Amazon
How to Place Orders
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Amazon Business
Announcement: With the go-live of Guided BUying, Requisitioners now have the ability to shop on Amazon through Guided BUying!
Our contract with Amazon Business offers Prime one- and two-day shipping for eligible purchases, level three reporting for simplified transaction monitoring, and pre-purchase approval for increased purchasing transparency.
It is important that faculty and staff understand what types of products/services are acceptable for purchase from Amazon Business and which ones are not. Please see the acceptable use information below for more information.
Benefits
• Enterprise Prime membership: Membership for all BU Requisitioners at no cost to your department.
• Free shipping: Prime one- and two-day free shipping on eligible orders (learn more).
• Tax benefit savings: Automatic tax exempt purchasing on items sold by Amazon.com LLC and participating 3rd party sellers.
• Amazon business sellers: Access to Amazon’s top-tier of sellers and special pricing, not found on Amazon.com.
• Customer support: Access to a specialized, business-only, Customer Service team at 888-281-3847.
• Price protection: Pricing is held in the shopping cart for seven (7) days.
• Additional Products: Access to millions of additional products, available only to Business customers
Assistance
Please submit a ticket to Procure to Pay via the Financial Affairs Customer Service Portal for any Guided BUying or account access questions.
Specific order issues can be directed to Amazon Business Customer Support.
Amazon Business Customer Support
1) Go to the Contact Us page from your business account
2) Select Prime or Something Else
3) Select an issue Amazon Business
4) Select Phone or Chat
Amazon Business Customer Service can also be reached at 888-281-3847. Calling Customer Service may require account validation with the University billing address.
Amazon Business Account Representative
Craig Audette is the account representative for BU. They can be reached by email at caudette@amazon.com or by phone at (917)-662-0790.
RESTRICTED PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Amazon Business is intended to offer Requisitioners a purchasing platform to quickly compare pricing against existing contracts or easily purchase products that are not found through contracted suppliers (visit the What Do You Need page for contracted supplier information). Products such as breakroom, lab, and office supplies, and IT peripherals not available through preferred suppliers are recommended for purchase through Amazon Business.
You should continue to utilize our exclusive contract with Barnes & Noble for e-textbooks and required course materials. To ensure purchases are aligned with University and Federal guidelines, the following products and services are restricted from being purchased through Amazon Business: Restricted items submitted for purchase through Amazon Business, will be subject to purchase rejection from your financial approver and investigation based on monthly purchase reports reviewed by Procure to Pay. * Best Total Value is defined as the evaluation process that encompasses any, or all, of the following considerations: lowest purchase price, compliance with technical or functional specifications, product availability, ordering and invoicing processes, service standards, accounting compliance, terms and conditions, reputation, sustainability practices, diversity status, avoidance of risk to the University, and regulatory requirements. POLICIES Amazon Business impacts both the Purchasing Card Policy and Travel Card Policy as follows:• Requisitioners can purchase on Amazon Business via Guided BUying and the P-Card program. The Travel Card and out-of-pocket reimbursements in Concur are not allowed.• All faculty or staff using Amazon to place University orders must transfer and/or activate their University Amazon Business account using their BU email address.
FAQs
Acceptable Use
- Can I use the Boston University Amazon Business account for personal use?
No, the Boston University Amazon Business Account must be used for business purchases only, in accordance with our purchasing policies.
- Are my purchases automatically tax exempt?
Yes, Boston University will have its tax-exempt status automatically applied to eligible purchases when made through Guided BUying or the P-Card Program. There are third-party sellers that may not honor your tax exemption, so it is imperative that you follow the necessary steps to shop tax-free on Amazon. For more information about the University’s tax exemption states and certificates visit the Comptroller’s Tax Exemption Certificates page.
- How do I shop tax-free on Amazon?
Tax may still be calculated for items you order from sellers who do not participate in Amazon’s Tax Exemption Program. To shop tax-free, filter the Amazon Business marketplace for suppliers that will honor your tax exemption; apply the two filters for Prime and Business Seller (see screenshot below).
- How do I request a tax refund on Third Party orders?
1) Log in to your Amazon Business account and go to Orders
2) Locate the item that was charged tax and click the Contact the Seller
button (if the button is not there, call Amazon Tax Exemption support
(1-888-280-9552)
3) Enter the subject as ‘Tax Exemption Refund Request’
4) Include the order number and the amount charged
5) The seller is required to respond within 72 hours.
The seller may ask for some additional information, or they may simply issue the refund
If tax is showing up on your orders in the state where you have an active exemption and the product(s) was sold by Amazon.com LLC or Amazon Digital Services, Inc., or sold by other sellers and fulfilled by Amazon, please contact customer service at 866-486-2360. For more information about the University’s tax exemption states and certificates visit the Comptroller’s Tax Exemption Certificates page.
- Can I get a refund for a BU Prime Membership I purchased before this program?Yes, navigate to Manage My Prime Membership > Click End Membership and follow the steps to cancel your BU Prime membership without having to reach out to Customer Service. A pro-rated refund will be automatically calculated and issued to you. Please note: Customer Service Agents will not be able to issue a pro-rated refund for you if you call to “cancel your Prime membership.”
Training Resources
What training resources are available for Amazon Business?Step-by-step instructions on placing orders in Guided BUying can be found on the How to Place Orders page. .How do I purchase digital content as an Amazon Administrator?Amazon Administrators must purchase digital content for Guided BUying Shoppers due to current limitations for the Guided BUying catalog.
Amazon Business added a new feature to its catalog in Guided BUying which allows you to purchase Kindle books for yourself or others. To purchase a Kindle book, choose the Kindle book you wish to buy and select “Buy for Others” during the enhanced checkout process. Please use the same process for bulk orders and set all distribution locations in the “Manage eBooks” page in Your Orders.
