Amazon Upgrades 'Customer Service by Amazon' — Fewer Return-less Refunds, Auto-Covered SAFE-T Claims, and Easier Free Access (May 22, 2026)
On May 22, 2026, Amazon announced a set of upgrades to Customer Service by Amazon, the program that handles post-order customer inquiries for seller-fulfilled orders, with the stated goal of helping sellers save time and reduce refunds. Amazon refined when return-less refunds are issued — they now occur only for undelivered items, damaged or defective non-returnable products, and items that are unsafe to return — which Amazon says reduces the need for sellers to file SAFE-T claims. For sellers who buy 'claims protected' labels through Amazon Buy Shipping or Veeqo, Amazon now covers delivery-related SAFE-T claims automatically, and goodwill refund claims are reimbursed back to seller accounts without manual filing. Amazon also loosened how the program stays free: it removed the previous 95% valid-tracking-rate requirement, keeps the service free for the first 90 days of enrollment and for sellers maintaining a contacts-per-unit rate below 3%, and added free access for low-volume sellers with fewer than 30 orders per quarter. Customer service alerts now route through Buyer-Seller Messages instead of email, and Amazon added AI-generated contact-reason labels plus daily contacts-per-unit monitoring.
Real-World Impact
A low-volume seller with fewer than 30 orders per quarter now qualifies for Customer Service by Amazon at no cost — previously, free access required maintaining a 95% valid-tracking rate, a requirement Amazon has removed.
Key Points
- Announced May 22, 2026 — upgrades to Customer Service by Amazon, the program that fields post-order customer inquiries for seller-fulfilled (FBM and Seller Fulfilled Prime) orders
- Return-less refunds are now limited to three cases: undelivered items, damaged or defective non-returnable products, and items unsafe to return — Amazon says this narrowing reduces how often sellers need to file SAFE-T claims
- Sellers using 'claims protected' labels via Amazon Buy Shipping or Veeqo no longer manage delivery-related SAFE-T claims — Amazon now covers those automatically
- Goodwill refund claims are now automatically reimbursed to seller accounts rather than requiring a manual claim
- Free-access rules changed: Amazon removed the prior 95% valid-tracking-rate requirement; the program stays free for the first 90 days of enrollment and for sellers keeping contacts-per-unit below 3%, and is now free for low-volume sellers with fewer than 30 orders per quarter
- Customer service alerts now route through Buyer-Seller Messages instead of email, consolidating FBA, FBM, and Seller Fulfilled Prime contacts in one dashboard; Amazon also added AI-generated contact-reason labels and daily contacts-per-unit monitoring
What You Should Do Now
- 1If you sell-fulfill orders, check whether you buy 'claims protected' labels through Amazon Buy Shipping or Veeqo — doing so now offloads delivery-related SAFE-T claims to Amazon automatically
- 2Monitor your contacts-per-unit rate and keep it below 3% to retain free access to the program
- 3Move Customer Service by Amazon alerts from email to Buyer-Seller Messages, where FBA, FBM, and SFP contacts are now consolidated
- 4If you are a low-volume seller (fewer than 30 orders per quarter), consider enrolling now that free access no longer depends on the 95% valid-tracking-rate requirement