Amazon Handmade: Customer Says Package Hasn't Been Received, But It's Marked Delivered, What Should I Do?

I've stated in the past that selling on Amazon Handmade requires a different level of mindset and letting go of some control. Certain instances where this is especially relevant is when you have a package that says delivered, but the customer claims it hasn't been.

How this process works and what to do depends on how the item was shipped (merchant fulfilled or fulfilled by Amazon).

Here is the correct process on what to do, depending on the shipping method.

Shipped by FBA (fulfillment by Amazon)

If the customer sends you a message about an FBA order not received:

1. Respond to them advising that this order was shipped by Amazon directly and they would need to contact Amazon Customer Support for assistance
2. This is part of what we pay Amazon the FBA fees, shipping and customer service relating to it is their responsibility
3. If Amazon issues the customer a refund or reimbursement you will see this come out of your payment account balance, however, as per normal process, Amazon will reimburse YOU within 45 days
4. Make a note of the email and set a reminder to check and make sure you were reimbursed automatically at the 45-day mark. If not, open a case with Amazon to request one

Shipped by FBM (fulfilled by you, the merchant)

The process is a little different when you shipped the order to the customer yourself and are responsible for the shipping. In Amazon's terms and policies, the seller is held accountable until the package gets to the customer. Even if you have delivery confirmation, that isn't enough to cover you. You would need to have a signature confirmation for Amazon to side with you in a non-delivery case.

If a customer messages you that they haven’t received their order and it is marked delivered by your shipping carrier here are some things you can do:

1. Send the customer, via Amazon messages, a screenshot showing the tracking marked as delivered. Ask them to double-check with neighbors or outside their home in any secured areas in case it was left outside by their carrier.
2. If it's not located, you can contact the shipping carrier and see if they can find the package or perform GPS tracking on it.
3. In either event, unless you had signature confirmation, you need to either locate the package or refund the customer.

Note: It is not recommended to send out a replacement because you can only attach 1 tracking number to an order in Amazon's system. That means that technically, the customer could receive the replacement, and you would have zero coverage of that new tracking number because it is not attached to an order. If the customer still wishes to receive the item, it's best to refund their original order and have them place a new one.

If you have a high-value order, always get signature confirmation! Without it, you are somewhat at the mercy of customer's honesty and Amazon's policies.