Amazon seller problems and how to fix them

Fifteen problems, in the order a store usually meets them, from verification to a founder who runs everything.

• Why: names, addresses or card details differ across documents, or proof of address is older than 180 days (Sell on Amazon, Registration guide).
• Fix: one document pack with identical names and addresses; a card that can be charged internationally; a bank statement dated within 180 days; answer any request from Amazon promptly. Amazon says verification "usually takes three business days or less" (Sell on Amazon, Registration guide).
• Measure: days from submission to verified. Lesson: module 04. Service: Account Setup ($299 per marketplace, no approval guarantee).

• Why: Brand Registry needs a registered or pending trademark (Sell on Amazon, Brand Registry requirements); the USPTO averaged 4.45 months to a first action (USPTO).
• Fix: file the mark (with an attorney or through IP Accelerator); enroll with the pending application; put brand name and logo on product or packaging (Sell on Amazon, Brand Registry).
• Measure: Brand Registry approved before your first FBA shipment lands. Lesson: module 03.

• Why: Amazon ended US prep and labeling services on Jan 1, 2026 (Packaging Insights, Oct 29, 2025); trade press reports that unprepped shipments lose reimbursement eligibility (Packaging Insights, Oct 29, 2025). Resellers must label every unit since Mar 31, 2026 (Amazon Seller Forums, commingling ends).
• Fix: shipment plan built to Amazon's carton, prep and label rules; check in every shipment; claim discrepancies.
• Measure: prep or label charges on the shipment; units received vs sent. Lesson: module 06. Service: Store Launch; Store Care.

• Why: titles over 75 characters are updated to AI recommendations gradually since Jul 27, 2026 (Amazon Seller Forums, title update).
• Fix: rewrite to 75 characters (brand, product, the deciding spec); add Item Highlights (125 characters); check Review Listings Changes weekly, because brand owners have 14 days to review (Amazon Seller Forums, title update).
• Measure: share of titles compliant; changes reviewed within 14 days. Lesson: module 05. Relay Module: Catalog Ready.

• Why: margin read quarterly, fees and ads growing SKU by SKU. By one trade estimate, referral, FBA and ad fees together can take more than 50% of a seller's revenue (Marketplace Pulse, Feb 2023).
• Fix: contribution margin by SKU after every fee; a floor per SKU; act on SKUs below it.
• Measure: share of SKUs below floor. Lesson: module 02. Relay Module: Margin Guard.

• Why: 2026 added $0.08 a unit on average in January (Amazon, 2026 fee update), a 3.5% surcharge in April (about $0.17 a unit) (Amazon Seller Forums, fuel and logistics surcharge) and a peak fee of about $0.32 a unit through Jan 14, 2027 (Amazon Seller Forums, 2026 holiday peak fees).
• Fix: re-run margins at every change; check size tiers; adjust price, packaging or ad spend on SKUs near the floor.
• Measure: avoidable fees as a share of revenue, monthly. Relay Module: Margin Guard.

• Why: reorders happen when someone notices. Facing an out-of-stock, shoppers bought elsewhere 31% of the time, switched brand 26% and bought nothing 9% (FMI/GMA, 2002).
• Fix: reorder point = daily units x lead time + safety stock; track every PO to arrival; alerts before cover drops.
• Measure: stockout days on top SKUs per quarter. Lesson: module 06. Relay Module: Stock Flow.

• Why: the fee applies when both 30-day and 90-day historical days of supply are under 28 (Amazon staff, Seller Forums). A product that looks well stocked in units can still be charged when sales speed up, because the measure is days of supply, not units.
• Fix: keep cover above 28 days on both windows; check exemptions (new sellers 365 days, new products 180 days in FBA New Selection, AWD auto-replenishment).
• Measure: low-inventory fees per month. Lesson: module 06. Relay Module: Stock Flow.

• Why: storage is charged monthly on volume, Q4 rates are higher than the rest of the year and aged inventory charges apply past 181 days (Sell on Amazon, Fulfillment by Amazon).
• Fix: send Q4 stock that sells within weeks; remove or liquidate slow stock before October; use AWD or a 3PL for reserve stock.
• Measure: storage and aged fees as a share of revenue. Tool: Amazon storage fee estimator.

• Why: claims for units lost or damaged in Amazon's fulfillment centers must be filed within 60 days of being reported lost or damaged (Amazon Seller Forums, claim windows; eComEngine, vendor report, Mar 7, 2025); losses before a customer order are paid at manufacturing cost since Mar 31, 2025 (Amazon Seller Forums, reimbursement policy; Amazon Seller Forums, new effective date).
• Fix: keep manufacturing cost current in Seller Central; reconcile shipments and returns monthly; file and track every eligible claim.
• Measure: claims filed and amounts reimbursed each month. Service: claims included in every monthly plan, no commission.

• Why: no daily check. Amazon's guidance: order defect rate under 1%, cancellations below 2.5%, late shipments under 4% for seller-fulfilled orders (Sell on Amazon, Selling policies).
• Fix: daily health check; same-day action on warnings; documents ready in a compliance vault.
• Measure: warnings acted on the same business day. Lesson: module 08. Relay Module: Account Health Watch.

• Why: since July 2026 eligibility requirements are being removed, so more offers compete; Amazon still chooses on competitive pricing, delivery speed and performance (Amazon Seller Forums, Featured Offer update).
• Fix: check your landed price including shipping against other offers; improve delivery speed (FBA or faster FBM templates); keep performance clean; for resellers, set floor prices before repricing.
• Measure: Featured Offer percentage by ASIN, weekly. Lesson: module 08.

• Why: missing attributes, policy flags, other sellers' contributions or unauthorized resellers.
• Fix: Brand Registry; Report a Violation; Transparency for repeat counterfeits (Sell on Amazon, Brand Registry); daily listing watch.
• Measure: listing changes caught within one business day. Relay Modules: Catalog Ready, Account Health Watch.

• Why: since Mar 12, 2026 funds become available seven days after confirmed delivery (DD+7) (Amazon notice as quoted by sellers).
• Fix: 13-week cash view tied to delivery dates; reliable carriers for FBM; reorder within what the cash view carries.
• Measure: weeks of cash runway. Relay Module: Profit and Cash Pulse.

• Why: no owners, no written processes.
• Fix: SOPs for each recurring task, owned by a named person; a weekly KPI page on a fixed day.
• Measure: founder hours on operations per week. Service: 14-Day Ops Foundation, then Ops Desk. See Amazon beyond $1M.