When your Amazon account or your listings is suspended, it hurts your business tremendously. Every minute your products are unavailable to buyers, you lose customers and sales, and therefore a lot of money.
A professional Amazon suspension appeal service can help you get reinstated quickly and keep the (financial) damage caused by the suspension as minimal as possible.
If your Amazon seller account was suspended or if you want to avoid it will happen, this blog post is for you! We will explain the most common reasons for a suspension, show you how you should (and should not) handle a suspension and what to be aware of when hiring an Amazon suspension appeal service.
- Why Did My Amazon Account Get Suspended? Top 10 Reasons
- 7 Essential Tips For Handling A Product or Account Suspension
- How To Write an Appeal And Plan of Action (+ PoA Template & Example)
- How Long Does It Take to Get Reinstated?
- What Is An Appeal Service And How Can They Help You Get Reinstated?
- How Much Does an Amazon Appeal Service Cost And Is It Really Worth It?
- Conclusion: Hire an Appeal Service to Get Reinstaded Faster
Why Did My Amazon Account Get Suspended? Top 10 Reasons
Listing and account suspensions are definitely one of the biggest threats to Amazon sellers and vendors. Especially if Amazon is your only income stream, a suspension can really break your neck.
In the worst case, your whole business can go down. Every second you’re suspended, you miss out on sales and revenue.
So in order to avoid getting in this situation, it’s good to know the main reasons for Amazon suspensions.
- Product Authenticity Complaints – If your listing frequently gets product authenticity complaints, Amazon will accuse you of selling knock-offs. Your listing will likely be suspended until the situation has cleared.
- Negative Reviews – With too many negative product reviews, your listing will be suspended, with bad reviews regarding your performance as a merchant (shipping, customer service, etc.) even your whole account is at risk. If your products are badly rated on a regular basis, your account can also be suspended. You can even get (temporarily) suspended without doing anything wrong if competitors play dirty and bombard your listings with bad reviews. So try to keep your score high and delete negative reviews if possible!
- Intellectual Property Complaints – If you’re using registered trademarks without the creator’s permission, you can get suspended for intellectual property infringement. The same applies if you’re accused of using images or product texts that were created by someone else without having permission.
- Having More than One Seller Account – Many sellers don’t know this, but having more than one seller account is violating Amazon’s guidelines. And as with any other guideline violation, Amazon can (and probably will) suspend you for that.
- IP Address Conflicts – Another “rookie” mistake that gets many sellers suspended is having two seller accounts that belong to the same IP address. So in case you and your partner both want to sell under your own accounts on Amazon, make sure that you are not using the same network, otherwise you run the risk of both accounts being suspended.
- Changing Your Bank Details – A simple change in your bank details is one of the most common reasons for a suspension as Amazon may classify such a change as suspicious activity. To prevent fraud or other criminal activities, account are often suspended as a precaution. If thats the reason for your suspension it’s relatively easy to get reinstated but depending on how quickly the support team can review your case, the consequences of the suspension can be severe anyway.
- Unauthorized (Re-)Distribution Of Products – Many brands carefully select their resellers and don’t want other third parties to sell their products. If a brand whose products you distribute claims that you are doing so without their permission, your listings will be suspended from Amazon as a precaution until you can provide evidence that such permission has been granted.
- Getting Attacked By a Hacker – If you get hacked, you not only run the risk of losing money, but also of having your account suspended. Similar to changing your banking information, Amazon considers it suspicious activity if all of your money is suddenly transferred or if there is unusual login activity.
- Law Compliance Issues – Amazon needs to ensure that local laws are followed by all sellers selling on its platform, as in some cases they will be held accountable instead. If you violate local laws, Amazon will suspend your listings or even your account. Check our Amazon Expansion Guide especially if you are selling on foreign marketplaces!
- Selling Prohibited Goods – Selling what is forbidden by law is of course also forbidden on Amazon. This includes drugs and weapons. A prominent case was the sale of CBD products in the USA. Many people started selling all kinds of CBD products on Amazon when the legal situation was not clear yet, so Amazon suspended all listings that contained CBD and released very clear listing guidelines for selling CBD and hemp oil products on Amazon.
