How to Avoid Wasting Time with Amazon Seller Support
Let’s say there’s something strange happening with your selling account. Perhaps you are having pricing errors, or your metrics have been compromised.
In that case, Amazon Seller Support can help you straighten things out!
In this post, we’ll tell you how to communicate with Amazon Seller Support, so you get noticed and your concerns are promptly addressed.
Let’s dive right in.
Amazon Seller Support Overview
Merchants can’t always solve every problem in Seller Central. Sometimes, the solution may need a new set of eyes to fix. That’s where Amazon Seller Support comes in.
Amazon Seller Support is a dedicated hotline for Amazon brands. It’s designed to help merchants solve all kinds of issues in the marketplace.
The platform covers almost every aspect related to selling on Amazon. For example:
Creating or reactivating a selling accountProduct listing managementAmazon warehouse deliveriesProduct packing and shippingCustomer returns and refunds
In short, Amazon Seller Support is set to help you troubleshoot every aspect of your Amazon store.
The Problem with Amazon Seller Support
Seller Support is one of the most helpful Amazon service branches. However, some brands may think otherwise.
The problem is that the support team lacks the resources to handle the flood of daily inquiries they get. This makes a lot of sellers feel like Amazon Seller Support doesn’t pay much attention to them.
Brands may feel that all the back and forth required to fix a problem is a waste of energy.
Plus, responses don’t always hit the mark.
That being said, it’s not impossible to get Amazon seller support to engage with a bit more focus. And that’s what we’ll learn today.
Seller Support Categories
The most important tip for getting your questions answered quickly is to communicate with the right people.
Amazon Seller Support is divided into different specialty areas. You need to choose the right contact category to send your message to the people who can help you.
To do so, log in to Seller Central and go to the “Help” section. Then, choose between “Selling on Amazon” and “Advertising and Stores.”
Next, type your inquiry into the search bar that pops up. You’ll now see a menu with several support categories.
Review it and select the issue that reflects your request.
But what if the answer isn’t there, or if you really need to contact Amazon Seller Support?
Then, it’s time to set up a case with Amazon Seller Support.
Related content: How To Create An Amazon Seller Account
How to Call Amazon Seller Support
If none of Amazon’s suggested solutions can fix your issue, click on “Get Support.”
Then, select “Selling on Amazon”. A text field will pop up where you can describe your issue. Make sure you formulate your query as clearly as possible.
Doing so will allow Amazon Seller Support to better understand your problem. This way, they can respond appropriately.
Upon clicking the ‘Other account issues’ option, you’ll see 2 tabs: email and phone.
Choose either one to communicate with Amazon’s Support Team. You’ll also see a dropdown to select the language of your preference.
Alas, there is no direct Amazon Seller Support Phone Number nor email. But that doesn’t mean Seller Support can’t call you to resolve your problem.
Here are the steps you must follow if you want to talk to an Amazon’s associate directly:
Select the country from the dropdown menuEnter your contact numberDescribe the issue brieflyPress ‘call me now’
With Amazon Seller Support, however, email is the better option. Keep in mind that you must describe your issue in a brief, yet explanatory manner.
Amazon Seller Support will reply to you within 24 hours or less.
“Urgent Help Needed”
If your problem just can’t wait, Amazon Seller Support has an Urgent Help Needed solution. This allows sellers to inform about any critical issue that may have a significant impact on their business.
Urgent cases get priority from Amazon Seller Support, and they will contact you ASAP. Here’s a list of examples of when you can use this option:
Pricing errors that you are unable to correct yourself.Pricing updates that have not taken effect 24 hours after an update.Your account has been compromised.Your uploaded feeds or product listings are not reflected 24 hours after uploading.An issue related to receiving disbursements.Issues with brand registered ASINs.
Remember, this option is only suitable for the cases above.
Avoid using it if your situation doesn’t meet any of the above criteria.
How to Contact Amazon Seller Support
Now, before you click on the ‘Contact Us’ button, make sure you comply with the following guidelines:
Don’t open a new case if one is already under review for the same issue.
Review your case log to check case status instead of opening a new case to ask.
If you need more time to respond to a case, you may ask Amazon to keep the case open.
If you have questions about a closed case or think it was handled incorrectly, reopen it instead of opening a new case.
Amazon declines requests that are not consistent with their policies. Plus, if Amazon informs you that no further action will be taken on an issue, don’t seek to obtain a different outcome.
