Quick answer. The A-to-z Guarantee covers timely delivery and item condition on orders you fulfill yourself. In most cases the customer must contact you first, and you have 48 hours to respond to a delivery message or a return request. Once a claim is filed, answer Amazon’s information request within 72 hours or the claim may be granted against you, and some claims are granted automatically, for example when you did not ship by the expected date. Claims granted against you count toward your Order Defect Rate, and you have 30 calendar days to appeal a granted claim.

A-to-z claims are one of the three parts of Order Defect Rate, alongside negative feedback and credit card chargebacks. Amazon expects seller-fulfilled accounts to keep ODR under 1 percent over a 60-day window, so a handful of lost claims on a low-volume account can push it toward a suspension of seller-fulfilled selling privileges. Most claims are decided by what you did in the first 48 hours, before the claim existed. The sections below follow a claim from the first customer message to the appeal, and name what decides each stage.

What the A-to-z Guarantee Covers

The guarantee protects customers who buy from third-party sellers. It covers two failures. The item did not arrive on time, or the item arrived but was damaged, defective, materially different from the listing, or not what the customer ordered. The A-to-z Guarantee policy described here applies to orders you fulfill directly. On Fulfillment by Amazon orders, Amazon handles delivery and returns, and Order Defect Rate is measured only on seller-fulfilled orders.

The guarantee does not ask whether you acted in good faith. It asks whether the customer received what was promised, by the date promised, and whether you followed the response and return rules. A seller who ships a correct item but uses a service without valid tracking can lose the claim because Amazon has no proof of delivery to rely on.

The two claim types

• Item not received. The order did not arrive by the maximum estimated delivery date, or tracking does not show delivery.
• Item does not meet expectations. The item arrived damaged, defective, materially different from the detail page, or the return and refund did not happen as required.

Each type has its own pre-claim steps, its own evidence and its own automatic grant triggers. Identify which type you are facing before you respond.

Before a Claim Can Be Filed

Amazon requires customers to contact you first, except in certain instant refund situations. This window is where most claims are won or lost.

• Item not received. The customer messages you through Buyer-Seller Messages and must wait 3 days past the maximum estimated delivery date. You must respond and try to resolve the issue within 48 hours of their first message.
• Item does not meet expectations. The customer files a return request. You must authorize it or respond within 48 hours with a valid domestic return address, a prepaid return label or a returnless resolution. Amazon says responding within 24 hours is best practice.

Amazon may refund instantly in specific situations, such as when tracking shows the package returning to you or the order was not shipped. In those cases the customer does not need to contact you first, and your chance to resolve the order before a claim is gone.

A response inside the 48 hours must do something. Replying that you are looking into it, without tracking, a resolution or a return authorization, does not resolve anything, and the claim can proceed. A useful first reply gives the tracking number and the carrier’s latest scan, offers a replacement or refund where the package is lost, or authorizes the return with a label.

When Amazon Grants a Claim Automatically

Some claims never reach an investigation. Amazon grants them and debits the amount from your account when one of the conditions below is met. Every row describes a seller action, or a missing one, that you control.

The last two rows catch sellers who otherwise run clean operations. A prepaid return label that you issue makes you responsible for the return leg. If the carrier loses it, or it cannot be delivered because the return address in Seller Central is out of date, the claim is granted. Check the return address settings whenever you move a warehouse, change a 3PL or close a location.

How Amazon Reviews a Claim

Once a claim is filed, Amazon emails you, and the claim appears on the Manage A-to-z claims page under Performance. Amazon lists four possible outcomes.

• You refund in full. The claim closes, but it affects your Order Defect Rate.
• Amazon investigates. Amazon considers your messages and return authorization and may ask for more information. If you do not respond within 72 hours, Amazon may grant the claim to the customer.
• The claim is granted automatically in the situations listed above.
• The customer withdraws the claim. It closes with no effect on your Order Defect Rate.

