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Last updated on June 5th, 2023
Written by Himanshi Raj
Amazon seller suspension can easily be a seller’s worst nightmare. A listing that has been taken down for 24 hours will affect your sales dramatically. At this point, you have to get your account reinstated at the earliest possible time. However, rushing your Amazon suspension appeal letter may not do the trick. Below is a quick guide to seller suspensions, common reasons for suspension, and the things to do and not to do.
Amazon seller suspension can either be due to a personal lapse of judgment, or an external factor out that is out of your control. Regardless of the cause, Amazon seller suspension is always based on a valid violation. Sellers will receive a suspension notice, but the notice will not always state the specific violation. For an overview, the following are the most common reasons for suspension:
Amazon usually only allows one seller account per person. In some cases, however, sellers may be permitted to open a second or third account if the seller needs a separate business for different brands, if they produce products for various companies, or if they are part of an Amazon program that requires a separate seller account.
Although kind of obvious, Amazon wants to make sure that they provide the best shopping experience for their customers, and this includes ensuring the quality of the products sold by third-party providers. Amazon reserves the right to take down listings that sell old products as new, fake products, defective ones, or prohibited items.
Counterfeit products usually come from hijacked listings. A hijacker can copy your brand's listing, take your photos, and sell your “product” at a lower price, and who wouldn’t want to buy the same product at a lower price? However, the buyer would be surprised to see either a fake product, a damaged one, or a different product entirely. This can lead the customer to lash out and leave negative reviews on your innocent listings and get your account suspended.
Amazon highly values excellent customer service and maintains a standard on the acceptable performance of its third-party sellers. They reserve the right to hand down Amazon seller suspension to accounts with a substantial number of negative reviews, order cancellations, delayed shipments, and late responses.
For most cases, Amazon wouldn’t immediately remove you from its system. You will be given a 30-day suspension notice, and you can use the time to write an Amazon suspension appeal letter and plan of action (POA). The following are the different types of suspension status that sellers may receive.
You can have your products, ASIN, or your entire account suspended. This means that your products will be temporarily removed from the marketplace. This is when you should file for your appeal for reinstatement.
In some cases, your appeal may be denied. However, a denied application isn’t the end of the line. You can always file another motion for reconsideration.
The worst thing that could happen is that you can be banned from Amazon, entirely. This means that you will not be able to contact them or sell your products on the platform, even if you try to create another account.
If your account gets suspended, the first step is to remain calm and think about what happened. Thoughtlessly sending an emotional letter would only make matters worse. To get your account reinstated, here are the following steps you could take:
The first step is to read the suspension letter thoroughly to find out what went wrong. If the suspension notice does not explicitly state your violation, you can review Amazon’s Seller Policy and Code of Conduct and reflect on which of the guidelines you may have violated. Carefully going through the suspension notice while backtracking on your previous actions will be helpful in constructing a substantial plan of action.
Seller Performance investigators receive thousands of letters each day, so you should keep your message as short and direct as possible. Use bullet points and keywords to help your reader understand your points quickly.
When writing your Amazon suspension appeal letter, make sure that you acknowledge the problem. Your message won’t be credible if you don’t know what you’re writing about in the first place. Carefully explain the actions you have taken to address the problem and the steps that you will take to prevent the same mistakes from happening in the future.
To further support your appeal, you may establish your account’s credibility by stating your previous excellent performance or reviews. Doing so can prove that you have a well-performing account, and that you have made a one-time mistake and that you deserve to be reinstated.
If you’re fortunate enough, you’ll get back your account after your first appeal. However, if the investigator thinks that your plan of action isn’t enough, he can deny your appeal for reinstatement. Once you get your denial letter, you should go through it again to look for areas that you have to revise or improve for your appeal to be approved the next time you submit one.
The goal is to have your account reinstated as soon as possible and to not make matters worse. To do this, you must follow the steps mentioned above and avoid, as much as possible, doing the following things:
Don’t write a letter that aims to appeal to the emotion of the investigator. Yes, your account got suspended. Yes, you’re losing sales. Yes, your business matters to you. The same thing applies to everyone. Your account was suspended because of objective violations, so you can only have it back by giving objective explanations.
Don’t point fingers and blame Amazon, your buyers who wrote negative reviews, or other brands. This does not sound promising, as ignorance can signify incompetence and can mean that you are incapable of preventing the same mistakes from happening again in the future. Even if you’re not the one responsible for the mishap, you’re still accountable for your seller account.
Seller Performance has no direct contact number, and calling other departments regarding your concerns would be futile as no other department can answer for Seller Performance.
You might think that creating another account will solve your suspension problem. It won’t. Unless you want your seller account to be permanently banned, you should take writing your Amazon suspension appeal letter seriously. It’s the only way.
While there are many companies that are ready to help you get your suspended account reinstated, the best solution is to prevent your account from being suspended in the first place. This includes maintaining a healthy account and religiously following Amazon’s policies. If things still get out of control, there’s nothing wrong about asking for help and the assistance of industry professionals.
Save yourself the effort, money, and energy by immediately getting an Amazon Suspension Appeal Service. Let our experts do their job and have your seller account reinstated at the soonest time possible. Contact us at [email protected] today.
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