Reopening the case or raising it again in other cases is also against policy. Amazon may close cases or limit support if you don’t follow these guidelines.
Besides the above tenets, it’s important to keep a few things in mind when contacting Amazon Seller Support. Here’s the best way to put everything together:
Tackle One Issue at A Time
Listing out all your issues in one email is not recommended. This could prove confusing for the support associates.
Such an approach may keep you bounced back and forth between reps who handle the case. Plus, some issues are likely to be missed in the confusion.
It is much more efficient to send one email for each issue. And make sure you stay on topic as you describe the problem you’re having.
Be Thorough and Clear
Include all the relevant information for your issue in your email. You don’t want to waste time answering requests for additional information. This will help the support team work a lot faster to resolve the issue.
Also, state your issue clearly, but in as few words as possible. Make it easy for Amazon Seller Support to quickly understand exactly what you need. Be logical and orderly so they can follow along smoothly.
Provide Background Information
Support associates should understand your issue as best they can. Help them out by including concise background information.
Don’t stray from the main point, though. Stick to relevant supporting information. For instance, you could include what you think is wrong, or events that led up to this issue.
Be Polite
You can be firm if your issue doesn’t get resolved quickly. But remember, there’s a difference between urgency and rudeness. You’ll get much farther if you remain polite when working with a representative.
Seller Performance and Policy Notifications
Even if Amazon Seller Support pledges to reach out to you about an issue, it doesn’t mean that you can contact them for help easily.
For instance, what if you intend to appeal for reinstatement? Amazon Seller Support does not have the authority to decide on this issue. This falls within the domain of Seller Performance.
Unfortunately, sellers are not often given a channel to contact Seller Performance associates. You must simply submit what is being requested–often a written Plan of Action.
Understanding Violations
Seller Support may offer some guidance on where you can read more information about an issue. For instance, they may direct you to a page on how to understand acceptable seller order defect rates.
You may also try asking about a violation. However, many times, you will receive incorrect information. This often leads to bad advice given just so they can move on to the next issue.
The best information you can get from Amazon Seller Support is:
Internal account annotations regarding the issue at hand. They can read these to you from the Workbench tool.
Inform you why Seller Performance or Product Quality have not replied to your queries.
Point out an open ticket regarding your account restriction.
If you do reach out to Amazon Seller Support at any time regarding a violation, make sure that you have a written record.
This is another reason why email is better. You should be forwarding any information from Amazon Seller Support to the department that sent you the notification. This helps them keep track of your case and offer the help you really need.
Responding to Notifications
When you violate one of Amazon’s policies, you will get an email noting the steps you should take to correct the situation.
If you need to clarify anything, the best way to communicate with Amazon about violations is to reply directly to that email.
Acknowledge the violation as soon as possible. Inform Amazon what changes you intend to make to remain within the bounds of Amazon’s policies.
Alternate Support for Amazon Sellers
In addition, the marketplace also has 2 alternate sources for brands:
Seller Support Blog
This hub is full of posts addressing common issues faced by Amazon sellers. The marketplace encourages brands to check the support blog before opening a case on Amazon seller support.
Seller Support Forum
Merchants can also access the seller forum. This channel puts Amazon sellers in contact with each other. They can discuss any Amazon-related topics they can think of. For example: social etiquette, product listing policies, and more.
Sellers can post any question for review, and get a constant stream of responses in no time. Chances are some other merchant may offer the best solution to a current problem you need to solve.
Final Thoughts
Granted, you can’t always rely on Amazon Seller Support. But there will come a time when you will need their help.
The key is to know who to contact, and how to submit the information they need.
In such cases, it’s crucial to know the area you should communicate with. From then on, you can give them the exact information they need to resolve the issue you have.
So, always consider contacting Amazon whenever you face an urgent issue. Remember, a fresh set of eyes can shed new light to the problem. And hopefully, you’ll get them fixed in no time!
Author
Esteban Muñoz is an SEO copywriter at AMZ Advisers, with several years’ experience in digital marketing and e-commerce. Esteban and the AMZ Advisers team have been able to achieve incredible growth on the Amazon platform for their clients by optimizing and managing their accounts and creating in-depth content marketing strategies.
The post How to Avoid Wasting Time with Amazon Seller Support appeared first on AMZ Advisers.