Hi guys,
I tried to find more threads on this issue but could not find one. I would really appreciate if a more experienced seller could help me out here. There is a TL;DR at the end if you don’t want to read through it all.
I received an email this morning: “We are writing to inform you that we have temporarily blocked your ability to create or modify shipments to Amazon fulfillment centers due to multiple problems that we found with your shipment during the inbound process. As part of the Inbound Performance Feedback program, you will not be able to create or modify any shipments until you acknowledge the problem.”
Upon further looking at the issue from the Manage FBA Shipments page, I can now see that someone taped a couple of the boxes I sent into FBA together, creating one big 64lb box with oversize dimensions (28.60" height). I assume that it was either UPS who did this, or perhaps a newer Amazon employee (when the boxes were carried between two FCs). Either way, I have never taped boxes together and do my best to comply with the FBA limitations.
I acknowledged the issue and submitted an investigation request. In the case, I told them that I was happy to pay the Unplanned Service Fee. I explained that I never tape boxes together and that this must have happened in transit. (Unfortunately, I have no proof of this, as I don’t take pictures of individual boxes I send in.) I asked if it was possible for this not to impair my inbound shipment metrics or cause a suspension in my inbound shipping abilities since it was out of my control.
It is worth mentioning that I sent a box which was 52 lbs instead of <50lbs in the past months. This was my fault and due to a bad scale. I immediately replaced the scale after realizing it could be off by a couple of pounds depending how you place the box on it. But this box was the only time I had problems with inbound shipping in the past, and I send in inventory very regularly (several boxes every week). I obviously acknowledged the issue and paid the fee.
It says that my investigation claim has been received, but I do not see it in my Case Log.
Can you tell me if this happens often? Has UPS taped boxes together for any of you in the past? Is there a way to avoid this?
Also, is there anything else I can do to explain the situation to Amazon? I do not want to be considered a repeat offender in Inbound Shipping and jeopardize my account health.
Finally, how important are these issues and can they lead to permanent problems with a Seller account?
I believe that my ability to ship into FBA has been reinstated after acknowledging the issue, but I want to figure out whether this is one of my last “strikes” or if issues like this can happen often without any permanent damage.
TL;DR:
Boxes I sent in through UPS were taped together on their way to Amazon by someone else, causing an oversize box. Does this happen often? Is there anything I can do to defend my case than tell them I did not tape the boxes together? I don’t mind the service fee. I just care about metrics.
Thanks for reading.
