Amazon Users Guide

To set up an Authorized Buyer for your department, contact the Account Administrator. 

• Each department should designate one buyer (usually the same person who buys from Mister Paper, Staples, etc). Some departments may need more than one buyer, but the number should be kept to a minimum.

Invitation

You will receive an invitation email from noreply@amazon.com containing a link to register. When you follow the link, you will be prompted to create your Authorized Buyer account by clicking a large yellow button labeled Activate Your Account.

• Make sure you're not signed into any other Amazon account before clicking the link. Invitation emails come only from noreply@amazon and are good for seven (7) days.

Activation

To create an Authorized Buyer account, your SF email address must not be connected to a personal Amazon account.

• If you have never used your SF email address on Amazon - You'll be prompted to re-enter your SF email address and create a password. That will activate your account.
• If you have used your SF email on Amazon in the past or currently - You'll be able to convert any existing Business account to an Authorized User account. (All standalone accounts MUST be integrated with the new centralized account.) For personal accounts, you'll be prompted to create a separate Business account, at which time you'll need to enter a different email address your personal account.

Once your Authorized Buyer account has been activated and payment method(s) added, you are ready to begin shopping.

Security

As the Authorized Buyer for your department, all Amazon purchase requests should be forwarded to you. Do not share your password or your account with anyone. If someone else in your area needs access to Amazon, have your supervisor contact Purchasing.

The only allowable payment methods are Pay By Invoice (for POs) and your P-Card. Do not use anyone else's P-Card, SF AmEx, or any personal cards or bank accounts to pay for Amazon purchases. Never use your Authorized Buyer account for personal purchases.

Only SF campus addresses may be used for delivery. College purchases may not be delivered to personal residences.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to enter a name in the Deliver To field at checkout - this tells Receiving where the delivery goes.

Blanket POs

As with Mister Paper and Staples, you can set up one or more blanket POs at Amazon to use throughout the fiscal year. They will be attached to your account in a drop-down menu at checkout. Amazon will alert you when a PO balance is low, however it is your responsibility to keep track of your POs and choose the correct one when ordering.

Line Item POs

Blanket POs are preferable at Amazon, because prices and availability can change before a requisition is turned into a PO. When you need to use a line-item PO (such as for capital items), put on a requisition as per normal and when the PO is created, Purchasing will give you the number to type in manually at checkout. If anything has changed, let Purchasing know so we can amend the PO to match.

Invoices

Within a few days of placing your order, Amazon will email you an invoice. When the entire order has been received and inspected, forward the invoice to Accounts Payable along with the PO number and indicate the invoice is OK to pay. 

NOTE: It is important to send invoices to Accounts Payable as quickly as possible to ensure timely payment; however, do not send an invoice until all items on it have been received.

If you have a P-Card, you'll be able to add it as your default payment method when creating your account. All Amazon orders must follow P-Card rules and must not exceed daily or monthly spend limits. 

Remember to keep all confirmation emails, receipts, packing slips, and any other documentation for reconciling your P-Card Monthly Transaction Log report.

P-Card and POs

You may also set up a blanket PO and/or use individual POs for items that cannot be purchased with a P-Card, such as food or capital expense items. In such cases, be sure to select Pay By Invoice at checkout and enter the PO number, or your card will be charged by default.

IMPORTANT: Leave the PO Number field blank at checkout when using a P-Card, but always enter a name in the Deliver To field - this tells Receiving where the delivery goes.

Order Approvals

Each time an Authorized Buyer places an order, Purchasing is alerted via email to review it for audit purposes. Most purchases are approved shortly after the order is placed. In the rare instance that an order cannot be approved, Purchasing will let you know via email. 

Certain purchases may need additional department approvals, such as ITS, MarCom, or Safety. In such cases, Purchasing will communicate with you and the department to get the order approved as quickly as possible.

Order Tracking

After placing an order, you'll receive a confirmation email with an estimated delivery date and shipping speed. You can track the status of all your orders in your Authorized Buyer account.

1. From your account, navigate to Your Orders
2. Here you can view the status of all your pending orders, including estimated delivery
3. To track a specific order, select Track Package

Missing Deliveries

• If an order is marked Delivered but you haven't received anything, check with the Mailroom to see if they have any stray Amazon packages. It may be that the PO number and/or Deliver To name was not listed on the shipping label.
• If the estimated delivery date has passed by several days and the order still hasn't been delivered, use the Where's My Stuff? button to contact Amazon Customer Service.

