Amazon Seller News and Policy Updates for 2023

Amazon Seller Account Suspensions for Inauthentic Complaints can happen to absolutely anyone who has ever sold on Amazon. And that is the reason why it’s one of the most common issues, which some of you need to deal with right now.

​On the other hand, it’s one of the most difficult cases to resolve, because Amazon is very sensitive to this issue. It’s very understandable, as Amazon (as a company striving to be the largest online marketplace in the world) has to keep its reputation on a high level, and selling inauthentic items on their platform may cause huge damage not just to them, but also to other sellers. Root causes for such suspensions may vary, but there are still ways to prevent your business from unnecessary suspensions: invoices.

If this happens you need an experienced Amazon sellers attorney to write an Amazon appeal and plan of action to get your suspended Amazon seller account reinstated.

Amazon suspended item not as described? According to Amazon policy, the product you sell must match exactly the one described in your listings. If you have this issue, you should included in your plan of action that you will monitor your listings to make sure they conform to Amazon policy. Ruthless competitors will often sell a generic product and complain against other sellers who list under them.

​Be careful! Your Amazon seller account can be suspended if you are not selling the exact item described in the listing.

Retail Arbitrage is Permitted on Amazon but Be Careful if You Do ItIn economics and finance, arbitrage (/ˈɑːrbɪtrɑːʒ/, UK also /-trɪdʒ/) is the practice of taking advantage of a price difference between two or more markets: striking a combination of matching deals that capitalize upon the imbalance, the profit being the difference between the market prices at which the unit is traded – Wikipedia
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In simple words, you purchase a product at a retail store and resell it on any e-commerce platform for a slight profit. For any online markets, such as Amazon.com, it is a widely known concept, often used by those who are only starting their online business. 

​Check Your Invoices BEFORE You List Products on Amazon and Avoid Suspensions. 
 
Amazon is one of the largest online retailers in the world and depends upon third-party sellers for over 50 percent of the goods they sell online.  The number of sellers and consumers on the Amazon is growing every single day, and this progression will only grow.  ​

​Clients often ask, "Are you kidding? We send the email to Jeff Bezos?" "Does he really read them?" The answers are yes, we send the email to Jeff Bezos and no, the richest man in the world does not take the time to read your emails.  They are read by a member of the executive team or Amazon escalation department.

He does, however, have a staff that opens them and routes them to the appropriate manager within Amazon's network.

Often called Bezos escalations, these are actually not a new appeal, but a new place to send your denied appeal to get a review from Amazon management.

They always answer, and they usually give a final decision, except in cases where they will ask for more information.  

Amazon's policy on multiple accounts has changed.  A seller no longer has to obtain permission from Amazon in advance to open a second seller account.  Now, all you need to have is a first account in good standing (not suspended or deactivated) and a legitimate business interest for the second account.  
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This may sound simple, but Amazon's robots are still scanning and comparing data to find related accounts and are suspending them on a daily basis.  

To open a second Amazon seller account, you must have a legitimate business reason. Whether or not the reason you give is legitimate is up to Amazon in its own discretion.

When Amazon asks for invoices to authenticate products or product category gating, be careful! This is a new alert that has seen many sellers suspended and Amazon is in the process of cracking down. Since it is new, the machines are very sensitive and have often flagged sellers for suspension who are merely highlighting ASINs on invoices or redacting prices, both of which are allowed by Amazon's selling policies, but have resulted in suspensions. I have helped many clients who are wrongfully suspended for this recover their accounts. 

Amazon.com (AMZN) announced in August that, as a result of its change of its Business Solutions Agreement with third-party sellers, in response to pressure from Germany’s Federal Cartel Office (FCO), it was changing the way it dealt with seller suspensions. NOT!

Sellers and Seller Consultants still report Amazon is suspending seller accounts without notice, despite the provision that future suspensions would be preceded by a thirty-day notice and an explanation of the reasons behind the seller account deactivation or a seven-day notice in serious cases of material breach. However, more than thirty days after the effective changes in the contract, Amazon is still closing accounts without notice as usual, and seems to be relying on the “escape clause” that allows it to terminate an account immediately if determines the seller conduct has exposed them to third-party liability, such as counterfeit sales.  

The Wall Street Journal broke a story this week declaring that Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) had “ceded” control of its site, resulting in the offering of thousands of banned, unsafe or mislabeled products. While it is true that Amazon’s E-commerce site is riddled with counterfeit, dangerous and sometimes even illegal goods, the fault is not control over its site, over which it has complete control.

​The problem is failure to properly vet third-party sellers on the giant E-tailer’s platform. ​

Seller Performance rejects your Amazon Appeal and Plan of Action
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If your Amazon selling account has been suspended, you have written a well thought out and comprehensive Amazon Appeal Plan of Action and you get back something like this: "We have reviewed the material you sent and decided you may no longer sell on Amazon...We may not respond to this email" your first reaction may be to just give up. But you don't have to. There are several avenues of higher appeal you can pursue if you Amazon account is suspended and then your selling privileges are revoked.

Many clients come back to me after a successful Amazon appeal and Amazon reinstatement of their Amazon seller account and ask, “What can I do to avoid suspensions in the future?” They think that, because I’m an Amazon sellers lawyer, I hold the secret; the “magic beans” that will give them the extra edge they need to become a successful seller on Amazon without fear of losing their account overnight. You can see more information about suspensions and appeals by clicking here.
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The truth is that the answer is right before their eyes: in the Amazon plan of action. It is what they were missing all along – sound business practices to follow for maximum customer satisfaction.