the front of the mailer and will begin to put one on the back of the mailer to help avoid any damage in the shipping process.

H) We will request that anybody with a complaint concerning the condition of the item return it to us for examination. We will respond to the feedback received from all customers promptly and thoroughly.

I) We did reply to the customer who was unhappy with the product by defending the item’s and packaging sturdiness. We also issued a full refund to the unhappy customer.

  1. We also received a complaint recently from a customer stating that the rivet that holds the spinner on the wheel was not exactly centered.

A) This was a one-off situation and hadn’t happened before. All spinners are centered on the wheel. We will monitor the item to ensure all shipped spinners are centered.

  1. We have also received a couple complaints which stated that the item was too complicated to use.

A) We do provide clear instructions on the back of the item but we will continue respond to feedback regarding product operation promptly.

B) We will also continue to quickly respond to any questions posted by customers on the store page, suggesting the instructional video on the store page or by giving instruction or guidance on how to correctly use it. This will ensure future customers don’t have the same confusion when using the product.

C) Our listing accurately describes the operation of our item and we have been very clear in the instructions and have also made an instructional video. We will also continue quickly and thoroughly answering any customer questions that may arise.

Supporting Documents and Contact Information:

The (Item Name) are produced by our supplier, (Supplier Name).

(Supplier Contact Info and Website)

Attached are the three invoices, in .jpg format, of the orders of (Item Name) at (Supplier Name) for the past 365 days.

Yes, I know we are sourcing our item from a trusted supplier. (Supplier Name) has produced the item since it was created in 2011 and we have always been happy with their quality. Every single (Item Name) that is shipped New, in the original manufacturer packaging as listed on Amazon. Like I said above, we have spoken with (Supplier Name) to let him know of the benefits of having our (Item Name) shipped in smaller boxes as this helps ensure they do not arrive to us slightly bent. We let him know that we would like this smaller packing method used in future orders to prevent any bent (Item Name). The prior orders came in a slightly larger box which may have given them more room to shift and curve during shipping.

As mentioned above, we will monitor and inspect every single (Item Name) that is shipped to ensure that every one is completely perfect. The items are carefully stored inside which ensures their excellent condition. We have increased the packaging thickness and sturdiness over 60% by using extra cardboard inserts to make sure all items arrive to the customer completely flat and in perfect condition.

Additionally, we have taken a hard look at our other feedback and criticisms (listed above) and have addressed them as well as solved them.

We hope this information is all you need in order to reactivate our listing but please, feel free to give me a call if needed as well at (Phone Number) and I am more than happy to discuss anything that can help lead to a resolution. We have been an excellent seller with a 4.8 star rating on Amazon for over 10 years and we’re hopeful of seeing our listing reactivated shortly. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns for me. Thank you for your time and help and I hope to hear from you soon.

Have a great day,
Andrew


Tags: INR (item not received), Packaging, Shipping, USPS
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Seller_AE81piMrvFK9i
In reply to: Seller_AE81piMrvFK9i's post

For some reason, the forum is not letting me edit my previous post so I just wanted to end it with the following:

I’m thinking that maybe we should just focus on the two orders that arrived with both a bent package as well as a bent item. Like I said, we are checking with the pq-product-review@amazon.comteam to try determine which order ID caused the “Used Item Sold as New” complaint.

Any and all critiques, suggestions or criticisms are more than welcome as we have been selling this item on Amazon since 2011 and have always maintained an excellent Seller rating.

Thank you all so much for your time and help! I truly appreciate the information and effort you all provide.

Have a great day!
Andrew

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Seller_nstkdGWZl0SW0
In reply to: Seller_AE81piMrvFK9i's post

Some feedback

  1. This is too wordy. Be direct and succinct.

  2. Refunding a customer is never an acceptable response.

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Seller_AE81piMrvFK9i
In reply to: Seller_AE81piMrvFK9i's post

Alright, sounds good. We’ll get to work on it but we certainly appreciate feedback!

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Pax_Amazon_old
In reply to: Seller_AE81piMrvFK9i's post

Hello @Color_Harmony_Wheel,

Pax here to provide some feedback on your appeal.

you should always start your plan of action with your root cause, and follow the plan of action format:

  • What is the root cause of your product condition complaints? You stated that items arrived bent due to the transportation carrier and weak/improper packaging.

  • What immediate actions did you take to resolve the complaints? How did you take care of the customer? Did you review all of your products?

  • What preventative measures have you implemented to improve your business practices to avoid these complaints in the future? How have you improved your packaging? What does your quality control process look like?

Essentially, it will make it easier to review if you have three paragraphs explaining everything. Your current plan of action is formatted in a way that makes it hard to find the information we are looking for. Keep your plan succinct, concise, detailed, and specific to your situation. You have a lot of good and detailed information, you just need to restructure your appeal to be more easily reviewed.

I hope this helps you improve your plan of action appeal.

Best,
Pax

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