Sound On! Listen to the audio version of this article (read by a real person) here:
(This guest post from Sellercare was last published on April 11, 2018. We have updated it for accuracy and completeness. For help with an Amazon suspension, contact Sellercare.)
Your Amazon account is suspended, now what?
Don’t panic! While a suspension seems overwhelming, reinstatement is a process and you want to follow best practices to get back to selling ASAP. Too often sellers rush the process and make costly mistakes that delay your reinstatement even longer.
The difference between an Amazon suspension and ban
Luckily for you, you aren’t banned completely from selling products on Amazon. Suspensions happen all the time—and regularly get resolved. Bans are a different story that involves you being cut off permanently from selling on Amazon.
Why was my Amazon seller account suspended?
There are many reasons why an Amazon Seller account might be suspended. Common examples include customer service complaints, policy violations, and frequent order issues. Understanding why you were suspended is the first step in getting your account reinstated. You should be able to find that information in the suspension notification that you received from Amazon.
How to prevent an Amazon seller account suspension
Once you’ve identified why your account was suspended, you can develop a plan to prevent suspensions in the future. Common reasons for Amazon suspensions include:
- Shipping delays
- Repeated order defects
- Inauthentic or counterfeit products
You run your business and you’re the best person to develop a plan to avoid these pitfalls in the future. So make sure to plan ahead, and you can prevent future suspensions. Here are some other ways to prevent suspensions:
- Read Amazon’s Seller Policies: When was the last time you actually read Amazon’s seller policies? Read them and take them seriously.
- Commit to Being 100% White Hat: Some Amazon strategies claim to be white hat, but end up being gray or black hat. It may be tempting to try them out, especially if you think you’ll see instant results. Don’t. It’s not worth it.
- Be Proactive: Make sure you’re in the clear. Consult with Amazon lawyers and experts to stay on top of the latest selling strategies and how they mesh with official company polices.
How Do I Know If I’m Banned from Selling on Amazon?
You’ll get a notification from Amazon whether you’re suspended or banned. A ban would likely only come after a number of suspensions or an egregious violation of Amazon’s policies.
What You Should Do When Your Account Has Been Suspended: Appealing the Removal of Your Selling Privileges
Fortunately, when it comes to seller suspensions, Amazon has an appeal process, and with the right approach, your account may be reinstated quickly enough to avoid major losses.
There are four main steps to the Amazon appeal process:
- Find out the reason for your Amazon suspension;
- Create a plan of action that outlines the changes you’ve made to prevent the issue from happening again;
- Incorporate your plan of action into an appeal letter that addresses the specific issues mentioned in the original suspension email; and
- Submit your appeal to Amazon by contacting seller performance at seller-performance@amazon.com
What NOT To Do When Your Amazon Account Is Suspended
Now that we’ve gotten through some of the basics around Amazon seller account suspensions, here are 10 things to NEVER do when Amazon suspends your account.
#1: Don’t rush to submit your first appeal to Amazon
You might think that you need to submit something right away to fix your suspension. Without a thoughtful plan of action (POA) though, you could waste your appeal button. Amazon rarely reinstates an account after the first appeal is sent. Unless it’s a very minor violation, the process can take days, or even weeks and requires back and forth communication with Seller Performance.
Seller Performance suspends thousands of sellers on a daily basis, and investigators only take a few minutes to review each appeal. Make sure to take your time and prepare the most effective appeal before submitting anything to them.
#2: Don’t open a new account
Many sellers’ first thought is to simply open a new account and start over. They use a different name and bank account in hopes of fooling Amazon.
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy to trick Amazon. They have many ways of linking seller accounts. They will discover the second account and link it back to the original account. Once this happens, there is ZERO chance of getting the second account reinstated and you’ll hurt your chance of reinstatement on your original account too.
Take it from us, opening a new account to avoid a suspension isn’t worth the effort and will only cause more complications.
#3: Don’t modify or fabricate invoices for any reason
A common reason for suspension is “inauthentic” inventory, or obtaining your inventory from unauthorized sources. When this happens, some sellers try to modify their current invoices to “fit” what Amazon is asking for.
For example, if a seller only has a receipt or purchase order, they will create an invoice, and submit it to Amazon hoping that it will work.
Amazon sees thousands of invoices on a daily basis. It’s very easy for Seller Performance agents to spot a fake or manipulated invoice. And, a fake invoice can add another violation called “forged and manipulated”, which is very difficult to resolve.
Most of the time, this method doesn’t work (and damages the case significantly). Even the slightest modification can delay your reinstatement.
Even if you purchased the products from a supplier located in Asia, a retail location, or a liquidation company, submit the original proof of purchase to Seller Performance.
Pro Tip: For drop shippers — if you listed products which you never had in stock, it’s best to admit your business practices to Seller Performance right away.
