Early evidence that
Another piece of the puzzle has emerged in the evolving question of possible upcoming
Some sellers got
(Before reading, you must get the full background on the
Major disclaimer: Until
Evidence that
I heard from an FBA Mastery reader who is an
- Sellers who had no textbooks listed in new condition in their inventory did not get the email.
- Sellers who did have textbooks listed in new condition got the email 100% of the time.
The survey was only of 20
I wanted to get this article up quick, but I was able to get responses from three FBA Mastery readers who received the email and confirmed they too had New condition textbooks listed for sale.
Remember some key points from last week’s article:
- The textbook email was prompted by
Amazon cracking down on counterfeit textbooks. - Last month
Amazon began restricting many sellers from listing many books in New or Like New condition. - Most counterfeits are sold as New.
Amazon alluded to upcoming restrictions on “certain” textbooks.- I theorized the restrictions may be condition-based.
Everything fits:
Again, this is 100% anecdotal, but it all fits.
I wanted to disseminate this (again, unconfirmed) possibility quickly because it leads us to something actionable:
The best way to stay off
At least for now.
Other possible triggers
- Newer sellers
- Feedback score
- A combination of the above
- Sellers of textbooks in Like New condition
If may come to light that selling in New or Like New is not the only trigger, but one thing is for sure: There are triggers, and they’re not random.
What about Like New?
We don’t know, but I personally am advising sellers to pull all listings for Like New condition textbooks as well.
I have to be careful because I don’t want to incite anything that will cost sellers money that may in the end be a false alarm, but my advice is based on this:
As covered, last month many
I suspect last week’s email from
Because those restrictions were for both New and Like New, we can rightfully suspect Like New condition textbooks may be triggering the
I’ve said for years that Like New condition is a recipe for trouble, courts bad feedback, and should be used only very rarely. So most sellers shouldn’t have many Like New books in their inventory and shouldn’t be affected much by this.
Go into your inventory right now and take stock.
More than ever, jump in the comments
If I wasn’t so rushed to get this article up, I would have surveyed dozens of readers of this site over email to get even more evidence. I was able to get quick responses from three, who confirmed:
- They received the
Amazon email. - They are selling textbooks in New or Like New condition.
This is an example of a riddle we can get close to solving through crowdsourcing the evidence, which we can also accomplish in the comments.
So leave a comment below and let the world know:
If you received the “textbook apocalypse” email, do you have textbooks listed in New or Like New condition?
Let’s see if we can get closer to the truth by sharing our experiences.
So what if upcoming textbook conditions turn out to be condition based?
I’m considering this great news for
Most smaller sellers do very little business in New condition textbooks.
One exception is people doing online book arbitrage (buying on
And then we can all exhale and forget this ever happened.
The takeaways
- Based on the evidence, stay away from all New condition textbooks (for now).
- Relist all your New condition textbooks as Very Good, or hold onto them and wait for the smoke to clear.
-Peter Valley
PS: Subscribe to my new You Tube channel. Lots of videos coming.
PPS: If you missed my last article, I made a video version of it here.
PPPS: Leave that comment and let us know if you got the email and had New condition textbooks in your inventory.
PPPPS: This screenshot captures the absurdity of most
![](<iframe src="//rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?o=1&p=42&l=ur1&category=amazonhomepage&f=ifr&linkID=581ff15955029b80d81e053ef046aa1e&t=fbamastery-20&tracking_id=fbamastery-20" width="234" height="60" scrolling="no" border="0" marginwidth="0" style="border:none;" frameborder="0"></iframe>)
I am an FBA seller using arbitrage and have several New condition and Like New condition books listed. These were purchased via my Amazon personal account and I have furnished copies of the Amazon billing to me that lists the book and the order number. All else has been blanked out. Of course, I received a dear john letter and have responded. Is it possible to open the listing and reset the condition to very good? And, will that make the issue go away. If so, I will do it tonight! good grief….HELP!
I think you have to recall them and then re-list.
I received the email about being “gated” from selling certain textbooks. I had over 100 books show up in stranded inventory over night. I buy MANY textbooks from sellers on Amazon. They wanted receipts from your “suppliers”. My suppliers are individual sellers on Amazon. I bought the books as new/like new. All of them. I sent 14 receipts (for mostly individual books) to Amazon. This past Sunday, they told me I was now able to sell textbooks without being gated. So, at least I know they do accept Amazon receipts (from third party buyers) as proof for where you buy your books.
