This incredible series of events may go some way to explaining why I do not want to sell on Amazon ....
1. Months ago - tried to set up a seller account on Amazon. Couldn't complete as needed proof of bank account so waited for next bank statement. Also made a mistake and entered VAT number as UTR. Couldn't edit that.
2. My husband has now become so bad with dementia that I have closed down his business and opened one in my own name. Can't edit that on Amazon of course. Asked for weeks. Nothing.
3. Eventually they suggested I start a new account in my own name, and yes, the old account would definitely be closed in 24 hours. That was several days ago.,
4. Started an account in my own name. Accidentally picked the £25 a month version - no good to me. Of course you can't edit it. Also my card (brand new for a brand new bank account) was declined as at that point there was no money there and I had not realised Amazon would do an immediate debit (OK that was my fault but surely I can't be the only person who has ever made that mistake?). Therefore the card cannot be verified.
5. Several emails later, all I keep getting from support is that I must verify the account before they can possibly answer my question about how to verify the account when they refuse to attempt to debit the card again. Gave up in frustration.
6. Today I decided to try again. New account not accepted, I do not have a valid seller account and now I have closed it and can't get in again with that email address. BUT it let me in with the old email address - to an account that has supposedly been closed!
7. Here is where it gets scary. It invited me to list a product. No problem - until I came to the EAN. It won't accept the EAN. I know the EAN is correct, I have the manufacturer's catalogue here. Never mind. The item I am selling, a violin outfit, is also sold by another seller who has typed in some EAN I do not recognise (but OK I don't blame them for that, if Amazon won't accept the EAN in the format we actually have it). Completed my listing, or so I thought, and hit submit.
WAIT FOR IT, THIS IS GOOD.
On my screen appeared the item as the other seller's item BUT with details I had changed. One of these details, for example, is a set of strings that cost nearly £35 TRADE - that is a big difference. SO, now that seller has an item up cheaper than I would have listed, but with a lot of extras that are not factored into their pricing - and if that seller then sends what they have advertised, the customer will be sending it straight back and complaining bitterly, and who can blame them?
I find it absolutely astonishing that anyone can effectively sign in, create a listing, and on the back of that put whatever description they like on another seller's listing, as long as they claim it is the same product.
If you sell on Amazon, therefore, you need to keep up with your own listings to make sure no unauthorised person has gone in and changed them which, apparently, you can do without any effort at all
O, and it hasn't accepted my listing, because the details I was originally supposed to provide and got wrong are still wrong and of course it won't let me edit them.
I see no point at all in submitting all this to Amazon only to go round in circles with someone from Mumbai who can't help, have every email bounced back because they are all "no reply" addresses, and end up going round in circles again just to have Amazon take 12% of the sale price even if I ever get it to work - I'm only trying it at all because ebay and my website between them have sold next to nothing in three weeks and it is getting scary.