Received: from smtp-out-174-138.amazon.com ([207.171.174.138]:44735) by stodi.digitalkingdom.org with esmtp (Exim 4.80.1) (envelope-from <810-GRW-452.0.13212.0.0.25080.7.101736032@eu-lon-188.mktomail.com>) id 1VrD1M-0006q8-3v for treasurer@lojban.org; Thu, 12 Dec 2013 12:38:20 -0800 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=amazon.com; i=no-reply@amazon.com; q=dns/txt; s=amazon201209; t=1386880651; x=1418416651; h=date:from:reply-to:to:message-id:subject:mime-version; z=Date:=20Thu,=2012=20Dec=202013=2011:23:11=20-0600=20(CST )|From:=20Fulfillment=20by=20Amazon=20|Reply-To:=20no-reply@amazon.com|To:=20treasurer@lojban .org|Message-ID:=20<49833103.73106019.1386868991952.JavaM ail.root@bg-lond-01>|Subject:=20FBA=20Newsletter:=20Decem ber=202013|MIME-Version:=201.0; bh=ax7FjCghzCFXs4PnoNuDwUrKns1GRwxQTBOkd1SprD8=; b=uXxw6tQ8PYotJsuLlesEnkgwxlA8A6IJXVlVYB+16s7+ptMUTOgvcMEb Wawpx2O77U7Io1//sDiPcCTVmh5eo9clz8XuMWabr65FQd2O4Ondfk5qY EoqawpP5jMwOoXmCK9LRjBL0hKOpNF7n6D7NOqqnuyjSTNiiF5X0dK9A7 I=; X-MSFBL: dHJlYXN1cmVyQGxvamJhbi5vcmdAZHZwLTk0LTIzNi0xMTktNTdAYmctbG9uZC0w MUA4MTAtR1JXLTQ1Mjo5NzQzOToxMzIxMjo1MzY2ODowOjI1MDgwOjc6MTAxNzM2 MDMy Date: Thu, 12 Dec 2013 11:23:11 -0600 (CST) From: Fulfillment by Amazon Reply-To: no-reply@amazon.com To: treasurer@lojban.org Message-ID: <49833103.73106019.1386868991952.JavaMail.root@bg-lond-01> Subject: FBA Newsletter: December 2013 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_Part_73106008_1012191791.1386868991947" X-Report-Abuse: Please report abuse here: http://www.marketo.com/policy X-Binding: bg-lond-01 X-Mailfrom: 810-GRW-452.0.13212.0.0.25080.7.101736032@eu-lon-188.mktomail.com X-MarketoID: 810-GRW-452:97439:13212:53668:0:25080:7:101736032 breadcrumbId: ID-lon-mas1-marketo-org-34732-1379614089495-6-2361177 X-PVIQ: 000326-000757-000001-000000-076353 X-Spam-Score: 2.0 (++) X-Spam_score: 2.0 X-Spam_score_int: 20 X-Spam_bar: ++ X-Spam-Report: Spam detection software, running on the system "stodi.digitalkingdom.org", has identified this incoming email as possible spam. The original message has been attached to this so you can view it (if it isn't spam) or label similar future email. If you have any questions, see the administrator of that system for details. Content preview: December 2013 Newsletter Greetings from Fulfillment by Amazon: As we look back on 2013, we are thankful for another year packed with seller success and look forward to helping you close out a strong holiday selling season. [...] Content analysis details: (2.0 points, 5.0 required) pts rule name description ---- ---------------------- -------------------------------------------------- 1.0 SPF_SOFTFAIL SPF: sender does not match SPF record (softfail) 1.1 DATE_IN_PAST_03_06 Date: is 3 to 6 hours before Received: date 0.0 URIBL_BLOCKED ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE: The query to URIBL was blocked. See http://wiki.apache.org/spamassassin/DnsBlocklists#dnsbl-block for more information. [URIs: amazonservices.com] 0.0 HTML_MESSAGE BODY: HTML included in message -0.1 DKIM_VALID_AU Message has a valid DKIM or DK signature from author's domain 0.1 DKIM_SIGNED Message has a DKIM or DK signature, not necessarily valid -0.1 DKIM_VALID Message has at least one valid DKIM or DK signature 0.0 LOTS_OF_MONEY Huge... sums of money ------=_Part_73106008_1012191791.1386868991947 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable December 2013 Newsletter Greetings from Fulfillment by Amazon: As we look back on 2013, we are thankful for another year packed with sel= ler success and look forward to helping you close out a strong holiday sel= ling season. In this issue, we cover the holiday customer return timeline and policies = as well as best practices for managing customer feedback. We=E2=80=99ve al= so shown you how recent Seller Central improvements help streamline your i= nventory management tasks. Looking ahead beyond this retail season, we hav= e an important announcement regarding U.S. FBA fee changes going into effe= ct next year. Happy selling, and happy holidays! Replenish Inventory Now to Avoid Stock-outs With this year=E2=80=99s shortened holiday shopping window, it=E2=80=99s m= ore than important than ever to stay in stock. You=E2=80=99ve got just a f= ew days left to consider the amount of inventory needed to meet customer d= emand for all of your FBA items through December. Many Amazon customers look for FBA products right up to the expected shipp= ing cut-off date for delivery prior to December 25. The expected last cust= omer order date for standard shipping is December 18 and for expedited Two= -Day shipping (including Prime) is December 21. You can view customized business report in Seller Central (sign-in required) to