7 Essential Tips For Handling a Suspension
Getting suspended on Amazon is certainly a big shock. However, if you ever end up in this situation, don’t rush anything but stick to the following tips:
1. Don’t Panic – Swallow your pride and resist the urge to respond to the suspension notification immediately. An impulsive response will only make the situation worse. Repeatedly contacting Seller Support without thinking through what you’re saying minimizes your chances of getting reinstated. They only spend a short time (sometimes not more than 1 minute) reviewing an appeal, so it’s got to be perfect to even stand a chance.
2. Stay Professional – A suspension can be frustrating, especially if it is unjustified. However, it is important to remain professional and not act out of emotion. If you insult the Seller Support, complain about the slow processes, or criticize that the overall situation is unfair, your chances of getting your account or listings back will drastically decline.
3. Prepare Important Documents – Don’t waste valuable time, but instead take immediate action to gather documents that may be relevant to your suspension appeal. For instance, if you have been suspended for unauthorized reselling, compile evidence that proves you are allowed to sell these products. If your products have been suspended for containing harmful ingredients, gather documents such as lab tests or test reports that prove otherwise.
4. Be Honest With Amazon – Do not try to fool Amazon. Do not falsify any documents such as invoices, emails or other receipts. If the Seller Support Team finds out that you have fabricated or modified documents, they will most definitely extend your suspension and make it even harder for you to appeal it.
5. Write An Convincing Appeal Letter & POA – Your appeal letter and your plan of action make or break your chances of getting your account or listings back, so it has to be perfect. In the next section we will explain exactly how to write a convincing appeal.
6. If It’s Urgent, Hire A Suspension Service – Thanks to their extensive experience and their connections to Amazon, a Amazon suspension services can get your suspension lifted much faster. They know exactly what Amazon wants to hear in this situation and will write the appeal and plan of action for you.
7. Perform an Account Health Check – To prevent future suspensions, you should immediately identify any other potential reasons for a suspension in your account or listings. You can either do this yourself or, even better, ask your suspension expert to do it for you.
Important NoteDon't Open A New Amazon Account
No matter what you do, do not open a second seller account. As explained before, having more than one seller account is one of the main reasons for an Amazon suspension.
How to Write an Amazon Appeal Letter & Plan of Action After an Amazon Suspension
We strongly recommend hiring a professional Amazon suspension appeal service. The chances of getting your suspension waived increase a lot thanks to their experience and connections to Amazon. In addition, a suspension expert usually only needs a fraction of the time you need for your reinstatement.
But of course you can also write an appeal letter on your own. When doing so, keep in mind that the Amazon performance team employee doesn’t want to read a novel. They don’t care if you think the suspension is justified or how much you love selling on Amazon.
They only have a short amount of time to review a suspension case, so they need to be able to quickly process all the important information regarding your suspension. Therefore it makes sense to use bullet points in order to ensure that the appeal letter is as easy to read as possible.
What Does a Compelling Suspension Appeal Letter Consist of And What Do You Need to Keep in Mind?
Before you start writing your appeal letter, you must first get to the bottom of the reason you were suspended, as this is what the entire appeal and your Plan Of Action will be built on.
Amazon usually does not suspend anyone without giving reasons, even if they are not always very specific. Sometimes you have to read between the lines to discover what caused your suspension. Once you’ve identified the reason, you can start writing your appeal letter.
- Brief Introduction – Thank Amazon for the opportunity to appeal your suspension.
- Explain Your Situation – Explain what the issue is and what exactly went wrong.
- Explain What You Have Already Done to Solve the Issue – Once you’ve identified the reason for your suspension, you should think about what led to it and take immediate action to resolve the issue right away. For example, if several customers have complained about your product, offer them appropriate compensation immediately. Then explain in your appeal letter which measures you have already taken to fix the issue.
