Think Amazon Account suspension is only for illicit sellers? Think again.Amazon sellers go through various rough patches to establish their brand. Putting up with the cut-throat competition and getting sales going isn't easy. Getting their account suspended or banned is one of the biggest nightmares for any seller as it is a tiring process to go through account reinstation.With the increase in the number of seller account suspensions, everybody wants to know why and how to protect the seller account.Why Amazon removes the selling privileges?

1. Selling Inauthentic Items

Reports say that 50% of account suspension in 2017 was due to selling counterfeit products. Although Amazon has tight scrutiny to check for fakes, there has been a lot of counterfeit problems reported off late by buyers and in order to maintain the best service, Amazon has to ward off bad actors. Poor Customer Service ScoreAmazon has raised its performance target score for sellers and has developed zero tolerance when it comes to maintaining customer experience.

• Order defect rate: Number of negative feedback <1%
• Pre-fulfilment cancel rate: <2.5%
• Delayed Shipment Rate: <4%

 

3. Disobeying Amazon Selling Policies

The sellers should take Amazon’s Terms of Service as a Bible and read it over and over till they are sure that they are on par with the guidelines. For example, listing any items on the restricted product page without special permission can end in getting your account suspended. 

4. Conflict in the IP Address or Faking the Identity

This is one of the most common reasons for account suspension. Amazon prohibits two sellers sharing the same network and operating under the same IP address. It is a violation of the Participation Agreement and both the accounts may get suspended.Also, as per Amazon’s TOS, only one seller account is allowed per company profile and per bank account. Trying to manipulate any of the above may lead to permanent expulsion. 

5. Feedback/ Review Manipulation

Although this has been kept hush-hush, it is pretty evident that there are still many sellers who buy out positive reviews in exchange of product or PayPal refund. There are many social networking groups that actively work towards helping sellers earn these fake positives reviews.Amazon had recently suspended a lot of sellers who indulged in review manipulation. In fact, sellers are sued and have to face a lawsuit. What You Need to Watch for?

• Watch your listings closely for hijackers.
• Take your seller metrics seriously. Maintain a good track record of shipping and be responsive to customer queries.
• Sell genuine products. Save all original invoices to prove against counterfeit claims if in case you are reported by a buyer.
• Respond to Amazon policy notification emails/ warnings about the item quality complaints promptly.
• Keep a watch on the notice warnings on ASINs and take necessary action.
• Never share your network space with another seller. Avoid logging into seller central from common networks like a cafe.
• Never buy reviews. Do not try to earn fake positive reviews by any means. And do not attempt to practice black hat methods on your competitor and give them a negative review. One report and you can be sued for life.

TakeawayAmazon is trying to make the marketplace more customer-friendly and sellers are under tight scrutiny. It is important for the sellers to be more vigilant in following rules and making sure that they don’t violate any policies knowingly or unknowingly. Once an Account is suspended, sellers can appeal with a detailed “Plan of Action” to get it reinstated.If you have an account that is suspended and need help with getting it reinstated, reach out to us to get professional help and we shall help you draft a winning action plan.