German FBA seller Tropica, also extended his activity from his home marketplace in Germany to amazon.co.uk and amazon.fr. "Once you start to understand the FBA philosophy, it's clear that FBA is a wonderful multiplier"

Tropica has been selling exotic plants seeds and seed growing equipment on amazon.de since 2009.  MD Frank Laue justified this decision  ‘Amazon has evolved into one of the Internet's biggest marketplaces, making it a huge source of potential custom for us'.

Mr Laue's motivation for participating in Fulfilment by Amazon was likewise linked to personal expectations: 'When I search for a product on Amazon, I always look out for the green line in the product description that tells me the deadline for express orders. I'm no different from any other customer—I want to receive my goods as quickly as possible. The free delivery option is another powerful incentive. We can offer all of this now since we registered for the FBA programme. The underlying idea is that customers will order a batch of Tropica articles at the same time to benefit from the advantages generated by FBA products—such as their relevance for Amazon Prime. The more we succeed in accommodating several items in one order, the more attractive that order becomes for us.'

Once you start to understand the FBA philosophy, it's clear that FBA is a wonderful multiplier' adds Frank Laue, alluding to his company's entry into the UK and French markets. 'We had already translated almost our entire portfolio into English and French, so that we had relatively little hesitation when the issue of international expansion first arose. Aside from the transport costs, it makes no difference to the bottom line whether we dispatch our pallets to a fulfilment centre in this country or abroad.

Click here to read the full story.

Learn more about FBA Export to the EU available for items sold on Amazon platforms in UK, Germany and France. 

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Prepaid EU Returns solution now available for international customers

As of April, Amazon customers including those buying from a seller whose orders are fulfilled by Amazon can take advantage of a prepaid return solution if they are located in Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ireland, Poland and Portugal. 

When shopping on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de and Amazon.fr, customers will now be able to make use of the prepaid return label via the Online Return Centre rather than paying for international shipping charges when returning an order and then waiting to be reimbursed .Customers can set this up on the retail site under Returns Support Centre, Delivery Method ticking the Prepaid label option .  The package can then be simply dropped off at the local post office with the prepaid label attached.  This is another reason why customers might be tempted to choose an FBA product versus a merchant fulfilled one.  

FBA's Long-Term Storage programme will take effect on August 15, 2011

A Long-Term Storage programme will take effect on August 15, 2011. On that date, and every six months thereafter, FBA will assess an upfront annual Long-Term Storage Fee of £ 1765 per cubic metre (£ 50 per cubic foot) on any inventory that has been in Amazon fulfilment centres for 365 days or more. Find out more

FAQ: Responding to negative feedback

FBA Sellers have been asking our Seller Support team how to address negative feedback from an Amazon.co.uk buyer. We all agree excellent customer service can help you increase sales and customer loyalty. FBA's Feedback Strikethrough policy is designed to help deal with negative feedback relating to customer service. When a buyer rates an order fulfilled by Amazon on your behalf based only on the service they received from Amazon, we can remove the rating and strikethrough the buyer comment. 

If a buyer says the order was received on time but that the condition is not as described or the seller has not responded to a request for a VAT invoice, the rating will not be removed and the feedback will remain in place. You still have options for dealing with negative feedback. In your seller account on the Manage Orders page, you can communicate directly with the buyer using the Contact Customer tool. Here are some tips to remember when communicating with the buyer:

• Keep communications private: Don’t post responses on the feedback page that might embarrass or anger the buyer.
• Ask for specific details: Find out what about their experience went wrong.
• Offer a solution: Make sure the solution addresses the issues the buyer mentions.
• Ask to remove feedback: After you have confirmed a solution has been reached, politely ask the buyer if they would remove their negative feedback.  

Learn more about the FBA Feedback Strikethrough policy and Getting Good Feedback with Customer Service.

 

Testimonial from French FBA merchant Tangerik – ‘Thanks to Fulfilment by Amazon, my revenue has doubled’

Tangerink was established in 2006 and sells a full range of cooking utensils for cheese (graters, cutters, platters, fondue and raclette sets, etc.).  Founder and Director Mark Rutten had the following to say about his experience with Fulfilment by Amazon.

“The first thing I liked about Fulfilment by Amazon was that it took care of the packaging and delivery. That was a big load off my shoulders.  As I don’t have to ship my own parcels any more, I figure I’m saving about 4 hours a week. If I say I can make about €100 an hour, I’m saving €1,600 a month.  I’m not saving that much in any other area.   FBA is offering tailored packaging that costs less, has better quality and is ultimately more suited to my products”

“With Fulfilment by Amazon, I feel I have a shop where loyal customers come to stock up regularly. It’s a site they can trust, where they don’t have to worry about the still often lingering concerns with buying online.  Moreover, I get the service quality and customer loyalty that Amazon can provide.”

“Why should I be worrying about the tasks I don’t enjoy when FBA does them so much better than I do?”  Mark Rutten admits that Fulfilment by Amazon has truly changed his life. He has more time and more customers, and is offering a better service. “I was quite optimistic when I signed up for Fulfilment by Amazon but the programme has really exceeded my expectations”.

More information to be found at our website: http://services.amazon.co.uk/services/fulfilment-by-amazon/features-benefits/