determi= ne which of your ASINs you need to replenish ahead of increasing demand as= we get closer to December 25. The popularity of certain products can vary significantly year to year, so= please keep this in mind when making inventory decisions. To send inventory, visit the Manage Inventory page in Seller Central (sign-in requi= red) and choose Actions > Send/Replenish Inventory for your selected ASINs= . U.S. Fee Changes Effective February 18, 2014 Last week we announced that Fulfillment by Amazon will be adjusting rates = in the U.S. to reflect the rising costs of storage, fulfillment, transpor= tation, and customer service. To give you time to plan for these fee chang= es, they will not take effect until February 18, 2014, after the holiday s= elling season. Below is a summary of the upcoming fee changes: - Fulfillment Fees: This fee change will result in an increase in Pick & P= ack and Weight Handling Fees across all product sizes and weights. - Monthly Storage Fees: Monthly Storage Fees will increase for all months = of the year. - Inventory Placement Service Fee: The rate card for this optional servic= e, which helps sellers reduce the number of inbound shipments they are req= uired to make, will change from a flat per-unit fee to a rate card based o= n the size and weight of the product. - Apparel Handling Service Fee: In May 2014, we will introduce an apparel= service with fees to reflect the added requirements for handling, storing= , and packing apparel products. By February 18, 2014, we will provide a fu= ll rate card and other details. Fees for order handling, Zero-Fee Fulfillment, Long-Term Storage, inventor= y removal and disposal, and Multi- Channel Fulfillment are not changing. For more information on the 2014 FBA fee changes, including full rate card= s, definitions, and examples, visit http://www.amazon.com/fba-fee-changes = . We welcome your feedback on thes= e changes at us-fba-fee-announce-feedback@amazon.com . Holiday Customer Returns: What to Expect Amazon=E2=80=99s customer return policy is one of the foundations of our c= ustomers=E2=80=99 trust. Each year during the holiday shopping season, Ama= zon offers an extended return window to encourage purchases. How the extended holiday return window works The standard return window for most products is 30 days after the customer= receives their order. The holiday return policy extends this return wind= ow for orders shipped between November 1 and December 31 to January 31 of = the following year. This means that the stated return window for holiday o= rders this season will run through January 31, 2014. Maintaining flexibility for customers=E2=80=94and sellers To ensure a great customer experience, which ultimately drives customer s= atisfaction and loyalty and makes FBA offers more attractive, Amazon custo= mer support may make case-by-case exceptions and accept returns for units = fulfilled through FBA that may be outside these guidelines. However, did you know that we now automatically reimburse your FBA account= for any customer returns accepted more than 30 days past our stated retur= ns window in most cases? With the extended holiday returns window, this m= eans that you will automatically be reimbursed for returns accepted after = March 3, 2014 for most items. Also, if a customer does not send the produc= t back to the fulfillment center within 45 days after they request a retur= n, we will automatically credit your seller account for the product. Customer return and seller reimbursement example Imagine that on December 16, 2013, a customer receives one of your FBA pro= ducts in a category that typically has a 30-day return policy. Because of = the extended holiday return window, the customer has until January 31, 20= 14, to return it. However, on March 5, 2014=E2=80=94more than 30 days past = the extended holiday return window=E2=80=94the customer discovers that she= no longer wants the product. She calls Amazon=E2=80=99s customer service,= and based on the specific case, the customer support associate grants her= a free return and debits this from your account. Under FBA policy, your a= ccount will automatically be reimbursed for this return in lieu of placing= the unit back in your inventory. This credit will appear in your account = before April 19 (45 days after March 5). In other words, you get paid for the product, and Amazon takes care of the= customer on your behalf. Find more details, visit Customer Returns for Or= ders Placed on Amazon.com (sign-in required). Inventory Actions Now Easier to Access in Seller Central Fee Preview and Replenishment Alerts are two of the newest inventory tools= added to the Inventory > Manage Inventory page in Seller Central (sign-in required)= . Now