What Causes Shortages on Amazon Vendor Central?

Three main defects causing shortages:

1. Supply Chain Defects
2. Invoicing Defects
3. Catalog Defects

1. Supply Chain Defects

Possible causes for Supply chain defects:

• Failed/rejected appointment: truck shipment failed to arrive or was rejected at the Fulfillment Center (FC).No appointment: Amazon can't find any delivery appointment linked to a specific Purchase order (PO).

Make sure:

• The carrier arrives on schedule within the designated and properly loaded truck.The carrier creates only one booking per delivery.Deliveries meet the requirements of load guidelines and Hazmat product standards.Cancel the Vendor Central purchase order if no appointment is confirmed and no units are shipped.

Additional causes for Supply chain defects could be:

• No ASN submittedShipment Delay: Shipment arrived more than 14 days after the product was invoiced or the invoice became dueIncorrect Fulfillment center delivery

Make sure:

• ASNs are provided for all shipments before reaching Amazon.ASNs match the PO and the invoice and represent the content of the shipment.Fulfillment centers are prepared to receive your shipments.

2. Invoicing Defects

Possible causes for Invoicing defects:

• ASINs / POs have already been invoiced: this usually happens with multiple shipments for a single PO.Canceled items have been invoiced: products are delivered for a canceled PO, which might be triggered by products that are not delivered within the delivery window.

Make sure:

• The quantity invoiced is the same as the quantity ordered: if the shipment is divided up, please check your records to ensure the total quantity invoiced matches the ordered quantity.Before submitting an invoice, the item has not been canceled in the PO.The invoice is generated after packing and shipping out the products.

Additional causes for invoicing defects could be:

• Products are not listed in PO: might be triggered by supplying a more recent product version compared to the version Amazon ordered.

Make sure:

• The invoiced product is the same as the ordered product and EAN barcodes are mapped correctly.The invoice can be processed; Utilize the Financial Scorecard to cross-check and correct invoices.

3. Catalogue Defects

Possible causes for Catalogue defects:

• Incorrect units vs. pack quantities: product quantity and invoice costs do not match with the PO.Multiple ASINs for a single product: The product ID on the invoice refers to 2 or more ASINs.

Make sure:

• ASIN/ vendor level (case pack quantity & case pack barcode) attributes are correct in your catalog.The barcode is correctly linked to only 1 ASIN: use EAN/GTIN or ASIN (not SKU) when possible. Correct any ID issues in the catalog and re-submit the invoice.

Additional causes for Catalogue defect could be:

• Unrecognized product: The product ID on the invoice is not recognized in the catalog. It is crucial to identify all product IDs being invoiced to avoid shortages or mismatches.

Make sure:

• Deliver and invoice in the same format: the same unit of measure and the same EAN codes for PO, ASN, and invoice.The invoiced product ID is valid and without any mistype characters.

Our dedicated StaffCloud team thoroughly investigates each claim before initiating a dispute, managing shortage claims, tracking disputes, and keeping clients updated on dispute status reports. We maintain the database of PODs for vendors, ensuring timely dispute resolution. With a success rate of 80% in recouping shortages and a 90% success rate in resolving disputes, we swiftly recover disputed invoice payments. Additionally, we assist vendors in updating necessary documentation. Contact us at support@staffcloud.net or send your inquiries here.