Unlock your Prime Day potential! Month-by-month strategies inside.
Download the complete calendar and playbook for free
Free Download
Are you prepared for 2024 fees? Download our free Amazon Fee
Stack White Paper
for 2024 to protect your business.
Carbon 6
NEW! Download the free Amazon
Fee Stack White Paper
for 2024.
Free Download
Free Download
Take your Seller Central operations off your to-do listHire us for around-the-clock Amazon account management!
Learn More
ManageByStats is now FREE! Get this ultimate, all-in-one tool suite to boost your profit on Amazon.
Learn More
We double our reimbursements efforts
to get you 20% more back from Amazon!
Learn More
Urgent: Amazon sellers take action now!
Amazon reduced the reimbursement window by a staggering 88.89%, from 18 months to 60 days starting October 23, 2024.
Start Your Free Audit
5
MINUTE READ TIME
Published
July 28, 2023
|
Shelby Owens

1P Vendor Expert

|
1P Vendor/Supplier

5 Actions Vendors Can Take To Minimize Shortages on Amazon Vendor Central

5 Actions Vendors Can Take To Minimize Shortages on Amazon Vendor Central

Table of Contents

On Amazon Vendor Central, shortages can happen for a whole host of reasons: incorrect catalog data, misplaced packaging, receipt errors — the list goes on. 

No matter the reason, shortages can cause quite the headache for Amazon vendors, and when they are a result of chargebacks, they can be costly, as well.

While vendors can’t eliminate shortages altogether, they can take steps to minimize supply chain errors and take better control over their inventory management processes. Here are five practical strategies for minimizing shortages on Amazon Vendor Central.

SELLING IN UK? TAKE ACTION!
Amazon reduced the reimbursement window by 88.89%, from 18 months to 60 days starting January 9, 2025.
Start Your Free Audit
Take Seller Central operations off your to-do list
Trust our team of experts with 24/7 account management!
Learn More
NEW! Download the free Amazon Fee Stack White Paper for 2024.
Free Download
Unlock your Prime Day potential!
Download the complete playbook for free
Free Download
ManageByStats is now FREE!
Get the complete data suite to boost your profits.
Learn More
We double our reimbursements efforts to get you 20% more back
Learn More
NEW! Free Q4 Playbook to boost your Amazon sales! Your guide to peak-season success with key priorities and timelines.
Download Now

1. Maintain an Accurate and Up-To-Date Catalog

Catalog maintenance is inventory management 101. To maximize both operational efficiency and speed to market, vendors should meticulously maintain their catalogs to ensure they have the most accurate and up-to-date product data.

Consistently updating your Vendor Central product catalog can not only help you ensure your purchase order and inventory shipments align, but can also boost your Amazon relationship by giving them the most accurate and useful product information available which will decrease errors in the long run, saving both you and Amazon time and money. Additionally, a well-maintained catalog can also decrease price discrepancies by aligning product prices accurately with Amazon’s system.

Some solutions, like SoStocked, even enable Amazon vendors and sellers to automate their catalog management and avoid inventory hiccups that cost time and money.

RELATED: Amazon Seller Central vs. Vendor Central: What's the Difference?

2. Invoice Accurately

Precise invoicing is vital for maintaining a smooth supply chain and avoiding shortages. The invoice is the main quality control lever of Amazon Vendor Central, enabling the marketplace behemoth to verify the accuracy between the purchase order and the items they receive.

When sending invoices to Amazon, ensure you only bill for items that have been accepted and shipped as per your purchase order. Also, avoid taking invoices at face value. Instead, carefully review each invoice to prevent duplication — a common, if overlooked, inventory error.

3. Ensure Your Labels Are Clear

Clear and properly placed labels significantly impact the accuracy of inventory tracking during the receiving process. 

When Amazon receives a blemished or scratched label, they’re often unable to scan the inventory and more likely to claim a shortage. Some level of damage during transportation is inevitable, but vendors can decrease the chance of earning a shortage claim by shipping items with clear, accurate, and crease-free labels. 

4. Always Deliver on Time

The leading cause of Amazon chargebacks across vendors? PO-on-time-accuracy. This chargeback has three subtypes: Not on Time, Down Confirmed, and Not Filled.

Being on-time-compliant is crucial not only for strong inventory management, but also for fostering a successful and long-lasting partnership with Amazon. Poor adherence to delivery schedules and order quantities can disrupt Amazon's receiving process and increase the risk of a shortage. 

