Major Logistics Failures & Unfair Seller Penalties: Amazon SA and DPD Laser

As a seller on Amazon South Africa, my experience has been a tale of two halves. While the platform’s interface is user-friendly, the integrated logistics system and seller support are failing local businesses. I am currently facing a recurring issue where Amazon’s chosen courier partner, DPD Laser, fails to collect packages on time or update the system upon collection. This has led to a catastrophic "domino effect" on my seller account that Amazon seems unwilling to rectify.

The Core Issues: Late Collections: Packages are booked for collection but sit at our premises for days. For example, Order: *** was booked for the 23rd but wasn't collected until the 31st of December.

Delayed System Updates: DPD Laser refuses to scan packages upon pickup, stating they only update at the depot. However, these updates often never happen. This results in Amazon’s system marking the items as "unshipped," leading to automatic order cancellations even though the stock has already left my premises.

Financial & Inventory Loss: Because Amazon cancels these orders while the items are in transit, the customers receive the goods for free. I lose the stock, I lose the payment, and to add insult to injury, Amazon often charges me a "return" or "cancellation" fee.

Account Health Penalties: These logistics delays (which are entirely out of my control) have negatively impacted my "Late Shipment Rate." My account has been frozen previously because of these third-party failures, despite me having the goods ready for collection on time.

Evidence of Negligence: Order #***: Delayed by 8 days; stock lost; order cancelled after dispatch.

Order: ***: Successfully dispatched and delivered to the customer, yet the status reverted to "booked for delivery" weeks later before being cancelled by Amazon. No payment was received.

Final Verdict: Amazon’s communication is virtually non-existent. We have requested calls and sent numerous emails, only to be met with automated responses or silence. Amazon South Africa needs to hold their courier partners (DPD Laser) accountable and protect their sellers from being penalized for shipping errors they did not commit. Until there is a way to dispute these "late shipments" with photographic proof of ready packages, I cannot recommend selling on this platform if you value your inventory and peace of mind.