Selling Lego on Amazon.com

[redcell]

Has anyone ever actually been shut down on a listing due to a documentation request?  I've gotten hundreds over the years and never been blocked on a single listing as a result...at least none that I am aware of.

[cobrakai]

3 minutes ago, redcell said:

Has anyone ever actually been shut down on a listing due to a documentation request?  I've gotten hundreds over the years and never been blocked on a single listing as a result...at least none that I am aware of.

Yes, tons of them.  The listings just go to dog pages if they don't get fixed.  Sometimes it happens in 30 days, sometimes it happens in 9 months.  Eventually, the listings will get zapped. I've had many of the listings go to dog pages for weeks, then suddenly come back also.

[skinsfan0521]

3 minutes ago, cobrakai said:

Yes, tons of them.  The listings just go to dog pages if they don't get fixed.  Sometimes it happens in 30 days, sometimes it happens in 9 months.  Eventually, the listings will get zapped. I've had many of the listings go to dog pages for weeks, then suddenly come back also.

Yeah, same for me. Mostly it hasn't been LEGO and has been other toys, but it has also happened to some LEGO sets as well.

[redcell]

17 minutes ago, cobrakai said:

Yes, tons of them.  The listings just go to dog pages if they don't get fixed.  Sometimes it happens in 30 days, sometimes it happens in 9 months.  Eventually, the listings will get zapped. I've had many of the listings go to dog pages for weeks, then suddenly come back also.

But that's happening at the ASIN level, right?  So it's not like you are blocked from listing it, but other sellers can, right?  It basically results in the listing being nuked.

[cobrakai]

18 minutes ago, redcell said:

But that's happening at the ASIN level, right?  So it's not like you are blocked from listing it, but other sellers can, right?  It basically results in the listing being nuked.

Yes, I don't know of anyone that has been restricted on a listing individually at the seller level due to a safety doc request.  They just nuke the listing for everyone.  I have not been successful in submitting any documents for a while now.  In the past, I had no problem submitting documents from suppliers and getting them fixed.

[Darth_Raichu]

1 hour ago, cobrakai said:

Yes, I don't know of anyone that has been restricted on a listing individually at the seller level due to a safety doc request.  They just nuke the listing for everyone.  I have not been successful in submitting any documents for a while now.  In the past, I had no problem submitting documents from suppliers and getting them fixed.

Time for another crackpot theory from yours truly.  I have no idea how Amzn actually works, this is just based on my own experience and observing stories on this thread.  It looks like Amazon send out the doc requests in batches of ASINs.  Each batch has its own document due date and the requests are sent to some (not all) sellers for each ASIN.  The thing is, the seller who gets the request may not have any inventory and may choose to ignore the request.  If a due date has passed and no document is submitted, bots shut down the ASIN for everyone (including Amazon).  They will check again on the due date of the next batch, if other sellers in that batch actually submit a document, then the bot reactivate ASIN, otherwise ASIN is dead. 

Here is an example: say you, I, and 8 other sellers have ASIN X in our inventory.  Amzn send request to me (batch A) with due date of 7/15 and a few weeks later send another request to you (batch B ) with a due date of 7/31.  Say I actually do not have any inventory and decide to ignore the request.  The bot checks on my due date (7/15) and sees no document has been submitted and shut down the ASIN X.  You see the ASIN is gone and decide to submit some documents on 7/20.  On your due date (7/31), the bot checks and sees a document for ASIN X and re-activate the ASIN.  This explains how sometimes ASIN just magically re-appear.  

If for whatever reason both of us do not submit any document, then the bot will just shut down the ASIN even though there are still 8 other sellers on it.  If Redcell is one of the 8, he would just notice the ASIN is gone without any explanation.

Thoughts?

[minicoopers11]

1 hour ago, Darth_Raichu said:

Time for another crackpot theory from yours truly.  I have no idea how Amzn actually works, this is just based on my own experience and observing stories on this thread.  It looks like Amazon send out the doc requests in batches of ASINs.  Each batch has its own document due date and the requests are sent to some (not all) sellers for each ASIN.  The thing is, the seller who gets the request may not have any inventory and may choose to ignore the request.  If a due date has passed and no document is submitted, bots shut down the ASIN for everyone (including Amazon).  They will check again on the due date of the next batch, if other sellers in that batch actually submit a document, then the bot reactivate ASIN, otherwise ASIN is dead. 

