What’s the deal with all these account suspensions?
Is it just me or have you been hearing about lots of Amazon account suspensions lately?
Between the Amazon Seller Forums and Facebook Groups to sellers reaching out to our Account Rescue team, I’ve heard about at least a half dozen suspended accounts in the past few weeks.
Keep reading to learn more about what’s going on and how to stay safe.
Know and Obey the Rules
The biggest issue I’ve been seeing lately has been sellers who are breaking rules either because they don’t know better or because they have a rationalization for doing so.
My advice is very simple: Don’t break the rules!
- Ignorance of a rule isn’t an excuse and it isn’t a justification that will get Amazon to reinstate your account.
- Just because another seller is selling an item or breaking a rule doesn’t mean that you can, too.
- Make sure to read every email from Amazon and every notification in Seller CentralAmazon Seller Central is a portal or a h... More. They’re there to make you aware of changing rules and policies.
Frozen
Frozen, for some reason, is still a huge hit and Frozen related merchandise is red-hot. However, recently, Amazon has required sellers to request permission to sell many Frozen-themed items. This is to prevent bad customer experiences related to counterfeit goods.
So, do not attempt to sell any Frozen-related items without approval from Amazon. It’s not worth risking your account.
Gated Groceries
Amazon recently started gating the grocery category, as well as several others. Make sure you’re keeping an eye on this list and only selling items that you’re approved to sell. Ask our Services team for tips on getting approved.
New Sellers
I think that we’re also seeing a lot of new sellers lately. And new sellers, in my experience, tend to be sloppy sellers (no offense intended). They may be experienced ebay sellers migrating to a new platform, or they may be brand new to online selling in general. For whatever reason, they’re not familiar with Amazon’s rules and how to interact with Amazon customers. Again, it goes back to my first point of knowing the rules. If you’re just getting started, you’re at the biggest risk for suspension. Make sure you’re answering Amazon emails quickly, responding to your customers and keeping that ODR low.
Ask For Permission Not Forgiveness
It’s tempting to just barrel ahead and hope for the best. This works in a lot of situations but not on Amazon. Remember that if you get shut down by Amazon, that’s it. You’re unlikely to get a second chance you and almost never get a third chance.
If you’re confused about a rule or policy, ask Seller Support. Get an answer in writing. Make sure you understand their answer and make sure there aren’t any grey areas. Amazon sees most issues as black and white.
The responsibility to be a great seller is on you.
12 Responses
Hey guys… i got my account suspended as well… after i found this site (myAmazonsupport.com) i realized how to get my account reactivated… you have to understand what Amazon is looking for and give it to them the way they like to hear it. let me know if this helps.
Hi Jon,
It’s good to hear your managed to get reinstated. Did you write the appeal yourself?
Maria
Hello Maria,
No, i purchased the consultation package which included a template from myAmazonsupport.com.
I was able to receive a call from the consultant, we talked about my specific case which took about 20 minutes, then he came up with a great strategy. The is no way i would of came up with it since i was so upset about my account getting suspended, He then helped me craft the action plan in the template.
I completed the template, sent it to him for review, then we submitted it to Amazon and YES, 12hrs later i receive a letter from Amazon saying the following:
We have decided to reinstate your full selling privileges on Amazon.com. A portion of the funds from your sales on that site will be temporarily reserved while we review your account.
Hello Jon,
Thank you for the comment. I happy to hear you managed to reinstate your selling account. Good luck with your business!
Hi, I tried to appeal without success. Even my appeal letter was written really well.
Hello Alan,
I’m sorry to hear this.
We might be able to help. Contact us through this form and we’ll take a look.
My account was just suspended but there was no reason given for the suspension at all. Customer service told me to send the appeal form and ask for a reason so that I could formulate a plan of action as they could not identify a reason for suspension either. My account health is good. I have no complaints, a to z, late shipping or anything negative at all. I am a new seller and I have tried very hard to do everything properly.
I listed and sold an item that was allowed and when I tried to replenish it, it had since become restricted. I called seller support and I was told not to delete the listing and that I would be able to list it again soon. They told me an email would be sent to me when I was allowed to sell it again. I am not sure if this was the reason or not or how I can find out.
Why would they close my account and not tell me the reason why? Please help! Thank you.
Hello Chantel,
Sorry to hear about your suspension.
I’ll have somebody from our services team email your about this. We’ll look into it.
Maria
SellerEngine Services
I would love to find a lawyer that would take a discrimination case and sue Amazon.
I sold E liquid and some coils on Amazon. I’m a retailer of this product and know theses products can’t be sold on most sites. I happened to Search E liquid on Amazon for fun and found Hundreds of people selling. E liquid without Nicotine. So I thought oh no problem. Just sell without Nicotine and your okay. Worked for about 1 week. Then I got suspended. I explained in the appeal process I didn’t read the compliance and just assumed it was okay due to other sellers selling. Fast forward. A hundred letters later I was reinstated. But I did mention and then officially report 4 sellers out of hundreds that had 5 star ratings. We’re selling over 500 Electronic Cigaretes or E liquids and accessories for over a year. Can’t get them removed. I’m not a scumbag. But in the real world that’s called discrimination. I wonder if they are Amazon Employees. They are selling actual Electronic Cigarettes witch is a definite No No. over a month after I complained. Sent picture proof. Spoke to a account rep. They looked at the account and kept saying OMG yes this is a violation. Then another seller started using my name and pictures of my products that were removed and shipping it from China. My seller name. I reported it. Everyone’s still selling . Illegal. Hey what’s fair is fair. I’m breaking my ass trying to make a couple bucks. And they are getting rich with the help of Amazon. I even seen one where Amazon was fulfilling the illegal selling product for the seller. Wow!!!! Then I get a letter saying they want paper work for a product I wasn’t selling and wasn’t listed to make sure it was Authentic. Are they insane over there ?
Hi Nick,
Thanks for your comment. Communication with Amazon can indeed get very frustrating. We see accidentally suspended listings on a daily basis, or suspended for the wrong reasons, plans of action not considered and replied to with templates, etc. So we’re very sympathetic to your problem, however we do not recommend you filling a lawsuit against Amazon. There is so little chance of winning and so much effort to invest in fighting such a giant, that we don’t see it as a viable option under any circumstances.
The fact that other sellers have bad products available on Amazon doesn’t mean much – it’s just a matter of time until somebody files a claim against them, or Amazon decides to take the listings down from their end. Selling on Amazon means a lot of self-research – it’s the sellers’ liability to make sure they comply with all regulations. And sometimes that isn’t enough either. Anyway, hang in there and arm yourself with patience.
Maria
SellerEngine Team
It is so frustrating when you have these fraudulent buyers take advantage of scamming sellers out of their items and money. I had my account closed because 3 scamming buyers disputed a high priced item claiming they never received it when in fact they did. Provided all necessary evidence yet Amazon sided with them. I lost the item, money and my account is closed permanently.
It is horrible how Amazon lets this happen, yet you are the one that suffers. I am trying to make a leap back in, but I keep getting suspended after creating a new account.
Has anyone tried buying an Amazon account from sellers such as the Aspkin forums or even Auction Essistance? Had many failed attempts at creating a new account that it is so frustrating at this point.
Hi Melanie.
We are very sorry to hear about your experience. However, we greatly caution against trying to open other Amazon accounts once you have been suspended. As you’ve experienced, Amazon has no patience for this and will immediately shut down any related accounts. Your best (and often only) bet is to appeal the initial suspension. Our team of Services experts can help you with this process. You can read more about our Account Rescue service here. Do reach out if there is anything else we can do to help out.
Thanks and best of luck to you!
Kate