Amazon is understandably stringent with their regulations. They are responsible for the shopping experience of over 2 billion monthly site visitors and hundreds of thousands of sellers.
That is why account suspensions are commonplace. Amazon must have a reason to believe that you are not strictly following rules or maintaining the standard of selling procedures hence the removal of your selling privileges.
This can be reversed, of course, so you must understand the why of it so you can proceed with rectifying the situation.
Why is an account suspended?
An account is suspended for the following reasons:
Poor performance
Performance on Amazon is measured with three metrics:
- Order defect rate (ODR) which should be less than 1%
- Pre-fulfillment cancellation rate which should be less than 2.5%
- Late shipment rate which should be less than 4%
Direct violation of Amazon’s policies
Amazon suspends you for a violation of their policies or their derivatives. Some of the policies that are commonly violated are:
- selling of restricted products
- selling of used products as new
- selling of products that are not as described in the listing
- selling of inauthentic products
- intellectual property complaints
- linked accounts (multiple accounts)
- product review manipulation
- business identity fraud
Duration of suspension: how long does it last?
Amazon has the final say in what can lead to a suspension and how long it can last.
This is why there’s no fixed period for suspensions. It can span from a few days to several months. Why is this the case?
Something or things are missing in your appeal
Amazon gives a seller 17 days from the day of suspension to submit an appeal. They usually respond to appeals 24-48 hours after submission, but it depends on the time of year and type of suspension. You can receive quick dismissals or requests for unspecified “greater details” in your appeal, but you can also be stuck for days waiting for their feedback.
Some sellers take longer than they should to get a feedback or reinstated because of hasty appeals sent repeatedly with barely an improvement in their plan of action. Amazon will not explain what exactly it is you are missing; it’s a mystery shrouded by templated replies from their end.
They key here is perseverance paired with meticulousness.
Previous account issues are accounted for by the suspension team
Suspensions last longer when you have been flagged or suspended before, especially if it’s for the same reason. It is because it shows lack of commitment on your part to uphold your plan of action.
Can the suspension be reversed?
Yes, but it can be very challenging to achieve. There is no contact number to call for appeals and account suspensions, so sellers just cross their fingers and hope for their appeals to be considered.
Learn more about amazon suspension and how Appeal Assassins Can help you with it.
What usually works when writing an appeal is when you express:
- accountability and recognition of the harm done to the customer.
- Commitment in providing stellar customer service after acknowledging that selling on Amazon is a privilege
- Understanding of the suspension without criticizing the process
Is it possible to open a second account if the suspended one is hopeless?
Yes, but Amazon will make it extremely difficult for you to do so. Multiple accounts with the same business information are not allowed (or allowed under the rarest exemptions), so it’s going to be an uphill battle setting it up.
Is it possible to reinstate an account that was suspended long ago?
This situation is called a “cold” suspension and yes, it is possible. There had been cases of yearlong suspensions being reversed, but it might be a stretch if Amazon has already shipped your inventory back to you.