Getting suspended from selling on Amazon can be devastating for your business. An Amazon suspension means you are temporarily blocked from selling and fulfilling orders on Amazon. It can happen unexpectedly and recovery can be difficult without the right guidance.
This comprehensive guide will provide you with the knowledge needed to avoid suspension in the first place, as well as the steps to take if you find yourself suspended from the platform. Following this advice can help you get reinstated so you can resume operations on Amazon.
Why Sellers Get Suspended from Amazon
There are a few main reasons why Amazon suspends seller accounts:
Policy Violations
Amazon has extensive policies that sellers must follow. Some common violations that can lead to suspension include:
- Selling inauthentic or counterfeit goods
- Manipulating reviews and ratings
- Abusing promotions like coupons or giveaways
- Failing to properly disclose relationships withreviewers
- Making false shipping promises or estimates
Poor Performance Metrics
Amazon tracks seller performance metrics like order defect rate, cancellation rate, and late shipment rate. Consistently poor metrics can indicate you are not meeting their standards. Lengthy suspensions are often due to poor metrics.
Increased Customer Complaints
If Amazon notices a spike in A-to-Z guarantee claims or negative feedback from your customers, they may suspend your account to investigate. Issues with shipping damaged goods or selling different items than described commonly lead to complaints.
Prohibited Products
Attempting to sell goods prohibited from Amazon such as illegal drugs, unsafe supplements, weapons, live animals or hazardous materials can result in permenant suspension. Be sure you understand Amazon’s restricted products policies thoroughly.
How to Avoid Getting Suspended in the First Place
The best way to avoid suspension is to be proactive about following Amazon’s guidelines and communicating with them. Here are some tips:
Monitor Your Performance
Keep a close eye on your performance metrics and work quickly to resolve any issues. Set performance alerts and goals to ensure you meet targets.
Vet Inventory Carefully
Inspect all your inventory thoroughly before sending to Amazon FBA. Check for defects, damage, expiration dates, improperly sealed packages and other issues. Destroy any prohibited, expired or dangerous goods.
Ship Promptly
Get products shipped out quickly to avoid late shipment rates. Monitor your fulfillment closely for backlogs or delays.
Respond to Customer Issues
Address returns, complaints and negative reviews right away. Reimburse customers promptly if there are issues. The faster you resolve problems, the less likely they are to escalate.
Appeal Rejections Right Away
If any of your listings get rejected, appeal them immediately to get clarification from Amazon. Don’t simply delete and relist as this can trigger a violation.
Register Brands and Patents
Register any names, brands, logos or patents you have with Amazon Brand Registry. This gives you more control over your listings to prevent counterfeits.
Check Account Daily
Log into Seller Central daily to check for any notifications, policy updates or suspension warnings from Amazon. Being vigilant prevents surprises.
What to Do If You Get Suspended from Selling on Amazon
If you receive notice that your account has been suspended, stay calm but act swiftly. A quick and proper response can help get you reinstated faster. Here are the steps to take:
Step 1: Understand Why You Were Suspended
Amazon should have sent you an email explaining the specific reason for your suspension. Read this closely to understand exactly what policy or metric you violated.
Common reasons include prohibited products, complaints of counterfeit goods, shipment issues and poor performance metrics. Suspensions can range from 24 hours to permanent.
Step 2: Gather Evidence to Support Your Case
To appeal, you need to provide evidence contradicting Amazon’s reason for suspension.
For example, if you were accused of selling counterfeits, pull invoices from your supplier showing the items are authentic. For shipping issues, compile records showing on-time fulfillment.
The more proof you can provide the better. Having an audit trail helps demonstrate you are staying compliant.
Step 3: Develop an Action Plan for Improvement
In addition to proving compliance, Amazon also wants to know the steps you will take to improve going forward. Draft a detailed plan of how you will enhance your processes to resolve the underlying issues that led to the violation.
Some examples include:
- Implementing stricter quality control checks before shipping inventory
- Blocking prohibited ASINs from listing
- Updating shipping policies to reduce late orders
- Setting internal performance targets higher than Amazon’s official metrics
Having a solid improvement plan makes reinstatement more likely.
Step 4: Contact Seller Support to Appeal
You can submit an appeal directly in Seller Central or contacting Seller Support by phone. Explain clearly why the suspension was unwarranted and outline your action plan.
