A couple of weeks ago, I started dealing with the hassles that go with having an Amazon Handmade account that sees some — but not a lot — of business.
Following the initial setback of having to update my personal information as an Amazon seller, I soon received another barrage of emails from Amazon.
One of the stones I EVENTUALLY was able to put on Amazon Handmade
Technical Difficulties... From the Automation
The first of those emails stated that they were "unable to read" the documents I had submitted... exactly to the specifications the had outlined.
As a result, I got a second email, in which the situation had now been escalated to an actual "CASE," and I needed to follow a different link to re-submit the "illegible" information.
Knowing a bit about how web forms work, I'm guessing it was really a bug in their site code that caused the problem: I noticed that when I uploaded first the front and then back of by ID, it appeared to turn the two separate files into a single file in which the second filename became the file type extension of the first file.
In non-geek speak, their input process created an "unrecognizable file format."
Their problem. Not mine. Yet I am the on on the hook here... fairly typical of large organizations.
Onwards!
So I followed the new link and uploaded all my KYC information a second time... because of course, I couldn't just upload the missing bits, I had to resubmit it all.
Once again, the input was accepted, and I got an "if we need anything further, we'll reach out to you within 72 hours" message.
Meanwhile, I still made a sale — now more than two weeks ago — that I have not been able to get the payment for, all because of this screw-up!
So, Three Days Ago...
More emails from Amazon, stating that they had received the needed documentation, and now I just needed to log into my account and activate it.
Fine.
But here's the rub: Even though my account is now active again... I have just been "downgraded" to "new seller" even though my seller account has been on Amazon for eight years!
Big deal, so what?
Well, the "big deal, so what" is that now I am subject to "new account restrictions," including the fact that they now get to hold the proceeds for any sales I make for three weeks (instead of 8 business days for just an "update," or ONE business day, previously) before I can request a payout from the sale. And that will be applied till I have made 10 or more sales... even though I have previously made more than 50 sales without a hitch!
Again, it's very tempting to just tell Amazon to "go kiss my grits," but I ultimately need the exposure and the sales to fund my daily life... and I don't have the time to create and market my own selling web site for potentially zero sales.
It's just part of what often makes it irritating and frustrating to be an independent artist!
Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend! Do leave me a comment if you feel so inspired — interaction and engagement are always welcome!
If you enjoy painted rocks, do check out The Hive Rocks Project and help spread the word about Hive, while also being creative!
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2022.05.06 AS-TXT-099/065