Common Problems
The following list provides examples of common causes of Amazon account suspensions. This list is not complete and each and every case must be studied carefully to determine the problem.
Many abusive competitors will create dummy accounts and blitz Amazon’s Notice Infringement Teams with IP complaints to get your listings removed. Our firm has years of experience successfully defeating these tactics and getting abusive sellers removed from Amazon. Call us at (929) 568-6583 to learn how we can help.
Customers or black hat competitors file a complaint alleging that your product doesn’t contain the advertised materials or ingredients, or that using your product caused the consumer some harm. Amazon takes these complaints very seriously. Remember: Amazon’s singular and obsessive focus is customer satisfaction, product safety, and quality control. Our firm can help you obtain the proper laboratory and safety tests to prevent these kind of complaints from occurring in the first place, and if a complaint has been made, to reinstate your account or listing on appeal. Call to learn more: (929) 568-6583.
You might have received a message along these lines: “Hello, We are contacting you because you may have misused keywords on product detail pages. We have canceled your listing mentioned below.”
Why did this happen? Amazon has a program that crawls and flags listings for a specific list of keyword abuses. Our team can analyze your listing and quickly diagnose and remedy the problem to get you reinstated in a timely manner. Call us for a free consultation at (929) 568-6583 to learn more.
Due to a high incidence of counterfeit, health and safety concerns, or even simply contracts between Amazon and major manufacturers, some items are subject to “brand gating.” This means that Amazon Sellers must assemble and submit extra documentation before selling these products, and in the event of a complaint, Sellers must be prepared to meet a higher standard of eligibility to be reinstated or avoid suspension.
There is no “official list” of gated products. New products are added constantly. If you are concerned that one of your products may be subject to “gating”, it is much better to consult with an Amazon legal professional before buying large amounts of inventory and potentially incurring substantial losses. We can also advise you how to assemble an effective and comprehensive “gated brand file” which will provide you with an extra degree of security in the face of an Amazon investigation or buyer complaint. Call us now for a free consultation (929) 568-6583 to learn more.
An example listing suspension explanation from Amazon: “Some of the item they received from you did not have an expiration date. All topical and consumable products (including nutritional supplements), whether for human or animal consumption, are considered to be subject to expiration, even if an expiration date is not indicated on the product’s outer packaging.” To learn more, call us at (929) 568-6583.
Textiles: An example Amazon listing suspension for faulty textile labeling: “This product has been identified as non-compliant with Amazon policies requiring accurate disclosure of fabric content and/or import designation.” If your listing is suspended for improper product labeling, call us at (929) 568-6583 for a strategy session on getting reinstated.
An example listing restriction message from from Amazon denying a cost increase request:
“We are unable to set this item at your proposed cost. Here are some possible steps you might take:
- Continue selling this item with Amazon at our previously agreed price
- Discontinue selling this item with Amazon so you can stop receiving purchase orders
- Make your product obsolete or out of stock until you can provide it at the original cost.”
There is a way to tackle this problem that doesn’t have you involve you removing all your inventory from Amazon and incurring substantial losses. Call us today for a free consultation at (929) 568-6583.
All product measurements and specs must match the ASIN associated with the appropriate GTIN barcode in question. Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
A favorite tactic of black hat sellers is to order a competitor’s products, damage the packaging or the product and then file a false complaint that a used item was sold as new. Call us today to learn how to deal with this problem: (929) 568-6583.
Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
You may have received the following message from Amazon: “When your order defect rate is higher than 1%, your selling privileges are in jeopardy of being removed and may result in you not being allowed to sell on Amazon.com.” Or even: “As we discussed, your Order Defect Rate is currently higher than the goal of 1%. As a result, your selling privileges will be removed within the next day.” The question is, what to do now?
There is a very specific and detailed way to appeal this kind of suspension, which depends on the unique facts of your case. You will need to submit a viable Plan of Action (POA) that addresses this particular type of suspension. Even if your account is currently still active, we counsel you to submit your POA ASAP to expedite reinstatement and reduce account downtime. Sometimes Amazon Account Health (AH) can give you as little as 24 hours to submit your POA. Luckily, we are here to help. Call us today at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
You may have received an account suspension for submitting an invoice that “appears to be forged or manipulated”. This is a very serious issue. It is essential that you confer with a professional because this is one of the hardest types of account suspension to successfully appeal. Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
One common “black hat tactic” used by dishonest competitors to get another Seller’s Account suspended is to sell a counterfeit product under the legitimate ASIN, or to make a new ASIN for an almost identical knockoff, and then file an infringement complaint against the original Seller.
Call us today at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation on how to deal with this issue and put a stop to these unfair and abusive tactics.
Related Account Suspensions are on the rise. Usually Amazon provides few details as to the documents and proof required to reinstate the account. Our firm has successfully reinstated many Amazon Seller Accounts with this type of suspension. Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
Even if no reason is given for your suspension, our investigative team will quickly uncover the source of the problem and start the process of applying for account reinstatement. Call us at (929) 568-6583 for a free consultation.
The most common causes of VTR problems are a Seller who has a VTR under 90%. The consequences of low VTR can include loss of guaranteed delivery and premium shipping eligibility, or if VTR is very low, seller account suspension
The best ways to improve VTR involve increasing speed of communication with customers, including certain assurances and warranties on orders, maintaining well-organized shipping methods, and making sure to quickly address and resolve company complaints. Our Team’s Brand Protection and Monitoring Service can help ensure that your VTR remains high to secure your guaranteed delivery and premium shipping perks. Call us today to learn how we can help (929) 568-6583.
IDR is defined as the percentage of orders for which you failed to upload a bill by midnight of the first business day after the buyer places an order. For example, if you confirmed the customer’s order on Monday, then you have until 11:59 P.M. on Tuesday to publish the invoice. You can check your IDR for the previous 7 days by logging into your Seller Central (SC) Portal and checking the Account Health tab.
AHR indicates your seller account health based on compliance with Amazon’s selling policies. Factors which can affect your rating include the number of unresolved policy violations on your account, the severity of those violations, and the extent to which you positively impact the customer experience via your selling activities.
- This last point is important: Amazon looks at the overall impact of your approach with customers, including the speed of your response to customer inquiries, whether customers are satisfied with your resolution of complaints, as well as all the other metrics frequently discussed such as IP violations, IDR, ODR, VTR, and others
The best way to maintain ‘Good’ account health is to address all violations ASAP. An AHR rating of ‘At Risk’ or ‘Critical’, places you at risk of account deactivation.
How do I improve my AHR?
- You can improve your rating by addressing the violations listed on your Account Health page by either successfully appealing them or editing your listings to ensure they are compliant with Amazon’s selling policies. Listing violations are not removed from the Account Health page if you change the listing’s status (e.g. by closing or deleting the listing from your inventory), but do not successfully resolve the violation itself.
What are the Amazon policy violations that affect AHR?
- There is no publicly available official list of policy violations which negatively affect AHR. However, through our firms years of practice appealing Amazon account suspensions we have identified an extensive list of the most common factors in a low AHR rating. The only way to improve the rating is to successfully appeal as many of these violations as possible,
- Examples
- Intellectual Property (IP) complaints: These can include counterfeit, trademark infringement, patent infringement, and copyright infringement complaints
- Food and Product Safety Issues: These violations are very difficult to successfully appeal. The best way to prevent them and to succeed in the event of an appeal is to obtain industry-standard lab product testing
- Restricted Product Policy Violations: These violations are also very difficult to appeal. Our firm has experience obtaining negotiated agreements from Brand Owners or Rights Owners to remove these complaints.