Amazon FBA Pallet Weight Dispute — Doudlah Farms

Overview

In December 2025, Amazon rejected a 4-pallet FBA shipment from Doudlah Farms, claiming the shipment exceeded their 1,500 lb per-shipment weight limit. The claim was incorrect — Doudlah Farms had physically weighed each pallet and confirmed the total came in at approximately 1,498 lbs, under the threshold. The resolution was to instruct Amazon to pick up the shipment as originally packed on 4 pallets, without repacking.

This incident is representative of a recurring friction point in the ^[1] Amazon FBA relationship, where Amazon's internal calculations (which may include estimated box and pallet tare weights) conflict with actual measured weights.

What Happened

Doudlah Farms prepared a 4-pallet FBA shipment and scheduled pickup.
Amazon rejected the shipment, asserting it exceeded the 1,500 lb limit, citing box weight and pallet weight in their calculation.
Jason Doudlah and the farm team physically weighed each unit — product, bag, and box — then weighed the pallets, arriving at a confirmed total of ~1,498 lbs (under the limit).
Amazon's position appeared to rely on estimated or assumed tare weights rather than actual measurements.
Amazon initially requested the shipment be repacked across 5 pallets to resolve the dispute.

Resolution

The team decided not to repack. The guidance from Mark Doudlah and the Asymmetric team was:

Ship it how we packed it. They can pick it up that way.

Gilbert Barrongo was assigned to contact Amazon directly and instruct them to proceed with pickup of the original 4-pallet configuration.

The core argument: the total product weight is identical regardless of pallet count. Repacking would add labor cost and delay without changing the underlying weight.

Key Decision

Decision	Rationale
Keep 4-pallet configuration	Shipment is confirmed underweight at ~1,498 lbs; repacking adds cost with no weight benefit
Gilbert to contact Amazon	Direct escalation to push back on incorrect weight claim

Action Items (from this meeting)

[x] Gilbert Barrongo — Instruct Amazon to pick up the 4-pallet shipment as originally packed
[ ] Sherry / Jason Doudlah — Confirm Amazon FBA pallet count and pickup; keep at 4 pallets

Downstream Impact

The delayed pickup created a temporary out-of-stock situation on cornmeal on the Amazon storefront, as the in-transit inventory could not be processed until Amazon accepted the shipment. Restocking was expected within a few days of pickup completion.

Pattern Note

This is not an isolated incident. Doudlah Farms has experienced repeated friction with Amazon FBA logistics, including weight disputes and delayed pickup windows. When Amazon's estimated weights conflict with actual measured weights, the recommended approach is:

Document actual weights (product + packaging + pallet) before shipment
Push back directly rather than defaulting to Amazon's calculation
Escalate through the account contact (Gilbert) rather than accepting repacking demands

^[2]
^[3]