Virtual Expiration Date not matching Physical Expiratin Date??
I keep having "unfullfillable" inventory returned to me from Amazon (I've opted for automated removals) because Amazon claims it is expired. When I receive the inventory, it has over a year of shelf life remaining.
I contacted Seller Support and was told:
We have done a bin check for ASIN: and we have found that the Physical Expiration Date is 05/14/2026.
The Virtual Expiration Date is 09/28/2024.
The physical date doesn't match the virtual date.
Providing the pictures as attachments for your reference.
....................
I sent a reply asking what a virtual expiration date is and was told:
Our system calculates a virtual expiration date as a function of shelf life and receive date, and systemically assigns the virtual expiration date to those inventory items.
Virtual expiration date is given as per the shelf life of the product and the receive date of the item.
.....................
This answer makes no sense to me as this is new inventory that has about 18 months of shelf life. How can Amazon assign a virtual expiration date that is 18 months before the actual expiration date??
Virtual Expiration Date not matching Physical Expiratin Date??
I keep having "unfullfillable" inventory returned to me from Amazon (I've opted for automated removals) because Amazon claims it is expired. When I receive the inventory, it has over a year of shelf life remaining.
I contacted Seller Support and was told:
We have done a bin check for ASIN: and we have found that the Physical Expiration Date is 05/14/2026.
The Virtual Expiration Date is 09/28/2024.
The physical date doesn't match the virtual date.
Providing the pictures as attachments for your reference.
....................
I sent a reply asking what a virtual expiration date is and was told:
Our system calculates a virtual expiration date as a function of shelf life and receive date, and systemically assigns the virtual expiration date to those inventory items.
Virtual expiration date is given as per the shelf life of the product and the receive date of the item.
.....................
This answer makes no sense to me as this is new inventory that has about 18 months of shelf life. How can Amazon assign a virtual expiration date that is 18 months before the actual expiration date??
18 replies
Bryce_Amazon
Hey there @Seller_mdss4Xus96xGY,
I actually just helped a seller with this about a month ago. Here's the information I found: the Virtual Expiration Date is inputted by the seller for products with expirations in the Shipment during Step 1 of the Send to Amazon Workflow. If the fulfillment center has an inaccurate virtual date recorded a seller can request Seller Support to have the virtual be updated to accurately reflect the actual expiry.
My recommendation would be to ensure that your virtual expiration date is accurate during the creation of your shipments, and also to double check what the current virtual expiration dates for those units. You may need to contact Seller Support again and request that the virtual dates are updated.
Seller_w5cH6KrxIgC8w
Were you able to figure this out? I am having the same issue. We've sold thousands of units and Amazon saying 21 units being removed because Virtual Expiration does not match Physical Expiration.
Bryce_Amazon
Greetings,
Based on my understanding, I would recommend working backwards by calculating the shelf-life first (rather than focusing on the expiration date).
Let's say you're selling just the small pack with 4 servings. The sufficient time for the product to be consumed in full is 4 days (based on what you shared). The shelf-life would need to be at least 4 days + 90, or 94 days. So you're expiration date being set to 540 days (18 months, as you mentioned), would meet the requirement.
- Bryce