you don=E2=80=99t have to perform key tasks on your FBA inventory se= parately through the Manage FBA Inventory page. On the Manage Inventory page, you can take actions such as Send/Replenish = Inventory, Create Fulfillment Orders, Print Item Labels, and Set Replenish= ment Alerts from the Actions dropdown menu. You can also manage all listin= gs, compare prices, and now, preview fees. We hope that these features consolidated under Manage Inventory will simpli= fy your inventory management tasks in Seller Central. Managing Customer Feedback One of the many benefits to using FBA is entrusting your customer experie= nce to Amazon=E2=80=99s acclaimed customer service and trusted fast, free = shipping options. What about those instances in which a customer is unhapp= y with his or her experience? When a customer leaves negative feedback, but the entire feedback is relat= ed to the service provided by Amazon, including fulfillment and customer s= ervice, you can request to have the negative rating struck through. Feedba= ck reviewed and determined to be relating explicitly to fulfillment and cu= stomer service for an order fulfilled by Amazon will appear with a line th= rough it. Learn more about Customer Feedback for FBA Listings , including how to cont= act Seller Support to request review of negative feedback (sign-in required). If you=E2=80=99re also fulfilling some orders yourself and receive negativ= e feedback you=E2=80=99d like to address, we recommend communicating direc= tly with the customer. You can find instructions on the Using the Feedback= Manager Help page. For best practices on getting positive feedback and manage negative feedba= ck, watch our video, Get Good Feedback with Customer Service . Additional stories: Help Holiday Shoppers Find Your Listing In the November issue, we reviewed how ensuring a high-quality product list= ing can improve the chances your listing will be seen by customers. Basic p= roduct listing improvements include images to help customers make purchasin= g decisions, brand names to allow customers to filter search results, and d= escriptions to allow customers to compare similar products. Once you=E2=80=99ve improved your listing quality, another way to quickly b= oost visibility and revenue is through Amazon Sponsored Products. Seller Th= inkFastToys leveraged the Amazon Sponsored Products' cost-per- click ad pro= gram to prominently position its products in customer search results on Ama= zon.com, generating close to $175,000 in sales, with a 30-to-1 return on sp= end. Read how they did it. Learn more about Sponsored Products by visiting the Advertising tab in Sell= er Central (sign-in required) or by visiting http://sp.amazon.com . Where=E2=80=99s Your Inventory? The Helpful Tool You May Be Missing Your inventory is the lifeblood of your business. After you=E2=80=99ve crea= ted a shipment to Amazon fulfillment centers, knowing where your product is= and when it=E2=80=99s available for sale is critical to selling success, e= specially in this retail season. Many FBA sellers have discovered one easy = way to stay on top of their inventory=E2=80=99s whereabouts: the Shipment R= econciliation Tool, available to sellers using the Shipment Creation Workfl= ow (beta). With the Shipment Reconciliation Tool, you can see the status of your shipm= ents, view lost and found units, along with links to any reimbursements, an= d receive alerts about any hazardous material review. If you still have que= stions about a shipment after viewing the available information, you can su= bmit a case to Seller Support right from the tool to request additional res= earch. In the Shipment Creation Workflow, access the Shipment Reconciliation Tool = on the Summary page > Reconcile tab. Learn more about the S= hipment Reconciliation Tool and watch the video tutorial on how it works. Subscribe to the FBA Newsletter We send this FBA newsletter to the e-mail address associated with your sell= er account. However, you can subscribe additional e-mail addresses to the n= ewsletter using our online subscription form. This way you can make sure th= at key people in your business are able to get the news and updates that he= lp them manage your business with FBA. Go to Subscribe to the FBA Newslette= r to sign u= p additional e-mail addresses today. =20 Social Media For assistance, please contact Seller Support . =20 If you'd rather not receive future e-mails of this sort from Amazon Servic= es, please opt out here: unsubscribe =20 =C2=A92013 Amazon Services. All rights reserved. Amazon.com, 410 Terry Ave= nue North, Seattle, WA 98109-5210. - ------=_Part_73106008_1012191791.1386868991947 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit FBA Newsletter

