A-to-z Guarantee Claim
Also known as: A-to-z Guarantee, A-to-Z Claim
An A-to-z Guarantee claim is a buyer-initiated request for a refund from Amazon when a seller-fulfilled (FBM) order arrives late, damaged, or not as described and the seller fails to resolve it.
The A-to-z Guarantee protects buyers on seller-fulfilled (FBM) and some third-party orders. A buyer files a claim when an item never arrives, arrives materially different from the listing, or the seller will not accept a valid return. Amazon investigates and, if it sides with the buyer, refunds them — typically debiting the seller's account.
A-to-z claims are distinct from chargebacks (which go through the buyer's bank/card network) and from SAFE-T claims (the seller-initiated path to recover money Amazon refunded under the returns policy). For FBA orders, Amazon handles customer service and returns directly, so A-to-z claims against FBA sellers are rare.
Every granted A-to-z claim where Amazon finds the seller at fault counts against the Order Defect Rate (ODR). Keeping ODR under 1% is required for account health, so unresolved claims are an account-health risk, not just a refund cost.
An FBM buyer's package is marked delivered but never arrives. The seller declines to refund, so the buyer files an A-to-z claim. Amazon refunds the buyer $42, debits the seller, and the claim is logged against the seller's ODR.