Amazon Business: Now on U Market

Amazon Logo with Truck

In March 2023, Amazon Business was added as a punchout supplier on U Market. This means that all faculty and staff can now shop Amazon Business through U Market.

You are still expected to purchase from other U Market suppliers when possible. This addition simply offers the University community another option to shop and helps improve the overall efficiency of purchasing.

See below for Job Aids and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).


U Market / Amazon Business Job Aids

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ'S)

Returns & Support

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Returns & Support

How do I return an item I ordered on Amazon?

Unlike all other U Market orders where you contact U Market Customer Support, you should punchout to Amazon from U Market directly if you need to return an item.

Note that the cart preparer—not the requester—is the person who will have access to their past orders and can initiate a return.

Detailed instructions on Amazon returns.

If I need general assistance or have questions about an Amazon product/order, who should I contact?

If you order an item on Amazon and have an issue, U Market recommends contacting Amazon directly first.

In most cases, this will lead to a quicker resolution than initially contacting U Market Customer Support. However, if after making contact you do not come to a satisfying conclusion, we are happy to jump in and help.

One of the best ways to contact Amazon is to hover over your account name in the upper-right corner when you're in their punchout and then click "Your Orders" near the top of the drop-down list.

On the "Your Orders" page, you can do the following, depending on when the item was ordered:

  • Track your order
  • View past order details
  • Initiate a return
  • Initiate a replacement request
  • Reorder items

Note that the cart preparer—not the requester—is the person who will have access to their past orders.

General Purchasing

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General Purchasing

What is the temporary process for purchasing Amazon Gift Cards?

There are specific situations where Amazon gift card purchases may be appropriate and allowable. Amazon gift card purchases are blocked when shopping the University's Amazon Business account through U Market. Do not purchase gift cards out of pocket.

If you need to make gift card purchases from Amazon, contact Purchasing Services via [email protected]. Provide the purpose/justification for request, contact name and UMN email address of who will be responsible for making the purchase(s). 

Gift cards are considered cash-based. If paying someone more than $600 annually, per IRS regulations, do NOT issue a gift card. Process payment by setting up a supplier record in EFS, and issue payment in the form of a voucher.

  • Students: Gift cards are considered cash, and may be considered taxable income for students. See tax.umn.edu for TMOG #8 Payments to Students and where to report taxable income. 
  • Employees: Gift cards and cash for employees are always taxable. Departments offering taxable awards assume responsibility for ensuring accurate income tax reporting to their employees and assume the risk of fines and penalties for any failure to report taxable income. To report a taxable award, call the Human Resources Call Center at 612-624-8647 (4-UOHR) or in Greater MN 1-800-756-2363.
  • Suppliers: Do not use gift cards to pay suppliers. Suppliers must be paid via a voucher in EFS.

Is placing an order on Amazon any different than ordering through another U Market punchout?

An order placed through the Amazon Business punchout will operate just like any other U Market order. After your bring your Amazon cart back into U Market you will need to need a assign your cart to a requestor for approval and processing.

For general information on how to place an order on U Market, please see our Quick Start Guide.

Should I still be purchasing my items from other U Market suppliers?

Adding Amazon Business to U Market is not a push to drive more business to Amazon. Shoppers are still expected to purchase from other U Market suppliers first when possible.

Certain items don’t appear to be showing up when I'm shopping?

If you can’t find what you’re looking for on Amazon in U Market, reach out to Purchasing Services, part of the Controller’s Office, at [email protected].

How long will it take to process an Amazon order through U Market?

Since shopping Amazon Business takes place within U Market, carts need to be passed to someone who has access to create requisitions in EFS.

This may impact final delivery times because other people in your department will need to be involved to create and approve the requisition, if needed.

However, the benefit to using U Market is that it removes the burden of reconciling the PCard, which is the most expensive overall purchasing process at the University.

 

After I've brought my Amazon cart into U Market, can I go back into Amazon and add more items to my cart?

Once you've brought your Amazon cart into U Market, do not punchout to Amazon again and add more items into your existing cart. This will cause processing issues.

Instead, assign your existing cart to a Requester and process your order. Then, go back into Amazon and start a new cart.

Can I order Kindle eBooks on Amazon Business through U Market?

Yes. However, since Amazon Business is integrated into the U Market system, there are a few ways it operates differently.

Follow this link for a few important best practices and a walkthrough on how to purchase and access Kindle eBooks effectively.

Shipping

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Shipping

What are PLocations and what do they have to do with my order?

The final shipping location on a U Market order is selected when a PLocation is added to the requisition in EFS. This is the standard for all U Market orders, including Amazon.

Shoppers are asked to put their shipping address in the U Market Justification during the cart assignment process. The Requestor will then identify the PLocation for that address and complete the order.

You can check the list of existing PLocations by clicking this link: z.umn.edu/ShipToLocationCodes.

If a new PLocation needs to be created, you can request a new one by following this guide.

How will the delivery of my Amazon packages be handled?

EFS Shipping Locations known as PLocation Codes (List of current PLocation Codes) will be used and Amazon Business orders for the Twin Cities campus will be delivered by U Market Services staff who know the University and have access to its various labs and offices. This will vastly improve both the accuracy and turnaround time for deliveries.

Delivery to non Twin Cities campuses by Amazon (or its 3rd party carriers) will remain the same.

Is shipping free for products I purchase on Amazon?

