Whether your sales performance is under expectation, you violate Amazon’s policy, or you sell Amazon restricted products, it's possible to find your Amazon account suspended.
Last thing you wouldn't want to see as a seller is to see your Amazon account suspended. However, if you're already in this, don't fret!
You can easily reinstate your account if you appeal directly to Amazon or do the necessary plan of action.
Read on to see what may trigger Amazon seller account suspension and what to do when your account is suspended.
Why are the Amazon Selling Privileges Removed?
Amazon Seller Suspension prohibits you as an Amazon seller from selling on its marketplace or selling any product labeled as “suspended.”
Firstly, Amazon will give you short notice with reasons for possible suspension. And if ignored, it'd immediately suspend you.
Amazon has 3 phases of Seller Suspension. They include:
- Amazon Suspension Phase; This is the stage you're notified by Amazon about your items that won't be allowed to sell on its platform.
- Amazon Denial Phase; This is when the seller can try to revert Amazon’s decision by filing a formal appeal, it’s also known as POA (Plans of Action) in Amazon terms.
- Amazon Ban Phase; If your appeal is denied, Amazon will immediately ban your account.
These are the reasons why Amazon selling privileges are removed:
· Bad Sales Performance
This is a common reason for Amazon Seller Suspension. Amazon evaluates all sellers who sell goods on its platform. And it suspends accounts of those who didn't do well in sales and feedback.
Amazon believes that the evaluation process is designed to maintain the firm's reputation and prevent more negative reviews from buyers.
Here are some vital criteria you should meet to stay on the platform as a seller;
- Your reviews should be 99% positive
- Your delivery should be 99% on time
- Your defect and cancellation rates should be kept individually at 1%
- Your response should be fast
You'd stay safe if you meet all these evaluation requirements.
· Failure to Follow Amazon’s Policies
Amazon has rules and regulations that it expects all sellers to follow. In particular, the Amazon Code of Conduct has many rules for selling goods on Amazon.
In fact, Amazon has policies on all its sellings, ratings, reviews, communication, dropshipping, and customer information.
More so, certain restrictions are on its product listing restrictions, ad launch campaigns, and photos.
Your account might be suspended if you fail to read and follow the policies.
· Selling of Restricted products and Counterfeit Goods
Your account would be suspended if you try to sell counterfeit products on Amazon.
Amazon goes hard on counterfeiters while ensuring that its platform offers the goods that buyers expect and want.
Amazon has launched the Amazon Counterfeit Crimes Unit to suspend counterfeiters’ accounts while filing civil cases against them.
Furthermore, you agree to Amazon's terms and conditions when you begin selling on Amazon. The condition includes agreeing to the type of items to sell on the platform.
Here are commonly restricted items on Amazon;
- Alcohol
- Dietary supplements
- Animals and animal-related products
- Explosives and weapons
- Lock picks and devices for theft
- Drugs and drug paraphernalia
- Pesticides and their devices
- Seed and plant products
· Not 100% Honest with your Goods
This might seem less significant, but it's important. You have to be honest when selling and dealing with customers on Amazon.
And try to avoid some bad practices like storming a competitor’s product page, bombarding a competitor with negative reviews, copying product photos without consent, faking a trademark, and copying another seller’s full listing and ASIN (Amazon Seller Identification Number).
What's more, Amazon can ban your account if customers say that you sell bad products or provide poor customer service. You can even see your Amazon account suspended for late shipment.
How to Get the Suspended Amazon Account Back
How to get back Amazon suspended account? Generally, sellers will take the following actions to reduce their losses：
1. Read the Amazon's Notice
To get your suspended Amazon account back, start by reading Amazon's notice from you to know why it suspended your account.
In other words, know why your account is suspended.
The notice is displayed on your Amazon account and sent to your Amazon registered email address. You may have to investigate the allegations to see if they're actually right.
2. Review the Seller Information
Find the common complaints from your customers, including products that got the most complaints or items that violated Amazon's policies.
You can see this in your Amazon seller account, under the "Customer Metrics."
3. Establish a Plan of Action
You have to create a plan of action showing how you plan to improve. Be clear on how you will correct the issues you had.
Specifically, you may want to discuss how to offer great customer service or ways to ensure that each product you want to sell is properly inspected.
You have to be precise here since Amazon uses the plan of action to know if to reinstate your suspended account or not.
Next is to click "Notification" on the "Customer Metrics." And click "Appeal Decision" close to the suspension you wish to appeal.
After, copy and paste the plan of action into the provided text field. And click "Send" to send the appeal.
At this stage, wait for Amazon to contact you about the appeal. You may ask, how long does amazon appeal take? Amazon responds to any appeal within 48 hours.
Final Analysis; Can you ever avoid Amazon Seller Suspension?
Amazon aims to maintain its reputable brand image. The platform even protects its sellers from buyers. A buyer can see its amazon buyer account suspended if suspected of any foul play or fraud.
Bad sales performance, failure to follow Amazon’s policies, selling counterfeit goods, and not being 100% honest with your Amazon business dealings can cause your account to be suspended.
However, you can still avoid these problems by offering top-notch products and great customer service, improving your product listings daily, and trademarking your brand name.
