Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee for merchants

The following policy applies to purchases made on third-party sites using Amazon Pay. For A-to-z Guarantee protection details for purchases made on the Amazon website, see Represent your side in an A-to-z Guarantee claim.

Amazon has built a base of millions of satisfied customers by being responsive to their concerns and acting quickly to resolve these concerns. The customer trust extends to merchants using Amazon Pay services through the Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee programme. This guarantee allows customers to obtain a full reimbursement for their purchase or cancel their authorised payment if dissatisfied using Amazon Pay.

Amazon Pay encourages you to answer all customer enquiries within 24 hours of receipt. Good communication with customers, promotes positive feedback for merchants.

Most customers won’t need this programme, but for those who do, the guarantee provides confidence and trust when shopping from merchants using Amazon Pay.

When can a customer file an Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim for an Amazon Pay transaction?

Customers can file an Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim when one of the following conditions applies:

• They don’t receive an item.
• The item arrives after the maximum estimated delivery date you provided.
• The item they received is defective, damaged, lacks parts, or differs materially from your description.
• They return the item in agreement with you, but you don’t reimburse them after receiving the.
• You don’t accept the item’s return in accordance with the return policy posted on your website.
• They believe you charged more than the authorised purchase amount.

To see the Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee information that customers see on the Amazon Pay website, see Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee for buyers.

What should I do to avoid a claim?

To help mitigate the risk of an Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim:

• Ship promptly with a reliable delivery method.
• Provide tracking information to customers.
• For orders with a high value, require a signature upon delivery (recommended, but not mandatory).
• Insure high-priced items.

For more information, see Customer service policy and Customer service best practice tips.

How do I view and manage claims?

Amazon Pay sends an email with details for every claim, requesting a response. This allows you to present your perspective on the issue. Respond to a claim by replying to the email notification with the requested information. You can also manage your claims proactively by visiting the A-to-z Guarantee Claims page in Seller Central (in the Performance section).

What are my obligations when a claim is filed?

• You have 7 calendar days to respond to Amazon Pay's notification, but it is a best practice to reply immediately. Within this period:
  • Issue a refund to the customer or represent your case to Amazon Pay.
  • If the item hasn’t been shipped, cancel that portion of the order.

  Note: If you don't respond within this timeframe, Amazon automatically assigns the claim to you, reimburses the customer, and debits your account or cancels any future payment.

• For an Item Not Received or Item Received Late claim:
  • Explain your side in the Seller Central form or by responding to Amazon Pay’s email.
  • Provide verifiable shipment tracking number or proof of shipment date, carrier, method, and class if non-traceable.
  • Provide the email indicating the delivery estimate(s) sent to the customer.
  • Provide the order confirmation email showing: purchase date, shipping address, total price, charges, taxes, item description, quantity, and, if it isn’t new, item’s condition.
  • Include details of any communication with the customer outside of Seller Central.


• For Materially Different claims:
  • Explain your side in the Seller Central form or by responding to Amazon Pay’s email.
  • Provide the order confirmation email showing: purchase date, shipping address, total price, charges, taxes, item description, quantity, and, if it isn’t new, item’s condition.
  • Describe the disputed item and provide the URL of the detail page.
  • Include details of any communication with the customer outside of Seller Central.


• For Returns or Refunds claims:
  • Explain your side in the Seller Central form or by responding to Amazon Pay’s email.
  • Provide the order confirmation email showing: purchase date, shipping address, total price, charges, taxes, item description, quantity, and, if it isn’t new, item’s condition.
  • Provide the URL of the page describing your returns policy and return address.
  • Provide a copy of the return label sent to the customer, if any.
  • Include details of any communication with the customer outside of Seller Central.


• For Charged more than expected claims:
  • Explain your side in the Seller Central form or by responding to Amazon Pay’s email.
  • Provide the order confirmation email showing: purchase date, shipping address, total price, charges, taxes, item description, quantity, and, if it isn’t new, item’s condition.
  • Include details of any communication with the customer outside of Seller Central.

Note: If you fail to provide a sufficient response, violate the Amazon Payments, Inc. Customer Agreement, or if it’s determined you were at fault, Amazon Pay will reimburse the customer and debit your account for the refund amount, including item price, tax, and shipping. Amazon Pay might also cancel any future payment for the disputed order.

