Overview

Amazon's Performance Coaching program monitors the quality and accuracy of inbound FBA shipments, flagging issues like labeling mistakes, prep errors, quantity discrepancies, and safety violations. When problems are detected repeatedly for a specific FNSKU or ASIN, Amazon escalates its response through a structured coaching process designed to help sellers correct the underlying issues before more serious consequences take effect.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Shipment problems trigger coaching — When Amazon receives your FBA inventory and identifies issues such as incorrect labeling, missing prep requirements, wrong quantities, or safety hazards, those problems are logged against your account and can initiate the coaching process.

• One-time mistakes are treated differently than patterns — Amazon acknowledges that isolated errors happen in any supply chain. However, when the same type of problem recurs for a particular FNSKU or ASIN, it signals a systemic issue that requires corrective action on the seller's part.

• Consequences escalate over time — Repeated shipment problems can result in suspension of your ability to ship certain products into FBA, as well as unplanned service fees for prep work that Amazon must perform on your behalf.

• Inbound Performance Alerts are your early warning system — Amazon provides notifications through your Shipping Queue and Inbound Performance report so you can identify and address problems before they escalate to more serious consequences.

• Coaching is product-specific — Performance coaching applies at the FNSKU or ASIN level, meaning issues with one product do not necessarily affect your ability to ship other products, though account-wide patterns can trigger broader restrictions.

How Performance Coaching Works

Amazon's fulfillment centers inspect inbound shipments as they are received and processed. When workers identify problems — such as items without proper suffocation warnings, products missing poly bags, barcodes that don't scan correctly, or shipment quantities that don't match what was declared in the shipping plan — these issues are documented and attributed to the seller's account. Each problem is categorized by type and tracked at the individual product level. If a particular FNSKU accumulates multiple instances of the same problem type, Amazon's system recognizes this as a pattern rather than a one-off mistake and begins the coaching escalation process.