 

Fulfillment by Amazon

In this edition

Replenish Inventory Now to Avoid Stock-outs

U.S. Fee Changes Effective February 18, 2014

Holiday Customer Returns: What to Expect

Inventory Actions Now Easier to Access in Seller Central

Managing Customer Feedback

Holiday Countdown

Countdown to Christmas

Download the 2013 FBA Holiday Calendar

Want more ways FBA can help you make the most of this retail season? Check out our FBA Holiday Selling Tips and Tools.

Help Holiday Shoppers Find Your Listing

In the November issue, we reviewed how ensuring a high-quality product listing can improve the chances your listing will be seen by customers. Basic product listing improvements include images to help customers make purchasing decisions, brand names to allow customers to filter search results, and descriptions to allow customers to compare similar products.

Once you’ve improved your listing quality, another way to quickly boost visibility and revenue is through Amazon Sponsored Products. Seller ThinkFastToys leveraged the Amazon Sponsored Products' cost-per- click ad program to prominently position its products in customer search results on Amazon.com, generating close to $175,000 in sales, with a 30-to-1 return on spend. Read how they did it.

Learn more about Sponsored Products by visiting the Advertising tab in Seller Central (sign-in required) or by visiting http://sp.amazon.com.

Where’s Your Inventory? The Helpful Tool You May Be Missing

Your inventory is the lifeblood of your business. After you’ve created a shipment to Amazon fulfillment centers, knowing where your product is and when it’s available for sale is critical to selling success, especially in this retail season. Many FBA sellers have discovered one easy way to stay on top of their inventory’s whereabouts: the Shipment Reconciliation Tool, available to sellers using the Shipment Creation Workflow (beta).

With the Shipment Reconciliation Tool, you can see the status of your shipments, view lost and found units, along with links to any reimbursements, and receive alerts about any hazardous material review. If you still have questions about a shipment after viewing the available information, you can submit a case to Seller Support right from the tool to request additional research.

In the Shipment Creation Workflow, access the Shipment Reconciliation Tool on the Summary page > Reconcile tab.

Learn more about the Shipment Reconciliation Tool and watch the video tutorial on how it works.

Subscribe to the FBA Newsletter

We send this FBA newsletter to the e-mail address associated with your seller account. However, you can subscribe additional e-mail addresses to the newsletter using our online subscription form. This way you can make sure that key people in your business are able to get the news and updates that help them manage your business with FBA. Go to Subscribe to the FBA Newsletter to sign up additional e-mail addresses today.

 

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December 2013 Newsletter

Greetings from Fulfillment by Amazon

As we look back on 2013, we are thankful for another year packed with seller success and look forward to helping you close out a strong holiday selling season.

In this issue, we cover the holiday customer return timeline and policies as well as best practices for managing customer feedback. We’ve also shown you how recent Seller Central improvements help streamline your inventory management tasks. Looking ahead beyond this retail season, we have an important announcement regarding U.S. FBA fee changes going into effect next year.

Happy selling, and happy holidays!

Replenish Inventory Now to Avoid Stock-outs

With this year’s shortened holiday shopping window, it’s more than important than ever to stay in stock. You’ve got just a few days left to consider the amount of inventory needed to meet customer demand for all of your FBA items through December.

Many Amazon customers look for FBA products right up to the expected shipping cut-off date for delivery prior to December 25. The expected last customer order date for standard shipping is December 18 and for expedited Two-Day shipping (including Prime) is December 21.

You can view customized business report in Seller Central (sign-in required) to determine which of your ASINs you need to replenish ahead of increasing demand as we get closer to December 25.

The popularity of certain products can vary significantly year to year, so please keep this in mind when making inventory decisions.

To send inventory, visit the Manage Inventory page in Seller Central (sign-in required) and choose Actions > Send/Replenish Inventory for your selected ASINs.

U.S. Fee Changes Effective February 18, 2014

Last week we announced that Fulfillment by Amazon will be adjusting rates in the U.S. to reflect the rising costs of storage, fulfillment, transportation, and customer service. To give you time to plan for these fee changes, they will not take effect until February 18, 2014, after the holiday selling season.

