Wrong FBA returns are increasing—is this a scam or mere sloppiness?

Did you know that 60% of shoplifted items in the UK are resold online? This makes UK-based retailers more worried about the safety of online marketplaces.

Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to combat the online sale of stolen goods. Regardless of the country or region, all ecommerce merchants need to unite to create a safer marketplace and increase consumer trust.

Speaking of trust, we’re sharing a lot of reliable intel today to earn yours.

• Increasing wrong FBA returns 🚩
• Ecommerce presence expansion 💡
• Amazon’s new IDR portal 🆕
• High-converting static ads 🖼️

BLACK MARKET

Is there an uptick in wrongful FBA returns?

One Amazon seller shared their recent (and increasing) experience with wrongful returns on Reddit. After they opened a case and provided photo evidence, they were fortunately reimbursed for the returns.

But the question is: Why is this happening, and who’s doing this?

🚧 The culprits

Seasoned sellers weighed in on the topic, saying there were 3 possible reasons for this:

• Legitimate mistaken returns from customers, who might return the wrong item to a seller or return the correct item to a different seller.
  • Amazon even has a dedicated Mistaken Returns page to handle cases like this. The retailer also urges customers to contact support immediately (but can’t guarantee the order will be found).
• Scam customers. As we’ve shared before, returns can be “disgusting.” Scammers buy your products and then return a completely different item.
  • The annoying twist: You don’t know what you’re getting! One seller shared he got a “ziplock bag full of engine oil.” 🛢️
• Amazon sloppiness. There’s also the possibility that Amazon centers have messed up the labels or items.

What can you do about this?

Different sellers had different ways of handling wrongful returns. The most common is to file a case to get your money back. For some, dealing with returns is too much of a hassle, especially for cheaper items. Some just keep a stash of the wrong returns and give it to friends.

How about you? How will you handle a situation like this?

TOGETHER WITH WALMART MARKETPLACE

How to expand your ecommerce presence this 2025

Amplify your brand to millions of potential customers 

Sell your products on Walmart.com!

Build, grow, and scale your ecommerce business with one of the most trusted names in retail. Walmart Marketplace is designed with sellers in mind—zero monthly or set-up fees and competitive commission and fulfillment fees mean better margins for you!

Join today and tap into:  

• a network of millions of customers 
• powerful, easy-to-use solutions designed for growth 
• Walmart’s omnichannel advantage  

It takes just a few steps to start selling your products on Walmart Marketplace, so sign up today. ay.  

Start now.

BITES OF THE WEEK

• FYI: Here are the best dropshipping courses to lift your entrepreneurial spirit.
• Shorter but Unclear: Looks like Amazon is shrinking listing titles—and sellers are getting confused if there’s a new title shortening rule.
• Valentine’s Day 2025: Is your brand ready to capture the hearts of shoppers on Valentine’s Day?

AMAZON NEWS

Amazon’s new portal promises easier reimbursements

On January 21, Amazon announced the launch of its new Inventory Defect and Reimbursement (IDR) portal. According to the report by EcommerceBytes, this portal will make Amazon reimbursements less “cumbersome” for sellers.

⭕ What can the IDR portal do?

This new feature is Amazon’s answer to sellers’ request to have an “integrated view of inventory reimbursement”. Instead of checking multiple reports, the portal will give you:

• Complete visibility into SKU defects;
• Detailed information about each defect, including the type, creation date, actions taken, reasons, and current status;
• A comprehensive view of the defects from multiple reports and policy checks to identify reimbursable opportunities; and
• Insights into defect frequency and the resolution.

However, the portal won’t cover items missing from inbound, removals, or warehouse disposals. And FYI, there’ll be a new policy for reimbursing FBA inventory set to take effect this March 10, 2025.

📼 To know more about the IDR portal, you can watch Amazon’s official announcement in Amazon Accelerate 2024 (after the 20-minute mark).

TACTIC TALKS

6 ways to create high-converting static ads

Static ads may not be as exciting as UGC or direct-response videos, but they’re not boring either. Cody Plofker said they can be very effective—if created and used right.

✨ Here are 6 ways to make your static ads successful in converting viewers to customers:

• Test messaging. Static ads are the cheapest ads, so you can use them to test messaging at a low cost but high volume. This is great if you have a limited budget.
• Use them as a prospecting tool. Statics tend to fall low in the marketing funnel. But that’s not a bad thing. Having multiple touchpoints in a customer’s buyer journey is important.
• Try a bold headline. A simple product image with an impactful headline can capture more attention.
• Explore other creative options, including attention-grabbing “before and after” visuals, Venn diagrams, and highlighted reviews.
• Test the efficiency of your creatives. You can go beyond the simple A/B tests, such as testing different concepts of the same message or on different personas.
• Think holistically. Static only has one frame to tell your story.  It should be a combination of your copy, image, and offer—make it count.

📍 Bonus tip: Update and innovate

The advertising industry is changing rapidly; staying put with traditional approaches is a big NO. Make sure you stay on top of new trends by tuning in to our newsletter. 😉