The bad thing is, I have paid to have over 100 textbooks sent back to me so I can ship them back to Amazon (in the same listing condition as before). My advise is to not jump the gun and ask to have the books sent back to you until you have heard back from Amazon. Especially NOW with textbook “season” fast approacjing. If you get ungated on these special texbooks and have inventory in your stranded page, call Amazon and they will get each one re-listed without having to send them back and forth. I just had another 7 books show up in stranded. I called and while I was still on the phone, they got he books re-listed.
I also received this today for 2 books being sold as new (sold back in June). These were purchased on Amz via 3rd party sellers and not a wholesaler/publisher. This is ridiculous. I guess this is the reason textbook publishers can command Shkreli like pricing – don’t like it? Tough. Here’s a summons. End of rant.
Nonetheless, I sent in the 2 purchase receipts, so we’ll see how long this takes. It’s good to hear they are accepting those to un gate sellers after the initial barring.
Would anyone recommend getting a lawyer involved at this stage?
By way of update – the response was almost immediate (< 1 hr) and subsequently automated. I sent in retail receipts and was simply told I am no longer allowed to sell this ASIN any longer. Yet to be determined if I'm going to pursue this or not.
I have hundreds of new textbook titles for sale and so far no email. I am taking the precaution of saving some receipts from some large sellers just in case.
This is good news. Can you share how long you’ve been selling and your feedback score? Understand if too personal. This might help us detect a pattern.
I was talking to another seller who has been selling textbooks and other books for 7 years. No letter for him. He said he thinks it’s volume sellers that do not get the letter. I got the letter and sold around 27k in 2016 and he did 300k. Not sure if that’s a pattern
It would make sense that larger sellers are not going to be specializing in counterfeits. Smaller sellers are more likely to be. Interesting theory.
I am doing strictly Amazon to Amazon arbitrage and I never list books in “New” condition, even if I purchased them from sellers who listed them as “new’. I do have a number of books in “Like New” condition (and they really are), and some of those are published by a member of the “dreaded three” publishers. I did get the email, and I assume it was because of the marriage of “like new” with a book from one one of the three publishers. I am in the process of taking down all “like new” listings…
I was posting textbooks on 6/24 and the Amazon website showed that I was restricted from selling a textbook in new or like new condition. It didn’t show the restriction for all publishers of textbooks, though, only the Cengage.
How does one easily and quickly search their inventory for new items?
Hmm. I have never listed a new textbook, and removed all my N & LN books weeks ago; but, I still got the email.
I would ask the same question to get us closer to seeing a pattern: Are you a newer seller and is your feedback score good (95% or better)? May be a pattern to be found there.
Also Like New appears to be part of the crackdown. Any textbooks in LN?
Started Oct of 15; 100 percent feedback; no LN textbooks
I have seen a lot sellers on many different message boards and forums who say they got the email and have never listed a book as “new” since the day they started selling on Amazon. Some of these sellers have been selling for many years. They said this is the first time they’ve ever had to submit invoices / receipts for used inventory.
The last time I sold new textbooks was 4 years ago, after getting permission from a supplier and Amazon to do so. I have not gotten either textbook email.
Like New is the other possible trigger. I haven’t seen a lot of people address that.
I have no books listed in new condition. I had 19 (textbooks and other types of books) listed in like new condition. I have submitted removal orders for them. I received the email from Amazon.
Like new is another likely trigger. Thanks for sharing.
Dont have any listed as new and did not get the letter
Like new?
I’m guessing inactive listings in a seller’s inventory can trigger the warning as well? Or do you think the bots are looking at active listings only?
No, the bots look at inactive as well, from what I’ve been told. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep up with archiving shipped inventory in Manage FBA inventory and delete sold out listings.
Did not get the e-mail, no New or Like New textbooks. Rarely have any of the most recent edition listed. Have been selling for several years with 99% feedback.
I sell only textbooks (have over 650 listed). My seller account is rather new (December 2016), but my Amazon account is from 2011. My feedback score is 5 stars but only 4 reviews. I have textbooks listed as New and Like New and I haven’t received the dreaded email and I hope I won’t receive it.
