Packaging and Sealing Requirements for hygienic and topical products in FBA
If you are selling cosmetics, hygienic and topical products by Fulfillment by Amazon, there is a new nightmare policy which will keep you busy starting April 2021.
As you know, Amazon has never had a problem authorizing returns for items such as cosmetics, sex toys, which normally come to contact with human skin and may pose health risk if being used by someone else.
Despite Amazon’s own policy clearly states that these items are exempt from their return policies, customers can still request to return them, even months or years after purchase and get a full refund.
And apparently, since this practice is becoming more and more popular, sellers will now be required to place protective seals on each unit before shipping it to FBA, so any returns missing them can be made unsellable.
Here is a copy of the e-mail sent to sellers by Amazon:
Full announcement in English:
Dear seller,
Thank you for selling on Amazon and using FBA.
To provide an improved customer experience, Amazon will evaluate condition of customer returned hygienic and topical FBA products for presence of an intact factory seal starting April 5, 2021. The seal will provide undisputable evidence that a product was neither opened nor used by a customer who returns it. Returned products will be made unsellable if they do not have an intact factory seal.
Hygienic products are those that are used on human body, including sensitive areas (e.g. mouth, eyes, genital areas), and could be returned with residual customer substances on them (e.g. saliva, hair). Examples include shavers, oral care products like toothbrushes, skin & nail care sets, massaging devices and sex toys.
Topical products are those that are applied to human body, e.g. creams, foams, gels, lotions, and ointments intended to use on body surfaces such as skin, scalp or mouth.
Amazon’s new requirement for sealing and packaging of hygienic/topical items is intended to protect customer experience and brand experience as it prevents the risk to resell as new a returned product that was opened by a prior customer.
FBA sellers are requested to (1) incorporate a factory seal based on Amazon’s standards (below) for all hygienic/topical products and (2) ensuring that topical and hygienic products have only one single ingress point, requiring the factory seal to be broken to access it. We request the changes to be made by end of March 2021.
All products identified as hygienic or topical returned by customers will be made unsellable if they do not have an intact factory seal ensuring they are brand new and unopened or used by a prior customer. Absence of a compliant factory seal will increase the amount of unsellable returned products requiring further removal or disposal option by the sellers. However, Amazon will continue to evaluate damage ownership during customer returns and reimburse FBA sellers if item is returned for a damage caused by Amazon, irrespective whether the seal is absent or broken from the item.
What are the requirements of a safe factory seal to be used on topical/Hygiene products?
(1) They are opaque either with the company logo/any logo that cannot be replicated by customer.
(2) The seal leaves a sign of tampering on product when broken.
(3) They should be of different color and should not blend in with the surface of the product.
(4) The seal should be sturdy, the only way to break it is with clear intent (no accidental breaking e.g. during transportation or usual packaging handling). The seal cannot be manipulated or copied.
For more information, please view the https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/GQFZBRVVEEG3ZE9C
Regards,
Amazon Services Europe
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As you know, last year Amazon updated Account Health Dashboards across North American marketplaces by introducing numeric scores. The same features are now available on European marketplaces as well.
Account Health Rating constitutes a numeric score ranging from 0 to 1,000 (in addition to the color coding), enabling you to see how close you are to the various thresholds that move your AHR from green (‘Healthy’) to yellow (‘At Risk’) to red (‘Unhealthy’).
If your AHR is green (“Healthy,” based on a score of 200-1,000), that means your account is not at risk of deactivation. If your AHR is yellow (“At Risk,” based on a score of 100-199), your account is at risk of deactivation. When your AHR is red (“Unhealthy,” based on a score of 99 or lower), your account is either eligible for deactivation or already deactivated.
Account Health Rating is also displaying the degree to which any violations you might incur impact your account health, allowing you to prioritize addressing those that are most negatively affecting it.
