When Amazon suspends a seller’s account, it is normal for sellers to become overwhelmed and stressed out and often feel like they have lost everything they worked for. Fortunately, the good news is that not every suspension is permanent. The right approach combined with some patience can help an Amazon seller recover their account faster than one might think.

In this blog post, we will provide readers with a complete overview of Amazon seller account suspensions, including the reasons for suspension and how to quickly get an Amazon Seller Account back up and running.

1. Learn what leads to an Amazon Account Suspension

Amazon conducts periodic reviews of seller accounts to ensure that their marketplace remains a safe and secure place for buyers.

If an Amazon seller violates any of their seller policies, whether they did so intentionally or not, Amazon can issue a suspension on that seller’s account.

Reasons for a suspension are:

• Policy violations by sellers
• Poor seller performance
• Complaints regarding intellectual property
• Safety concerns regarding products sold by the seller
• Sellers selling inauthentic products
• Poor performance (on-time shipment vs late shipments/ cancellations)

Many times, the message from Amazon can be vague, which leaves some sellers wondering what it is that they did wrong. However, with the right tools, you can determine what caused your account to be suspended and create a plan for getting your account back into good standing with Amazon.

Step One:  Don’t Panic – Read Your Suspension Notice Carefully

Although this may seem obvious, the first thing you should do when receiving an Amazon suspension is to read the email. The suspension notice contains information that typically includes:

• The reason for your suspension
• The policy that was violated.
• A deadline for Amazon to respond, if applicable.

Use a highlighter, or mark keywords. Determine if Amazon wants you to correct the policy violations or provide evidence to show compliance.

Tip: It’s a good idea to keep the notification in a separate file so you have easy access to it as needed during the entire process.

Step Two: Identify the reason why Amazon suspended your account

Determine the reason(s) for your account’s suspension before writing your appeal. The most common reasons and ways to determine the cause include:

Performance Metrics:

Use Seller Central to check your Order Defect Rate (ODR), late shipment rate, cancellations rate, and contact metrics.

Policy Violations:

Read the policy in the correspondence and search Amazon Seller Central help pages for any additional information.

Intellectual Property Complaints:

If a company has submitted a complaint against you, you may need to prove to Amazon that the items you sold are genuine.

Product Safety:

Amazon may request Certificates of Analysis (COA) or Laboratory Test Reports for certain products, such as dietary supplements and personal care items.

Identifying the root cause is critical; you will not just restate what Amazon states as their cause.

Step Three: Collect Evidence

Once you identify your Root Cause you should start collecting evidence to support your appeal; below is some of the Evidence you should use:

• Supplier Invoices and Purchase Orders
• Product Authenticity Certificates
• Shipping Tracking/Delivery Confirmation
• Internal Process Descriptions
• Seller/Broker Correspondence

Ensure that as many of these documents are clear, verifiable and pertinent to the case.

Step Four: Draft your POA (Plan of Action)

A Plan of Action is Amazon’s formal description of an event’s actions taken to address issues that occurred. Your POA consists of three sections:

1. Determine the Root Cause of the Issue.

You must determine what caused the issues in specificity and detail. Instead of using phrases such as “improving the quality of my item,” you must provide specific examples of what occurred.

Example of a failed item: “The high cancellation rate was due to inaccurate information being provided for an item being out of stock which led to a customer ordering an item they thought was still available.”

2.Describe What Corrective Measures You Have Taken to Correct the Problem.

Describe what you have already done to resolve the issue.

“We have established an updated inventory management system that uses an Automated Tool and we have monitored the quantity of items in stock on a daily basis.”

3.Describe Your Preventive Measures.

List additional safeguards that you will have in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.

“We will conduct a weekly inventory check and assign an Operations Manager to monitor metrics.”

Your POA should be written professionally, to the point and factually.

Step Five: Submit Your Appeal to Amazon

To upload your Plan of Action and supporting documentation, which you created in Step 4, go to Seller Central > Performance > Account Health. During this process, please ensure that you have:

How to Prepare Your POA for Submission to Amazon

When submitting your POA, ensure that:

• It is written clearly and with a direct approach.
• You have responded by any deadlines stated.
• All supporting evidence was attached as part of the submission package, is easy for Amazon to read, and clearly supports your case.

Remember: Avoid using emotional words or arguing with Amazon regarding your case; instead, present facts and maintain a professional tone.

Step 6: Timely Follow-Up

There are times when Amazon responds with further inquiries. In these situations, it is important that you respond as quickly and clearly as possible. If you take too long to reply, it may delay the reinstatement process.

If your appeal is denied, that means your Plan of Action was inadequate. Take advantage of the information provided in Amazon’s response to improve your Plan of Action prior to submitting an appeal.

Tips for Recovery

1. 1. Hire a Professional Review If you have filed an appeal and were denied, consulting with a professional can significantly improve your chances of winning.
   2. Use Templates Wisely Templates are available online and can provide some guidelines as to what things need to be included in a Plan Of Action. However, you should tailor your Plan Of Action and have it professionally reviewed.
   3. Track Communications Keep track of all communications with the Company, Customer Service and any other business you have been dealing with on a letter, email or scrap piece of paper basis. This will assist you if you want to file a complaint, escalate your request or resubmit.

When to Seek Assistance from Experts

Suspensions can be complicated in some situations:

• When you have lost a number of ASINs
• When you have had recurring policy violations
• When you cannot figure out what caused your suspension
• When all of your appeals have been denied

This means that you may want to reach out to professionals who have experience with Amazon’s policies and procedures for reinstatement and compliance.

Getting back on track to selling

If you’ve been suspended from selling on Amazon, that doesn’t mean you have to stop doing business. There is a process that can help you quickly go through reinstatement. That process requires a methodical approach including identifying the reason why your account was suspended, collecting the proper documentation, writing a strong plan of action for your reinstatement appeal, and being diligent in following up to ensure your appeal is processed in a timely manner.

If you feel overwhelmed by these steps, help is available. Caasto is there to assist sellers in getting through the amazon suspension recovery process by providing them with personalized strategies and is very experienced in reviewing the documentation used to appeal suspensions. They are able to help you restore your Amazon business and protect your income. They will help you get back on track as soon as possible.