I have listed new and like new textbooks and I got the letter.
I am not selling any New or Like New textbooks, so not sure why they are asking me for receipts/invoices from manufacturers. I responded letting them know that I do not purchase textbooks from manufacturers, I buy them from students who no longer need them; therefore, I have no receipts/invoices to provide. We shall see what their response is…
No dreaded email for me even though i have been focused on flipping mostly new textbooks via online arbitrage. Been active 3 to 4 years with excellent feedback score. Haven’t sent in any shipments this year but still have new textbooks in fba from the offended publishers.
My main concern is, what constitutes a textbook? I do a lot of University Press books, many in new condition. I’d hate to pull them, especially when they normally have such high sales ranks.
Haven’t received the email, never list any books in new condition, though I very very rarely forget to pick condition when I’m listing and so it defaults to “new” but to my knowledge there are none there now. I do have a few in like new that I’m removing since you suggested it. My feedback is 98% and I’ve been selling for 6 years.
Hey, if you know how to sort inventory by condition, I’d love to know that trick! Thanks for your valuable thoughts on the matter. Not panicking here.
Started selling 14 months ago never listed a textbook on new or like new condition 100% feedback like 200 textbooks on my inventory many from those 3 publishers and I got the email. I am able to list as NEW AND LIKE NEW.
My friend started selling February this year she can only list textbooks acceptable. Good and VG and didn’t get the email.
This could be a condition based restriction
Why wouldn’t she get the email ? She’s a newer seller and already restricted from selling New and Like New
Anyone restricted from selling new got the email??
I received the “Apocalypse” Email and had Textbooks listed as New. My Feedback score is 99% and I have been selling for 4 years.
I convinced myself a long time ago that there is very little (IMO) advantage to listing any book better than Good. For more than 5 years virtually 97% of my listings are Good. Roughly 2 % are Acceptable and yes there are a few New but those are actually New out of a publisher’s case that was shipped to me. Note: None of the New are text books.
Just my opinion and I have not yet received a restricting email for text books. Maybe tomorrow.
I’ve not seen an easily determined drop in my business since I went to 97% Good.
I don’t have any textbooks listed as new or like new, and I did not get the letter. I started selling in August 2014, but had a selling account from several years back. My feedback is 100%.
are u selling Cengage
Pearson Leaning and
Mcgraw Hill ?
I have a few new and like new textbooks, just sold a new one from Cengage, didn’t get the e-mail, have a 97% feedback, been selling for 5 years.
I’ve been selling about 2 years. I’m at 99% ( one bad feedback that I fought vigorously but lost.)
I have no textbooks listed new or like new, and I did not get the e-mail.
One other possible trigger – leaving New or Like New Books in your inactive inventory. Even if you don’t have any active New or Like New listings, if you don’t regularly delete your items after they sell, Amazon’s ‘bots will search through your inactive listings as well as alert on them. This seems to make no sense, until you realize how many Amazon (non-book sellers) sell easily replenishable inventory of items, which get sold out and replenished regularly – so the bots look at inactive listings as well and can ding you.
I’d recommend deleting all inactive New or Like New listings.
Very good point.
I did not get the email. I do not have new or like new text books. I have been selling for three years and have a 99% ranking.
I have not received the official notification yet, but I noticed that all my books are no longer buy box eligible in Manage Inventory. I noticed the same thing about my CDs one month before I received the dreadful email notification about supplying invoices. I really believe the email is coming.
Have you checked your buy box eligibility in Manage Inventory? Is it full of NO’s for books?
The Buy Box is a weird thing right now. Amazon’s formula is definitely being changed.
Linda, if you sell only USED books, unfortunately, it seems like buy box eligibility is NO in most cases, because the NEW book sellers are getting the buy box. Did you take into consideration the “new” condition buy box being implemented as being the reason for all the NO’s? Also, EVERY seller got the cd email about supplying invoices for “popular” music. It really had nothing to do with anything specific a seller did.
