Amazon Improves CSBA with Fewer Refunds and AI Insights

June, 2026
Abdullah Zafar

Amazon Enhances Customer Service by Amazon (CSBA) to Reduce Returns and Provide AI Insights

Amazon has announced several enhancements to Customer Service by Amazon (CSBA), its optional service for seller-fulfilled orders that allows Amazon to manage customer inquiries and returns on behalf of sellers. The updates are designed to reduce unnecessary refunds, simplify reimbursements, provide better visibility into customer issues, and make it easier for sellers to qualify for the program.

These changes give sellers greater control over returns while helping protect revenue and improve operational efficiency.

More Control Over Returns and Fewer Refunds

One of the most significant updates is Amazon’s effort to reduce return-less refunds, a long-standing concern among sellers.

Under the new policy, refunds without a return will only be issued when:

A customer does not receive a product by the promised delivery date
A non-returnable item arrives damaged or defective
A product is considered unsafe to return

By limiting return-less refunds to specific situations, Amazon aims to reduce unnecessary revenue loss and minimize the need for sellers to file SAFE-T claims.

Automatic Reimbursements for Delivery Claims

Amazon is also streamlining reimbursements for eligible shipping-related issues.

Sellers who use Amazon Buy Shipping or Veeqo claims-protected labels will now receive automatic reimbursement for qualifying SAFE-T claims related to delivery issues.

In addition, any goodwill refunds issued by Amazon’s customer service team will be automatically credited back to the seller’s account, eliminating the need for manual reimbursement requests.

Easier Eligibility for Free CSBA

Amazon has simplified the requirements for maintaining free access to Customer Service by Amazon.

CSBA remains free for the first 90 days and continues to be free when sellers maintain a Contacts per Unit (CPU) rate below 3%.

The company has also removed the previous 95% Valid Tracking Rate requirement, making the program more accessible to a broader range of sellers.

Additionally, sellers with fewer than 30 orders per quarter can use CSBA free of charge regardless of other requirements.

Centralized Customer Communication

To improve workflow efficiency, Amazon is moving CSBA-related communications into Buyer-Seller Messages.

When Amazon’s customer service team requires seller input, notifications will now appear within Seller Central instead of email. This creates a centralized location for managing communications related to:

Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM)
Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP)
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)

Smarter Insights Powered by Generative AI

Amazon is also introducing new AI-powered reporting features within the CSBA Insights Dashboard.

Enhancements include:

AI-generated contact reasons that provide more detailed explanations of customer concerns
Daily Contacts per Unit (CPU) monitoring
Improved visibility into trends between customer inquiries and fulfillment performance

These insights can help sellers identify recurring issues, improve customer experience, and reduce future support contacts.

Why This Matters

Customer service issues, refunds, and returns can have a significant impact on profitability, particularly for seller-fulfilled businesses. These updates give sellers greater protection against unnecessary refunds while providing better data to improve operational performance.

For FBM and Seller Fulfilled Prime sellers, the combination of reduced return-less refunds, automatic reimbursements, and AI-driven insights could help lower support costs and improve customer satisfaction.

Key Takeaways for Sellers

Returnless refunds will now be limited to specific scenarios.
Eligible delivery-related SAFE-T claims will be reimbursed automatically.
The 95% Valid Tracking Rate requirement has been removed.
Sellers with fewer than 30 quarterly orders qualify for free CSBA.
Customer service communications are now centralized within Buyer-Seller Messages.
New AI-powered insights help identify customer service trends and issues faster.

Need Help Optimizing Your Amazon Operations?

At SPCTEK, we help Amazon sellers improve profitability through account management, customer experience optimization, inventory planning, listing optimization, and PPC management. As Amazon continues to evolve its seller programs, our team helps brands stay ahead of changes and maximize marketplace performance.

Book a free consultation today to discover how we can help streamline your Amazon operations and accelerate growth.