#4: Don’t threaten Amazon with legal action
Seller Performance likes to see that as a seller you’re taking accountability for your actions, and they want to communicate directly with you during the appeal process. Many sellers reach out to an attorney for assistance, and the attorney starts contacting Seller Performance on the sellers’ behalf.
As soon as an attorney is involved, the appeal process is significantly delayed. Sometimes Amazon becomes completely unresponsive until the seller starts personally contacting them regarding their suspension.
In the case of an infringement suspension, an attorney can reach out to the complaining party to reach a resolution and request the complaint to be withdrawn. Once the complaint is withdrawn, the seller needs to communicate with Seller Performance about the results.
#5: Don’t contact Seller Support by email or through your seller account
Seller Performance is the ONLY department that can assist you. There is no direct phone number for Seller Performance. All communications must be handled through email.
Contrary to what most sellers think, Seller Support has absolutely no ability to impact the results of a suspension. It’s confusing because many suspension notices instruct sellers to “Contact Seller Support” if they have any questions. Unfortunately, Seller Support only provides basic customer support (and their advice is usually based on generic templates).
Despite this, they sometimes provide advice to the seller, which most sellers believe to be credible. However, this can lead to sellers basing their appeal on inaccurate information and damaging their process.
Be sure to only communicate with Seller Performance about an account suspension.
#6: Don’t be rude to Seller Performance, or use vulgar language
While a suspension is an upsetting and frustrating experience, you should ALWAYS refrain from sending a rant to Seller Performance with inappropriate language. This will only delay your appeal.
If you do lose your cool, you should explicitly apologize to Seller Performance about it. Just be aware that Seller Performance may not reply when they submit an effective appeal.
Just remember that suspensions are part of doing business with Amazon. Once an account is suspended, keep a cool head, and start focusing on creating the best plan of action to get your account reinstated.
#7: Don’t send multiple letters after submitting the first appeal
After you submit your first appeal, you should wait up to a week before submitting any additional letters. The days of “12-24 hour” response times are long gone due to the volume of appeals that Seller Performance receives on a daily basis.
Also, it’s common for Seller Performance to not send confirmation that the appeal was received. This can make you nervous and worry that they haven’t received your appeal or maybe are ignoring it.
We know it’s tough, but refrain from sending multiple appeals with different information in order to try to get a reply from Seller Performance. If you know you followed instructions, trust that Seller Performance has received the appeal and will reply once they’ve reviewed it.
#8: Don’t blame buyers or Amazon processes for the suspension
Many sellers submit appeals that single out specific buyers and orders, blame their issues on the actions of a customer, or blame Amazon processes for their suspension.
Amazon is a very customer-centric company. They also expect sellers to be familiar with all of their current policies and guidelines. Blaming Amazon processes won’t result in a timely reinstatement.
Focus on your own practices and procedures when creating your appeal. Ultimately, Amazon wants to know what changes you will make to keep their customers happy, and comply with their guidelines.
#9: Don’t immediately contact Jeff Bezos
Amazon suspensions can be overwhelming, especially if it’s your only source of income. Out of frustration, some sellers try to first contact Jeff Bezos if they don’t receive a quick reply from Seller Performance.
Understand that this method usually doesn’t provide any positive results. Jeff Bezos doesn’t read these emails himself for a variety of different reasons; they are transferred to an escalation department that reviews them instead.
Unfortunately, if a negative response is received from the escalation department, it’s much harder to get your account reinstated moving forward. It’s best to communicate with Seller Performance directly throughout the process.
#10: Don’t panic!
If you’re an established seller, most suspensions (even “final decision” suspensions) can be reversed. All you need is an effective appeal plan, and be ready to change some of your business practices if needed.
While change can be hard, it can ultimately lead to a more stable business for you.
How to Prevent an Amazon Suspension
Throughout this process, remember that you can consult a professional such as Sellercare once your account is suspended. In most cases, you’ll need to make significant changes to your logistics, inventory, and sourcing before the appeal is prepared.
Once you’re back up and running, you should consistently monitor your account health page and proactively address any problem areas to avoid any future issues. If you want a professional opinion, Sellercare also provides Risk Assessment Service and Suspension Prevention Service in addition to reinstatements.
To prevent anymore suspensions in the future, here’s are a few key areas to watch for:
- Amazon Marketplace Fair Pricing Policy – How to Prevent Price Gouging Suspensions During COVID-19
- How Amazon Inventory Sourcing Methods Affect Inauthentic Suspensions
How Next-Day Payouts from Payability Can Help
While it doesn’t solve the immediate problem, in the future, getting next-day payouts from Payability might help you avoid suspension. You’ll get paid out the next day even if Amazon is withholding your money due to your suspension.
Thousands of Amazon sellers like you have used Payability to grow their businesses faster. With next-day payouts for your Amazon sales, you can keep your business moving and growing. See your options in minutes with no commitment or credit check required.
