Amazon Seller Account Suspended? Here's What To Do:
Receiving an Amazon suspension or account deactivation notification can be a daunting experience for any Amazon seller. When your account is suspended, it is important to stay calm and act quickly in order to ensure that your business isn’t severely impacted by the suspension or deactivation.
What Does Amazon Seller Central Account Suspension Mean?
Seller Central Account Suspension means that Amazon has temporarily disabled or restricted access to your seller central account. This can happen for a number of reasons and can be devastating for an ecommerce business as it limits the ability to sell products on the world’s largest online marketplace.
The suspension is usually accompanied by an email from Amazon explaining why they are taking this action: it might be due to device usage, customer service issues, pricing violations, intellectual property disputes or other policy infringements. Once you have been suspended, you will not be able to access your Seller Central account until the issue is resolved.
It’s important to note that if you are suspended from Seller Central, your entire Amazon seller account may be impacted. This includes any other Amazon services you are using, such as Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Amazon Marketplace Web Services (MWS) and the Buy Box. Your inventory may also be suspended if it is stored in an Amazon fulfillment center or with a third-party logistics provider.
The best way to avoid suspension is to familiarize yourself with Amazon's Seller Central policies and abide by them at all times. However, if you do find yourself suspended from the platform, there is still hope of reactivating your Seller Central account - but it’s important to act quickly and follow the steps outlined below.
Appeal an Amazon Suspension and Reactivate Your Amazon Seller Account With A Plan of Action
The best way to appeal an Amazon suspension or reactivate your seller account is to write a comprehensive Plan of Action (POA). A Plan of Action is essentially a document that outlines how you will prevent similar violations of Amazon’s policies in the future.
Taking the time to craft a comprehensive and well-thought-out Plan of Action will go a long way towards getting your account reinstated and helping you avoid future issues with Amazon’s policies.
Your Plan of Action should also directly address each one of Amazon’s Terms Of Service (TOS) violations and explain what steps you will take to ensure compliance going forward. Be sure to include details such as how often you plan on conducting reviews, who is responsible for the reviews, and any additional changes that you have made or will make in order to comply with Amazon’s TOS.
If there are any unique circumstances that contributed to the violation, be sure to include them in your Plan of Action as well. This could be anything from a lack of staff resources due to COVID-19 or other extenuating circumstances that may have led to the seller policy violation.
When writing a Plan of Action, it is important to provide details about the steps you are taking in order to rectify the issue and prevent similar occurrences from happening again in the future. Be sure to provide clear evidence of changes made within your operations to demonstrate that the necessary corrections are being implemented. If you need assistance in creating your Plan of Action, there are many Amazon sellers who offer assistance and resources to help you create an effective document.
With a comprehensive Plan of Action and timely follow-ups, it is possible to appeal an Amazon suspension and reactivate your Amazon seller account. However, if you are unable to reach a resolution with Amazon or the suspension remains in place, it may be necessary to look into other options such as creating an alternate selling account.
Tips for Creating an Effective Plan of Action
Amazon takes seller performance seriously, and seller accounts can be suspended or deactivated if they are found to be in violation of Amazon's policies. If your Amazon seller account has been deactivated or suspended, you have the right to appeal the decision. There is no guarantee that your appeal will be successful, but following these steps will maximize your chances of winning an Amazon appeal and reactivating your account:
1. Review the suspension notice thoroughly
Make sure you double check and understand why you were suspended, as this information will help shape your appeal.
2. Collect supporting evidence
Gather any relevant records that demonstrate compliance with Amazon’s policies and show good faith efforts to resolve any issues outlined in the suspension notice.
3. Craft a compelling appeal letter
A convincing and professional appeal letter is essential to demonstrate that you are sincere about making changes in order to comply with Amazon’s policies.
4. Submit the appeal letter & evidence
Follow the instructions provided by Amazon for submitting your appeal, which may include submitting a form or an email directly to Seller Performance Support.
5. Stay patient
It can take several days (or longer) before you receive a response from Amazon; do not submit multiple appeals as this could backfire and further damage your case.
Once you have completed your POA, it is important to submit it to Amazon as soon as possible. Most importantly, follow-up with Amazon within a few days and make sure they have received your submission. It can be beneficial to provide additional evidence or reassurance that you have taken corrective action if needed. If you do not receive any response from Amazon after submitting your POA, contact their customer service team for further assistance and clarification. Regardless of the outcome, staying informed and acting quickly is key when dealing with an Amazon suspension.
Taking the proactive steps above shows that corrective actions have been taken and will demonstrate your commitment to following Amazon’s policies and regulations, which is essential for regaining trust with them.
Three Reasons for Amazon Seller Account Suspensions
Policy Violations
Policy violations occur when sellers fail to follow the guidelines set by Amazon. Seller Accounts may be suspended due to listing, pricing or other policy violations. To get your seller account reinstated, you must address the policy violation that caused your suspension.
