Amazon have issued an update to the temporary suspension of the Partnered Carrier Programme small parcel delivery service with UPS between the UK and the EU.
Brexit has seen the Amazon Partnered Carrier Programme UPS service hitting problems with customs clearance due to paperwork not being correct, something that will be only too familiar to many retailers and shippers who have hit the same hurdles since the beginning of the year.
The backlog of Amazon Partnered Carrier Programme shipments that did not have the required documentation to clear customs had to be returned to sellers. This has caused a strain on the UPS network and this led to UPS temporarily suspending the Partnered Carrier Programme small parcel deliveries between the UK and EU.
Amazon say that UPS are now updating their processes and changing their shipping labels. The result of this is that the shipping labels previously purchased through this service are no longer valid. If you have purchased cross border UPS shipping labels through the Partnered Carrier Programme small parcel delivery service, and they have not yet been collected, these labels are no longer useable. Amazon request you do not attempt to use those labels for any future shipments.
Amazon has contacted sellers affected by this update and will cancel and reimburse your account for the cost of impacted FBA shipments in the coming weeks.
Amazon also say that they hope to resume service as soon as possible and are working with UPS to provide updated guidance on customs clearance.
Unfortunately, this all means that no Amazon merchants have yet been able to make use of the Partnered Carrier Programme small parcel delivery service promotion running until the end of March, offering reduced transportation costs with no brokerage or handover fees. This promotion ran from the start of the year and is due to expire at the end of March. We’ve yet to hear if Amazon will extend the promotion as it’s been unusable for the first two months.