Provide as much supporting evidence as possible. Be polite yet firm with reps – ask to escalate your appeal if needed until you reach someone who can properly review your case and documentation.
Step 5: Wait for Amazon’s Review
The appeal review process can take anywhere from 24 hours to a few weeks depending on the severity of the violation. Typically more serious or longer suspensions require more in-depth reviews.
Avoid attempting to create a new selling account, which can lead to termination. Be patient and wait for Amazon’s decision. Continue gathering any other evidence you think could help your case.
Step 6: Comply with Amazon’s Conditions
Ideally your appeal will be approved and your account reinstated! Make sure to carefully follow any conditions Amazon sets related to your reinstatement.
For example, you may need to submit inventory receipts for Amazon to review for a period of time after reinstatement when selling certain categories prone to counterfeits. Failure to comply with stipulations can lead to permanent loss of selling privileges.
Step 7: Learn from the Experience
Hopefully by following the steps above you are able to get successfully reinstated. Take it as a learning experience and put practices in place to ensure you don’t repeat the same mistakes in the future.
How to Avoid Getting Permanently Suspended
While most suspensions are temporary, repeated or egregious violations can lead to permanent loss of your Amazon seller account. Here are some tips to avoid a permanent suspension:
- Resolve issues quickly: The faster you address problems, the less likely they will escalate to a termination level.
- Communicate constantly: Maintain open communication with Amazon about your actions and improvements. Silence can seem suspicious.
- Request clear explanations: If you receive vague suspension reasons, keep pushing for more details from reps. Unclear expectations make problems hard to correct.
- Don’t open new accounts: Getting caught operating a new account while suspended can cause immediate termination. Wait out the suspension period patiently.
- Watch competitors carefully: Pay attention to other sellers getting suspended to avoid making the same missteps. Learn from their mistakes.
- Consult experienced advisors: Enlist help from attorneys, consultants or accountants experienced fighting Amazon suspensions if needed for more serious issues.
The key is being proactive, taking responsibility for problems and demonstrating effort to improve. Amazon wants to see sellers learn from errors and take steps to enhance compliance and performance.
Options if You Lose Your Amazon Seller Account
In worst case scenarios where you cannot get reinstated, here are some options to continue selling online:
- Sell on other marketplaces: Expand to other major ecommerce sites like eBay, Walmart, BestBuy, Sears and Newegg. Use channel-specific strategies.
- Build your own online store: Without Amazon fees, running your own ecommerce site may become viable using platforms like Shopify or Magento. Drive traffic via marketing.
- Try retail arbitrage: Sourcing discounted products from retail stores to sell on other sites can be profitable. Tools like InventoryLab can streamline finding arbitrage opportunities.
- Wholesale to other businesses: Find reputable retailers or distributors in need of inventory. Building B2B relationships can lead to large, consistent orders.
- Liquidate your existing inventory: Sell off your remaining Amazon inventory to other merchants through sites like goFlip or The Ultimate Arbitrage. Some liquidators may purchase your stock directly as well.
- Sell at trade shows or markets: Renting booths at conventions, fairs and other events allows you to sell direct-to-consumer. Great for limited editions, custom or hand-made products.
With some persistence and creativity, many sellers are able to recover and establish prosperous businesses after losing their Amazon accounts. Don’t give up hope!
Final Tips for Avoiding Suspension
Selling on Amazon can be highly lucrative, but you must take steps to ensure you follow their guidelines to avoid suspension. Here are some final tips to keep in mind:
- Monitor your performance metrics weekly and set internal goals higher than Amazon’s requirements.
- Inspect inventory before shipping and destroy any prohibited or dangerous items.
- Resolve customer complaints ASAP, even if you must take a loss. A few dollars lost is better than suspension.
- Appeal rejections quickly and ask for clarification from Amazon if unsure about why protocols are in place.
- Read up on other sellers’ suspension stories to learn from their mistakes.
- Consider enlisting help from lawyers or consultants that specialize in Amazon appeals if you do get suspended.
Staying compliant, vigilant and proactive is crucial to maintaining a healthy seller account. Use this guide to steer clear of suspension, or get reinstated if you do get hit with one. With dedication, you can thrive selling successfully on Amazon long-term.
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