Dealing with occasional challenges is a natural part of running a business. This is no different when you own an Amazon seller account. Negative reviews, refund requests, and shipping delays are all common issues Amazon sellers face at some point. However, account suspension is an entirely different situation.
While Amazon seller account suspension is common, it can still be a business owner’s worst nightmare when it happens. There is nothing more stressful than having your primary source of income cut off indefinitely. Furthermore, Amazon seller account suspensions can cost you money in warehouse fees and employee payroll. Even the most conscientious sellers can accidentally or unknowingly violate Amazon’s strict policies, resulting in product suppression, listing removals, and account suspensions.
The Good News
The good news is that you can get your Amazon seller account back up and running quickly if you take the proper steps. Amazon’s suspension appeals process allows you to plead your case to the sales platform in hopes of having your suspension overturned.
In this article, we’ll go over the basics of the Amazon suspension appeals process. You’ll learn why accounts get suspended and what steps you’ll need to take to get your suspension overturned. Before we take a look at what you can expect during the appeals process, let’s do a quick recap on the primary reasons for account suspension.
Amazon seller account suspensions remove your selling privileges from the third-party platform. Account suspensions fall under two main categories. Listing suspensions occur when Amazon suspends specific product listings in your account. Account suspensions happen when your entire seller account is shut down, removing your selling privileges across the whole Amazon platform.
The most common causes of account suspensions are:
- Poor Performance
- Policy Violations
- Selling Restricted Products
- Opening Multiple Seller Accounts
What Happens When My Account Gets Suspended?
When Amazon believes you have violated one of its policies or failed to meet its strict selling guidelines, you run the risk of account suspensions. Once your account is suspended, your selling privileges are restricted based on the severity of your violation. While dealing with an account suspension is a major headache, you can appeal to Amazon to reverse the suspension. However, avoiding seller account suspension altogether is the best way to lower your risk of losing money.
Amazon account suspensions create a big blow for Amazon sellers. You don’t only lose money in lost sales during your suspension, but you may also have to pay storage fees, supplier fees, and employee wages while you wait to have your account reinstated. The longer the appeals process, the more money you lose. And if you fail to have your appeal overturned, you can be banned from the selling platform entirely.
What If I Am Currently Suspended?
If you end up with a suspended seller account, following the tips in this article will help you quickly navigate the appeals process. However, hiring an Amazon appeals expert is always your best option. Amazon appeals experts take the stress out of account suspension and guarantee you’ll get the results you need in as little time possible. Now that you understand the suspension process let’s dive into what to expect with the appeals process.
What to Expect with the Amazon Seller Suspension Appeals Process
In the first quarter of 2021, third-party sellers accounted for more than 55% of Amazon sales. With Amazon sales hitting $386 billion in 2020, that’s a substantial amount of revenue up for grabs. Selling your products on the highly successful eCommerce platform is one of the easiest ways to reach potential buyers. This is why keeping your seller account in good standing is vital.
Let’s talk through the appeals process to help you understand how to get your account reinstated so you can get back to selling ASAP!
Understand the Cause of Your Suspension
While this might seem obvious, the first thing you need to do is find out why your account was suspended. Amazon will give you a warning before you get suspended, but many people overlook those initial notifications. Amazon will provide you with a very basic reason why you were suspended, but you must take the time to figure out precisely what went wrong.
Failing to completely understand what went wrong can cause you problems in the appeals process and put you at risk of future suspensions. Gather all the details on where, why, and how things went wrong. Take your time, and don’t cut corners. Although you want to get your account back in good standing as quickly as possible, rushing through the process will just drag out your appeal and lead to denial.
Gather Your Information
Before you create a plan of action, you need to gather as much information as possible. These tips can help you determine what you need to know:
- Read Your Suspension Email Carefully
It’s completely normal to feel your heart sink when you first open that suspension email. As you struggle with frustration and panic, you probably don’t have the right mindset to process what you’re reading accurately. That’s why you should go back and read your suspension email after the initial shock wears off.
