If you’re a seller on Amazon, you’re probably familiar with the fact that they have very strict rules that they will uphold in majority of the situations.
If you find that your account has been suspended due to breaking those rules, read the tips below to see if you can look at getting your account and products back online.
The important thing to remember about Amazon is that they are a professional company and expect that their sellers are going to meet that high standard as well. Here are some tips to getting back in the doors.
Make sure you know why your account is suspended
This may sound stupid, but sometimes it can be a little hard to find out the actual reason as to why the problem has occurred. This is because Amazon has quite a lot of rules that you are expected to uphold, and also because they tend to be very technical in their formal “suspension” letters, due to the fact that they are legal statements.
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On that same note, it’s always a good idea to understand what the rules and regulations are before it comes to the point of a suspension. Since you have to agree to the rules anyway when signing up for Amazon, take it seriously and read through the contract so that you know what you’re signing and committing yourself to doing.
Here are two of the main reasons that you account has been suspended, though make sure you always know for sure what the actual reason is. Don’t assume it’s one of the following:
- Bad performance
- This means that your products or your account have been poorly reviewed. If you are always having problems with sellers in terms of cancelling orders or poor communication with sellers, this will negatively impact your rating. If your rating gets too low, Amazon will suspend your account. They don’t want bad rated sellers on there any more than you want to be a bad seller.
- Rule violation
- Make sure that you are properly following Amazon’s rules, as mentioned. That being said, this also applies to the rules of the product you are selling. Make sure you are abiding by the rules of your product manufacturer as well as those from Amazon. If you are breaking any of them, you’ll be suspended immediately. Make sure you’re up to date with policy changes for this reason.
Prepare your appeal
Due to the fact that Amazon is a professional business, they will encourage you to appeal the account suspension. They want to make sure that those who are suspended deserve to be suspended. They also understand that, if done right, you will learn what you did wrong and this will make you a better seller (in theory).
Make sure you understand why your account has been suspended and then create an appeal that explains your plan to get back into the business on the right side of the tracks. You’ll have to state what the reason for the suspension was, your ideas on how to suggest it, a formal apology for your actions, and a promise to never do it again. It sounds simplistic and trivial, but it is an important part of the business world, especially with Amazon, which is a high ranked online retailer.
Make sure your appeal is solid and addresses the problem at hand. Don’t be sloppy with it, or they will turn the appeal down and you’ll be locked out forever. Take it seriously and they’ll take you just as seriously.
The secret weapon
If your appeal gets turned down after you’ve done it all properly, there is one more thing you can do to see if you can get your product back up online and running. This isn’t against the rules or illegal or anything (really, what good would that do?), it’s just a way to bend the rules a bit and make sure your appeal gets to the right people.
Create what’s called a “formal appeal” which is very similar to the last step and send it off to the TRMS (Transaction Risk Management Team). This is a direct line that will get your appeal noticed and taken seriously. This is a very formal affair, so do it right. Use formal letter head, list a plan on how you are going to learn from your mistake and make sure that you are a well-reviewed seller within the gates of Amazon. You, essentially, need to show them that you are ready to work at gaining a good reputation with above board workings and great customer service.
This is not a sure fire success plan, but any means, but it is a great way to make sure that you have done everything you can. This should be a last resort, though, after you’ve tried the former step to the best of your ability. As mentioned, take it seriously and show Amazon that you are taking your business plans seriously.
Don’t be stupid
If you try to trick Amazon by being sly and trying to sell illegal products or services, they will catch you and suspend you and, quite possible, sue you. The rules are important, as mentioned, and if you are deliberately breaking the rules in a serious way, they will punish you. Amazon is a place of business, so make sure that the products you are selling are allowed to be there. If they aren’t (and you know it), don’t bother trying to appeal the decision, because you’ve deserved the suspension and have to live with the consequences.
Amazon is the king of online retailers. Make sure you follow the rules and stay on top of customer service. No one is the perfect seller, but you have to make sure that you the best you can be.
If you do find your account suspended, however, these steps should help you achieve your status back as one of the sellers within the prestigious gates.