Invoices

• P-Card users should save all receipts and packing slips to file with their monthly P-Card report.
• PO users should forward invoices to Accounts Payable as soon as all items have been received and inspected. The Business account works via individual invoicing rather than one monthly statement, so it's important that invoices are turned in as soon as possible to avoid late payments.

The return process for an Authorized Buyer account is similar to a personal Amazon account:

1. In your account, navigate to Your Orders.
2. Use the Return Items button to start the return process. You'll need to specify why you're returning the item(s) and whether you want a replacement or a refund*.
3. Amazon will generate a return label for you. Print this out, put the item(s) back in the original box, and ask Receiving to pick it up.

*You may have to pay for return shipping, which will be deducted from the total amount of your refund.

• Refunds for P-Card purchases will be issued as a credit transaction on your card. File the refund email with your monthly P-Card report.
• Refunds for PO purchases will be issued as a credit on the College's account. If the items were part of a blanket PO, the funds should be reapplied to the total. If the items were part of a line-item PO, let Purchasing know so we can cancel the PO and un-encumber the funds.

IMPORTANT

The return window at Amazon is approximately thirty (30) days. Every time you receive an order, open it immediately and check to make sure all items are there and in good condition. If there is a problem, complete the return process right away. Once the return window has closed, you will most likely be stuck with the items.

Shipping

Orders totaling over $25 of qualifying items will get free shipping. Orders that do not qualify will have applicable shipping charges added. The College does not get automatic free shipping or Prime 2-day shipping. It is each buyer's responsibility to know what they're buying and include any shipping charges on line item POs. 

Sales Tax

The College does not pay sales tax. The centralized Business Account is set up to filter out any seller that does not honor tax exemption. If you see sales tax applied to any order, notify Purchasing.

Other Tips:

• Always log into your Authorized Buyer account before you start browsing. (Look for the Business logo at top left, rather than the usual Amazon or Prime logo.) This will ensure you see correct Business pricing, sales tax exemption is applied, and purchases are not accidentally made with personal accounts.
• Business accounts are not the same as Prime accounts. Prime Pantry and Prime Only items are not available, and there is no free guaranteed 2-day shipping.
• Amazon Marketplace (used) items are not recommended for line item PO purchases. By the time a requisition is approved and processed, the item will most likely be sold out or a different price. Amazon Marketplace items may not have tracking information and are not guaranteed unless they are fulfilled by Amazon.

Do I have to use my SF email address for my SF Amazon account? What if I'm using it for a personal account?

The College's Business Account has been reconfigured so that no sfcollege.edu email address may be used for a personal Amazon account. If you've been using your College email for a personal account, you must switch to a personal email address. You should be able to do so without affecting your account status (such as Prime benefits), but if you encounter problems, contact Amazon Customer Service at 1-866-486-2360 for assistance.

Can't I just combine my personal account and SF account? I don't want to keep track of two passwords.

No. Do not use any personal Amazon accounts for College purchases (even with your P-Card), and never use your College account to make personal purchases. Accounts must be kept completely separate. You can switch between your accounts by using the drop-down menu underneath Account & Lists on the Amazon homepage.

Can my office create one account for several people to share?

No. Each Authorized Buyer account is assigned to one sfcollege.edu email address and name, and only that person may use it. Departments should designate one authorized Amazon user.

Can other users see my account? Can Purchasing access it?

No. Each Authorized Buyer only has access to their own account. The administrator can change some general settings, but cannot log in to your account or make changes to your orders.

Can I pay for an order with my own money and get reimbursed? 

No. All College-funded Amazon purchases must be made by an Authorized Buyer using a PO or P-Card. Petty cash and personal reimbursements should no longer be used. If a faculty or staff member needs something from Amazon, they should ask the Authorized Buyer to buy it for them.

How do I make sure my orders are shipped to the right place?

Be sure to always specify a name in the Deliver To field on the Shipping Address screen at checkout. This (and the PO number if applicable) tells Receiving where the order goes. If you need to buy for multiple campuses, this can be set up when you create your account. You can then choose the correct address at checkout.

My order has shipping charges. I thought we got free shipping?

The College's business account is eligible for free shipping on orders totaling over $25 of eligible items. Items from third-party sellers are often ineligible for free shipping, and Add-On items may not count toward your total. To avoid shipping, check each item and make sure it says Eligible for free shipping near the price. The College does not receive Prime shipping.