Look over your suspension email carefully. Watch out for the vital information you’ll need to process your appeal. This includes:
- Reason for suspension
- Policies violated
- Documents required for reinstatement
- Who to contact for an appeal
- Confirm Accuracy
Now that you know why you were suspended and what policies you violated, take some time to confirm the accuracy of those charges. Review Amazon’s latest policies and guidelines. In many cases, Amazon sellers violate policies unknowingly.
- Find the Cause of Your Violation
Not all account suspensions are straightforward. While clear violations like selling restricted items are apparent, seller performance issues can be challenging. For example, high late shipment rates can be caused by unreliable shopping partners. You may also be sending your items to the shipping company too late. Dive a little deeper into the root cause of your violation. This will help you create an effective solution to avoid this issue in the future. It will also help you during the appeals process.
Create a Plan of Action (POA)
Once you have gathered all the information you need, it’s time to create a plan of action. Having a thorough, well-written plan will give you the best chance of getting your account reinstated. Before you draft your appeal letter, you need to formulate a plan.
- Identify the Right Department for Your Appeal
Your suspension email should tell you what department you need to contact for your appeal. If you don’t find this information or feel that you’ve been directed to the wrong department, go back to your initial cause of suspension. For example, if your suspension results from poor performance, you should contact the seller performance department.
- Acknowledge Your Mistake
Even if you unknowingly or mistakenly violated one of Amazon’s policies, you need to acknowledge your mistake. This tells Amazon that you take your suspension seriously and will take all necessary steps to prevent similar violations in the future. Once you’ve taken responsibility for your offense, it’s time to draft your appeal letter.
- Draft an Effective Appeal Letter
The goal of your appeal letter is to present Amazon with all the information they need to make an informed and confident decision to revoke your suspension. Therefore, drafting a well-written appeal letter is one of the most critical parts of your plan of action. Here’s an example of an effective outline to help you prepare your letter:
- Introductory Paragraph: Use your opening paragraph to introduce yourself and your business. Include your seller name, a brief description of your business, and why your account was suspended.
- Description of Issue: Next, you’ll need to clearly describe the issue that led to your account suspension. This is a chance to acknowledge your mistake and explain the research you’ve done to identify the problem and why it occurred. Include any data you have gathered along the way.
- Action Steps: In this portion of your appeal letter, you will describe the steps you’ve already taken to correct the issue. Include any changes you and your team have made to fix the issue. For example, if high late shipping was the problem, talk about a new shipping provider you’ve hired. You should also include any changes to your businesses’ tools, processes, or procedures. Be specific and include as many details as possible to explain every step you’ve taken to prevent this issue from recurring in the future. This is your chance to convince Amazon that you deserve to have your seller account suspension overturned.
- Closing Statement: The closing statement should include a summary of your action steps and a clear request to reinstate your selling privileges. You can also add a brief statement about your dedication to outstanding customer service and the Amazon brand.
My Amazon Suspension Appeal Letter Is Ready to Go. Now What?
Once you have written your action plan, it’s time to send it to Amazon for their review. To submit your appeal, you’ll have to take the following steps:
- Go to the performance drop-down in your Seller Central dashboard.
- Select Performance Notifications.
- Find the suspension notice you received and click the Appeal button.
- Click the Appeal Decision button, which will bring up a form.
- In the form, enter the details of your plan of action. Note: Be sure to include a telephone number where you can be easily reached if Amazon has any questions.
- Click on Submit Appeal.
Your appeal has now been sent to Amazon for review. You will typically receive a response from Amazon within 48 hours via email. If your account suspension is not overturned, don’t panic. You can appeal your account suspension multiple times.
If you need help navigating the appeals process, hiring a professional to file your request is the best way to get the results you need fast. Our experts at Appeal Wizards can help you create an effective, convincing appeals package within 24 hours.
We are dedicated to getting your account back up and running as fast as possible with our Amazon appeals services. Contact a knowledgeable Appeals Wizard team member to get your seller account in good standing and protect your income with fast and effective suspension reversal.