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Sun Mar 13 2022 16:27:11

Seller Caught in the Middle between Amazon and UPS

By: Reader

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Dear Ina,
Amazon's Buy Shipping program using UPS has a scheme ongoing. The following instances may occur that have impacted us.

1) Damaged package and asking to file insurance claim.

2) Address correction fee $18

3) Additional Handling fee $11.75 error

In every instance Amazon will tell you to contact the carrier (UPS) and the UPS will tell you the contract between both companies makes it Amazon's responsibility.

I agree with UPS. Amazon should be handling all of it since its their site, their program and their UPS account. 

The address correction charge shouldn't occur in the first place and Amazon should eat that charge without the seller knowing. This is why, 

1) Amazon doesn't verify their customer address
2) Sellers can not change the address provided
3) Seller must ship the order to that address

So, the seller has absolutely no ability to avoid this random charge, which in our case has shown to take our NET margin away or put us in the negative on that transaction. Amazon made their money. UPS made their money, but we got shafted. 

As far as insurance claim goes, we tried twice and failed twice with the run around from both companies.

Now here is my breaking point. Working on 2021 taxes and decided to click through all the adjusted handling transactions. Checked every single one. Some were correct in their adjustments, but I ended up finding 11 transactions where the audited amount by UPS was exactly the same as we entered and I know for a fact those packages were correct. 

For example, we shipped a 30x8x3 box and entered 3lbs. Amazon shows 48 OZ as the weight and 30x8x3 as the dimensions next to the original shipping charge. UPS audited amount has it as 30x8x3 3 LB. There are 16 OZ in 1 LB. So 48 OZ equals 3 LB. Exactly the same, yet they charged us $11 or $11.75 (fee increased). 

I have screenshots of all transactions and I have screenshots of the communication between UPS and us and Amazon and us telling us to contact the other company. This is the 4th time over the past 3 years I've attempted to resolve a UPS/Amazon issue with the same result of looping around with no one willing to help.

The amounts are not worth arbitration, but if it impacts us, it impacts other sellers.
N.

Comments (3) | Leave Comment | Permalink
Readers Comments

Perminate Link for Seller Caught in the Middle between Amazon and UPS   Seller Caught in the Middle between Amazon and UPS

by: Gumball This user has validated their user name.

Mon Mar 14 00:24:45 2022

Get another shipper. If you have warehouse items, bring them home and ship them yourself. You could probably get your wall to move before you could get Amazon to move.  

Perminate Link for Seller Caught in the Middle between Amazon and UPS   Seller Caught in the Middle between Amazon and UPS

by: ByeByeEbay This user has validated their user name.

Mon Mar 14 11:38:44 2022

When you buy the label through a 3rd party, they are the shipper of record. So if you have insurance you have to hope that Amazon or the 3rd party will due their due diligence to file through on the claim an then transfer the money paid out to you. i have never used warehouse storing and having them directly ship b/c sometimes they will take a similar item that is not yours and ship from a closer warehouse. Plus they change their rules all the time, so if it is not a small item that you sell alot of I would ship everything myself

Perminate Link for Seller Caught in the Middle between Amazon and UPS   Seller Caught in the Middle between Amazon and UPS

by: BurglePork This user has validated their user name.

Wed Mar 16 14:25:18 2022

If Amazon is doing this to you, it's doing it to other stores, too. Cumulatively, this would be a LOT of money. I suspect few Amazon sellers are checking every detail of their payouts, and probably a LOT of errors and unnecessary surcharges are slipping through. For many, it's not with the time and headache, especially if they are lazy about bookkeeping. This will be an unpopular answer, but your complaint should be sent to your state attorney general, your representatives, and the FTC. Nothing will come of your specific complaint, but they can't target what they don't know about, and if they receive enough complaints (and it seems to me they should be, because I hear about Amazon screwing up/screwing over sellers ALL the time) they can actually build a case.



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