I have no New books but quite a few Like New textbooks. I have not gotten the e-mail YET, but I noticed that eventually I usually do get these sorts of e-,mails – I just seem to be last on Amazon’s “list”. I am going in now fo delete my inactive inventory and try to figure out how to change my Like News to VGs. I have little faith that this will prevent the apocalypse from descending on my inbox. I am an average seller, been on for a couple of years, 98% feedback. I will report back here when my personal doomsday hits!.
Can you change the condition without creating a removal order and sending it back in?
I don’t think you can change the condition while it is still in the FBA warehouse. If someone knows how to do this though, please let us know! 🙂
What many are not saying or asking about those listing new/like new is WHAT percentage are you listing in those textbooks/academic books in those conditions compared to your total # of books sold and % # listing? Compare that to your total volume sold per month?
People that got the email, 25-50% are new/like new? 10%?
Great point. Could be another metric Amazon’s bots are looking at.
I have a student, she listing mostly all her books in New condition, and she receive the email.
I have many new and like new listing of textbooks, I have been selling a year, my feedback is 100% and I did receive the letter as well. Going to start taking listings down today I have numerous!
So Peter, you suggest “Relist all your New Condition textbooks as Very Good”. Since we cannot change a books condition once we send it in to Amazon, does “Relist” mean putting in a removal order to have the books shipped back to me so that I can relist them and send them back to Amazon??
If you got the email, or you’re concerned about getting it in the future, and you want to be cautious, this is what I would suggest. Its also a good gesture of faith with Amazon if you wish to apply to have any potential restrictions lifted – the ability to show them you took quick action.
The reason some people are getting the email is that they have CORPORATION for their tax puposes. I know 6 different book sellers and i asked them all 5 HAVE NOT received an Email from amazon only one of them did qnd that one is using CORPORATION TAX ID for his tax purposes. My understanding is if you have corporation tax id setup on your account then you have gotten the email. Please let me know if that assumption is true. Thnaks
Nope, I am not a corporation and I got the email.
I am an LLC and received the email. I only have a smattering of textbooks, none of which are listed as “like new” or “new” so am not sure why I received the email. I suppose we will know more by tomorrow and can perhaps make sense of all this. Best of luck to everyone who received the email!
I received the email and have no “new” textbooks or any other books in my active inventory. However, I had never deleted my inactive listings and saw that I did have some new books, although I didn’t find anything new in textbooks. I went through and deleted the inactive listings. I do have a handful of like new, mostly children’s books, in my active inventory. I pulled any active “new” books months ago. I emailed Amazon invoices from my Amazon purchases from books which sold in the last 180 days. So, will see.
I received the letter; have sold for 18 months, perfect metrics, no New or Like New textbooks ever listed.
I’m a small volume seller and have been selling on Amazon since 2012. 100% feedback score. 15% to 25% of my textbooks are New/Like New conditions and did NOT receive the email. As a precaution, I will pull out these books from Amazon until things get clear.
I have been selling less than a year. I have only 1 review (5 stars). I received the letter that asked for receipts from the last 180 days. Everything in my inventory was purchased in November, ’16. I currently have only 3 textbooks listed, all of them in New condition (because they are new). I am not a corporation and my volume is very low. One of my books currently has the buy box.
I responded to the first email that I was unable to send receipts because I haven’t purchased any textbooks in the last 180 days. I received a 2nd email, much shorter, essentially asking again for receipts.
It sounds like I should remove all the textbooks and relist them in August.
I have been selling since January 2017, have very few LN textbooks listed and I received the email. I also received one thanking me for applying to sell “certain popular textbooks “. Their verbiage. I didn’t apply to do anything. I am a small seller (225 or so) books in inventory so far and still have not received any feedback after 6 months of selling (not sure what I am doing incorrectly there). Thinking of letting go of selling textbooks and switching to other types of books.
P.S. All my books have come from Amazon 3rd party sellers and I am reselling them FBA.
Quick question – how does one change the listing condition on books that are FBA?
If the books were MF, you could kill the listing and create a new one, but if your item is sitting in AZ’s fulfillment center, what is the process? When you reopen the listing, condition is greyed out.
Thx!
D
I have never sold textbooks in new or like new condition and I got the email I submitted invoices from Amazon flips and I received this secon email
Hello,
Thank you for your application to sell certain popular products in the Textbook category. We still need more information in order to continue reviewing your application.
