Amazon is one of the largest and most popular online marketplaces in the world today. With more and more vendors taking their business to this shopping hub, competition has definitely become a lot tougher. As a result, Amazon has established certain rules to uphold its credibility. One of these is to suspend vendors who do not meet the company’s standards. One way to avoid suspension is using Amazon’s Seller forum to discuss your account’s adherence to the performance goals and policies required to sell on the platform.
However, if you have made multiple costly mistakes that have resulted in your selling privileges being suspended by Amazon, take heart because there is a solution to get your account back on track.
Why does Amazon suspend accounts?
Before mapping out the different ways to lift your account suspension, it is important to know why your selling privileges were revoked in the first place. Understanding why Amazon blocked your account will not only help you figure out the best resolution, it will also save you from getting into the same fiasco in the future.
Take a look at these different scenes which could warrant account suspension on Amazon:
When you get poor seller performance rating:
Amazon thrives because its customers believe in its authority as a marketplace. No wonder Amazon suspends vendors who threaten its image as a reliable company. When sellers get a high volume of negative reviews, Amazon is on high alert to monitor the seller and eventually suspend their account should things get worse.
Here are the most common reasons why sellers fail to keep up with Amazon’s selling metrics:
- Frequent order cancellation
- Late shipping
- Negative customer reviews
It is important to keep an eye on these metrics and to make sure that you at least hit the minimum target set by Amazon:
- Less than 2.5% for the cancellation rate
- Less than 4% for delayed shipment
- Less than 1% for defects in goods
When you sell restricted products:
Amazon has outlined the different kinds of products and brands which are banned from the website. Sellers would do well to check out these items on Amazon’s Restricted Products section.
When you sell fake items:
Counterfeit products are a blow to Amazon’s image as a trustworthy marketplace. From DVDs to beauty products, electronic devices to shoes, Amazon takes pride in selling original products only.
When you have two accounts:
Duplicate accounts are not tolerated in Amazon. The company also does not allow users to create a new account when their original one has been suspended. It uses an algorithm that detects this particular activity which in turn shuts down the secondary account.
Now that you know the possible causes of suspension, it’s time to take a look at the steps to get your account up and running again.
Here are the steps on how to reactivate your Amazon account:
- Find out the reason for your suspension.
Know the root of the problem so you can get to the right solution. Read the suspension notice sent by Amazon to determine what went wrong.
- Generate an Action Plan
Let Amazon know that you are a reliable vendor. Your action plan should outline the following:
- Clear and practical steps on how you will address the issue.
- A strategic plan which shows how you will prevent this from happening in the future.
- A list of positive attributes which show how you are an important contributor to the Amazon marketplace.
- Appeal to Amazon
Send a petition to Amazon to have your account reinstated. You can do this by following these steps:
- Go to the Seller Central portion of your account.
- Navigate the Performance tab and choose Performance Notifications from the dropdown.
- Locate the Suspension Notice and click on Appeal.
- Fill out the Appeal form by stating your plans of action.
Bonus Tip:
Amazon receives many requests for account reinstatement but you can make yours stand out through these tactics:
- Make sure you mention the reason for suspension. This lets Amazon know that you understand the issue at hand and you take responsibility for it.
- List down the strong selling processes you have in place. This will lay down a solid framework in your image as a vendor.
- Be straightforward when outlining your plans on how to provide Amazon customers a better shopping experience in the future.
- Be firm and professional, but keep a positive tone.
- Hire a virtual assistant to help you keep track of your emails, page content, and social media profiles. The good news is there are many credible companies where you can get virtual assistance so you need not worry about Amazon suspension pertaining to customer service issues.
Getting suspended from Amazon may be tough, but as a good entrepreneur, you should take this in stride to improve your business. Does your business have what it takes to get back in the game when it hits this block?