Here you can learn more in a screenshot of e-mail regarding the matter from Amazon:
| New Account Health Rating features are live – preview your rating and address open issues on your Account Health page now! Hello, Over the past few years, sellers have asked for more insight into account health-related issues. We heard your feedback and have rolled out the new version of the Account Health Rating in August 2022 to our sellers in the US and Canada stores. We are now excited to share that we have expanded the program to the EU, the UK, and Türkiye. Starting today, we have added new features to your Account Health page that will provide more transparency into your account health status. These new features will allow you to spend more time growing your business and delighting customers, and less time worrying about your account health and potential disruption to your business. We are now also displaying your AHR as a numeric score ranging from 0 to 1,000 (in addition to the color coding), enabling you to see how close you are to the various thresholds that move your AHR from green (‘Healthy’) to yellow (‘At Risk’) to red (‘Unhealthy’). If your AHR is green (“Healthy,” based on a score of 200-1,000), that means your account is not at risk of deactivation. If your AHR is yellow (“At Risk,” based on a score of 100-199), your account is at risk of deactivation. When your AHR is red (“Unhealthy,” based on a score of 99 or lower), your account is either eligible for deactivation or already deactivated. We are also displaying the degree to which any violations you might incur impact your account health, allowing you to prioritize addressing those that are most negatively affecting it. We offer a 7-day preview period that starts today, for you to see your AHR score and status and address any open violations in your account to improve your score. Starting 7 days from today, your account may be deactivated if your AHR score is red or “Unhealthy.” By looking at your policy adherence holistically, we want to create a predictable and consistent experience for you to manage your business, while still maintaining a high bar for Amazon customer experience. We encourage you to go to your Account Health page and, if your account is in “at risk” or “unhealthy” status, address open issues that impact your score before the 7-day period ends to avoid potential deactivation. We will continue to work hard to make it easier for you to monitor your account health and performance. If you have any questions or suggestions about how we might improve the AHR, please visit the Seller Forums and browse to the “Account Health” category there to share your thoughts. Our team of Account Health Specialists is ready to answer any questions surfaced there. To learn more about the AHR, please visit our Help pages. Thank you for selling in Amazon’s store. Selling Partner Support |
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If you are carefully monitoring Amazon’s notifications, you must have noticed a recent change in wording, concerning e-mails sent regarding different international Amazon marketplaces.
Previously, informative e-mails used to be sent in different languages, depending on the store’s local language.
Now, all e-mails are being sent in English regardless of the store’s location and a header stating “Regarding store: Germany / Sweden…..” is being added.
Here you can view what the new notifications look like:
Another one:
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Many Amazon sellers recently started trading stocks and crypto currencies, hoping to diversify their income, which is a very good idea with all the uncertainty which comes with the platform. For this reason, we launched a new Facebook group, Crypto Arbitrage Income (Bitcoin, Crypto, Altcoins, Blockchain, Trading) – feel free to join us and forget about the troubles of selling on Amazon for a moment!
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Here are some quick tips to boost your running business on Amazon:
Optimize your product listings with high-quality images, detailed descriptions, and relevant keywords.
Use Amazon’s advertising tools, such as sponsored products and sponsored brands, to increase visibility and drive sales.
Offer competitive prices and promotions to attract customers.
Monitor your inventory levels and ensure that you always have sufficient stock to meet customer demand.
Use Amazon’s FBA service to save time and money and focus on growing your business.
Encourage customer reviews by providing excellent customer service and follow-up support.
Expand your product offerings to attract a wider range of customers and increase sales.
Keep an eye on your competitors and adjust your pricing and product offerings accordingly.
By implementing these strategies, you can quickly and effectively boost your running business on Amazon and increase your sales and profitability.
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If you have an Amazon-related issue, feel free to join and post into my large Amazon Seller Performance – Friendly Advice – Worldwide Facebook group, where you will be very welcome.
Many Amazon sellers recently started trading stocks and crypto currencies, hoping to diversify their income, which is a very good idea with all the uncertainty which comes with the platform. For this reason, we launched a new Facebook group, Crypto Arbitrage Income (Bitcoin, Crypto, Altcoins, Blockchain, Trading) – feel free to join us and forget about the troubles of selling on Amazon for a moment!
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