Amazon seller support is often a source of frustration and despair. From automated, templated responses that never answer your question to unhelpful customer service representatives who just don't get it, getting the help you need can be an uphill battle. 

Despite promises of quick and efficient assistance, many sellers find that navigating the choppy waters of Amazon's seller support system takes longer than expected, with no real resolution in sight. If you're hoping for a smooth-sailing experience when dealing with Amazon seller support, you'd better prepare for some rough waves ahead.

But there will come a time when you have to deal with them. An issue will arise that you need Seller Supports' assistance with and you'll have to grit your teeth and press on. We're going to take a look at how to open tickets and how to deal with Amazon support agents in order to get the quick escalation you need to close those cases in record time.

Opening tickets

Amazon Seller Central Supports' ticketing attitude can be well summed up by a quote from the fantastic British comedy, The Inbetweeners. "Pop that [complaint] in my pigeonhole", "Where's that?", "Any bin...any rubbish bin".

When you open your ticket it will land in the inbox of the support employees on the lowest rung on the Seller Support ladder. They may be able to advise you on closing out the simplest problems, but anything more complicated will require the assistance of a more experienced colleague or the leadership team if action is required on their side. For that reason, much of the battle involved in resolving cases is ticking the necessary boxes to get the case escalated.

There are two options when submitting a ticket - phone or email. No doubt there are times you will need to speak to Seller Support on the phone, but most cases should start with email.

If you need to file a Seller Support ticket, it must be done through your Amazon Seller Central account. Click the “HELP” button in the top right corner of the page and go to another page where you can search for answers to general questions. If your issue is specific to your account, scroll down and select the “Contact Us” button and select “Selling on Amazon”.

Depending on how many features you're using, different services will appear in a drop-down menu. Find the correct categorization for your issue within this menu (e.g. for a problem with ads you may choose 'Sponsored Products'.

Getting your ticket routed to the correct team is very important - if you choose the wrong option you'll go to the wrong team and be passed around for days. If you can't work out where you should be putting your ticket, use the 'Other' option and provide an accurate explanation of the problem. It's important to make your title as descriptive as possible when you submit a Seller Support ticket as this will help it get to the right team. 

Once your email ticket has been submitted, you can follow up with a phone call; that way you know your information has already been logged in the ticket. This is optional but will get the issue resolved faster.

When asking for support via call, click the “click to call” button and provide your phone number so Seller Support can call back and connect you with an appropriate rep. There is a 'CHAT' option too but it's generally only usable for simple issues.

Things to remember when submitting a ticket

Make sure you include enough information that someone who has never seen your account before can understand the problem, as well as any logical details that could help. If you've had similar issues before you can provide ticket numbers of previous cases to show how it was resolved. Offer examples of what you would like the outcome to be so that the support agent knows what you're working towards. This helps provide a clear vision and goal for the agent who will be in charge of handling your ticket.

If you've found documentation which shows that you're in the right then you can provide that. Try not to be argumentative - it rarely gets you anywhere. If they say you're at fault it's often better to own that and say you won't do it again (depending on the circumstances you might have to submit a plan of action).

Getting the resolution

Now that your ticket is in the system, it's time to follow up relentlessly. Generally, Amazon reps should answer tickets within 12 to 24 hours, usually with a canned response. If a longer time passes due to complexity or other factors, reach out proactively for updates. Persistence is key until the resolution is met. If you don't get what you want another ticket can be opened within 48 hours with additional questions and data that could help improve the outcome.

If you're required to give extra information then give it as soon as possible then continue following up. A certain amount of box-ticking is necessary depending on the ticket. If something needs to be changed in your account it needs to get to the leadership team - give that information then call and ask for the ticket to be escalated. If it doesn't get escalated then ask why - what other information do they need?

We're often asked if we have any secret methods of getting cases resolved quickly - we don't. We just understand what is needed for each case and then badger Seller Support until things start moving. You can do the same.

Dealing with Seller Support

To summarize, here are the key things to remember when opening tickets and dealing with Seller Support:

• Don't rely on them being helpful - When you contact Amazon Support, remember that they can't be as helpful as they may like to be because of the impending march towards AI support. If you're feeling unsure of where to start towards resolving your issue, take some time to do your own research first; there's a wealth of support for Amazon sellers available online. Once you develop a better understanding of the situation and what needs to be done, explain this to the support team and let them know how you would like the issue solved.

• Be prepared with all of the info you need before you open the ticket - Amazon has millions of customers hitting their sites every hour with around half of their trade done through 3rd party sellers - if you're not ready with all of the information you need to get your case moving down the pipeline when you contact Amazon Seller Support then you're going to be at the back of a very long line.

• Get to the right team and make your case - Work out where your case needs to go and clear, concise and polite. Tell them what needs to happen, who the case needs to be raised with, who you need to speak to and what you need them to do. You'll find that you'll receive an answer much quicker, especially if you're polite.

• Follow up relentlessly - We covered this already but the more times you touch base on a ticket the faster it will be closed.

• Stay calm and remember you're talking to real people - It's easy to get frustrated and feel like you're talking to a brick wall but frustration butters no parsnips - remember that the person you're speaking to is trying to do their job under difficult circumstances and they may be new or inexperienced. Try explaining issues in a different way if you can't get your point across.

These tips could be helpful, but if you're tired of navigating the frustrating waters of Amazon seller support, let our team of experts route those issues and exhaust every possible option to get them resolved with Amazon.

Don't let frustration and despair get in the way of your success, talk to us today so you won’t have to deal with Seller Support again!