Please follow the instructions included in the video below:
ACCESS TO THE GUIDED BUYING AMAZON CATALOG
- How do I purchase on Amazon Business via Guided BUying?
To access and shop via the catalog in Guided BUying, Requisitioners must have the Shopper Role (E.FI_Shopper). If you need access to Guided BUying, please reach out to your Department Security Administrator (DSA). If you do not know who your DSA is, please visit this website and download the excel titled Find Your DSA. .I was prompted to create an Amazon Business account Guided BUying.
How do I proceed?Please reference the BU Registration Guide if prompted to create a new Amazon Business account in the Guided BUying catalog.
. ORDERING VIA THE AMAZON BUSINESS CATALOG .I submitted my Amazon Business order, what happens now?Guided BUying Catalog orders <$500 are automatically placed, meaning a PO is generated and sent to the supplier without any approvals required. If the order is ≥500 or more it will go to your department financial approver for review and approval before the PO is generated and sent to the supplier. Other departments are added to the approval workflow based on commodity code and total order value. Functional Approvers include Property Management, Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S), Animal Science Center (ASC), and Payroll. Orders ≥$10,000 will be routed to Sourcing & Procurement for review and processing.The Approver will have up to seven (7) days before the held pricing is released and subject to any changes that may have been updated in Amazon Business since the order was submitted for approval.Once a PO is generated for your PR, you will receive an email notification. Alternatively, navigate to the Your Requests tab on the homepage of Guided BUying and find the PR to see if a PO has been generated. For instructions, please visit the Viewing Purchase Requisitions and Purchase Orders page. .How do I see the status of my PR?Navigate to the Your Requests tab on the homepage of Guided BUying to see the status of your PRs. For instructions, please visit the Viewing Purchase Requisitions and Purchase Orders page.When you place an order with Amazon Business you will receive an order confirmation via email with the order ID. Click the Order ID to be brought to the Your Orders page to view the status. Alternatively, navigate to Amazon Business > Your Orders to view the status of your Amazon order. .How do I return products?You can return many items sold on Amazon.com. When you return an item, you may see different return options depending on the seller, item, or reason for return. To return an item, go to the Returns Center to start your return and get a return mailing label. We recommend returning online rather than contacting support. If the return is outside 30 days, contact Amazon Business Customer Support. .Start a return on an item:1) Visit the online Returns Center.2) Follow the on-screen instructions to get a return mailing label and choose a return option. Depending on the item’s eligibility, you’ll be able to choose the Refund, Replacement, or Exchange option.Note: Not all options will be available for all items. For items sold by an Amazon seller that aren’t eligible for Amazon Prime from that seller, you will see Submit return request. The seller reviews the return request before issuing a refund or replacement. If you do not receive a response within two business days, you can submit an A-to-Z Guarantee claim. For more information, go to A-to-Z Guarantee Protection. .Prepare and ship your return:3) Print your label. If you select a shipping option that requires a return label, it will be e-mailed to the e-mail associated with your Amazon account and accessible from Manage returns.
4) Pack your item securely, inserting any paperwork that was included when you requested your return from the Online Returns Center. If you don’t have the original product packaging, use a sturdy box and include padding such as packing bubbles or newspaper. Attach your return label to the package.
5) Ship your return based on the return shipping option you selected. For more information on the return shipping options, go to About Return Shipping.Important: If you need to return multiple orders, please don’t consolidate returns. Return orders individually, using a separate return label for each order.If you need to return a gift, go to Return a Gift.
. SHIPPING ADDRESS .How do I update my shipping address?The shipping address for your PRs can be updated on three levels:Personal Profile: Save time by setting values such as address, floor, and room number for all your PRs by navigating to your Personal Profile on the homepage of Guided BUying. Once your Personal Profile is set, values are automatically assigned to every line item of all your PRs moving forward, but can be changed at the header or line level at checkout if necessary.Header Level: Values will flow from your Personal Profile to the header level of every PR you create. Change the address, floor, and room number at the header level for all line items in the PR.Line Level: The shipping address, floor, and room number can be set at the line level, which is helpful for PRs with multiple lines.For instructions on setting your Personal Profile, please view the Setting Personal Profile page. For instructions on updating your shipping address settings at checkout, please view the Setting Shipping Address page. .How do I place an order to ship directly to a non-BU address?Requisitioners can change the shipping address to a home address by selecting New when searching for an address. However, we ask you to add a comment for your department financial approver and the supplier so they are aware there has been a shipping address change to a non-BU location and can review it as part of their PR review and approval. For orders <$500, you are required to add your financial approver to the Approval Workflow. For instructions on shipping to a non-BU address, please view Setting Shipping Address page.
. APPROVAL WORKFLOW .Do Approvers handle PR approvals in the BUworks Worklist tab?All approvals take place in Guided BUying. Requisitioners only need to navigate to the Worklist in BUworks to hold an invoice <$5,000. View more information on approvals on the Approval Process Overview page. .Can Approvers delegate authority to another approver while they are out of the office?Approvers and Requistioners should delegate authority to another while out of the office to prevent delaying orders. Authority can only be delegated to individuals with access to Guided BUying. Delegation can be set and scheduled ahead of time. For step-by-step instructions on delegating authority, visit the How to Place Orders page. .What Approvers are added to PRs?Guided BUying Catalog orders <$500 are automatically placed, meaning a PO is generated and sent to the supplier without any approvals required. If the order is ≥500 or more it will go to your department financial approver for review and approval before the PO is generated and sent to the supplier. Other departments are added to the approval workflow based on commodity code and total order value. Functional Approvers include Property Management, Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S), Animal Science Center (ASC), and Payroll. Orders ≥$10,000 will be routed to Sourcing & Procurement for review and processing.
