We want all customers to shop with confidence in our store, regardless of whom they are buying from. To provide that confidence, we offer a quick and efficient process (the A-to-z Claims Process) to assist customers and sellers to resolve claims in the unlikely event a defective product sold through Amazon.com causes property damage or personal injury.
This process can avoid costly litigation and does not expand your existing financial exposure for product liability. You do not waive any rights or defenses to any claim by participating. Although Amazon may resolve certain claims as explained below (for example, if you fail to respond), if you or your insurer disagree with Amazon’s resolution, you may always contest that decision.
This policy describes the A-to-z Claims Process for sellers for products sold through Amazon.com. To view the terms and conditions for customers, see the A-to-z Claims Process Terms & Conditions.
Claim Initiation and Screening. A customer may make a claim under the A-to-z Claims Process by contacting customer service. We will work with external, independent claims adjusters to gather relevant information and attempt to filter out fraudulent, abusive, or frivolous claims. We will then notify you of claims we believe may be valid. Resolution of those claims depends on the amount of the claim and whether you have uploaded proof of the commercial liability insurance required by the Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement.
For customer claims of $1000 or less, Amazon will resolve the claim through a concession to the customer and will not request reimbursement from you or your insurer if you provide proof of insurance. Upon receiving a claim of $1000 or less, Amazon or our third-party administrator will attempt to resolve the claim directly with the customer while providing you with details about the claim. In addition, you will have an opportunity to respond to the customer or to us with any information you feel is relevant to our review of the claim, such as evidence that your product was not defective or did not cause the customer’s damage or injury. If we are able to resolve the claim with the customer, we will ask you to provide proof of your insurance within 7 days (if you have not already done so through the Business Insurance page). If you already have insurance or if we request that you obtain it and you subsequently provide proof of coverage, we will not request reimbursement from you or your insurance provider for the amount we pay to the customer as a concession for their claim.
If you are required to have insurance or we request that you obtain insurance and you do not provide proof of coverage within 7 days after we notify you of a claim, we will expect you to reimburse us for any concession we grant to the customer to resolve their claim. In addition, we may withhold funds from your disbursements in the amount of the concession. If you disagree with our decision to provide a concession to the customer, you can dispute the concession by submitting an appeal within 30 days. Your appeal should include any information that you think would be relevant to our review of the claim, such as evidence that your product was not defective or did not cause the customer’s injury or damage.
For customer claims above $1000, you or your insurer must handle the claim directly with the customer. If you have provided proof of your insurance to Amazon through the Business Insurance page, we will notify you of the claim and transfer the claim directly to your insurer for handling. Otherwise, we will notify you of the claim directly, and you must respond to our notice within 7 days. We will check in with you or your insurer and the customer regularly for updates to the claim status, and expect you to work with the customer to attempt to resolve the claim within 30 days, unless the customer is not cooperative or the claim is too complex for a quick resolution. If you are able to resolve the claim, you must also provide us with a signed agreement from the customer releasing you, Amazon and its affiliates from further liability. To access a form, you can download the release agreement form.
If we determine that you or your insurer are creating an unwarranted delay, are not responding to a claim, or have denied a claim we think is valid, Amazon or its third-party administrator may step in to attempt to resolve the claim directly with the customer. In this case, Amazon will review the claim and attempt to resolve it (if appropriate) through our third-party claims administrator. We will then notify you of the decision, the basis for the decision, and the amount we are seeking in reimbursement (if any). If you have insurance, we will seek reimbursement from your insurer and will not seek reimbursement from you. If you do not have insurance, we will seek reimbursement from you. If you or your insurer disagree with our decision, you or your insurer can dispute it by appealing within 30 days. After the conclusion of any appeals, Amazon may commence arbitration to collect any amounts we are seeking in reimbursement. You and we retain all rights and defenses to our effort to seek reimbursement.
More information on the process for property damage and personal injury claims and insurance requirements can be found in the frequently asked questions below.
The A-to-z Claims Process provides a process for attempting to resolve property damage and personal injury claims caused by verifiably defective products sold on Amazon.com. When we attempt to resolve a claim, we will offer to pay only medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage caused by a defective product. We will not offer to pay for non-economic damages, business losses, consequential and incidental damages, attorney fees, punitive damages, or other losses through the A-to-z Claims Process. For more information on claims eligibility, see the A-to-z Claims Process Terms and Conditions.
No. The A-to-z Claims Process will not attempt to impose on you financial responsibility beyond what you are already liable for as a seller of products under the relevant product liability law. If we resolve a claim with a customer through the A-to-z Claims Process and seek reimbursement from you or your insurer, we will only seek reimbursement to the extent of your existing legal liability. The A-to-z Claims Process provides sellers and customers with a streamlined process for resolving claims, which reduces the likelihood of a lengthy and costly lawsuit for either party. However, if you, your insurer, or Amazon are unable to resolve the claim with the customer, or the customer’s claim is rejected, neither you, the customer, nor Amazon waives any rights or defenses by participating in this process.
Effective September 1, 2021, once you reach $10,000 in gross proceeds in any month, you are required under your selling agreement with Amazon to carry commercial liability insurance with limits of at least $1 million in the aggregate and name Amazon as an additional insured. For more information on the requirements, see the Commercial Liability Insurance policy. This is to cover any losses related to products you sell in our stores, including customer claims for property damage and personal injury as a result. To help you secure insurance, Amazon connects you directly with a network of insurance providers who have agreed to work with Amazon through the A-to-z Claims Process. You do not need to use this network; you may secure insurance independently. Please note that whoever you obtain insurance from, we may exchange information with that insurer about your sales history on Amazon and about any claims made against your products (see What information may be exchanged with my insurance provider?). If you carry appropriate commercial liability insurance and have uploaded proof of your insurance to the Business Insurance page, we will not seek reimbursement of claims that we are able to resolve with customers for less than $1000. For more information about this requirement and obtaining insurance, see Commercial Liability Insurance policy.
