Amazon Textbook Support

Back to school: Successful Order Fulfillment 101

The busy back-to-school season isn't far away! Here are some best practices for timely and accurate order fulfillment:

• Keep up with increased orders by checking the Manage Orders section of your Seller Account daily.
• Students need their books and supplies fast!  Avoid listing items that you can't ship right away, and update your inventory daily if possible to avoid cancelled orders.
• Offer expedited shipping, and remember to check the shipping speed requested for each order.
• Keep buyers informed about their orders. This is easy with Charge When Ship. Simply ship your orders on time and confirm shipment promptly through your Amazon seller account - buyers can track orders in their account.  Learn more about Charge When Ship.
• Provide tracking information. It's not required, but based on buyer feedback, we highly recommend using shipping method that supports tracking. You can enter the tracking info when you confirm shipment of an order. Amazon provides all of the shipping information to the buyer in their Amazon.com account as well as in e-mail.

Good fulfillment practices go a long way to e satisfaction for buyers and good performance ratings for you!

Getting Paid 101

To get paid for items you sell on Amazon.com, you'll need to:
   1. Sign up for Marketplace Payments by Amazon
   2. Enter valid credit card information for your Seller Account
   3. Enter valid bank account information for your Seller Account
   4. Confirm shipment of your orders

Let's look at these requirements in more detail:

1. Sign up for Marketplace Payments by Amazon.

Marketplace Payments by Amazon is the service through which Amazon disburses the net proceeds of your sales on Amazon.com to your bank account. You sign up for Marketplace Payments when you list your first item.

2. Enter valid credit card information in your Seller Account.

Your credit card information is used for verification purposes. It helps to authenticate you for the transfer of your funds into your checking account. (We do not transfer your funds to your credit card.) You can change the credit card information in your Seller Account whenever you need to; for instance, if you cancel your card or it expires.

3. Enter valid bank account information in your Seller Account.

We require all sellers to have valid bank account information on record in their Seller Account because that is the account to which Amazon will disburse payments. You can always change bank account information later if you need to. (However, for security reasons, you will not be able to request disbursement for 7 days after you make any changes.) After funds are released from your Marketplace Payments account, it can take up to 5 business days for the funds to be transferred from our bank to yours. 

For new sellers, there is also an initial 14-day holding period  before funds will be disbursed to your bank account. This holding period is an important security requirement and is applied to all new seller accounts. After the initial 14-day holding period has passed, the funds credited to your Marketplace Payments account are automatically disbursed into your bank account.

Below is the general timeline for the first disbursement for a new seller.

4. Confirm shipment of your orders.

Sellers are required to confirm shipment of orders in order to be paid. “Confirm shipment” means that you notify Amazon (using tools we provide in your Seller Account) when you have shipped an order to the buyer. For more information about confirming shipments, please see our online Seller Help.

 

Why haven't I been paid yet for the books I sold?

After listing their books on Amazon, and shipping the orders they received, sellers sometimes find themselves wondering, "Why haven't I been paid yet for the books I sold?" If you find yourself asking this question, or wish to avoid asking it in the future, please review the following common reasons why a payment may be delayed.

1. The orders were shipped but the shipments weren't confirmed.
• Amazon's Charge When Ship program requires sellers to Confirm Shipment of every order they ship to customers. If a shipment isn't confirmed within 30 days of the date the order was placed, the order will be cancelled and the seller will not receive payment for it. For this reason, we encourage sellers to confirm shipment of their orders immediately after they've been shipped.
2. There is an issue with the seller's bank account.
• Sellers occasionally make mistakes when entering their checking account information into their seller accounts, and sometimes sellers' banks aren't capable of accepting payments from Amazon. Please review our Reasons a Disbursement May Fail Help page to learn more about these and other common reasons why a delayed disbursement may be caused by issues with a seller's bank account.
3. There is a hold on the seller's payment.
• All new sellers must wait 14 days from their registration date before their funds will be disbursed, and all existing sellers' funds may be held for 7 days after their bank account information has been updated. Please visit our Help pages for more details about Amazon's Disbursement Schedules.

Manage your textbook orders effectively

The first two weeks in January are the peak selling times for the Winter/Spring Textbook Season on Amazon.com. Order volumes can increase rapidly during this time.

To manage your orders effectively, use the tools in your Selling Account and follow these best practices:

Check your Seller Account daily 

• Don't rely solely on "Sold, ship now" e-mails to let you know you have new orders.
• Keep up with your orders by checking the Manage Orders tool in your Seller Account every day. The Manage Orders tool provides up-to-the minute views of orders.
• If you have a Pro Merchant subscription, download Unfulfilled Orders Reports regularly to stay on top of order fulfillment.

Ship orders quickly

• Get in the habit of shipping your orders right away. Students need their books fast!
• Consider offering expedited shipping. Over 25% of textbook buyers request expedited shipping last year. Remember to check the shipping speed requested for each order.
• Orders may arrive sooner if you use the nine-digit ZIP Code associated with the buyer's shipping address. You can find the extra four digits for any U.S. shipping address at www.usps.com.

