Sometimes in our lives as an Amazon seller, we get to have the unfortunate experience of getting our Amazon account suspended. Now, what do you think should you do? Before you panic or do just about anything, contemplate clearly on your next move and try to read guidelines such as this one.
Sellers who panic often make mistakes, which lowers even more their chances of getting their Amazon accounts back on fast. Reinstating your account is a process, so don’t rush it. Below are some of the essential do’s and don’ts when faced with the difficult experience of Amazon account suspension.
DO’S (When Suspended)
1. Stay Calm
You might already know this, but it’s important to keep in your head that suspended accounts can be reinstated. It’s not the end of the world for you. All you’ve got to do is draft an appeal plan and have your resources ready to appease your affected customers.
Most of the time, before your account is even reinstated, you need to make several significant changes in your business and the way you do business dealings. This action, plus many others, would eventually reinstate your account and boost your business.
2. Be Professional
Once your account is suspended, the first step to take is to consult with your Seller Care. After that, several tweakings would happen to your business, such as seller account logistics, inventory, and sourcing before the appeal is prepared.
In processing the reinstatement of your account, you will deal with several persons and even Autobots. Through all these dealings, you have to be utterly professional. If they’re rude to you, just keep going. Take care of your report against them once your Amazon account is reinstated.
3. Identify Specific Improvements
In your appeal letter, specify the following improvements comprehensively. The improvements you’ll make in your business mostly pertain to the red flags your business account had in your Performance Health.
In your attempt to improve your business, try to draft out an effective plan, and execute them well. This way, the processing of your account reinstatement will be smooth.
4. Create A Plan of Action
Upon learning that your account got suspended, before drafting your plan of action, try to understand the problem that got your account suspended in the first place. The problems would usually notify you through notices and warnings attached to your account. If you happen to not understand them and don’t know how to address them, try to look into similar cases in some Amazon Seller Groups.
Finally, once you have a good grasp of the situation at hand, draft an effective plan of action. The plan of action varies. Sometimes, Amazon would request your latest transaction invoice, receipts, and more. A plan of action is also associated with an appeal letter that you send through an appeal button on your account.
If you’re not confident in drafting a professional “Plan of Action,” you can hire somebody or an agency that specializes in drafting one.
5. Make Changes to Prevent Future Suspensions
The best way to go is always prevention. Learn before learning from your own mistakes. It’s better that way. You save time from dealing with suspensions. Rather, you can allot that effort in boosting your sales.
To avoid the risk of getting your account suspended, always monitor your account’s health page. Be proactive in addressing the points where you’re lacking. To get a professional opinion, Seller Care can provide you with Risk Assessment Services and Suspension Prevention Services.
If your account has red flags such as notices and warnings, address them immediately. Address the notices by providing solutions and notating them to your Seller Performance account. The notations you made will prevent the suspension of your account or will at least fasten the reinstatement of your account.
DON’TS (When Suspended)
1. DON’T Rush to Submit Your First Appeal
As I’ve mentioned before, reinstating your account is a process. Don’t submit your appeal letter right away, especially if you’re new to this. Don’t waste that appeal button just to send a mediocre plan of action.
It’s rare for Amazon to reinstate an account right after you sent your first appeal letter. Unless what got you suspended in the first place is a minor violation, your appeal to them could take weeks and some months. The back and forth letter correspondence is to be expected with Seller Performance.
Did you know that the Seller Performance suspends thousands of Amazon accounts daily? Seller Performance investigators only need a few minutes to view appeal letters because of the volume of appeal letters that they deal with every day. This is why it’s important to craft the most effective appeal letter, so you get a higher chance of reinstating your account fast.
2. DON’T Open A New Account
Many sellers think that upon getting their accounts suspended, they can just easily open a new account. To do this, sellers often use different usernames and bank accounts to avoid detection. Some dual accounts get detected, and if they do get detected, you’re in trouble. Your action could damage your appeal process and delay your reinstatement. Worse, Amazon might decide not to reinstate your Amazon account at all.
Keep in mind that there are ways to which Amazon could detect your second account. Amazon has ways to link seller accounts to their original accounts. Focus on preparing the most effective plan of action for you and don’t risk creating a new Amazon account.
3. DON’T Send Multiple Letters After Submitting First Appeal
After sending your first appeal letter to Amazon, wait for a week before submitting another letter. What’s best to do, though, is patiently wait for their reply. If your fuse is up, you can submit a letter for follow up.
Usually, Amazon has a “12-24 hour” response time; however, due to the large volumes of appeal letters daily, the “12-24 hour” isn’t usually followed. To add to your anxiety, sometimes, Amazon doesn’t reply that they’ve received your letter. The anxiety associated with Amazon not providing a received receipt sometimes triggers senders to send multiple messages. This is not a smart move, though, because it could further delay your account reinstatement.
4. DON’T Modify or Fabricate Invoices
Sellers are learning quickly that Amazon is sensitive about obtaining inventory from unauthorized sources. To try to be away from the prying eyes of Amazon, some sellers would modify invoices to make them what Amazon is asking for. This is especially rampant on suspension issues regarding authenticity.
To sort of authenticate the invoice, some sellers would use a receipt or purchase order. There’s a slim chance that this would work, but for the love of your business, don’t risk your credibility and pride by manipulating official documents. Most of these tactics don’t work, too, so don’t take your chances. A slight malicious manipulation of invoices, receipts, purchase orders, and official documents could further delay your Amazon account reinstatement.
Amazon inspectors deal with thousands of requests and appeals daily. Don’t underestimate them. They know every nook and cranny regarding manipulated documents. If you’re spotted manipulating a document, you could be charged (this is not a criminal charge) with a violation called “forged and manipulated.”
A “forged and manipulated” violation is difficult to resolve. Therefore, make sure your inventory from any retail store or company is authentic. Submit the original proof of purchase to Seller Performance.
Any unique business processes that you exercise should be noted by your Seller Performance right away.
5. DON’T Be Rude to Seller Performance or Threaten Amazon with Legal Action
It’s understandable to be upset when your account gets suspended. However, it’s not understandable to be rude to the person you’re talking to and even more if you threaten them with legal action. Agents in the Seller Performance are not Autobots. They’re humans. Being rude to them won’t do you any good, if anything, it could lessen your chances of getting your reinstatement done.
If ever your hot head gets the best of you in these situations, in your letters, try to sound apologetic. It’s important to know that suspensions are part of the precautionary measures that Amazon takes to keep their customers and their credibility as a giant online merchant.