Here is an example: say you, I, and 8 other sellers have ASIN X in our inventory.  Amzn send request to me (batch A) with due date of 7/15 and a few weeks later send another request to you (batch B ) with a due date of 7/31.  Say I actually do not have any inventory and decide to ignore the request.  The bot checks on my due date (7/15) and sees no document has been submitted and shut down the ASIN X.  You see the ASIN is gone and decide to submit some documents on 7/20.  On your due date (7/31), the bot checks and sees a document for ASIN X and re-activate the ASIN.  This explains how sometimes ASIN just magically re-appear.  

If for whatever reason both of us do not submit any document, then the bot will just shut down the ASIN even though there are still 8 other sellers on it.  If Redcell is one of the 8, he would just notice the ASIN is gone without any explanation.

Thoughts?

This is the way

[brickology101]

Time for another crackpot theory from yours truly.  I have no idea how Amzn actually works, this is just based on my own experience and observing stories on this thread.  It looks like Amazon send out the doc requests in batches of ASINs.  Each batch has its own document due date and the requests are sent to some (not all) sellers for each ASIN.  The thing is, the seller who gets the request may not have any inventory and may choose to ignore the request.  If a due date has passed and no document is submitted, bots shut down the ASIN for everyone (including Amazon).  They will check again on the due date of the next batch, if other sellers in that batch actually submit a document, then the bot reactivate ASIN, otherwise ASIN is dead. 
Here is an example: say you, I, and 8 other sellers have ASIN X in our inventory.  Amzn send request to me (batch A) with due date of 7/15 and a few weeks later send another request to you (batch B ) with a due date of 7/31.  Say I actually do not have any inventory and decide to ignore the request.  The bot checks on my due date (7/15) and sees no document has been submitted and shut down the ASIN X.  You see the ASIN is gone and decide to submit some documents on 7/20.  On your due date (7/31), the bot checks and sees a document for ASIN X and re-activate the ASIN.  This explains how sometimes ASIN just magically re-appear.  
If for whatever reason both of us do not submit any document, then the bot will just shut down the ASIN even though there are still 8 other sellers on it.  If Redcell is one of the 8, he would just notice the ASIN is gone without any explanation.
Thoughts?

Or a seller submits documents available from Lego.com and it is rejected or deemed insufficient. That is of course when it is even possible to submit anything other than a complete test report. Seeing that this approach no longer works and that the seller has no access to the complete test report the said seller abandons submitting such documents or any documents for that matter and completely ignores any further requests for such documents.


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[Mark Twain]

Or a seller submits documents available from Lego.com and it is rejected or deemed insufficient. That is of course when it is even possible to submit anything other than a complete test report. Seeing that this approach no longer works and that the seller has no access to the complete test report the said seller abandons submitting such documents or any documents for that matter and completely ignores any further requests for such documents.


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My theory—there’s no way to human review the volume of testing reports they’ve requested, not for this many ASINs and not when the actual reports are sometimes 100+ pages. It’s either a bot or a human glancing over the cover sheet of the testing report. I’m betting some yahoo with questionable ethics rolled the dice and “modified” the cover sheet on an original testing report and rinsed and repeated the process for each ASIN that was dinged on their account.


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[yyyybird]

anyone received amazon 2021 toy seller requirement this year?

usually they require 25 sales starts from 8/15, but this year I did not receive any email from amazon, is there will be any change of policy for FBM users?

[jbacunn]

45 minutes ago, yyyybird said:

anyone received amazon 2021 toy seller requirement this year?

usually they require 25 sales starts from 8/15, but this year I did not receive any email from amazon, is there will be any change of policy for FBM users?

I was thinking about this the last couple of days also. I haven't received anything either. I searched the internet and didn't find anything. My guess is they are probably moving the date back to the beginning of September.  

[redcell]

I was thinking about this the last couple of days also. I haven't received anything either. I searched the internet and didn't find anything. My guess is they are probably moving the date back to the beginning of September.  

Or making some other change that will characterize a swift kick in the nuts as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

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[Mark Twain]

Amazon is expanding their A-to-z guarantee

“Amazon has a long-standing requirement that sellers obtain product liability insurance and name Amazon as an additional insured once they reach $10,000 in sales for three consecutive months on Amazon. We are updating this requirement and effective September 1, 2021, our Business Solutions Agreement will require sellers to obtain product liability insurance and name Amazon as an additional insured once you reach $10,000 in sales in one month on Amazon.com”


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[Darth_Raichu]

Quote

When a customer files a claim, Amazon will combine our advanced fraud and abuse detection systems with external, independent insurance fraud experts to analyze the claim. We will present valid claims to sellers and deny unsubstantiated, frivolous, or abusive claims. By doing this work on behalf of sellers, we save you from having to investigate these claims on your own.

  

Thanks for giving me a laugh early in the morning, Amazon...

