Deciphering the Amazon Suspension Codes

What Exactly Is an Amazon Suspension?

To put it simply, an Amazon seller suspension is a warning card Amazon gives sellers whom it thinks are not complying with the house rules. It can sometimes be a yellow card where you are let go with a friendly (but severe) warning, and it can at other times be a red card which boots you off Amazon and has your name written in a blacklist. And erasing your name off that list can be a very tricky process.

Suspensions, at their core, are reactions to actions which sellers take, or better to say, should not be taking. They can hit anyone and any time, for a number of reasons which we will go through in a moment. They are Amazon’s way of saying “Hey, you! You messed up. Apologize now and clean up this mess.”

It sounds a bit harsh when you put it that way, but that’s basically the gist of it. One wrong move on Amazon, and you set off a chain reaction of efforts at reinstating amazon seller accounts and Amazon seller account appeals.

Can All Sellers Be Suspended?

Absolutely. Like we said earlier, anyone can get hit with Amazon seller suspensions. Doesn’t matter if you’re big or small. Amazon’s algorithm, A9, is largely responsible for having sellers suspended, and its reasoning is different than that of a human being. It doesn’t care about how expanded your business is. All it sees is sellers crossing the predetermined red line and BAM! Amazon seller suspension served on a silver platter. This is exactly why Amazon offers round-the-clock customer support. These are actual people who can be reasoned with in cases where sellers are suspended either due to missing information, or an unknowingly wrong move which A9 previously considered to be hostile.

How Scary Are Suspensions?

They’re not scary when you have all the information needed to have your account back. They’re scary at first, though. No one likes receiving an email which says that their account has been suspended and their funds are being held. It’s the online equivalent of a humorous friend suddenly slipping in some ice cubes under your shirt from behind as a joke. Except that Amazon seller suspensions are not jokes and can lead to bad consequences if not properly taken care of. But that’s OK because Got Suspended Clients has your back! We’re that other friend who secretly signals to you that you’re about to be part of a prank.

How Do You Get Suspended on Amazon?

There are a wide variety of reasons for Amazon seller accounts suspended on the platform. You can find detailed information on all of these on the blog section of our website, but we’re going to list them here very briefly:

• Information mismatch: These suspensions happen because you probably submitted the wrong information on Amazon’s Seller Central, which is essentially your command center. What can be considered as “wrong” information? Well, all the documentation has to include the same name and address, along with phone numbers. If anything is different, Amazon will have you suspended.
• Selling products which you should not be selling: Anything you do on Amazon has to be authorized. Not just by Amazon, but also by the brands whose products you’re selling on Amazon. If you don’t have authorization to sell and you list products on Amazon, you will be suspended. The same goes for when you sell products that are on Amazon’s blacklist. You can find a detailed list on our website, and stuff gets added every day! So, try to keep pace.
• Being lazy: Yep, we said it! Amazon is a very customer-oriented business and customers tend to have a lot of questions and many of them are vocal about the products they purchase. They will leave comments and reviews, and ask questions. If you are lazy as a seller, you will be hit with ODR (read our detailed ODR blog) and a suspension will fall on your account.
• Helping pirates: Some sellers do this unknowingly. Counterfeits are basically fake items, such as items that have been copied from another brand, without authorization. You may not know that you’re selling fake items, but Amazon definitely does! So, make sure whatever you sell is legitimate.
• Unhealthy competition: Unhealthy competitors lead to unhealthy competition. Simple as that. Amazon, with its millions of sellers, is a representation of society. This means there are people among its sellers who like seeing competition burn. They will leave negative reviews on purpose, and rate products as low as possible just to have their competition suspended. No worries, we know how to deal with them!
• Being inconsiderate: It’s fairly obvious that people favor honest business owners. Amazon is no different. If it catches sellers taking advantage of crisis (like COVID-19) and raising prices, they will have those Amazon seller accounts suspended, with a big fat “Fair Pricing Policy” violation to boot.
• Guilty by Association: If you open an Amazon account and it gets linked to a previously suspended account, you will be guilty by association and have your selling privileges removed before you even start operating on the platform. We’re not going in detail on this one, because it’s an entire blog of its own.
• Verification issues: We see this quite a lot, especially with newer accounts. While the initial email can be a bit frightening, there’s no need to worry. All Amazon wants to do is make sure that you are who you say you are. As long as the documents are set, you’re good to go.

These are just some of the suspensions you may come across with. We’re adding more to the list on a day-to-day basis because Amazon is changing and we are always toe-to-toe with the updates.

How Do I Reinstate My Amazon Seller Account?

Amazon seller suspensions are usually reinstating using Amazon seller account appeals, letters written to acknowledge the mistakes which were made, as well as proving to Amazon that the seller has done everything in his or her power to change, adapting better to Amazon’s policies. But appeals aren’t just random letters and a “sorry-not-sorry” statement will not work. Amazon wants real actions taken on part of the sellers and sincere actions at that.

OK, How Do I Write One?

Lucky for you, writing bulletproof appeals is exactly what Got Suspended Clients does. Our team of professionals can help reinstate seller accounts that have been suspended for a variety of reasons. Of course, you can also send appeals on your own, but we advise you to consult with us first, as we might catch something that you probably missed. Trust us, this is what we are professionals at!

Where Do the Appeals Go?

To a galaxy far, far away! All jokes aside, Amazon will usually be nice enough to tell you where to direct your appeal. But there are still tricks of the trade to this which Got Suspended Clients has up its sleeve. These will make sure the appeals you send are received by Amazon, and not only that, they are addressed.

Thanks for sticking around with us! We have a lot more information available for you which will expand your knowledge of how Amazon suspensions work, why and when they happen, and you can either dodge them or send them packing with our help at Got Suspended Clients!