Restock limit - better ideas provided by us sellers
It is clear from a sellers perspective the restock limit is a nightmare and I am even getting the impression Amazon have realised this too. I want to start a thread here, that I hope Amazon will read, that will offer some ideas on ways in which Amazon can resolve their warehouse capacity issues whilst making it workable for sellers too. I will start the ball rolling here:
Amazon,
It is clear that the restock limits are harmning sellers in many different ways. Preventing business growth, planning, etc. I think most sellers can also sympathise with Amazon’s situation that there is only so much warehouse space.
I think the very simple solution to this problem for everyones benefit is as follows:
Remove restock limits and heavily increase the existing Long Term Storage fees. If sellers fill your warehouse with rubbish or slow moving stock they will be almost forced to get it removed to avoid serious LTSF.
Problem solved. Everyone happy.
I also think this type of policy will also allow for stock that might typically take 6-12 months to sell an opportunity to be offered by Prime. Restock limits calculated on 3 months worth of sales will mean sellers less likely to send in items that are expected to sell say between th 3-12 month period. I know for media sellers this would be a good option.
If any Amazon moderators are seeing this message I would be grateful if you could pass on this feedback to the relevant team.
Restock limit - better ideas provided by us sellers
It is clear from a sellers perspective the restock limit is a nightmare and I am even getting the impression Amazon have realised this too. I want to start a thread here, that I hope Amazon will read, that will offer some ideas on ways in which Amazon can resolve their warehouse capacity issues whilst making it workable for sellers too. I will start the ball rolling here:
Amazon,
It is clear that the restock limits are harmning sellers in many different ways. Preventing business growth, planning, etc. I think most sellers can also sympathise with Amazon’s situation that there is only so much warehouse space.
I think the very simple solution to this problem for everyones benefit is as follows:
Remove restock limits and heavily increase the existing Long Term Storage fees. If sellers fill your warehouse with rubbish or slow moving stock they will be almost forced to get it removed to avoid serious LTSF.
Problem solved. Everyone happy.
I also think this type of policy will also allow for stock that might typically take 6-12 months to sell an opportunity to be offered by Prime. Restock limits calculated on 3 months worth of sales will mean sellers less likely to send in items that are expected to sell say between th 3-12 month period. I know for media sellers this would be a good option.
If any Amazon moderators are seeing this message I would be grateful if you could pass on this feedback to the relevant team.
41 replies
Seller_6sxtIS0RbZ5k7
I liked your post suggesting this on another thread, I doubt they will listen but it seems like a good solution.
The other thing I would suggest is to allow people to hand back, or trade allowances they will never use for ones they are short of, even if they only did it at a 50% rate. They could do it with some kind of toggle/slider system. I have been very lucky with my allocation, but, if I hadn’t, I would gladly trade 1,000 items in clothing for 500 extra where I need them.
Seller_Yja9oH7DLHk2I
Amazon could solve my problem instantly if they shared the buy box with third party sellers.
All my overstock positions are caused by Amazon starting to sell the item and undercutting me.
Seller_hm1YDDR30qZb5
Thanks @SuperSeller2000 for starting this thread. I run a small highly seasonal business entirely dependent on Christmas trade. My currently ever reducing Restock Limit would be insufficient for main season. If it does not double before main season then I’ll be sat on a lot of stock committed to months ago. I agree with your Long Term Storage Fees suggestion, and add that penalties might also be increased on stranded inventory. Here are some other ideas:
- Provide a timeline to reassure sellers which shows during what period of time the “temporary Prime restrictions are due to be eased”, that will enable sellers to plan accordingly
- Ease restrictions on sellers who are exclusively committed to Amazon and/ or who have committed to a branded store on Amazon as their dependence on Amazon is greater. The principle is sound even if the mechanics might be troublesome
- Now that Small & Light is moving to FBA style requirements (all units to be individually barcoded) remove the restriction (or reduce it) on requiring 25 units minimum on each inward shipment. For smaller sellers with SNL and FBA products a restricted Restock limit means that SNL soon eats it up outside of main season and is taking up storage space at the SNL distribution centres. Even better would be a separate (and additional) restock limit for SNL, (but not a division of the existing limit!)