Amazon provides you with details of the policy violation in the notification they send to you when they suspend your Seller Account. You should review this notification and make changes to ensure that you comply with Amazon’s policies going forward and detail the steps you are going to rectify the policy violation in your Plan of Action (POA).
Poor Seller Performance
Poor performance occurs when a seller fails to meet minimum standards of customer experience and Amazon requirements such as shipping speed, order defect rate, late shipment rate, or seller cancellation rate, or negative feedback. Negative feedback occurs when buyers leave poor reviews about a seller's product or service. Too much negative feedback can lead to suspension.
Amazon Identifies Suspicious Activities
Amazon suspends accounts if they suspect a seller of fraud, such as providing false information or violating one of the Amazon policies. If your account is suspended, it may be due to a number of reasons, such as shipping counterfeit products, using a false or unauthorized payment method, or engaging in price gouging. In any case, Amazon will notify you of the suspension via email and provide details on why they have taken action against your account.
How long does the reinstatement take?
Once your appeal is submitted, Amazon’s team will review it and determine if they are willing to reinstate your account. It can take up to 30 days for them to make their decision, so don’t expect an immediate response.
If Amazon decides to reactivate your account, you will receive notification via email and instructions on how to proceed with getting back into business as normal. Make sure that you follow all instructions provided in order to ensure that your account remains active afterwards.
If Amazon does not accept your appeal or chooses not to reinstate your account, you can always contact Amazon directly and speak to a representative about the decision. This may help you to better understand why your appeal was rejected in the first place and provide you with additional information for your next appeal.
6 Quick Seller Tips to Prevent Suspension
1. Check your product listings for accuracy
Always double check that the information in your product listings is correct and up-to-date. This includes details such as descriptions, images, pricing, and shipping policies. Errors can lead to customer complaints or even suspension if they’re not fixed quickly.
2. Avoid selling restricted products
Amazon restricts certain products from being sold on its platform; be sure to familiarize yourself with these restrictions so you don’t accidentally list an item that isn’t allowed on the site.
3. Respond promptly to customer inquiries
Timely communication is key when it comes to keeping customers happy and avoiding suspensions—always respond promptly (within 24 hours) to any questions or concerns customers may have. Remember, unhappy customers = trouble.
4. Follow Amazon’s policies and guidelines
Make sure you understand all of Amazon’s seller policies and guidelines so that you are in compliance at all times. You can find these on the Seller Central page.
5. Monitor feedback and product reviews
Pay attention to customer feedback on your products, as this can give you a good indication of how people feel about them; if there are too many negative reviews or complaints, it could lead to suspension.
6. Be proactive with customer service issues
If an issue arises, be sure to address it right away—try to resolve the problem before it becomes a bigger issue or leads to a complaint from the customer. A proactive approach to customer service can go a long way in avoiding suspension.
What Are Restricted Products On Amazon?
Restricted products are items that Amazon prohibits sellers from listing on its platform and will get your selling privileges revoked quickly. These include items such as drugs and drug-related products, dietary supplements, counterfeits, hazardous items, alcohol, tobacco, weapons and related products, endangered species items or any other item prohibited by law.
In some cases Amazon may also restrict a product due to safety concerns or because it does not meet its quality standards. For example, if a product is deemed unsafe for use then Amazon will not allow the sale of that item on its platform.
For more information about specific restricted products categories you can visit Amazon's list of prohibited selling activities page located here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display
Learn From the Experience
An amazon seller account suspension can be a painful experience for Amazon sellers. Hopefully once you find your Amazon account reinstated, you can learn from the experience. Ask yourself what caused the Amazon account suspension and how you can prevent it in the future. Understanding why your account was suspended is essential to preventing future suspensions and maintaining your seller account long-term.
Take measures to ensure that all necessary policies are met when selling on Amazon. Policies include item condition, apparel labeling, hazardous materials, product safety, age restricted items, accuracy of listings, prohibited products and content, order fulfillment performance standards among many others. Make sure you understand Amazon’s requirements for sellers so that you can be compliant with their policies as a seller and avoid making the same mistakes to prevent your account suspended again in the future.
Finally, keep track of any important updates or relevant material regarding evolving Amazon policies that may affect how you conduct business on their site. By staying informed and up-to-date on policy changes, sellers can avoid making costly mistakes down the road. Doing so ensures that sellers remain compliant with all applicable regulations and helps them build trust with buyers on the Amazon marketplace. With consistent effort, sellers are sure to build positive customer experiences and a successful seller account on Amazon.
And if all else fails, consider the possibility of working with an Amazon account legal authority such as AmazonSuspensionLawyer.com.
Good luck and happy selling!