Please respond to this message within 2 business days and provide additional invoices for your popular textbook products that cover at least 10 units and were issued in the last 180 days.
Sincerely,
Seller Performance Team
Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com
Forgot to mention I’ve been selling for 14 months and I have a 100% feedback
I am a small seller with less than 200 books in inventory, started in February of this year, have 100% feedback (3 ratings), and have no new books, only 2 or 3 like new and only one of those is an active listing (and is also a textbook but not a high ranked one). I received the letter, and did as Peter suggested and responded with a request for more specific information on what they were looking for. I sent out that request about a week ago, heard nothing until today, and they responded with something completely unrelated to what I asked. I have included the body of the message here:
Hello,
Thank you for your application to sell certain popular products in the Textbook category. We still need more information in order to continue reviewing your application.
Please respond to this message within 2 business days and provide additional invoices for your popular book products that cover at least 10 units and were issued in the last 180 days.
Sincerely,
Seller Performance Team
Amazon.com
I never formally applied to sell in the “popular textbook” category, whatever that is, and now they are asking me for 10 invoices! And still haven’t given any clarity on what they’re looking for. I only do online arbitrage from Amazon (with a few exceptions) and so all I can do is send them my invoices from my Amazon purchases, and include the like new ones and maybe some of the more highly ranked textbooks I have in other used categories such as very good, or something like that. This whole thing is so stressful!
“Please respond to this message within 2 business days and provide additional invoices for your popular book products that cover at least: “10 units and were issued in the last 180 days.””
That sounds like a bot “trigger” if I ever heard one.
Only marginally related, but I have been on vacation for couple weeks and when repricing today I noticed that I have lost the buy box on every book. I had never had the “buy box eligible” column in the inventory list because I have had the buy box for many, many books almost since the day I started listing on Amazon. When pricing today, I first saw that I didn’t have the buy box even when I was the only FBA and the lowest price. So I added the buy box eligible column and low and behold it says NO on every book in my inventory. Have no idea why. 100% feedback and rarely any issues. My sales had really slowed, now I see why.
Happened to me today too. Also was on vacation, repricing etc. Ironically my lower inventoried items such as Toys and DVDs were fine as were New books of which i have very few. I also noticed a very anomalous example whereby a $600 plus book nonPrime trumped mine and another Prime offer. So something is off.
I was wondering if you had an opinion on the Buy Box issue that B June mentioned above. I have lost (and regained) eligibility on ALL books several times in the last 2 days. Have been noticing BB weirdness for at least 4 days now with other sellers when I buy flips. Other FBA sellers are experiencing this, too.
Of course Seller Support is clueless
I opened my Seller account in Dec. 2013. I 99.9% books for the first year, MFN – always used, some LN. Then I went to FBA and started doing household, grocery and beauty in addition to books. For the most part, my non-book inventory was all “new”, of course, and my books were mostly VG. I landed an opportunity to but directly from a liquidating Fosset warehouse last year, and bought hundreds of new books. I listed them as “new”, as they were. I sold a ton of them, but still have many more still listed, many “new”, many “like new”… No email, yet… My feedback is 100%…
I have listed something like 5 CDs ever, maybe 10 DVDs, having none active at this time. (I think I might have an Eight track of Tommy Dorsey listed. Boy, I hope the don’t gate 8-tracks!)
New seller. Have 60 books in inventory; many are textbooks. One feedback score of 100%. No new books and no email!
Is there a way to sort by condition under Inventory? I can figure out by date, Status, Number Available, but not straight up condition. If there isn’t a way I am missing, do you know a “hack” of sorts to do this, without having to go through every single item in our inventory to find the few New and Like New books we have?
And thank you for helping us all keep a level head! 🙂
The best way I could figure out is viewing 250 items at a time under manage inventory, and on Chrome use the “find” function under the Edit drop down box. I searched for the word “new” and it highlights the word “new” in yellow everywhere on the page. Makes it easier to spot them when scrolling down.
I think I accidentally learned a way to change the condition (like going from “new” to “very good”) without making the items leave the warehouse. It seems like if you “delete product and listing” from the manage inventory page, that item will end up in your fix stranded inventory page where it will be marked as “incomplete.” On the right side of page, then you have the option to click “create new listing” where you have to re-enter the price, condition, and condition notes. Seems to have worked for me so far just today.
