How to sell on Amazon in 2022 and don’t die

For an Amazon seller, it could be quite difficult to get oriented in the vast sea of Amazon Terms, Conditions, and Policies, yet their fulfillment is essential to the success of the whole Amazon seller business enterprise. The ultimate “nightmare” of every seller is that their seller account would be suspended (and ultimately blocked); that would mean that their business would not be operable until the issue is rectified. So let us provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to sell on Amazon in 2022 and don’t die.

The first step that any Amazon seller always must take is to make sure that he/she provides the service as a third-party (professional) seller in the correct way, then we would concentrate on the ultimate damage control – what to do when you get your account suspension.

Here are some important tips for your successful Amazon business career.

Let’s start

As we mentioned above, it is important to cover the issue step by step and start with the basics of “survival” at Amazon:

1. What should you know before setting up the seller account on Amazon?
2. 7 more or less surprising ways how your account can be suspended and what does it mean.
3. The Amazon seller account survival guide (avoid the suspension!).
4. Different types of Amazon account suspension.
5. The worst nightmare – blocked Amazon seller account and what does it mean.

1 What should you know before setting up the seller account on Amazon?

Owner of Amazon and formed CEO, Jeff Bezos, once said

“The most important single thing is to focus obsessively on the customer. Our goal is to be earth’s most customer-centric company.”

[underlined by us]

When you see this Amazon approach to customers, you can deduce what their standards on the third-party sellers are and that they might be very high; and it is true. If you want to be an Amazon (professional) seller and survive in the jungle of estimated 1.800.000 billion sellers, then you have to consider all the important aspects including:

What is your product; is it “good enough” to be sold on Amazon?

There are better and there are worse products to sell on Amazon. It will definitely help if your product is of good quality (Order Defect Rate may influence if your account gets suspended or not!), you can sell at least 10 items of it per day, it is lightweight (for shipping), it is sold consistently throughout the year (it is not seasonal), and so many more … We are being quite brief here, but we would cover the topic in some of our future articles.

Are you capable of writing a comprehensive and foolproof listing?

There are some quite strict conditions on how to write an item listing. It is the Amazon Terms of Service that covers the topic. The Terms of Service can change regularly, as recently, Amazon added some new conditions for the listings.

For example, Amazon under its “Policies for writing listings“ instructs the Amazon sellers not to include in any circumstances in their listing:

• Pornographic, obscene, or offensive content.
• Phone numbers, addresses, e-mail addresses, or website URLs.
• Details of availability, price, or condition.
• Capital Letters are only for the beginning of each word.
• Links to other websites.
• Spoilers, Reviews, quotes, or testimonials.
• Requests for positive customer reviews.
• Time-sensitive information, such as dates of tours, seminars, or lectures.

It is necessary to add, that those rules apply to any page titles, descriptions, bullet points, or images related to the listing.

In order not to get an Amazon account suspension you should avoid breaking any of the Amazon rules. Therefore, we recommend that you do not sell any items that Amazon may prohibit (and that are unsafe, used, and /or don’t match the description).

Is your shipping method customer-oriented?

Customers hate high prices for shipping! You should always consider to which countries and at what conditions you can ship the product; if you need you can always use the “Fulfilment by Amazon”, where Amazon handles the shipping and returns of your items (of course for a fee).

Late shipping (especially Late Shipment Rate), or limited countries you ship your items to, can influence your sales and customer satisfaction (and ultimately your seller account performance).

Can you provide your goods on time and in the highest quality possible?

It is essential that you don’t have a product shortage and that your reaction time is quick enough. Since Amazon would not let you “keep” your account if there are repeated problems with product availability and quality. High Pre-Fulfilment Cancellation Rate or “CRL” (means when a seller cancels the order) is a reason to suspend the account.

Would you be able to maintain a stable and trustworthy relationship with your customers on Amazon?

The customer is the “apple of Amazon’s eye”, so great customer service is an absolute must. You should be capable of reacting to the complaints (including possible and much more welcomed customer praises) quickly and with a good attitude. We would also recommend that you do not buy any reviews and/or feedback as Amazon could suspend your account for such an activity. Amazon’s Anti-Manipulation Policy for Customer Reviews states “If we determine that you have attempted to manipulate reviews or violated our guidelines in any other manner, we may immediately suspend or terminate your Amazon privileges, remove reviews, and delist related products. In addition, if we determine that an Amazon account has been used to engage in review manipulation, remittances and payments may be withheld or forfeited.” [underlined by us]

Honest and real customer reviews are of the essence.