- Explain Your Plan of Action – In addition, explain what you will do to prevent the issue from recurring in the future. Simply saying that such violations will never happen again is not enough. Amazon wants to see that you’ve actually thoroughly analyzed the problem and wants to hear hard facts about how you plan to prevent such a scenario in the future. This is what constitutes your Plan of Action. If you were suspended for poor product quality, then think about why the quality is too poor and whether it makes sense to look for a new supplier. If the reason is frequent delays in delivery, then think about a better fulfillment system or consider switching to FBA. If you can present convincing measures, then there is nothing standing in the way of your reinstatement. In the next section, we will provide a template for your Plan of Action.
- Polite Ending – In the end, thank the Seller Performance Team for taking the time to review your appeal.
Important Note The Scope Of Your Action Plan
The depth of your action plan depends on the reason for your suspension. The more severe your violation was, the more detailed and extensive your Plan Of Action should be.
Amazon Plan of Action Template: Increase Your Chances to Succeed With Your Appeal
A Plan of Action (PoA) should be the main part of any suspension appeal. The POA describes how you plan to prevent the mistake you made in the future. Find a template and a real life example of a PoA below!
“Dear Amazon (Country) Seller Performance Team,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to appeal the suspension of (my seller account/product listing with ASIN XXXX) due to (reason for suspension).
I understand that Amazon is very concerned about (product quality, customer expierence, consumer safety..), which is why I would like to share my plan of action with you that addresses this issue.
What went wrong:
- Describe what happened
- Describe why it happened
- Add additional information if needed
What I have done to resolve the issue:
- Describe at least 3 things you’ve done already to resolve the issue
- Include something that shows that customer satisfaction is your no. 1 priority
What I will do to prevent similar issues in the future:
- Describe at least 2 measures you will take to prevent similar issues in the future
- Make sure the measures make sense for preventing such an issue
I am confident that these actions will fully resolve the issues that the Seller Performance Team has noted in regard to my suspension. Please contact me if you have any further questions or concerns.
Thank you for taking the time to review my appeal and I look forward to continuing selling on Amazon.
Sincerely,
(Your Name & Account Name)”
As already mentioned, you should keep your sentences as concise and easy to read as possible.
Appeal Letter Amazon: Plan of Action Appeal Example
To help you get an idea of what a suspension appeal looks like in real life we have prepared a real Plan of Action example:
“Dear Amazon USA Seller Performance Team,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to appeal the suspension of my seller account due to my order defect rate exceeding the 1% mark.
I understand that Amazon is very concerned about providing its users with an outstanding customer experience, which is why I would like to share my plan of action with you that addresses this issue.
What went wrong:
- In the last six months, I have received several complaints from customers about non-receipt of their orders or severely delayed deliveries in the form of A-Z claims and negative reviews which caused my order defect rate to reach 2,56% (2 out of 78 orders).
- I failed to hire a reliable and timely shipping carrier to fulfill the orders.
- In addition, this forwarder did not have adequate software that would have allowed me to track the shipment statuses and thus recognize early on that the shipping times cannot be met.
What I have done to resolve the issue:
- All remaining orders were shipped immediately and customers who did not receive their order received either a full refund or a replacement.
- All messages from dissatisfied customers were answered quickly and professionally. I apologized for any inconvenience we have caused.
- I have contacted and apologized to all affected customers who left a negative review to resolve the issue as smoothly as possible and to their full satisfaction.
- I have switched my shipping provider from ABC Logistics to XYZ Logistics. XYZ Logistics allows me to track every single shipment in real-time, so that non-receipt or late delivery complaints are prevented in the future.
What I will do to prevent similar issues in the future:
- I have hired an employee who from now on will exclusively be in charge of monitoring all shipments.
- The handling time will be increased from 3 to 4 days to allow for unforeseen events that may delay shipment and still allow for delivery within the anticipated shipment date.
- In the future, customers will receive a shipping confirmation email with an individual tracking number with which they can track the status of their shipment at any time.
(…)
Important Note Loose Lips Sink Ships!
Don't address any issues that Amazon didn't bring up in the context of your suspension. You don't want to shine a light on violations that Amazon didn't even discover.
How Long Does It Take to Get Reinstated?
