Inauthentic Items Suspension

One of the most common suspensions in Amazon is Intellectual property suspension. Of course, if you used someone else’s photos, descriptions, brand names, etc, the right holders can write a claim on you and Amazon will try to solve the problem by deactivation of your account.

Despite the fact that inauthentic claims are part of IP claims, they are not the same. Why? Because Inauthentic does not mean fake or counterfeit. Inauthentic means that Amazon wants to know where you obtained the products you’re offering.

As it is the most common suspension on the Amazon platform, sellers should know answers for the following questions:

1. How to understand that it is inauthentic suspension?
2. What do I need for reactivation of my account/listing?
3. How to address the situation and reactivate my account?

Let`s find the answers!

1. How to understand that it is inauthentic suspension?

Here`s the example of a letter from Amazon:

Hello, 

We have removed your Amazon selling privileges because of buyer or rights owner complaints we received. Please see below for some examples of the listings we have received complaints about: 

Complaint Type: Inauthentic 
ASIN: ABCDEXYZ123 

To maintain a trusted marketplace for buyers and sellers, we take immediate action when we identify buyer or rights owner complaints regarding the condition and authenticity of products. You can view previous emails about complaints in the Performance Notifications section of Seller Central

What you can do 

If you would like your selling privileges reinstated, respond to this message with a plan of action that includes the following:  

1. Description of the issues that caused the complaints. 
2. Explanation of the steps you have taken to resolve the issues and ensure that similar complaints won’t happen again. 
3. Any additional details you would like us to know. 

To find more information on how to submit your plan of action, search “Appeal the Removal of Selling Privileges” in Seller Central Help. 

For “Inauthentic” complaints include the following for each ASIN:  

1. Copies of invoices or receipts from your supplier issued in the last 365 days. These should reflect your sales volume during that time. 
2. Your supplier’s contact information including name, phone number, address, and website. 

You can remove pricing information, but make sure the rest of the document is visible. You can send us a pdf, jpg, png, or gif file. 

Please be assured that your distributor’s or supplier’s contact information will remain confidential - Amazon puts great effort in maintaining the confidentiality of our customer's information. 

What happens next 

We’ll review the information you send and get back to you with an answer as soon as possible. When we respond, we may ask you for additional details or to revise your plan of action. If your plan of action sufficiently addresses the complaints, we will consider reinstating your selling privileges. 

While your account is restricted, this may also have an impact on your Selling on Amazon payment account. 

Please understand that if you are unable to submit a sufficient plan of action within 17 days, we may permanently remove your selling privileges. 

Learn more 

Sellers should understand our policies. To learn more, search for “Policies and Agreements” in Seller Central Help. 

We appreciate your cooperation.

Sincerely, 

Seller Performance Team 
Amazon.com

The causes of Amazon issuing a seller an “inauthentic” suspension include all of the following and more:

• Item does not 100 percent match the display picture.
• Item does not 100 percent match the listing description.
• There is a missing item.
• There is a missing warranty.
• An item is damaged.
• The packaging for an item does not 100 percent match the display picture.
• The packaging for an item does not 100 percent match the listing description.
• The customer was expecting a different product due to misrepresentation on the product detail page.
• Consumer’s baseless complaints.

As you can see, there are many factors to think about while trying to understand what caused the suspension. There is a recommendation about what to do first: Look at Voice of Customers, reviews, and your account health. Why? Because inauthenticity claims are customer`s claims and you can really understand the root cause of the problem.

2. What do I need for reactivation of my account/listing?

To answer this question we need to ask ourselves if we really do not sell a fake product. That may happen without the seller’s acknowledgment, as you may work with an untrusted manufacturer. In this case, it is better for you to stop working with them and find another one or stop selling this product. In addition, you should create a quality control investigation team to prevent future problems.

What you need in other cases are INVOICES! Why? Because you want not only to reactivate your account but also to continue selling the item.

Your Invoice must be correct.

What are the key elements of the invoice?

• The document must be inscribed that it is INVOICE and nothing more, just a word.
• Must have an invoice number.
• The date of purchase of the goods and it is desirable to be a couple of weeks before the goods were shipped to FBA warehouses.
• The name, address, telephone number of the supplier, and mail or website.
• The billing address or shipping must match the business address in your account.
• Product names, brand, model number, and quantity must be indicated.
• When sending a document to Amazon, you need to underline the desired title and sign the ASIN in block letters. This will increase the chances of passing the document, especially if there is a lot of goods, and the names do not always match the title on the listing.
• The number of goods should be somewhere 5-10 times more than the actual quantity of goods that are added to the inventory.
• The price of the goods should be specified less than it is specified in inventory.
• The date of purchase of the goods must also be 5-10 days less than the date of the actual addition of your goods to the inventory.

3. How to address the situation and reactivate my account?

The answer is easy: You should collect your invoices, write a Plan of Action to address the situation and Appeal Amazon`s decision.

In your Plan of Action:

Root cause: Why do you get inauthentic claims? (Untrusted manufacturer, bad packaging, bad shipping, etc)

Corrective actions: What you did to solve the problem (Stopped working with a manufacturer, changed packaging, etc)

Preventive actions: What you did or going to do to prevent future claim (Work only with a trusted manufacturer, work on perfecting of packaging, etc)