To consistently meet Amazon’s expectations, establish efficient supply chain processes that prioritize on-time delivery. And if you deliver on time and still receive a chargeback, use a dispute management service like chargeguard to handle the claim and recover your profits. Chargeguard also offers a supply chain analysis that identifies the root causes of any shipping or process delays to minimize deductions and ensure you deliver on time.

5. Embrace Standard Case Packs

When Amazon receives your inventory via Vendor Central, they break down each purchase order into sellable units. Using standard case packs can significantly streamline this process.

In fact, adhering to Amazon’s packaging requirements and standardizing your case packs can enhance the efficiency of the entire receiving process and reduce errors that can lead to shortages.

Maximum Efficiency, Minimal Errors

As an Amazon vendor, there are plenty of things within the supply chain that are simply out of your control — but not everything. Keeping your operations in top shape by maintaining an up-to-date catalog, creating accurate invoices, and streamlining your delivery processes to be on time every single time are all ways to effectively manage your inventory and reduce shortages.

Remember, proactive measures yield positive results. Don’t wait until you receive a chargeback to address your inventory management. Take initiative now to implement the proactive strategies that can save money and help you build a more prosperous relationship with Amazon.

SELLING IN UK? TAKE ACTION!
Amazon reduced the reimbursement window by 88.89%, from 18 months to 60 days starting January 9, 2025.
Start Your Free Audit
NEW! Free Q4 Playbook to boost your Amazon sales for peak-season success.
Download Now
Unlock your Prime Day potential!

Download the playbook for free
Free Download
Take Seller Central operations off your to-do list
Trust our team of experts with 24/7 account management!
Learn More

Stay Ahead and Stay Profitable

Ready to take control of your inventory management? Manage inventory with intelligence with SoStocked, an automated solution that gives you dialed-in forecasting and optimizes your packaging and shipping to maximize profits. 

And don’t worry if a chargeback or shortage happens. By using a solution like chargeguard, you can recover historical chargebacks, shortages, and overbillings to increase your overall profitability. 

Check out Carbon6’s suite of seller solutions for tools and resources for scaling efficiently and boosting profits.

Recent Newsletters

Insights: Free resources to boost your Q4
Carbon6 Team
Nov 7, 2024
Amazon Seller News
Insights: Free resources to boost your Q4
November is underway, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming sooner than you think! Make sure your strategies are prepared to deal with any changes to predicted plans, especially with many retailers going off script and launching their Black Friday deals early.
See Article
Insights: PixelMe Amazon integration, Carbon6 named a Top Startup, and new omnichannel solutions
Carbon6 Team
Oct 8, 2024
Amazon Seller News
Insights: PixelMe Amazon integration, Carbon6 named a Top Startup, and new omnichannel solutions
Welcome to our first monthly newsletter of Q4, and happy Amazon’s Big Deal Days! Today is the start of the fall sales event and we wish you the best of luck for your businesses this week.
See Article
Insights: Acquisition alert, the latest in AI, and more
Carbon6 Team
Sep 11, 2024
Amazon Seller News
Insights: Acquisition alert, the latest in AI, and more
With only one month left until Q4, plans and preparations are happening in earnest across ecommerce for this bumper selling season. Make sure you’re ready with the checklists in our latest free resource, the Q4 Amazon Playbook.
See Article

Recent Posts

How Amazon’s New Embedded Third-Party App Feature Will Streamline Seller Experience
Shannon Curley
Nov 22, 2024
Amazon Seller News
How Amazon’s New Embedded Third-Party App Feature Will Streamline Seller Experience
PixelMe by Carbon6 is now part of Amazon’s new embedded third-party app program, aimed to help sellers streamline Seller Central operations.
See Article
FBA Fee Freeze, Equal Air Cargo Priority, & AI Challenges
Chelsea Cohen
Nov 22, 2024
Amazon Seller News
FBA Fee Freeze, Equal Air Cargo Priority, & AI Challenges
The latest Amazon seller updates: 2025 FBA fee freeze, equal air cargo, plus AI challenges affecting Alexa and Haul.
See Article
Inventory-Aware Amazon PPC:  Stop Wasting Ad Spend on Low-Stock Products
Neha Bhuchar
Nov 21, 2024
Partner Spotlight
Inventory-Aware Amazon PPC: Stop Wasting Ad Spend on Low-Stock Products
Learn how to stop wasting Amazon PPC budget on low-stock products. Automate your ads based on inventory levels to maximize ROI and prevent costly stockouts.
See Article