Amazon may share information about your Amazon selling account with insurance providers, either during the insurance application process or with insurers you identify as providing insurance coverage for your products, so that those insurers may determine whether and under what conditions to insure or continue insuring your products. Examples of information we may share with insurers includes the types of products you sell, the volume of sales of such products, any safety complaints or other claims made against your products, and any concessions that Amazon offers to its customers for claims of injury or property damage relating to your products. Your insurance provider may share with Amazon information to verify your insurance coverage, as well as the volume and status of any claims for injury or property damage relating to your products. Amazon uses information provided by insurance providers to confirm your continued insurance coverage, identify potentially unsafe products, and improve the customer experience in our store. For more information about how Amazon handles your personal information, see our Privacy Notice.
You can find the insurance requirements in our Commercial Liability Insurance policy.
Once you reach certain sales thresholds, or otherwise if requested by us, you are required to maintain valid insurance under your seller agreement. If you do not obtain the required insurance, we will seek reimbursement for costs we incur in resolving claims, regardless of sales thresholds, unless we agree to waive our right to reimbursement. We may also restrict you from selling in a particular category or even suspend your account until you provide proof of insurance. We will provide notice of any such actions. If you are not required to have insurance and a customer files a claim, we may request that you obtain insurance; if you subsequently provide proof of insurance, we will not seek reimbursement for claims less than $1,000, but we will expect you to reimburse us for any claims more than $1,000.
You or your insurance company must respond to the notification from Amazon or our third-party claims administrator within 7 days indicating whether you will accept handling of the claim. If Amazon has already paid the claim to the customer, you have 30 days to appeal the decision. You may also need to provide proof of liability insurance coverage, if you have not already done so. This usually takes the form of a Certificate of Insurance issued by your insurance company and details the property and persons covered, the amount of coverage, and any exclusions or deductibles.
Amazon uses an external, independent third-party claims administrator to evaluate claims based on information provided by you and the customer, consistent with established insurance industry standards. We may also choose to simply provide a concession to customers. We may decline to resolve claims if there is not sufficient evidence that the product was defective or if the defect did not result in damages claimed by the customer. We may also reject customer claims that we believe are unsubstantiated, frivolous, abusive, or not suited for the A-to-z Claims Process. If we reject a claim or otherwise are not able to resolve it through the A-to-z Claims Process, customers still have the opportunity to pursue those claims, and you and we will be able to challenge those claims in court.
You can contest any of Amazon’s decisions under the A-to-z Claims Process by appealing from the notification you received from Amazon or our third-party claims administrator. You must appeal the decision within 30 days of when we notify you of the claim’s resolution. You can provide any information that you think would be relevant to our review, such as evidence that the product you sold was not defective or did not cause the customer’s injury or damage. This could include information from the manufacturer, other seller, or delivery service. If we are not able to resolve your dispute through your appeal or if you disagree with the outcome of that appeal, you can continue to defend that claim, and you and we retain all rights and defenses to any effort by us to seek reimbursement.
For most claims, 30 days should provide adequate time for you to resolve the claim with the customer, but we understand that certain complex claims may require additional time to resolve. Once you or your insurer take over handling of a claim, we will check in with you periodically regarding the status of the claim and any barriers to resolution. If at any time we determine that there is an unwarranted delay or you are not responsive regarding the status of the claim, Amazon or its third-party administrator may step in to attempt to resolve the claim directly with the customer and seek reimbursement from you. We will notify you of the decision and the reimbursement amount for which you are responsible, if any. If you have insurance, we will seek reimbursement from your insurer; if not, we will seek reimbursement from you. You can appeal our decisions (see If I disagree with Amazon’s decision on a claim, how can I dispute it?) and neither you nor Amazon waives any rights or defenses to our reimbursement requests.
If you or your insurer handle the claim directly with the customer and the customer does not accept your resolution of the claim, Amazon or its third-party administrator may step in to attempt to resolve the claim directly with the customer and seek reimbursement from you. We will notify you of the decision and the reimbursement amount for which you are responsible, if any. If you have insurance, we will seek reimbursement from your insurer; if not, we will seek reimbursement from you. You can appeal our decisions (see If I disagree with Amazon’s decision on a claim, how can I dispute it?) and neither you nor Amazon waives any rights or defenses to our reimbursement request. If you, your insurer, or Amazon are unable to resolve the claim with the customer, or the customer’s claim is rejected, neither you, the customer, nor Amazon waives any rights or defenses by participating in this process and you retain the right to defend the claim.
If you or your insurer handle the claim directly with the customer, you or your insurance company are directly responsible for resolving the claim and paying the customer, if warranted. For claims handled by Amazon or our third-party claims administrator, we will seek reimbursement (if any) from your insurance company if you have insurance, or from you if you do not have insurance.
You or your insurance provider will need to respond to the notification you receive from Amazon or our third-party claims administrator to notify us whether the claim was paid or denied and your reasons for that determination. If the claim was paid, you will confirm the customer accepted your offer and provide proof of payment. You must also provide us with a signed agreement from the customer releasing you, Amazon and its affiliates from further liability. To access a form, you can download the release agreement form.
No. However, we may remove products that we believe may be unsafe and we encourage you to confirm the safety of any products that are subject to such claims. A-to-z Guarantee claims regarding delivery, product condition, or return experience, are reflected in your ODR.