Amazon Account Suspended? The Definitive 2025 Guide to Winning Your Amazon Appeal | AMZ Sellers Attorney®

Amazon Appeal Expert Answers

Amazon Account Suspended or Deactivated? The Definitive 2025 Guide to Reinstatement

As an Amazon appeal expert, I help sellers recover from Amazon account suspensions, Section 3 deactivations, related account links, dropshipping policy violations, and product authenticity/safety issues—fast. Below you’ll find straight answers to the most common reinstatement questions plus a practical Plan of Action (POA) blueprint.

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Related guides: How to Reinstate a Suspended Amazon Account • How to Win an Amazon Appeal • Understanding Section 3 of Amazon’s BSA

Appeal workflow at a glance: assess → evidence → POA → submit → follow-up.

Amazon’s Risk Signals to Watch

• Account Health Rating (AHR)—near real-time indicator of deactivation risk.
• Order Defect Rate (ODR)—keep under 1% to avoid enforcement.
• Listing & policy flags—authenticity, safety/compliance, restricted products, pricing parity, dropshipping, code of conduct.
• Identity and related account links, security anomalies, or high-risk behavior.

Watch: Amazon Suspension Appeal Blueprint

Everything We’ll Answer

1. What does “Amazon account suspended” mean? 2. What is a Section 3 violation? 3. How do I check/improve my AHR? 4. What is ODR and why under 1%? 5. How do I write a winning Plan of Action? 6. What triggers related-account suspensions? 7. What’s Amazon’s dropshipping policy? 8. How to resolve authenticity or IP complaints? 9. How long does reinstatement take? 10. My appeal got denied—now what? 11. How to avoid future suspensions? 12. Do I need a lawyer?

Evidence wins appeals: invoices, brand authorizations, tracking scans, SOPs.

Q1. What does “Amazon account suspended” actually mean?

Suspension (deactivation) removes selling privileges: listings are suppressed, funds may be held, and a notice appears in Performance Notifications. Most suspensions are appealable with a targeted Plan of Action that fixes the cited issue and proves durable controls.

Q2. What is a Section 3 (BSA) violation and why is it serious?

Section 3 of Amazon’s Business Solutions Agreement enables suspension or termination for material breaches, deceptive or harmful activity, or failure to maintain required account health. Section 3 cases demand precise remediation and proof that risks have been eliminated across your operations.

Watch: How to Write an Amazon Plan of Action

Q3. How do I check and improve my Account Health Rating (AHR)?

Open Account Health in Seller Central to view your AHR score and policy flags. Resolve each violation with documented fixes, submit any requested compliance documents, and monitor the AHR movement. Improving AHR reduces deactivation risk and strengthens your appeal posture.

Q4. What is Order Defect Rate (ODR) and why is 1% critical?

ODR measures orders with A-to-z claims, chargebacks, or negative feedback. Amazon expects ODR to be under 1%. Crossing 1% often triggers restrictions or suspension—especially for Seller-Fulfilled offers—so rapid root-cause correction is essential.

Q5. How do I write a winning Amazon Plan of Action (POA)?

1. Root Cause—precise, factual, and specific (no excuses).
2. Corrective Actions—what you already fixed (refunds, listing corrections, quarantined inventory, retraining).
3. Preventive Measures—durable SOPs, QC gates, compliance checkpoints, owners and dates.

Attach only relevant evidence Amazon requests (invoices, brand letters, tracking logs, compliance certificates). Clarity beats volume.

Q6. What triggers a “related account” suspension and how do I delink?

Shared devices, IPs, payment instruments, emails, addresses, or overlapping staff can link accounts. To delink, prove independence with entity docs, leases/utilities, bank statements, device/IP controls, and a clear timeline of any historical overlap.

Q7. Is dropshipping allowed on Amazon? What’s compliant vs. prohibited?

Compliant: You are the seller of record; all packing slips/invoices/external packaging identify your business; you handle returns and customer service.

Prohibited: Shipping with another retailer’s branding or slips, or allowing any other entity to appear as the seller on documentation or packaging—even if you shipped it yourself.

Q8. How do I handle authenticity, safety, or IP complaints?

• Authenticity: Provide supplier invoices, letters of authorization, and traceability (lot/serial where applicable).
• Safety/Compliance: Submit required certificates (e.g., CPSIA, FCC, FDA where applicable) and update listings to reflect warnings or instructions.
• Trademark/Copyright: Show authorization or remove infringing content and implement content-approval workflows.

Q9. How long does Amazon reinstatement take?

Simple listing issues can clear in days; complex Section 3 and related-account cases can take weeks and multiple rounds. A concise, evidence-rich POA shortens timelines and reduces back-and-forth.

Q10. My appeal was denied—what should I do next?

Do not resend the same POA. Re-audit the root cause, strengthen evidence, and resubmit a refined appeal. Where available, consult Account Health support and escalate with new facts and documented fixes.

Q11. How do I prevent future suspensions?

• Instrument AHR, ODR, LSR, VTR with alerts and clear owners.
• Maintain compliance files per ASIN (certificates, test reports, warnings).
• QC: inbound intake checks, pre-ship scans, packaging verification.
• Train staff on Code of Conduct, reviews policy, listing accuracy, and compliant dropshipping.

Q12. When should I hire an Amazon appeal lawyer?

Consider attorney-supervised appeals for Section 3 deactivations, related-account links, authenticity/safety/IP claims, repeat denials, or when arbitration may be needed to recover withheld funds. Legal oversight aligns strategy, compliance proof, and escalation pathways.

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