The list could go on and on, however, it is better to have the answers before you take some steps to register to Amazon Seller Central and start your seller journey (we also recommend that you would diligently prepare for the Amazon fees, so you do not enter in a failed attempt to become a successful seller, you may find some guide to Amazon pricing here). You always have to have your essential documentation in order and with no discrepancies (addresses, name of the business, etc.). Thanks to this step, you would also minimize the possibility of a suspended (or even blocked!) seller account.

2 Seven more or less surprising ways how your account can be suspended and what does it mean.

There are might be different reasons for an account suspension, some more surprising than others. Let us give you a few examples that might help you navigate “the stormy sea of Amazon”.

1. The suspicious activity

Amazon tries to avoid situations where the seller or the customer is a subject of online hacking; the accounts contain personal data (including credit card data) and it could be quite sensitive if the information would be compromised in any way. To prevent that Amazon has a variety of anti-fraudulent algorithms.

Amazon can consider any activity as suspicious, for example:

• Suspiciously high sales with a new seller account.
• The contact information aligned with the account is false or incomplete.

The message could be as follows:

Hello,

We believe that an unauthorized party may have accessed your account. To protect your information, we have:

• Disabled the password to your account.
• Reversed any modifications made by this party.
• Canceled any pending orders.

We recommend you review all recent activity on your payment methods and report any unauthorized charges to your financial institution.

Please allow 2 hours for these actions to take effect.

After 2 hours, you will be able to reset your password and regain access to your account. On the Sign In page, select “Forgot your password?” and follow the instructions. If you do not have a phone number in your account, we recommend adding it by clicking “Account Settings” on the Help page.

To prevent such a situation from happening, we recommend securing the account properly, you may follow this article.

2. Violating (even one) of Amazon´s (many) policies

This one is maybe not so surprising, yet it may be one of the biggest account suspension reasons. Amazon has many rules to follow and can be quite strict about it. As we mentioned above, one of the rules is for example that Amazon policy prohibits phone numbers in the listing (and product pictures). Selling any prohibited items, or “begging” for reviews (be aware, as simple as “Please leave a comment if satisfied” might be considered a breach) is a no-go.

If you breach such a policy, Amazon could suspend your account. The situation is much more paradoxical, because, as we mentioned in one of our previous articles – Amazon sometimes breaks these rules too.

Related article: If you want to find more about, how Amazon is breaking its own rules, click here.

3. Poor performance

One would argue that any seller might do the business his or her own way, yet it is not quite true when selling on Amazon. Of course, if your performance is poor due to hazardous products, unsatisfied customers, or late shipping, it might be a problem. However, the trouble might occur too when you simply have low sales volume.

Failing to meet Amazon´s performance targets is one of the reasons for your seller account suspension. As we mentioned above – Amazon is a very competitive place. It is crucial to check the performance metrics.

4. Triggering a “red flag” in the listing

Amazon has several algorithms that check the listing and its content. It makes sense, as Amazon wants to prevent the selling of the restricted items and at the same time cannot handle all the listings manually. If you are selling any potentially hazardous items, or products “for adults”, medical products, or for example if your product scry-rocket in sales suddenly – those could be the reasons behind a possible account suspension.

5. Unfair behavior to another seller

If Amazon detects any unfair “tactics” you make take towards another seller, Amazon might suspend your account. And what does “unfair” mean, you ask? For example,

if you would buy products of another seller and then return it to affect their rates;

or

if you would report your competitor for “misbehavior” that you manufactured;

or

if you use promo codes of another seller to your advantage in any way;

or

if you would buy your own products in order to boost-up your rates;

or

if you take advantage of low price for an identical product that you offer at another seller´s account and buy it in bulk to restock;

and many more.

6. Not having a GS1 barcode

Amazon requires you to have a GS1 barcode associated with your listing otherwise you can get the account suspension. You can buy your UPC code only through GS1.

7. Owning multiple seller accounts

Even though you are selling different types of goods you have to have only one seller account!

