If you think Amazon account suspension is rare, think again. Amazon will suspend any account that is flagging a problem. In this guide, our Commercial Director takes you through how to identify that your account has been suspended, how to appeal and resolve it, and how to prevent Amazon account suspension.
You won’t be able to resolve this issue if you can’t identify it, so the first step in getting your account activated is understanding why you were suspended. Amazon will send you a notification about the reason for your suspension, but you’ll want to know in detail how Amazon defines these reasons to form a well-informed appeal.
Why is my Amazon Account Suspended?
Poor Performance
Sellers on Amazon can be suspended for failing to meet Amazon’s performance targets. Amazon measure key performance based on the three metrics we've outlined below:
Order Defect Rate
The Order Defect Rate (ODR) is a key measure of your ability to provide a good customer experience. Amazon calculate the quantity of all orders with a defect (defined below) as a percentage of total orders during a given 60-day time period. There are three kinds of order defect that Amazon takes into consideration here.
- If the order has negative feedback.
- If the order has an A-to-z Guarantee claim that is not denied.
- If the order has a credit card chargeback.
Amazon policy is that sellers maintain an ODR under 1% in order to sell on Amazon.
Late Shipment Rate
The Late Shipment Rate (LSR) is the quantity of all orders with a ship confirmation that is completed after the expected ship date as a percentage of total orders over both a 10-day or 30-day period. LSR only applies to seller-fulfilled orders.
It's important to confirm the shipment of orders by the expected ship date so that customers can see the status of their shipped orders online. Orders that are ship confirmed late may lead to increased claims, negative feedback and customer contact that negatively impacts customer experience.
Amazon policy is that sellers maintain an LSR under 4% in order to sell on Amazon.
Pre-fulfillment Cancel Rate
The Cancellation Rate (CR) is the quantity of seller-cancelled orders as a percentage of total orders during a given 7-day time period. CR only applies to seller-fulfilled orders.This metric includes all order or item cancellations initiated by the seller, with the exception of those that are requested by the customer using the order-cancellation options in their Amazon account. Pending orders or items that are cancelled by the customer directly on Amazon are not included.Amazon policy is that sellers maintain a CR under 2.5% in order to sell on Amazon.
Restricted Product Listings
If you’re selling restricted & counterfeit or inauthentic products on Amazon, they’ll find out and suspend your account. Products offered for sale on Amazon must comply with all laws and regulations and with Amazon's policies.
Always check performance notification in Seller central to track all of the red flags information before your account gets suspended.
How to write a successful appeal to your Amazon Suspension
Follow the steps below to submit a successful appeal to Amazon and get your account released from suspension.
Identify the reason of suspension.
The best way to start in your Plan of action is to know the root cause that led to the suspension of your account. Amazon usually sends you a warning/notification regarding the violated policy or poor performance, you should be able to see it on your “Performance Notifications” tab.
Provide corrective actions you will take to resolve the issue.
This refers to the steps you will take to correct the issues that Amazon notified you. You also need to provide explanations for all issues stated on the Amazon performance email. For example, explain why your High Order Defect Rate has arisen from negative feedback. Focus on the facts and events that led to the issue rather than providing an introduction of your product, business or customer.
Include supporting evidence for all items.
This is applicable if Listings involved. Make sure you submit supporting evidence for all of the products or ASINs that are under review. You can find the list of products at the bottom of your original notification. Make sure to check the timeframe requested for the documents, some require invoices from the last 365 days.
Highlight areas in your supporting documents. You can make your response more relevant by circling or highlighting the area within your documents that is most important such as ASINs, Supplier details (for example, name and supplier website) or clauses within your Terms and Conditions.
Provide steps will you take to prevent future issues.
You need to be specific & professional on what you plan to prevent the issue happening again in the future. Remove other questions or references to ongoing support cases from your submission. Avoid using emotive language.
Send the appeal to Amazon
Once you have finished your plan of action for your account suspension, you can proceed to Seller Central > Performance > Performance notifications > Location suspense notice > Appeal.
Wait for a response from Amazon
It will take up to 48 hours for Amazon to come back to you with an answer.
How To Prevent Amazon Account Suspension
- Don’t sell counterfeit goods
Don’t sell goods that are counterfeit it’s against Amazon policy. You can also see any listings that were flagged by the Amazon team on your “Account Health”
- Always check Amazon “Account Health”
Keep a close eye on your Returns, Imperfect Order and Negative Feedback reports to see what your customers are saying about you. Also, keep an eye on A-Z claims and your messaging.
If you're still struggling to get your Amazon Account unblocked, we would love to help. Get in contact with our Amazon Experts.
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