During an investigation, Amazon asks you to recount your version of the transaction. It compares your account with the order record, carrier tracking, the message thread and the return history. A reviewer who sees tracking with a delivery scan, a timely reply and a return authorized on time has what it needs to rule for you. A reviewer who sees a gap in any of those has a reason to rule for the customer.

Which claims count toward ODR

Amazon’s Order Defect Rate page says claims count when granted with you at fault, when you refunded after the claim was filed, when you or Amazon cancelled the order, or while a claim is pending appeal. Claims where you were not at fault, denied claims, withdrawn claims, and property damage or personal injury claims do not count.

That rule shapes the decision to refund. Refunding after a claim is filed closes it, but it still counts as a defect. Refunding before the customer files, inside the 48-hour window, resolves the order without a claim at all. When a package is lost and you will refund either way, refund early.

How to Respond to a Claim

The response is a short, factual record. Amazon reads it alongside the order data, so it should match that data and point to evidence. The order we follow is below.

1. Open the claim on the Manage A-to-z claims page under Performance and note the claim type, the order ID and the response deadline.
2. Pull the order record, the carrier tracking history, the full Buyer-Seller Messages thread and any return request.
3. Check whether the claim meets an automatic grant condition. If it does, decide whether to refund now and focus on the root cause.
4. Write a short account of the transaction in date order, with the ship date, carrier, tracking number, delivery scan and every message you sent.
5. Attach proof such as the carrier’s delivery confirmation, a photo of the packed item if you have one, and the return authorization.
6. Submit within 72 hours of Amazon’s request.
7. If you want the item back, ask the customer through Buyer-Seller Messages and provide a prepaid label with valid tracking.

Write without emotion and without accusing the customer. If you believe the claim is false, show the evidence and let it carry the argument. An account that says the customer is lying, without proof, does not help the reviewer decide.

Related guides include What Is an Intellectual Property Complaint on Amazon and How Do You Respond? and Competitor Sabotage on Amazon.

The Evidence That Decides a Claim

Each claim type turns on a different record. Gather the one that matches before you write anything.

Delivery claims

Valid tracking uploaded to the order is the base requirement. It must show the carrier’s acceptance scan and a delivery scan to the address on the order. Ship confirmation alone is not delivery. If the carrier shows delivered but the customer says the package never arrived, the delivery scan, any carrier proof of delivery and the delivery date relative to the maximum estimated delivery date are what Amazon weighs.

Amazon’s Buy Shipping service adds a layer here. Amazon states that when you buy the label through Buy Shipping, it refunds costs for claims when customers report packages did not arrive. To qualify, the label must be purchased through Buy Shipping, the order must ship on time, which Amazon defines as the moment of the carrier’s first scan, and you must respond to customer inquiries in Buyer-Seller Messaging within 48 hours. Amazon also describes account-health protection for delivery-related claims on these orders.

Condition and description claims

When a customer says the item was damaged, defective or not as described, the reviewer looks at the listing, your return handling and any photos or details in the message thread. Your best evidence is a detail page that matches the product exactly, a timely return authorization and a refund issued on time. A dispute about whether the item matched the listing is hard to win when the listing itself is vague or wrong.

Return claims

For returns, the dates decide the case. Amazon expects you to authorize or respond to the return request within 48 hours and to refund within 5 days of receiving a return sent on a prepaid label. Keep the carrier scan showing when the return reached you, and issue the refund promptly inside that window.

How to Appeal a Granted Claim

Amazon gives you 30 calendar days to appeal a granted claim and provide new information. Amazon re-investigates and may reverse the decision in whole or in part, including removing the impact on your ODR or reimbursing the refund. If you do not appeal within 30 days, the claim closes and its effect on your ODR cannot be reversed.

The appeal must add something. Amazon asks for new information, so resubmitting the same response rarely changes the result. New information includes a delivery confirmation you did not attach before, a carrier investigation result, a message you sent inside the 48 hours that the first review missed, or proof that the return arrived later than the customer claimed.

Appeal only the claims you can support. A claim that met an automatic grant condition, such as late shipment or no valid tracking, is unlikely to be reversed, because the fact that triggered it is already on the record. Spend the time on claims where the order record and your evidence disagree with the decision.

