Ever opened your vendor payment report and noticed unexpected deductions? That’s the world of Amazon chargebacks—quietly eating into your revenue without warning. For many brands, these aren’t just a one-off issue. They happen regularly, and if not addressed, they can cost thousands of dollar every quarter.
In this post, we’ll break down the common types of amazon chargebacks for vendors, how to challenge them, and when it’s worth submitting an amazon chargeback claim. And if you’ve ever asked yourself whether filing an amazon charge dispute is even worth the effort, you’ll want to keep reading.
What Are Amazon Chargebacks, Really?
To put it plainly, amazon chargebacks are financial penalties Amazon applies when a vendor doesn’t follow their rules—on packaging, labeling, delivery times, or shipment details. They’re automatic, and unless you catch them and take action, that money is gone.
And look, these aren’t rare. Whether you’re launching a new product or shipping regular inventory, if your backend process isn’t tight, these deductions can show up fast. That’s where building a process for managing each amazon chargeback claim becomes essential—not just for recovery, but to stop repeat hits.
The Most Common Amazon Chargebacks for Vendors
Here’s a quick rundown of the typical ones brands deal with (and some simple ways to handle them):
1. Prep Non-Compliance
Let’s say you’re sending shampoo bottles, and your team misses the cap seal. That can trigger a chargeback—around $0.80 per unit. Doesn’t sound like much? Multiply that across a pallet, and it adds up.
In cases where you did follow instructions, submit an amazon chargeback claim with photo proof and timestamps. Amazon often reverses these when the evidence is solid.
2. SIOC Packaging Errors
Ship In Own Container (SIOC) lets vendors use their own branded boxes—great for larger items. But if the ASIN isn’t SIOC-certified and still arrives that way, it’s a fine. And starting next year, it could be as high as $4.40 per unit.
Before filing an amazon charge dispute, check if your product qualifies for SIOC. If yes, send over the ISTA-6 certification and request a review.
3. PO Delivery Issues
Deliver late, short, or miss items on a PO, and you’ll face fines. Amazon classifies these into missed delivery windows, under-filled shipments, or incorrect confirmations. Up to 5% of item cost, gone.
One vendor we worked with reduced these significantly by syncing their shipment calendar with their amazon fba launch strategy. Planning around cutoffs and communicating better with carriers helped stop the problem at the root.
4. Barcode or ASN Mistakes
Mismatch between what’s packed and what’s declared? That’s another common fine. You might see charges around $1.67 per unit.
Here, your best defense is documentation: photos of cartons, visible barcodes, and a copy of the original ASN. It’s tedious, but it works.
5. Oversized or Overweight Boxes
Boxes over 50 lbs (unless they contain just one unit) or oversized dimensions can lead to $25+ fines. If your packaging setup doesn’t flag this ahead of time, you’ll keep getting dinged.
One fix? Add weight and dimension checks to your internal workflow and your amazon fba launch strategy—it prevents future hits and makes your amazon chargeback claim easier to support.
These Other Chargebacks Hurt Too
You might also run into these:
- No Carton Content Label (NCCL): Amazon wants clear SSCC, AMZNCC, or 2D barcodes. Forget them, and expect deductions.
- Pickup Issues: If your dock isn’t ready, or the truck can’t pick up freight, you might see $500 fines per load.
- No Show Fees: If your carrier skips a scheduled appointment, it’s a penalty—whether or not it’s your fault.
- ASN Errors: Even a wrong PRO number or expired product data can cost you 2–6% of the shipment value.
Each of these can trigger an amazon chargeback claim. The trick is knowing which ones are valid and which deserve an amazon charge dispute.
What This Has to Do with Your Product Launch
Believe it or not, a strong amazon launch strategy isn’t just about ads and reviews. It’s also about avoiding these backend errors. If Amazon sees your ASINs racking up chargebacks early on, that affects how your listings show up and whether they stay in stock.
A proper launch plan should include:
- Confirming if your ASIN is SIOC-compliant
- Training your warehouse or prep center on packaging rules
- Verifying ASN accuracy before submission
Skipping this part of the launch process can turn a great product into a margin-killer.
Can These Be Recovered?
Yes—many of them. But here’s the catch: you’ve usually got 30 to 60 days. Miss that window, and even invalid chargebacks can’t be reversed.
Let’s look at a real case. A brand shipping electronics missed a $3,300 refund because they never submitted an amazon charge dispute on time. After that, they handed over the process to Perfality. Since then, they’ve recovered over $8,000 through properly managed amazon chargeback claims.
How Perfality Helps Vendors Handle Chargebacks (and Prevent Them)
Managing this in-house can eat up hours—and still leave gaps. That’s why brands turn to Perfality. Here’s what they handle:
- Catch Invalid Deductions: Every charge is reviewed. If something looks off, they file the amazon charge dispute with all required documents.
- Fix Core Issues: From packaging to ASN workflows, they plug the holes in your operations that trigger the most amazon chargebacks for vendors.
- Launch Setup: Every amazon fba launch strategy they support includes chargeback prevention steps—so your new listings don’t start in the red.
- Track Everything: They monitor dispute timelines, approval rates, and deduction trends. That way, you’re not left guessing.
With Perfality, it’s not just about getting money back—it’s about fixing what caused the problem in the first place.
Wrap-Up: Don’t Let Deductions Drain You
Chargebacks aren’t something vendors should just accept. Every amazon chargeback claim you recover is money back in your pocket. And more importantly, every fixed process means fewer hits down the road.
By making chargeback prevention part of your amazon fba launch strategy—and having a system to manage every amazon charge dispute—you protect your margins from silent leaks.
Lost too much to avoidable chargebacks?
🟩 Reach out to Perfality to turn that loss into recovery—and build a vendor process that’s built for Amazon success.
