There will inevitably come a time in every Amazon seller’s business when an issue cannot be resolved in Seller Central or a solution cannot be found for a tricky product situation.
To this end, Amazon has set up Amazon Seller Support, a dedicated team with a system to help sellers with questions and problems related to all aspects of their business.
While not every Amazon seller can fully trust Seller Support, there will be times when you need their help. Consider Amazon Seller Support a resource that is available to you and can help shed more light on your situation.
Read on to learn more about what Seller Support can do for you, how to contact them, and some practical expert tips that can help you resolve your seller issues quickly.
How can Amazon Seller Support help you?
Whether you’re a new seller or an experienced business owner, there will be times when you need to contact Seller Support because of an issue with some aspect of your Amazon business.
Amazon Seller Support is prepared to handle and resolve a wide variety of seller situations and issues. Here are just a few of the things they can help you with:
- Changes to title, description and brand name on the product page
- How to add a new product correctly
- Completing a GTIN exemption application
- Missing FBA inventory or stranded inventory
- Customer order problems or AZ complaints
- Restoring a suspended seller account
- A suppressed or inactive listing
- Failed or delayed withdrawals
When you go to the Help section in Seller Central, you will see a menu with different support categories. Select the item that best fits your support request so it can be handled efficiently.
Clicking on each category will reveal a drop-down menu with more specific selection options.
Depending on the category you select in the menu, Amazon may offer you a solution without you actually having to open a case with Seller Support – that would be the best case scenario.
For example, if your listing was inactive but you’re not sure why, select Products, Listings, or Inventory, then click Listing Inactive and enter the product’s ASIN or FNSKU.
The reason for this particular product being inactive is because the sale end date for this listing has passed. Whatever the reason, Amazon will list it here with a solution without the need to open a case or contact a seller support representative.
If you have any further questions, you can click “Contact” below to open a support case.
If you decide to do so, opening a support case with Amazon is fairly easy. In Seller Central, go to the top right corner of the page and click on “Help.”
When you first visit the Help page, you may see some support solutions recommended for you. You can also view your current case log on this page.
If none of these solutions work for your current problem, scroll down and you will see “Need more help?” Click “Get support.”
You will see two options:
Choose the option that best suits your needs. Typically, sellers choose Sell on Amazon.
After clicking on one of the options, you will be taken to a box labeled “Describe your problem” where you can describe your situation in writing. Based on the information you provide, Amazon will offer you several solutions to resolve your specific issue. The goal is to find a solution without having to open a support case.
Here is an example of what it looks like:
This will allow you to open a case or request a phone conversation with someone. If you’re not quite sure what your problem might be, you can search for your problem in the menu as described in the previous section.
To do so, click on “Or search for your problem in the menu” at the bottom of the form. From here, you can read through each issue until you find the one that best describes your problem.
Is there a phone number for Amazon seller support?
No, there is no dedicated phone number you can call to contact seller support. You must open a support case and select the “Phone” contact method. You must enter your phone number and click “Call Now.” Within a few minutes, someone from the Amazon support team will call you, usually from a number with the 206 (Seattle) area code.
Is there an email address for Amazon seller support?
No, there is no email address you can contact directly if you have any issues. You must open a case in Seller Central and choose the email contact method. This is where you can communicate with support agents in your Seller Central case log.
Is there an Amazon seller support chat?
No, there is no chat option when contacting seller support.
Is it better to speak to a seller support representative by phone or open a case via email?
This depends on how urgent your issue is. If you have an urgent matter that needs to be resolved ASAP, such as a suppressed listing that is costing you sales by the minute, I suggest speaking to a support agent on the phone.
In most cases, you can resolve your issue quickly by calling. Some agents may need to take time to understand your specific situation. If you request a call, be ready with all the details a representative needs, be patient, and speak as clearly as possible.
If the agent or other support team member resolves your issue immediately over the phone, a case will be opened for you and they will inform you that they will get back to you via email. The case will then be recorded in your case log.
This can be frustrating, but again, be patient and wait for a response.
How to contact seller support correctly
To make communication with seller support as easy and efficient as possible, prepare all relevant information about your issue. This applies both when opening a case and when speaking to an agent on the phone.
When you request a call from the support team, you will usually be asked for the email address associated with your seller account and the last four digits of the credit card on file. Keep this information handy.
When opening an email case, use clear language and provide as many details as possible. This makes it easier for the support team because there is less back and forth and no gray areas. It can be frustrating for both parties if a support agent has to ask you for more information.
If you have multiple issues with your account or products, open a case for each one. Don’t try to address 2-3 issues in one support case – it will only lead to more confusion.
When you open a case, you can give it a title for easy reference. Choose a specific title that provides more detail so that when you review your records, you know exactly what the case is about. This is especially helpful if you have multiple cases open at once.
What to do if support sends you an automated reply?
It happens: you open a case, explain the situation in detail, but you get an automated response. If you’ve ever opened a case, this has probably happened to you.
Be patient and try to figure out what information is missing in your case. If for some reason the agent missed something in your description, explain where to find the information or include screenshots and attachments to complete the information needed for your issue.
If you continue to receive automated responses that do not resolve your issue, I recommend requesting a call back and speaking to someone on the phone. This is usually a much better way to resolve the issue than continuing to send messages back and forth via email.
Tips for dealing with Amazon seller support
Here are some helpful expert tips for dealing with Amazon seller support.
1. If your case is urgent, speak to someone on the phone.
Not everyone is thrilled at the prospect of having to wait and talk on the phone, but it is the fastest way to resolve any issues with the seller that you may have. Opening a case via email can sometimes be very time-consuming and can take days or even weeks to resolve.
Sometimes you may have no choice but to wait for an email response, but if the problem can be resolved over the phone, it’s worth giving it a try.
2. Stay cool, calm and composed
Dealing with seller support can be frustrating. My best advice is to stay calm and state your case clearly so it can be resolved as quickly as possible. If you don’t get the solution you want, you can always ask to speak to another team or a manager.
3. Escalate your case to another team
If you continue to have trouble resolving your issue after working with Seller Support, you can escalate your case to a higher level support team.
Ask to speak to the Captive Team. The Captive Team is made up of highly trained seller support agents who have access to more advanced tools and knowledge to resolve complicated Amazon seller issues.
When you request a phone call from Amazon, ask to speak to the captive team, once you are connected to a support agent, you will be transferred to a member of the captive team to whom you can explain the issue at hand.
4. Ask other sellers for help
If the support team wasn’t able to help you, ask other Amazon sellers if they have any ideas on how to solve your problem. For example, Jungle Scout has a free Facebook group called Amazon FBA Competitive Edge that consists of thousands of sellers who are happy to help other group members. Ask your question and someone will be sure to respond with a solution.
You can also ask a question in the Amazon Seller Forums in Seller Central. Here you will meet all kinds of personalities and some members are friendlier than others.
If you’re a Jungle Scout customer, you also have access to our knowledgeable customer support team. Our account managers are experts in selling on Amazon and can help you with any questions you may have.
Get the support you need
Every Amazon seller has had an issue they couldn’t resolve without contacting Amazon Seller Support. It’s just part of being an Amazon seller!
We hope this guide helps you contact the support team in the right way and resolve your issue. Do you have any other questions about Amazon seller support? Let us know in the comments!