Claims pending appeal still count

A claim counts toward ODR while it is pending appeal. If your ODR is close to 1 percent, an open appeal does not relieve the metric until Amazon rules. Plan for the claim to count, and treat a reversal as a correction when it comes.

Claims You Did Not Cause

Some claims land on orders where you did everything right. Amazon’s ODR rules exclude claims where you were not at fault, so the work is to show the fault sits somewhere else, with records.

Carrier delays and lost packages

If you shipped on time with valid tracking and the carrier lost or delayed the package, the record shows a timely acceptance scan followed by a gap or a late delivery. That record is your evidence. On a label you bought yourself, the claim is still yours to resolve with the customer, and your recovery from the carrier runs through the carrier’s own claims process. On a Buy Shipping label that shipped on time, Amazon’s claim protection is designed for this case, provided you answered the customer within 48 hours.

Address problems

When a package is returned as undeliverable because of the address on the order, the tracking history shows the attempt and the return. Keep that history and the carrier’s reason code. If tracking shows the package returning to you, Amazon may refund the customer instantly, so check those orders daily and decide on a refund or reshipment before the customer files.

Claims you believe are false

A claim that the item never arrived, against a delivery scan to the correct address, or a claim that the item was not as described, against a listing that matches the product, is a factual dispute. State the facts in date order and attach the proof. Do not argue intent. The reviewer decides on the record, and a calm record with evidence is the strongest response available to you. If one customer files claims across several of your orders, list the orders and the evidence for each, so the reviewer sees the pattern across orders.

Property damage and personal injury

Amazon’s ODR page excludes property damage and personal injury claims from the metric. Those claims are handled as separate matters, and a product safety complaint can still lead to a listing review or a compliance request. Preserve the product data, supplier documents and any safety testing for the ASIN, and answer every request Amazon sends about it.

Each of these cases rests on records that already exist at the carrier, in Seller Central or in your supplier files. Sellers who download tracking histories and message threads at the time of each claim, instead of weeks later, have the evidence ready when the 72-hour request or the 30-day appeal window opens.

Mistakes That Lose Claims

• Replying without substance. A first message that only says you will check tells the customer nothing and leaves the 48-hour window unused.
• Shipping without valid tracking. Without a tracking ID that shows delivery, Amazon has nothing to weigh against the customer’s statement.
• Uploading tracking late or incorrectly. A wrong carrier name or a mistyped tracking number reads as no tracking at all.
• Letting the return address go stale. A return that cannot reach you is granted to the customer.
• Refunding late on a received return. The 5-day refund window starts when the prepaid-label return reaches you.
• Contacting the customer outside Amazon. All communication must go through Buyer-Seller Messaging, and off-platform contact is a separate policy issue.
• Asking the customer to withdraw in exchange for something. Offering a refund or gift on the condition that the claim or feedback is removed is a separate policy problem from the claim itself.
• Missing the 72-hour request or the 30-day appeal. Both deadlines close the matter against you when they pass.

When Claims Lead to Suspension

An A-to-z claim on its own does not suspend an account. The pattern does. Order Defect Rate combines negative feedback, A-to-z claims and credit card chargebacks as a share of orders over 60 days. When ODR passes 1 percent, Amazon may suspend Fulfilled by Merchant selling privileges or deactivate seller-fulfilled offers, and reinstatement requires a Plan of Action.

Claims also affect cash. Amazon’s account level reserve covers A-to-z claims and chargebacks, and Amazon can increase the reserve when claims rise. A granted claim is debited from your balance, so a spike in claims can reduce disbursements before any suspension notice arrives.

First-time and repeat cases

A first ODR breach driven by claims is usually traced to one operational failure, such as a carrier that stopped scanning, a warehouse that missed ship dates during a peak or a return address that went out of date. The Plan of Action should name that failure, show it was fixed and list the control that prevents it, such as daily tracking audits or a backup carrier.

