Maxons: Sheffield sweet maker drops Amazon in stock row

Richard Pitchfork said he was willing to lose 10% of their sales by ditching Amazon

One of the country's oldest sweet makers is to ditch Amazon over claims it spends hours arguing with them over stock issues.

Maxons Sweets said it is prepared to lose about £100,000 a year by cutting ties with the online fulfilment service.

The Sheffield-based firm said Amazon delayed payments due to short-dated products or half-full deliveries, something Maxons said was not the case.

Amazon said it was investigating.

The company said it has used Amazon for the majority of its online sales as it was easier to deliver pallets to the fulfilment centre rather than individual sweet jars to customers.

The firm said it has had issues such as Amazon claiming items were missing from deliveries, which Maxons has denied.

"It's always been quite bad, but recently it's got a lot, lot worse," said managing director Richard Pitchfork.

"They claim issues around what we're sending in, be it short-dated stuff or issues with the paperwork."

The firm has claimed Amazon take too long to pay invoices

Mr Pitchfork said it had become increasingly "difficult" to argue that they had sent everything in and said it took too long to get Amazon to pay what they owe them.

"For a company our size is extremely difficult when cashflow is what keeps your business going."

He said it could take up to 150 days to get payment from Amazon.

"Every week, one of us is spending several hours arguing with a chat bot where 'the computer says no'," Mr Pitchfork's brother and business partner, Chris, said.

An Amazon spokesperson said it worked with suppliers to help them succeed.

"We have contacted the supplier to investigate and to provide assistance," they added.

Maxons can trace its history to two shops in Sheffield in 1840.