If others have thoughts or experience, please let me know! 🙂
After you save the new listing, then after a few or 15 minutes the item will show up again in the fix stranded inventory page, with the option on the right side to “relist.” I needed to click that relist button and then click save to make it fully active under the new condition category. 🙂
With some of these, while “creating a new listing” it gave me an error saying something like I already have a listing for that SKU number, and that I had to remove the item. Even on these though it still worked as I described above. They still showed up as able to be relisted with the new condition category.
GREAT OPPORTUNITY for any bookseller in Colorado who is looking to add to their textbook inventory and acquire FREE textbooks on a weekly basis (listing approved by Peter)!
I’ve decided to focus on my horse business and have a remaining inventory of approximately 400 high-quality textbooks for that I want to liquidate ASAP – but the “kicker” is that I’ll also introduce you to my source in N. Colorado that provides me with a weekly stream of FREE high-quality textbooks and related titles.
No B.S., if you’re interested respond to [email protected] and I’ll reply promptly…
Did anyone else get the new update email saying their listings would be removed if they didn’t submit invoices by July 11?
How are people handling submitting invoices for Zen AZ flips? Any updates from anyone?
I just received the following email from AZ. Note: I received the textbook email, and had corresponded with AZ asking for additional information and asking that I be allowed to continue to sell textbooks. Here is the reply from this morning:
Hello,
Thank you for your application to sell certain popular products in the Textbook category. We decided that you may not sell in this category in New condition.
We made this decision because we were unable to verify the information you provided, and/or because of specific information related to your seller account.
Sincerely,
Seller Performance Team
Amazon.com
Can you share what (if any) inventory was delisted / made inactive after they sent this? Hearing small numbers: 1% to 5% of textbooks delisted.
I got the dreaded email and responded with receipts. I started this year in January and have 100% feedback rating on 29 ratings. Got an email today from Amazon that I did NOT respond and they are pulling my listings. There are 10 books in Stranded Inventory today that they have pulled and they were all listed as “Like New”. I have no “New” listings. The books they have pulled are random. One was a Pioneer Woman cookbook.There seems to be no rhyme or reason except for the listing condition.
Can you share what percentage of your overall listings these 10 books represented? Getting lots of reports of the figures being pretty low.
Those books represent about .3% of my active listings. They are about 2.7% of my like new listings. Only one of the books was an obvious textbook. Would not bet they are done yet though.
Just like Richard, I responded with receipts and was told that I too, did NOT respond.
They made about 1% of my inventory inactive. They were either N or LN. All I did was delete them from my inventory, then relist them in VG/G from the stranded inventory.
Jut like everyone else, I looked for patterns and found nothing I could identify other than a couple of them being Pearson, There are also still plenty of N/LN books that they didn’t touch.
Overall not a big deal, but I’m still a little unnerved that they can just purge one category like that on a whim, I’m definitely considering expanding my inventory beyond books now.
Thanks to Peter for doing a good job covering this, and to the other posters whom chimed in with their results.
Steve: Thanks for sharing. Just to clarify – all the books removed were New or Like New?
Yes, all books made inactive by AZ were either New or Like New. I was able to relist them in VG and G condition no problem.
I’m not sure if this is related, but I have the buy box eligibility for only N books, and have 0 buy box eligible used books. I have read in the forum that it’s a glitch they’re aware of and going to fix, but who knows?
Hello,
So I responded to the cursed email with receipts from McGraw Hill, Savers and Goodwill. Got another email weeks later that nothing was received. I re-sent the emails and asked for confirmation…..nothing. Then got an email after the cutoff date of July 11th stating that “since I never responded, I cannot sell “certain popular textbooks”.
4 days later a total of 9 books out of my inventory of 3,400 were removed. All books removed, with no exception, were in LIKE NEW condition (I don’t list NEW). 7 were textbooks, 1 was a cookbook and 1 was self-help small paperback about mental illness with very strong rank and FBA pricing of roughly $9.50.
When I tried to run the textbooks back through the system, it allowed me to re-list in VERY GOOD or worse condition. I tried sending in a Calculus book that it never allowed me to send in in the first place, but it got rejected again.
Yes Peter, this was the most overblown crisis in Amazon history. Thank God.