On serious note, does anyone have any recommendation on Business General Liability insurance they'd like to share?

[jbacunn]

2 hours ago, redcell said:

Or making some other change that will characterize a swift kick in the nuts as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Sent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk
 

Yeah, I know. It also has crossed my mind that they might ban all FBM sellers during the holidays. 

[cobrakai]

Just now, jbacunn said:

Yeah, I know. It also has crossed my mind that they might ban all FBM sellers during the holidays. 

After the Post Office mess that seemed to start during Thanksgiving weekend last year, I banned myself from FBM during the Holidays last year.  Not worth the hassles and constant customer messages.  I have zero faith that they have corrected anything this year.  I wish Amazon carrier vans could come do daily pickups for us!

[Mark Twain]

24 minutes ago, Darth_Raichu said:

  

Thanks for giving me a laugh early in the morning, Amazon...

On serious note, does anyone have any recommendation on Business General Liability insurance they'd like to share?

Nothing specific, but I followed along on the main seller central forums and it looks like the easiest way people can get it is going through their own personal insurance first. The big caveat is finding a plan that meets Amazon's criteria. Most say that it isn't too expensive. Just another hoop to jump through. The main thing is if Amazon requests it because of a claim, you then have 7 days to respond, so that's annoying. 

[jbacunn]

1 minute ago, cobrakai said:

After the Post Office mess that seemed to start during Thanksgiving weekend last year, I banned myself from FBM during the Holidays last year.  Not worth the hassles and constant customer messages.  I have zero faith that they have corrected anything this year.  I wish Amazon carrier vans could come do daily pickups for us!

I cut my sales off a week earlier than normal last Christmas and would do the same this year. They haven't fixed anything. It will be just as bad if not worse this year.  

[cobrakai]

3 minutes ago, jbacunn said:

I cut my sales off a week earlier than normal last Christmas and would do the same this year. They haven't fixed anything. It will be just as bad if not worse this year.  

It is the definition of insanity.  Doing the same thing, but expecting different results. Even if they wanted to hire more seasonal workers, I don't think there are enough people out there looking for work. Someone told me it isn't easy for USPS to just hire seasonal help like UPS & FedEx, but I haven't been able to confirm that.

[exciter1]

3 minutes ago, cobrakai said:

It is the definition of insanity.  Doing the same thing, but expecting different results. Even if they wanted to hire more seasonal workers, I don't think there are enough people out there looking for work. Someone told me it isn't easy for USPS to just hire seasonal help like UPS & FedEx, but I haven't been able to confirm that.

I pretty much stopped using USPS for everything, except for First Class. UPS has been competitively priced for me.

[McLovin]

Does anyone know how to get promo sets (like Adidas 40486) or other non-retail items like complete sets of Collectible Minifigures on Amazon?  It used to be simple, but Amazon has taken down a lot of ASINs for arbitrary non-compliance reasons like those discussed above, and none of the new promo sets seem to make it on Amazon any more.

If it is no longer possible to sell new promo sets on Amazon, where do you sell them other than eBay?

[jeff_14]

1 minute ago, McLovin said:

Does anyone know how to get promo sets (like Adidas 40486) or other non-retail items like complete sets of Collectible Minifigures on Amazon?  It used to be simple, but Amazon has taken down a lot of ASINs for arbitrary non-compliance reasons like those discussed above, and none of the new promo sets seem to make it on Amazon any more.

If it is no longer possible to sell new promo sets on Amazon, where do you sell them other than eBay?

I sell them in FB Lego groups. 
 
In other news, I haven’t had an Amazon sale in 2 weeks since my first wave of compliance issues surfaced. I usually sell a set every other day. I’ve just today taken down all the affected sets as well as all ones marked for future submissions. We’ll see what happens. 

[Lordoflego]

40 minutes ago, McLovin said:

Does anyone know how to get promo sets (like Adidas 40486) or other non-retail items like complete sets of Collectible Minifigures on Amazon?  It used to be simple, but Amazon has taken down a lot of ASINs for arbitrary non-compliance reasons like those discussed above, and none of the new promo sets seem to make it on Amazon any more.

If it is no longer possible to sell new promo sets on Amazon, where do you sell them other than eBay?

Did you try creating the liating(s) yourself? 

[Lordoflego]

Listing*

[gmpirate]

On 8/11/2021 at 6:11 AM, Darth_Raichu said:

  

Thanks for giving me a laugh early in the morning, Amazon...

On serious note, does anyone have any recommendation on Business General Liability insurance they'd like to share?

It's not very expensive.  I want to say I pay about $2k a year.  Amazon has never asked for any certificate from me however.