Package orders carefully

• Prepare a professional, clean package. Wipe away dust or debris that may have collected on the item while in storage. Use new shipping/packing materials. Seal all shipments tightly.
• Include a packing slip in the package. You can print one from the Manage Orders page.
• Use the complete shipping address. You can cut an address label from your printed packing slip and attach it to the package.
• Use a complete return address, typewritten or printed in a neat and legible manner, on all packages.

Always remember to confirm shipment!

• Ship orders within two business days after Amazon makes the order available to you.
• Confirm shipment promptly through your Seller Account.
• Provide tracking information when available. Once you’ve confirmed a shipment we display the shipping information in the buyer's Amazon.com account, and we also send the buyer an e-mail notification with all of the shipping information.
• Keep buyers informed about their orders. Students are often anxious about their books arriving on time, and may contact you frequently to ask where an order is.

Process order cancellations promptly

• Sellers should update inventory daily and make sure to have sufficient inventory on hand to immediately fulfill all orders. However, occasionally it's appropriate to cancel an order: 1) when you can't ship an item within 2 business days, or 2) when a customer asks you to cancel the order.
• In the rare case that you cannot ship an order on time, be sure to cancel it right away. Cancelling an order promptly will give the buyer more time to find the book elsewhere before class starts.
• Keep in mind that buyers can leave feedback on cancelled orders. Customers who receive prompt notice of an order cancellation are less likely to leave negative customer feedback.

Handle returns and refunds professionally

• All Amazon.com sellers must accept returns even if the order was fulfilled correctly. Impress buyers by handling returns smoothly.
• When you receive the returned item, immediately issue the appropriate refund. You can make refunds through the Manage Orders tool.
• When you provide good customer service by handling returns smoothly and refunding promptly, buyers are less likely to leave negative feedback.

Good fulfillment practices go a long way to promote satisfaction for buyers and good performance ratings for you!

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Fulfillment by Amazon: You sell it, we ship it!

Did you know that you can simplify order fulfillment by sending your new and used textbooks to Amazon? With Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), you store your products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. FBA orders are eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping & Amazon Prime, which can mean savings for students and a competitive edge for you.

You can add Fulfillment by Amazon to your existing seller account and get started today! For more information, click here:

Textbook sellers, be sure to check out the FBA EasySell option.

Getting Paid - How It Works

A top concern for every seller is getting paid. To get paid for your Amazon sales, you need to be sure you've set up your seller account correctly and then remember to confirm your shipments.

1. Enter the information for a valid U.S. bank checking account into your seller account.

Amazon transfers funds from your sales directly to the bank account you specify in your seller account. If you enter your checking account information too late (less than 24 hours before your first scheduled disbursement) it can delay getting your funds for another 14 days. We suggest entering it in when you first set up your account, or before you sell your first item. To understand how important this step is, see our FAQs below, especially the "Why didn't I get paid?" topic.

2. Use Manage Orders or download Order Reports every day to check for new orders.

The Manage Orders section of your seller account provides you with a number of tools to identify orders that are ready for fulfillment. You look for orders by scolling through your list and searching by unshipped or shipped status, or you can download reports. Whichever you choose, make sure you are checking frequently for new orders.

Orders will be listed by the date the order was placed. Remember, we are handling the credit card and fraud protection for you, so there may be a delay in receiving orders while we do the processing. That means that an order from Amazon.com is one that is ready to ship. Once you receive the order, don’t delay – start the processing to get the product shipped to the buyer.

3. After you ship your products, confirm your shipments.

In order to receive payment, you must confirm shipment. This step is required for two reasons. First it tells the system that the product has shipped so a confirmation can be sent to the buyer and second it tells the system that you can be credited for that order.

When you successfully confirm shipment, Amazon.com charges the buyer's credit card, processes the shipping information and updates the shipping information in the buyer's account. Buyers can then see the status of their shipped orders online, which results in improved customer satisfaction and reduced customer contacts for you. Amazon.com also sends an automated shipping confirmation e-mail after you confirm the shipment.

To be sure you get paid, after you package and ship your orders to buyers, use the tools in your seller account to notify Amazon that the packages are on the way. For detailed instructions, enter "confirm shipment" into the seller Help search or use the "Learn more" links in the Manage Orders interface.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

How and when do I get paid?

After you first register to sell on Amazon, we let the funds from your sales accumulate for the first 14 days. At the end of this time, we settle your account – i.e., subtract our fees and shuffle the rest of the funds off to you via an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfer to your checking account. This is your first disbursement. After this, disbursements will occur automatically every 14 days.

Disbursements usually appear in your checking account within 3-5 business days. Note that for a disbursement to take place, you must have a positive balance. Amazon fees and customer refunds, if any, can affect your balance.

How do I know I have been paid?

Your settlements can viewed in the Payments account section of your seller account at any time.

Why didn't I get paid?