How long it takes to get you reinstated depends on several factors, such as
- How many times you have been suspended in the past
- How severe your guideline violation was
- How good your appeal letter and PoA are
- If there’s someone “on the inside” that will help you
Obviously, the longer you’re suspended, the worse the consequences of your suspension because you miss out on a lot of sales.
Trust your suspension expertBe Patient
Don’t send thousands of status requests to Amazon. The more you annoy them, the smaller your chances of getting reinstated.
What Is an Amazon Appeal Service And how Can They Help You Get Reinstated Quickly?
In case you want to go safe and make the whole process a lot faster, we highly recommend hiring an Amazon appeal service. That’s a person or company that helps you get your product listing or account reinstated after it has been suspended by Amazon.
Experienced Amazon appeal service companies have well-established relationships with people on “the inside”, i.e. people working for Amazon.
But what kind of services do they offer exactly?
- Analyzing the Reason for Your Suspension – Amazon is often not really clear about why you were suspended. You get a notification that informs you about your suspension but unfortunately, their emails are often very vague.
An Amazon reinstatement service knows the key phrases and statements made by Amazon and can quickly find out why your listing/account was suspended. If any ASINs were specifically named in the notification mail, they will check the products’ sales history and feedback.
- Writing an Appeal Letter & Plan of Action – The first thing your Amazon appeal service will do is write an appeal letter. Amazon wants you to acknowledge what you’ve done wrong and wants to see that you have a plan in place on how to prevent that from happening in the future. The Amazon suspension experts will know exactly how to find the right words.
- Suspension Prevention – Amazon appeal services not only help you fix your current suspension but also advise you on how to prevent suspensions in the future. After all, if you get reinstated but don’t change anything about your behavior, there’s a great chance you’ll be suspended again.
What Makes a Good Amazon Reinstatement Service?
- Experience – Obviously, the more experience your suspension expert has, the better they will be able to understand your situation. Of course, any situation is unique and different circumstances come into play, but if the appeal service is already familiar with a similar situation it sure helps.
- Fast Turn-Around Time – Especially when it comes to suspensions, time is money. Therefore it is important that the amazon appeal service works fast.
No Guarantees – No reputable, trustworthy suspension appeal agency makes utopian promises or gives 100% guarantees. No one can give you a guarantee that your listing or account will be reinstated.
Track Record – A good suspension service provider has happy customers.That is why another quality feature is a good track record.
Legal Team – The fact that an appeal service has legal advisors or Ecommerce lawyers in its team is another quality feature. Especially when it comes to trademark or copyright issues, it is obviously a great advantage to be able to consult proper legal experts. If the appeal service does not employ its own lawyers, they should at least have lawyers in their network with whom they can work with if necessary.
How Much Does an Amazon Appeal Service Cost And Is It Really Worth It?
The prices for a professional Amazon appeal service usually range between $300 and $800, depending on the scope of services as well as the location and experience of the reinstatement company.
There are different pricing models that are commonly used. Some charge a flat fee, regardless of the reinstatement success and some only charge a fee if your listing/account gets reinstated successfully. However, those companies are obviously extremely selective about their clients.
There are also companies that mix those pricing models. This means that you pay a part of the fee in advance – let’s say 50% – and the remaining amount only if the appeal was successful.
In case you want to argue that you’d rather save that money by not using a professional Amazon appeal service and trying to get reinstated yourself, here is why it’s worth it to hire a professional service:
You probably have about 0 experience with writing successful appeal letters or PoAs. Thus, it may take you much longer to get reinstated than it would with a suspension expert – if you even get reinstated at all.
Conclusion: Get Reinstated Faster & Prevent Future Suspension By Hiring An Expert
There are dozens of reasons why your account can be banned or your listings can be suspended on Amazon. Suspensions seriously hurt your business and every second you can’t access your account, you are losing money.
An Amazon Appeal service is definitely a worthwhile investment in case of a suspension. Thanks to their experience, good contacts with Amazon seller support and knowledge of what works well in an appeal letter and plan of action, you will be reinstated as quickly as possible.
You can find suspension experts from all over the world in our directory. You’ll find all the information you need at a glance – or let us find the right expert for you!
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