A repeat breach is read as proof that the earlier controls did not hold. The new plan must explain why the previous fix failed and what changed in the process. Copying the first plan is the most common reason a repeat appeal is denied.

US, EU and UK Differences

The A-to-z Guarantee runs on each Amazon store, and the 48-hour, 72-hour and 30-day rules described here come from Amazon’s policy page for sellers. Check the help page for your own marketplace in Seller Central before you rely on a timeline, and keep a valid return address in each country you sell to, because return requests require a domestic return address.

Local consumer law sits underneath the guarantee and is not replaced by it. In the UK, a buyer of goods sold online can cancel within 14 days of receiving the item, without giving a reason, and has a further 14 days to send it back. The seller must refund within 14 days of getting the item back and must refund standard delivery if the customer paid for it. UK law also requires a full refund for faulty items. EU member states apply their own consumer rights rules for distance sales, which also give buyers a statutory right to withdraw and a refund. A seller who refuses a return that the law requires will lose the A-to-z claim that follows and may face a legal complaint as well.

In the US, the guarantee and Amazon’s return policies set the working standard for most claims. Follow the timelines in your marketplace’s policy and the return policy shown on your offers, and check state consumer rules for the products you sell.

How to Prevent Claims

Prevention is the same work that wins claims, done before the customer files.

• Ship on time with valid tracking. Confirm shipment by the expected ship date with a carrier and service that provide tracking, and upload the tracking ID correctly.
• Use Buy Shipping where it fits. Labels bought through Buy Shipping and shipped on time qualify for Amazon’s refund of claim costs on delivery claims when you respond to messages within 48 hours.
• Answer within 24 hours. Amazon calls a 24-hour response best practice. Staff the inbox so the 48-hour limit is never close.
• Refund received returns within 5 days. Track return arrivals daily so the window does not pass unnoticed.
• Keep the return address current. Review it after every warehouse or 3PL change.
• Describe products accurately. Match title, images, dimensions, materials and compatibility to the unit that ships.
• Watch the metric. Review ODR, Late Shipment Rate and Valid Tracking Rate weekly. Amazon expects Late Shipment Rate under 4 percent and Valid Tracking Rate of 95 percent or higher, and the same failures that raise those numbers produce claims.

Our Amazon suspension and reinstatement team handles ODR suspensions caused by claims. To keep claims and ODR under control, see our Amazon account health maintenance service.

For a closely related case, read What Causes Inauthentic Complaints on Amazon and How to Prevent Them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to respond to an A-to-z claim?

Amazon says that if you do not respond to its information request within 72 hours, it may grant the claim to the customer. Before a claim is filed, you have 48 hours to respond to the customer’s delivery message or return request.

Can I appeal an A-to-z claim decision?

Yes. You have 30 calendar days after a claim is granted to appeal and provide new information. Amazon re-investigates and may reverse the decision in whole or in part, including removing the ODR impact or reimbursing the refund.

Do A-to-z claims affect FBA orders?

The A-to-z Guarantee policy described here covers orders you fulfill directly. On FBA orders, Amazon handles delivery and returns, and Order Defect Rate applies only to seller-fulfilled orders.

Does refunding the customer stop the claim from counting?

Refunding after the claim is filed closes it but still counts against your Order Defect Rate. A claim the customer withdraws does not count, and a refund issued before any claim is filed avoids the claim entirely.

Can a customer file a claim without contacting me?

In most cases they must contact you first. Amazon may refund instantly in specific situations, such as when tracking shows the package returning to you or the order was not shipped.

Get Help With Claims and ODR

Submit your case for a free assessment, or book a consultation.

You can also see all our marketplace suspension services.

Sources

• Amazon Seller Central, Amazon’s A-to-z Guarantee claims
• Amazon Seller Central, Order Defect Rate
• Amazon Seller Central, Late Shipment Rate
• Amazon Seller Central, Valid Tracking Rate
• Amazon Seller Central, Account level reserve
• Amazon Seller Central, Selling policies and seller code of conduct
• Sell on Amazon, Amazon Buy Shipping
• GOV.UK, Accepting returns and giving refunds