Curious how all you FBM sellers handle these situations. I have spent hours creating written caselogs, using chat, talking on the phone to Amazon support and talking on the phone to USPS, UPS and FedEx. When an item is shipped on time by me, but gets delayed at some point in transit and either arrives late or not at all, who is responsible and how should it be handled?

I've had several instances in the past four months where an item either arrives significantly late or not at all. If I refund the customer based on their email requesting a refund and not through the proper channel, Amazon provides no support and says do not ever refund the customer until you have received your item back.

If it's lost, Amazon says you must file a claim with the carrier. Problem is, you cannot file a claim with the carrier if you bought shipping through Amazon. The carrier tells you that you must go through Amazon to file the claim. Amazon says that isn't true and won't file a claim.

If the customer contacts customer support or files an A-Z claim, Amazon refunds the item anyway, charges me, and impacts my defect rate. I have had exactly one case where Amazon actually covered the cost, and that was because the tracking showed as delivered but the customer stated they did not receive it. If the package is lost or undelivered, Amazon makes me eat it. I thought I was supposed to be protected from these things when I used Amazon buy shipping, but they stick it to me every time. Returns are costly and I have no control of an item once it goes to the carrier. Amazon provides zero support. Is there a way to get around this, or is it literally just part of the game of selling through Amazon? In some cases on more expensive items, I would have to sell 8-10 additional units just to cover the cost of one loss. I could really use some pointers if you have any. Thank you