A key issue with restock limits is Christmas, last year nothing we sent from 3rd December onward arrived in FBA or SNL until January with a consequent effect on highly seasonal sales and then IPI scores, this despite using the UPS partner carrier programme. If we can’t build stock levels in October and November due to the restock limits imposed we’re going to be in real trouble if inbound performance is as bad as 2020, i.e. I don’t mind send stock every day at peak season based on sales to cope with restock restrictions but that’s no use if the stock won’t get there.
Thanks for reading.
Seller_RjAvlP8xqpq00
I would like to voluntary offer my other types of storage - oversize, clothing, footwear etc aren’t equivalent to the seller ( me) who can use it. What’s the point to grant me storages - I CAN NEVER USE - because I do NOT sell products in those categories. What the point to offer me huge 25 cubic meters and then- limit it to 1,000 items, if I am selling small and light products.
I have IPI of nearly 800, and do not overstock last 4 years.
Actually, I am out of stock with 4skus and soon will me more… no way to send inventory for next month at least…if not longer, but them probably half of my inventory will be out of stock. How it should improve the shopping experiences on Amazon for Amazon Customers - no inventory, no sell, no-win for anybody?
Seller_3u63TG7fpfnG6
I hardly have any stock now that does not sell within at least 2 months. I feel we are being penalized by the system for sellers sending in pallets and large quantities of the same thing, I tailor my sales to what will sell in the short term, I think amazon should up the restock quantity and reduce the amount sellers can send in all at once, ie no pallets, also I cannot get on with anything as I have to wait for something to sell to replace it, so I am actually waiting to sell enough to create a shipment, its nonsense, how about being able to create shipments but not actually being able to send them in, say only 1 a week,
my problems are not long term storage fees but getting the stock there as as soon as it hits it sells, its so frustrating, my capicity was halved overnight
Seller_saK5Ah2SaNYjL
Our products are all small parcel or large letter. See pic where we are only using 2.13 cubic metres for 1500+ products.
We had zero PAN EU sales in January, February and most of March due to the difficulty of getting stock into the EU FCs. When we got it sussed, we sent a few boxes successfully.
Then we started sending 10+ consignments at a time (it’s cheaper) and sales started to boom again. If they are basing this “RESTOCK” figure on 3 months sales, it will be grossly inaccurate.
Today, I had 12 boxes of stock manufactured and ready to go. Made especially for the EU market, so can’t use for UK. I did a shipping plan for 4 of the 12 and then I hit the “RESTOCK” limit. Haven’t we had enough pain getting stock into PAN EU FCs without another damn brick wall?
Seller_I9wv4Bueq3JUb
Totally agree with you and a great idea, you would think amazon would come up with this themselves.
We have top selling asins that we can not ship in now due to restock limits. amazon recommends we send 410 units in but we can’t due to there restock limits. complete madness on there part as they get fees for all items sold on there site, it was much better before when they did it by asin so they would only allow you to send in the quantities that they recommend based on sales history a much better idea. This is hurting many businesses now Amazon and we know you don’t really care about anything but your bottom line.
Seller_4PODRiB6WkbbR
How do they actually set those limits? What are the criteria for having them increased? Is it ‘just’ a case of flipping inventory quick enough?
Seller_YhVpuyNJnTnUw
what do you class as long storage?
This will suit Asian sellers as they get products much cheaper. So can store for longer.
I think they are preparing for Q4, I expect Q4 re stock levels to be a lot less
Seller_ae51e0CJoHqCX
The current situation is not fit for purpose but the suggestions you made are not going to suit everyone.
We are just coming out of a pandemic whilst at the same time suffering the consequences of brexit.
My situation means because I supply the events industry that my recent trade is nowhere near reflective on my current trade and demand. If Amazon had that policy my stock would have been stuck for a year and I would then be compounded heavily on charges when not trading anything.
Now I am stuck with the reverse. I can’t get anything in because my history is not reflective on what I sell and I have huge accountancy costs since brexit because I have to pay to file nil vat returns
One quick solution would be not to count small and light the same as standard stock. It wouldn’t solve the whole issue but it is nonsense that I can’t get anything into small and light because my minimum units is more than my allowance. allows. Silly eh.
Also I can fit 500 units into a small box but have the same allowance if I had to send 500 units across 6 pallets. small and light segregation would be a start.