How does Amazon Pay determine whether an item isn’t received by a customer?

The claims for an Item Not Received will be processed according to the following policies:

• Products shipped without tracking
  A merchant is liable for a claim if the estimated delivery date has passed and the order was shipped without tracking information. This applies to all orders, including those shipped by media mail.


• Products shipped with tracking - in transit
  If tracking shows expected delivery soon and the product was shipped by the promised ship date (2 business days after the order date), the claim is denied and the customer must wait. The merchant will not be liable. If tracking information doesn’t show expected delivery in a reasonable timeframe, the claim is granted and the merchant is liable. This covers packages lost in transit.


• Products shipped with delivery confirmation tracking where tracking shows delivery but the customer claims non-receipt
  Amazon Pay will investigate the dispute and might contact the customer to confirm non-receipt. If no receipt is confirmed, the merchant might be liable for lack of fulfilment - Amazon Pay won’t cover service errors like loss, theft, or postal/shipping issues. However, it protects merchants from fraudulent customers and Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee abusers.


• Products shipped with signature confirmation tracking where tracking shows delivery but the customer claims non-receipt
  If the signature confirmation matches the customer, the claim is denied. If the signature doesn’t match the customer, the claim is denied and the customer must follow up with the signee. Claims are denied for packages signed for by a freight forwarder or the customer’s agent (for example, receptionist or family member). However, if an investigation determines the customer didn’t receive the order due to a shipping error beyond their control, the merchant might liable, though rare.

Am I required to allow returns for items that the customer believes are materially different, defective, or damaged?

As a merchant, you're responsible for managing returns process of materially different, defective, or damaged items. This includes providing customers a way to return and promptly processing the refund. Failure to handle returns might result in a debit to your Amazon Payments merchant account if the customer is refunded under an Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim, even without the item’s return. You might also be held responsible for not responding to an Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim or declining a valid return request.

Do customers see the information I provide to Amazon Pay to investigate a claim?

Customers don’t see comments you submit to Amazon Pay via the representation form email responses, they are solely for Amazon Pay investigators. However, customers can see comments you make on the A-to-z Guarantee claims page under Contact Buyer.

How do Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee claims affect my account?

Excessive Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee claims can lead to warnings, suspensions, or account termination. These claims affect your Order Defect Rate, used to calculate your reserve. For details, see our Reserve Policy page. Minimize the number of claims granted against your account. Issue a refund to resolve the problem.

How does Amazon Pay prevent customers from filing both an Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim and a chargeback?

Amazon Pay denies an Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim under review when it receives a chargeback from the card issuer. If the claim is already granted to the customer for the full transaction amount before receiving a chargeback, Amazon Pay will represent the chargeback to the issuer.

How does Amazon Pay handle an Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim when I have already issued a refund?

Amazon Pay denies an A-to-z Guarantee claim if you’ve issued a full refund for the items through Amazon Pay, providing necessary information to track it.

If you resolve the issue outside Amazon Pay’s knowledge and it grants the claim, Amazon Pay can’t guarantee fund recovery. In such cases, summarize the resolution and send it to the customer via Seller Central following these steps:

1. Sign in to Seller Central with your Amazon Payments merchant account.
2. Click Menu ☰, then click Performance, and then click A-to-z Guarantee Claims.
3. Find the corresponding order, then click Contact customer, and then click Other.
4. Enter a summary on how you resolved the issue and these steps for the buyer to withdraw the claim:
   1. Sign in to the Amazon Pay website with your Amazon credentials.
   2. On Your Amazon Pay Activity page, find the corresponding transaction, and then click Details & Support.
   3. Click Withdraw claim
      

      Note: After the customer has withdrawn a claim, the order is recharged and your account subsequently credited.

   4. Click Send.

Note: If you face any issues by sending the message via Seller Central, you can also contact the buyer directly with the steps on how to withdraw the claim.

How can I appeal a claim granted against me?

If the claim is decided against you, you have up to 30 calendar days to appeal that decision from Seller Central. During the appeal process, Amazon Pay might request additional details about the transactions from you. If Amazon Pay reverses the decision, your account will be credited.

What if I have more questions?

If you have more questions about the Amazon Pay A-to-z Guarantee for merchants, contact us.