3 The Amazon seller account best practices (avoid the suspension!).

Above you learned what can get you in trouble with Amazon regarding your seller account. The possible problems are quite variable, and one could argue that caution is always crucial. So, what you should do to not get the account suspension? Besides some abovementioned topics (preparation to sell on Amazon, following the rules, avoiding the abovementioned behavior, etc.). You always should:

1. Use the metrics that Amazon offers properly

The Amazon Seller Central will provide you with some important metrics. Make sure, that you check them and improve them regularly. It is necessary, that you know what Amazon ROAS, ACoS, and TACoS metrics mean. To be in line with Amazon policy, you should always have:

• Negative feedback under 5 %.
• Order defect rate under 1 %.
• Pre-fulfillment cancel rate under 2.5 %.
• Late shipment rate under 4 %.

2. Beware of any warnings.

Amazon almost always sends a warning before suspending any account. You should constantly communicate with Amazon and with your customers in a professional way. If you receive any warning, you are supposed to act almost immediately!

3. Choose your products carefully

As we mentioned above, not all products are good to sell on Amazon as there are some particularities and success predictions associated with some types of products (see above). However even if you choose the right product, it may for some reason attract negative reviews. Consider those items as possibly harmful for your professional business account and try to remove or alter them for a better choice (i.e. less defective).

4. Be professional

Professionalism and proactivity are key in resolving (possible) suspension. Mature conflict resolution is a must. As we mentioned above, customer satisfaction is the alpha and omega of selling at Amazon, so you always should be polite to your customers as well as to Amazon personnel.

5. Have your documentation in order

You always have to have your documents ok, and by ok we mean that you can provide clear scans to Amazon at any time. Avoid any shadows on the scans or poor-quality pictures. Check for discrepancies regularly and prepare for busy periods upfront.

6. Use automated responses to address your customers

When your sales reach some level, it is not possible anymore to communicate with each of your customers individually. However, customers prefer to have quick and up-to-date info about their order status. Automated e-mail can help you avoid negative feedback. Proactivity toward customers is a key on Amazon.

7. Outsource

You cannot be an expert in every field, especially in such a competitive environment that Amazon is. Consider hiring an expert that will help you with areas where you grope, for example, legal area, taxation, or marketing-oriented product description.

8. Last but not least: Don’t breach the Terms of Service!

Breaching the Terms of Service is one of the most prominent reasons for the account suspension. You have to keep in mind that scanning through the rules before you register your seller account is not enough as these rules get updated regularly.

4 Different “types” of Amazon suspension

Here are different types of suspension that could occur. Each one has different consequences for you and your business and slightly (or more) different approaches to resolving the issue.

1. ASIN suspended

An Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) is a 10-character unique identifier for product recognition within Amazon; you can search for your ASIN statistics here. ASIN identifies your particular product type from another (imagine an ISBN associated with books).

For example, ASIN for a helmet mask holder is B09MG4SDJG and if your listing would violate Amazon policy, this individual ASIN could be suspended (yet it will remain in the Amazon database).

When only one ASIN gets suspended it is of course not ideal, yet the rest of your account remains still active and you may sell other items. However, If you do not resolve the situation or if the problem regards your other listings as well, there is a possibility for the whole account suspension.

2. Suspended account

Your whole account could be suspended if you act contrary to Amazon regulation (see above). What does it mean? You would not be able to sell your products on Amazon (all pending orders would be canceled) and you would not be able to withdraw any funds associated with your account. The income from your business on Amazon will stop and you can (and probably would) experience related revenue losses. Your account would remain partly accessible.

If your account would be suspended for some grave breach on your part and not reinstated (see below), you may lose the possibility to sell on Amazon whatsoever. Amazon seller account suspension can cost you thousands of dollars in lost revenue, much-needed time to handle the issue, and potential lawyer expenses.

Amazon has 17 days’ time period during which you may lodge your appeal and it is handled by Amazon´s Seller Performance Department. All the information you will get via email regarding the suspension.

The notice may look like this one, for example:

By appealing, it is not granted that you would get the access automatically, as Amazon will review your arguments and then would decide about the next steps.