There are several reasons why you might not be paid when you expect:

• You recently began selling on Amazon.com and your first 14-day settlement period has not concluded.
• Your first settlement period has concluded but you do not have a positive account balance.
• You have not yet entered your bank account information.
• The bank account information you entered is incorrect. Contact your bank to confirm the checking account number and ACH (Automated Clearinghouse) routing number.
• You entered debit card information instead of checking account information.  A checking account with an ACH routing number is required for seller disbursements.
• Your bank does not accept ACH transfers.  Contact your bank to confirm that they accept ACH transfers. If they don't, provide a checking account from a bank that accepts ACH transfers.
• Your bank is outside the United States.  A checking account in a US-based bank is required for seller disbursements.
• The bank account you provided originally is now closed. Contact your bank to obtain the checking account number and ACH routing number for your new bank account.

 
We wish you success selling textbooks and getting paid for your sales on Amazon.

Charge When Ship: Cancelling Orders

Charge When Ship is an easy way to process orders and keep buyers informed about shipments. Though most transactions go smoothly, occasionally it's appropriate to cancel an order. Below are some answers to frequently asked questions about cancelling orders when you use Charge When Ship:

When should I cancel an order?

There are two reasons to cancel an order: 1) you can't ship an item within 2 business days, or 2) a customer asks you to cancel the order. Learn more.

Will cancelled orders affect my performance metrics?

The seller performance metrics still apply with Charge When Ship, and we also monitor late shipments and cancellations. To be within our performance target, sellers should make sure that less than 2.5% of their orders are cancelled.

Cancellations are an infrequent but normal part of most sales operations. Our performance metrics capture missed promises to buyers, whether through pre-fulfillment cancellations, refunds, or shipping delays. You can view your Customer Metrics any time in the Reports section of your seller account.

What if I cancel an order because I can't ship to the address?

Our seller performance metrics capture missed promises to buyers, including those due to cancellations, regardless of the cancellation reason. Our automated performance metrics are only one aspect of an account review.

Some orders that you might consider cancelling because of the buyer address should not be cancelled. For example , an order should not be cancelled solely because it has an APO or FPO address. If the- buyer has an APO/FPO address, do not cancel the order. APO and FPO addresses are not considered international; they only require domestic postage to reach their destination in the United States.

However, when a buyer contacts you to say that they cannot receive the package at the address provided in the order, or you see that the package is otherwise undeliverable (there is an issue with the address), then please do cancel the order. Never ship an order to an address that is not submitted when the order is placed. Feel free to ask the buyer to place a new order with a valid shipping address. Learn more.

Can buyers leave feedback on cancelled (will not ship) orders?

Yes, buyers can leave feedback on cancelled orders. Though cancelled orders will no longer be visible on their order history page, buyers can still access cancelled orders from the Leave Seller Feedback page in their account.

When buyers place orders on Amazon.com, they have confidence that the orders will be fulfilled. It is important to make sure you are only offering items you are able to fulfill on time.

Buyers are not able to leave feedback on orders Amazon cancels, such as when the buyer’s credit card is invalid. We do not send these orders to you and we do not hold you responsible for the buyer experience.

Manage your Orders with Charge When Ship!

Amazon now has an easy way for sellers to manage their orders. It's called Charge When Ship and it means that a buyer isn't charged until an order has been shipped. Amazon has used Charge When Ship to manage its own orders for many years. In fact, a large group of sellers has been using the system since 2006. Within the next few months, every Amazon seller will be using Charge When Ship.

But why is Amazon asking all sellers to confirm their shipments? Many sellers have asked us, "Why the change, Amazon?"

There are lots of benefits to both Amazon buyers and sellers with Charge When Ship. Here are a few:

• Buyers know they won't be charged until their order has shipped, which helps them feel more secure about buying on Amazon.
• Sellers can now cancel orders instead of processing order refunds for unwanted items.
• Buyers can confirm seller action on their orders in their Amazon accounts.
• Sellers don't have to worry about sending out confirm shipment e-mails to buyers because Amazon does it after an order has been confirmed.
• Sellers can provide tracking information so buyers can track their own packages.

With Charge When Ship, once a shipment has been confirmed, the seller's account is credited for the sale. That's different from before Charge When Ship, when a seller's account was credited after an order was placed. Although this is a change in when a seller is paid for an order, sellers should feel confident that Amazon will credit their Payments account once they have confirmed shipment.

Ship, confirm, get paid. That's the new process. That's how easy it is.

There are lots of ways to learn more about Charge When Ship. You can read our Help pages and our FAQ, watch a short tutorial or watch a webinar.

You can sign up for Charge When Ship now – you don't have to wait! If you don't sign up for Charge When Ship on your own, we will let you know before we turn it on in your Seller Account. If you are new to selling on Amazon, you will be signed up automatically for Charge When Ship when you register.

Just remember: Ship, confirm, get paid. If you aren't already using Charge When Ship, start using it now by logging in to your Seller Account and clicking on the link at the top of the page. Do it today!