Amazon A-to-z Guarantee Claims in Australia: What Sellers Need to Know and Do

An A-to-z Guarantee claim is a buyer's request for Amazon to step in and resolve a problem with an order, such as it never arriving or not matching the listing. For sellers, a claim can lead to Amazon refunding the buyer and recovering the amount from you, and it counts against your account health. Amazon's seller guide sets a target of under 1% for order defect rate. As of October 2026, Amazon does not publish Australian claim time limits or seller response windows on a public page: those are in Seller Central, and third-party figures are not reliable.

What is the A-to-z Guarantee?

It is Amazon's buyer protection for orders from third-party sellers. If a buyer cannot resolve a problem with you directly, they can ask Amazon to review. Amazon then decides whether to refund the buyer and, where it does, may charge the cost back to you. The details are in Amazon's customer help pages and your Seller Central policies. Amazon's public customer help page for Australia was unavailable when we checked, so we do not quote its time limits or conditions here.

Related reading: Australian Consumer Law and Amazon returns for your separate legal obligations to buyers, and the glossary entry for order defect rate.

How do A-to-z claims affect my account?

Claims are one of the inputs to customer service performance. Amazon's published target for order defect rate is under 1%. Amazon does not state on a public Australian page exactly which events count in the formula or over what period, so read the definitions beside the metric in Seller Central. See seller performance metrics.

An illustration with invented numbers: with 150 orders in a window, two claims alone equal 1.3% before any negative feedback is counted. On 2,000 orders, the same two are 0.1%. Small accounts need to treat every claim seriously.

Claims also surface on the Account Health page, described in Account Health Rating.

Where do I see a claim in Seller Central?

1. Open Performance and look for the A-to-z Guarantee Claims or Customer Service Performance section.
2. Find the claim and open its detail, which shows the order, the buyer's reason and any deadline.
3. Check your email: Amazon usually notifies you there too.

Layouts and labels change, so use Seller Central's search if you cannot find it.

What are the common reasons for claims?

How should I respond to a claim?

Where Amazon asks for a response, respond within the window shown in Seller Central. Do not assume you have long.

1. Read the claim reason.
2. Contact the buyer through Amazon messaging if that is still open, and try to resolve it with a refund or replacement.
3. Gather evidence for seller-fulfilled orders: tracking history, proof of dispatch, packing photos, listing screenshots and message history.
4. Provide a short factual response.
5. Accept the outcome if you are in the wrong. Quick refunds can be better for your metrics than prolonged disputes, though Amazon decides how each claim is treated.

For seller-fulfilled parcels, valid tracking is your best evidence; see FBM with Australia Post.

What about FBA and Easy Ship orders?

For FBA, Amazon says its customer service manages product returns for FBA products sold through Amazon.com.au and that customer support is available by phone and email, with the cost included in FBA fees. Amazon also says it checks each returned item and, if one is unsellable, assesses who caused the damage to decide whether you are eligible for reimbursement. A returns processing fee applies in categories where Amazon offers free shipping, and the amount is shown in Seller Central, not on the public page.

For Easy Ship, Amazon states that sellers' refunds for returns are issued within two business days of receiving the item. Check Seller Central for how claims on FBA and Easy Ship orders appear in your own account. See returns fees for the cost side.

How does a claim affect my money?

If Amazon refunds a buyer and recovers the cost from you, the amount comes out of your account balance. Amazon pays out only when an account is settled with a positive balance, and payments go by electronic funds transfer to a bank account. Amazon also says a payment can take up to five business days to reach your bank after it is initiated. Whether and when a claim is deducted is shown in your payment reports in Seller Central, and the settlement cycle is published there rather than on a public page.

A simple illustration, with invented figures: an order of A$80 (GST-inclusive) is refunded after a not-received claim. You lose the sale value and may also lose the fees or shipping you already paid. If the parcel was never tracked, you have no evidence and little room to contest. If it was tracked and delivered, a proof-of-delivery record may change the outcome, though Amazon decides.

For tax, refunds usually affect your GST reporting for the period; confirm the treatment with the ATO or a registered tax agent. See GST for Amazon sellers.

What should I record for every seller-fulfilled order?

A small habit prevents most lost disputes.

• The carrier, service and tracking number.
• The dispatch date and time, ideally a scan receipt.
• A photo of the packed item for high-value or fragile products.
• A copy of the listing as it appeared when the order was placed.
• Any buyer messages, kept inside Amazon's messaging.

Keep these for as long as your accountant and Amazon's terms suggest, which is often several years for tax records. Ask your registered tax agent for the period that applies to you.

What do consumer guarantees have to do with it?

Separate from Amazon's programme, Australian Consumer Law gives buyers guarantees that goods will be of acceptable quality and match their description. An A-to-z claim is an Amazon process, while consumer guarantees are law. Meeting one does not replace the other. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm with the ACCC or a lawyer. See Australian Consumer Law and Amazon returns.

How do I reduce A-to-z claims?

• Set honest handling and delivery times.
• Upload valid tracking for every seller-fulfilled order.
• Describe products precisely, with real photos.
• Pack for Australia Post and courier handling.
• Answer buyer messages the same day.
• Offer a quick refund where an item is clearly lost or wrong.
• Watch for products that generate repeat claims and fix or delist them.

More guidance sits on the Australia seller hub.

FAQ

What is an Amazon A-to-z Guarantee claim? It is a buyer asking Amazon to resolve an order problem, such as non-delivery or an item not as described. Amazon reviews it and may refund the buyer and recover the cost from you. Details are in Seller Central.

How long do buyers have to file an A-to-z claim in Australia? Amazon publishes the time limits in its help pages, and the Australian customer page was unavailable when we checked. Third-party figures vary, so confirm in Seller Central or Amazon's help pages before relying on any number.

How long do I have to respond to a claim? The deadline is shown on the claim in Seller Central. Respond within it. Amazon does not publish a standard Australian response window, so do not rely on figures from forums.

Do A-to-z claims affect my order defect rate? They are part of customer service performance and Amazon's target for order defect rate is under 1%. Check Seller Central for the exact definition and measurement period.

Can I appeal an A-to-z claim decision? Where Amazon offers a way to contest a decision, it is shown on the claim in Seller Central. Provide evidence and keep it factual. Amazon makes the decision.

Are FBA orders protected from A-to-z claims? FBA orders can still generate claims, but Amazon handles customer service and returns for FBA. Check the order detail to see how a claim is treated in your account.

Keep claims low and visible

Most claims trace back to late dispatch, weak tracking or a listing that promises too much. Blooprint's Amazon Australia account management covers ongoing monitoring of claims and metrics for Amazon.com.au sellers, working remotely from Bengaluru. It focuses on prevention and does not include suspension appeals.