Free shipping on Amazon Business is limited to eligible items displaying "Free Two-Day Shipping" next to their price. Items must be sold or fulfilled by Amazon to be eligible for Free Two-Day Shipping by Amazon. Learn more about eligibility restrictions.

Note that while shipping it is free to you, it is not free for the University. The U of M pays an annual fee centrally so that departments do not have to pay for shipping on eligible products.

How do I track my Amazon package?

Unlike other U Market orders where you can get an ETA on your package by calling U Market Customer Support, you can track package directly within the Amazon punchout.

How to track your Amazon package.

Sales Tax

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Sales Tax

Will my Amazon purchases be tax exempt?

All accounts should have the sales tax exemption available right away. Please watch your orders carefully and ensure you are appropriately being taxed (or not taxed) depending on the goods being purchased.

All sales using the University's Amazon Business account are treated as exempt from Minnesota sales tax, even for things where the University must pay tax. The University is not exempt from tax on prepared food, candy, or soft drinks, so there is an additional step you must take when buying these products.

If your order includes a food item, when you get to the "Review Your Order" page (checkout), look to see whether the food item has the words "Tax Exemption Applied" next to the food item. 

  • If not, no action is needed. 
  • If the food item shows that the tax exemption was applied, manually click "Remove" next to the words "Tax Exemption Applied" for any food item(s). 
  • The Amazon.com system will then add tax to your order for the taxable food items and retain the exempt status for non-food items. The University's Tax Management Office monitors our sales tax situation.

When shipping Amazon orders to non-Minnesota addresses, the corresponding state's taxes are applied to that order. For example: If purchasing books and shipping them to California, you will pay California state sales tax. (This is not a system error, it's the law.)

If you have questions about the University's sales tax exemption, review the information on the Tax Management Office's website.

If you have issues with sales tax on specific Amazon orders shipped to a Minnesota address (or need a Minnesota sales tax refund), email Amazon's Tax Exemption Program directly at [email protected] to ensure proper exemption.

Will a 3rd party seller on Amazon need my tax-exempt certificate?

Individual University purchasers will generally not need to resubmit the ST3 to obtain exempt status. Be aware though that Amazon.com also makes sales for third-party sellers. Many third-party sellers participate in the Amazon.com exemption program, so the process will be the same as if you were purchasing directly from Amazon.com. But if a third-party seller does not participate in Amazon's exemption program, the third-party seller may require that an ST3 be sent to them or the third-party seller may not have a process in place to treat sales exempt from sales tax.

This means you will still need to review your order when you are buying items from a third-party seller to make sure our exempt status is applied to your order. The Amazon Business customer service team will work with you to contact the seller to process a refund for tax charged in error.

The University-wide Amazon Business account has been set up to treat all sales by Amazon.com to University purchasers as exempt from Minnesota sales tax (even those where the University must pay tax). Please be vigilant about paying sales tax when we're supposed to do so.

Will my food purchases on Amazon be tax exempt?

The University-wide Amazon Business account has been set up to treat all sales by Amazon.com to University purchasers as exempt from Minnesota sales tax (even those where the University must pay tax). Because the University is not exempt from tax on prepared food, candy, or soft drinks, there is an additional step to take when buying food products.

If your order includes a food item, when you get to the "Review Your Order" page (checkout), look to see whether the food item has the words "Tax Exemption Applied" next to the food item. If not, no action is needed. If the food item shows that the tax exemption was applied, manually click "Remove" next to the words "Tax Exemption Applied" for any food item(s). The Amazon.com system will then add tax to your order for the food items and retain the exempt status for non-food items. By following this procedure, you can rely on the Amazon.com system to charge tax on food items when appropriate. This additional step is essential to ensure that the University is paying tax when required and to avoid the time consuming process of self-assessing use tax.

Want to know more about sales tax and the U? Check out the Tax Management Office's website.

Also, please be aware that the University still has contracts with vendors who may have items on Amazon. These items should still be purchased through the appropriate supplier. For example, Coke products should continue to be purchased through U Market Stock.

Existing Amazon Account Migration

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Existing Amazon Account Migration

I already have an "official" Amazon Business account through the University. What do I need to do?

If you are currently using the University’s "official" Amazon Business account, no action is needed to move your account. The migration process will happen automatically and there are no extra steps you’ll need to take to convert your account to shop Amazon Business on U Market. 

I've been told I have an "un-official" University Amazon Business account. What do I need to do?

To continue using Amazon Business for University purchasing, there will be a few, simple actions you will need to take to migrate your account.

If you have used your account for University purchasing, follow these instructions on March 27 to migrate your account. If you have NOT used your account for University purchasing, please follow these instructions

I have a "consumer" Amazon account tied to my U of M email address. What do I need to do?

If you do NOT make Amazon purchases for the University, no action is needed. 

If you DO need to make purchases for the University, your personal/consumer Amazon account will need to be switched to a non U of M email. This will free up your U of M email so it can be tied to an official University Amazon Business account. You will be walked through this process the first time you punchout to Amazon from U Market.

For detailed instructions, see the Personal/Consumer Amazon Account Migration Guide.

 

I have a "shared departmental" Amazon Business account? What do I need to do?

As access to U Market is tied to individual U of M email addresses, you will no longer be able to shop using your shared departmental account beginning March 27. 

You will now need to shop using an account tied to your individual U of M email address. This account will be created automatically the first time you login to Amazon Business on U Market.