Make sure you:

• Fully review the suspension case, so you know WHY your account was suspended in the first place.
• Think about what could be done to avoid this issue now and in the future.
• Take responsibility.
• Think about concrete steps.
• Be positive about Amazon, its services, its product, and its customers (avoid criticizing Amazon or Amazon customers in the process).
• Use laser-cut language to keep your appeal comprehensible and compact (bullet points might help).
• Don’t rush!

It always helps when you cooperate with Amazon professionally and fully review the reasons for account suspension before you lodge generic or in any way confusing appeal.

The best is to have a spotless “Plan of Action” (see below).

To reinstate the account could take from 1 day to a year. It always depends on many factors, such as the Amazon reaction period, quality of your appeal, the type of suspension, etc. Let´s maximize your chances by acknowledging the important abovementioned topics!

🡪Plan of Action

Plan of Action is a detailed plan of how you would avoid the account suspension issue for now and in the future. You should always be professional, conscientious, fair, and modest while constructing the plan.

It is possible, that your plan of action will be denied by Amazon, even though you thought it through, as it is solely on the discretion of Amazon personnel to revise your approach.

3. Denied appeal

When Amazon considers (for any reason) that your approach is not sufficient to reinstate the accessibility of the account, to move forward, you would have to revise your appeal and plan of Action.

Fortunately, up to twenty (20!) possibilities to appeal, as the number of appeals is not otherwise restricted (depends of course on the type of suspension), however, the time spent by unsuccessful appealing brings (sometimes substantial) financial losses. Confusing and contradicting appeals can also further deteriorate your position.

If you haven’t contacted an Amazon expert yet, it is essential that you do so with the revised appeal.

4. Banned (blocked) account

A banned account means that Amazon has fully closed your account and you Amazon services (and sell there as a third-party seller) anymore. See more below.

5 The worst nightmare – blocked Amazon seller account.

The ban is the ultimate step in a suspension scenario. It usually happens after:

1. The account suspension.
2. The appeal was denied.
3. The revised appeal(s) was (were) denied.

That means that you ran out of your options to deal with the suspension issue, and you are banned from the platform. You can no longer sell on Amazon under your seller account and Amazon will not reply to any other lodged appeals and/or attempts to start (any) conversation.

The “solution” to simply create (register) a new account on Amazon is only illusionary, as Amazon would probably, by its vast algorithms, recognize that as suspicious activity. Opening a new account is not an advised measure to take; not with the suspension and certainly not when banned.

If you are still wondering what went wrong with your appeal, probably you:

• Tried to open a new seller account.
• Did not lodge your appeal at all (or in time).
• Provided a too-long and/or confusing appeal.
• Plan of action was insufficient (no responsibility, concrete steps, etc.).
• Did not revise the POA (the Plan of Action) after it was denied.
• Contacted Seller Support Department repeatedly even after you were informed that they do not resolve your issue.
• Flooded Seller Performance Department with (contradicting) appeals.
• Did not provide any supporting documentation.
• Lodged a premature appeal that ruined your position with Amazon.
• Were coarse, indecent, vulgar.
• Tried to intimidate Amazon personnel (for example threats of legal action).
• Harassed or endangered customers.
• Account was suspended for gross breach of Terms of Service (for example fraudulent activities, selling counterfeited goods).
• Already got your account back after a suspension and did “the bad stuff” all over again.

When your account is permanently banned, you may (according to paragraph 2 article 2 of the Business Solutions Agreement (the “BSA”) lose the money related to your seller account, as the payments could be withheld by Amazon permanently.

We just want to mention on the sidelines, that if you are worried about the account suspension or ban, it is also possible for you to get a “suspension insurance”, that would help you in a time that the account is suspended are losing your revenue. Contact us for more information.

In this article

To sum up, in this article we introduced five different areas every Amazon seller should get familiar with. It should be clear now what you should do to avoid the account suspension and the ultimate nightmare – the blocked account on Amazon.

Every seller has to adhere to Amazon Terms, Conditions, Rules, and standards. If not (only even by a small listing mistake) you could get in trouble with your account. The solution is not to break the rules in the first place, however, if it happens – you should prepare yourself to form a great appeal.

Doing so can be quite difficult and you should always consider all the different facets of your particular case while appealing to Amazon.  If you would come across any inconveniences – there is a way to deal with the situation with a help of legal professionals. Contact us as soon as possible providing necessary information, details, and screenshots (if necessary).