Below is a summary of the upcoming fee changes:

  • Fulfillment Fees: This fee change will result in an increase in Pick & Pack and Weight Handling Fees across all product sizes and weights.
  • Monthly Storage Fees: Monthly Storage Fees will increase for all months of the year.
  • Inventory Placement Service Fee: The rate card for this optional service, which helps sellers reduce the number of inbound shipments they are required to make, will change from a flat per-unit fee to a rate card based on the size and weight of the product.
  • Apparel Handling Service Fee: In May 2014, we will introduce an apparel service with fees to reflect the added requirements for handling, storing, and packing apparel products. By February 18, 2014, we will provide a full rate card and other details.

Fees for order handling, Zero-Fee Fulfillment, Long-Term Storage, inventory removal and disposal, and Multi- Channel Fulfillment are not changing.

For more information on the 2014 FBA fee changes, including full rate cards, definitions, and examples, visit http://www.amazon.com/fba-fee-changes. We welcome your feedback on these changes at us-fba-fee-announce-feedback@amazon.com.

Holiday Customer Returns: What to Expect

Amazon’s customer return policy is one of the foundations of our customers’ trust. Each year during the holiday shopping season, Amazon offers an extended return window to encourage purchases.

How the extended holiday return window works

The standard return window for most products is 30 days after the customer receives their order. The holiday return policy extends this return window for orders shipped between November 1 and December 31 to January 31 of the following year. This means that the stated return window for holiday orders this season will run through January 31, 2014.

Maintaining flexibility for customers—and sellers

To ensure a great customer experience, which ultimately drives customer satisfaction and loyalty and makes FBA offers more attractive, Amazon customer support may make case-by-case exceptions and accept returns for units fulfilled through FBA that may be outside these guidelines.

However, did you know that we now automatically reimburse your FBA account for any customer returns accepted more than 30 days past our stated returns window in most cases? With the extended holiday returns window, this means that you will automatically be reimbursed for returns accepted after March 3, 2014 for most items. Also, if a customer does not send the product back to the fulfillment center within 45 days after they request a return, we will automatically credit your seller account for the product.

Customer return and seller reimbursement example

Imagine that on December 16, 2013, a customer receives one of your FBA products in a category that typically has a 30-day return policy. Because of the extended holiday return window, the customer has until January 31, 2014, to return it. However, on March 5, 2014—more than 30 days past the extended holiday return window—the customer discovers that she no longer wants the product. She calls Amazon’s customer service, and based on the specific case, the customer support associate grants her a free return and debits this from your account. Under FBA policy, your account will automatically be reimbursed for this return in lieu of placing the unit back in your inventory. This credit will appear in your account before April 19 (45 days after March 5).

In other words, you get paid for the product, and Amazon takes care of the customer on your behalf. Find more details, visit Customer Returns for Orders Placed on Amazon.com (sign-in required).

Inventory Actions Now Easier to Access in Seller Central

Fee Preview and Replenishment Alerts are two of the newest inventory tools added to the Inventory > Manage Inventory page in Seller Central (sign-in required). Now you don’t have to perform key tasks on your FBA inventory separately through the Manage FBA Inventory page.

On the Manage Inventory page, you can take actions such as Send/Replenish Inventory, Create Fulfillment Orders, Print Item Labels, and Set Replenishment Alerts from the Actions dropdown menu. You can also manage all listings, compare prices, and now, preview fees.

We hope that these features consolidated under Manage Inventory will simplify your inventory management tasks in Seller Central.

Managing Customer Feedback

One of the many benefits to using FBA is entrusting your customer experience to Amazon’s acclaimed customer service and trusted fast, free shipping options. What about those instances in which a customer is unhappy with his or her experience?

When a customer leaves negative feedback, but the entire feedback is related to the service provided by Amazon, including fulfillment and customer service, you can request to have the negative rating struck through. Feedback reviewed and determined to be relating explicitly to fulfillment and customer service for an order fulfilled by Amazon will appear with a line through it.

Learn more about Customer Feedback for FBA Listings, including how to contact Seller Support to request review of negative feedback (sign-in required).

If you’re also fulfilling some orders yourself and receive negative feedback you’d like to address, we recommend communicating directly with the customer. You can find instructions on the Using the Feedback Manager Help page.

For best practices on getting positive feedback and manage negative feedback, watch our video, Get Good Feedback with Customer Service.

 

For assistance, please contact Seller Support.

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