Amazon have started to update sellers regarding the Amazon fulfilment centre Rugeley fire on the 8th of November. Many sellers have seen their items reported as ‘Reserved’ and are wondering if they’ll be back on sale in time for Black Friday or if their stock is damaged and will be written off.
It’s worth remembering that as always with a fire, it’s not just the fire and smoke damage but inevitably stock unaffected by the fire itself could suffer water damage from sprinklers or foam from fire extinguishers. We don’t know how big the fire was or how rapidly it spread, but based on the relatively quick return to normal operations it’s safe to assume it was relatively small.
Amazon expect to evaluate all inventory by the 17th of November at which point your stock should either be back on sale or you will be refunded the cost according to Amazon’s Lost and Damaged Inventory Reimbursement Policy. If you’re refunded you can expect to be reimbursed according to the estimated proceeds of the sale of that same item. Whilst it might sound devastating to lose your stock, in reality getting paid the sale price now instead of waiting for the Christmas rush could be a blessing in disguise as hopefully you’ll have time to replenish stock and churn your funds an additional time before the holiday sales kick in.
Amazon email to merchants following Rugeley fire
Following our communication on November 8, we have reviewed the majority of inventory affected by the operational incident. However some of your units are still in reserve status as a result of the incident. We expect to have evaluated all the remaining inventory by November 17.
Between now and then this inventory will either become available to customers again or will be automatically reimbursed as per the standard FBA Lost and Damaged Inventory Reimbursement Policy. After November 17, if any of your inventory still shows as “reserved” it will not be due to the incident.
– Amazon Email to merchants
Were you affected? If so would you rather your stock be returned to sale as speedily as possible or would reimbursement for your products actually be a better option?
