Due Diligence

Breathe.

This business is a living and breathing learning experience. There are always new challenges. Today, I faced a different kind of challenge.

I recently sent in a new product to FBA. They sold the day they hit the warehouse! I was excited, so I immediately sent in more, but before they arrived, the first batch had all been refunded. What is going on? One had been damaged in the warehouse, and yet, it had been sold, so I thought it must have been a mix-up of some kind. Then the others that I sent in were also refunded. This worried me, so I went and looked at the listing again to try and figure out why they were being returned.

148 feedback with 4 1/2 stars, so that wasn't the issue, but I noticed something odd...weight 10 lbs. Wait a minute! This item is ONE pound! Scroll back up. The title shows "6 x 1.1 lbs.". Does this mean that the listing is supposed to be for a quantity of SIX? Apparently so, but how confusing! And it doesn't say 6 pack anywhere on the listing -not the title, not the key features, and not the description. Now that I noticed this (which I must have missed the first time through), I recalled that I've seen multipacks listed this way more than once. You are NOT supposed to list it this way. The title should have said 6 Pack or Pack of 6. It should have also been repeated in the key features and description. Seller Central agreed with me.

One and a half hours, and 3 Seller Central employees later - 1) The listing has been changed to reflect the correct quantity. 2) A pending order was cancelled. 3) My performance metrics was saved from a negative impact.

Lesson of the Day: Do your due diligence before you list an item.

1. Check that the picture matches your item exactly. Same color. Same size. Same packaging. No differences whatsoever. (If it's a bad picture -not a pure white background or blurry -take a new picture and submit it to Seller Central).
2. Read the product title carefully. Make sure the title matches your product exactly. If the title is confusing or incorrectly written (as in my case above), then open a case with Seller Central and get it corrected before you list the item.
3. Check the key features and description to make sure it matches your product, is correctly written, and follows Amazon's guidelines.
4. Check the listed shipping weight to make sure that it's correct.

You can open a case and ask for appropriate corrections, but do NOT ask for a listing to be changed to reflect YOUR product if it is different from the listed product. That will mess up other sellers! For example, if you have a 2 pack, do NOT attempt to change a listing from a quantity of 1 to a quantity of 2. Either find a matching listing, or create a new listing.

It's so easy to get into a hurry and miss important details. SLOW DOWN. Read carefully. Do your due diligence and avoid the headache I had this morning. Fortunately, I was able to solve my problem. Unfortunately (due to the fact that groceries are not returnable), I am out the COGS for this product. Expensive lesson. Learn from my mistake.