Amazon has a wonderful reputation for having great customer service, quality products and competitive pricing. With this, Amazon requires their sellers to uphold those same standards. So what happens when a seller doesn’t comply with their rules? They get suspended.
The process of being banned or suspended is mostly automated, there are certain triggers that can cause this to happen. Those include selling items that are restricted, not shipping products in a timely manner, and low customer feedback. Once a seller is banned, it is very difficult, if not almost impossible to have that account reinstated.
While it is difficult to get out of that suspension, there are a few steps you can take to make amazon reconsider. First you need to figure out why the suspension took place. Amazon always sends a letter out when they suspend an account, sometimes these letters can be hard to decipher but once you get past the special jargon, this letter will outline exactly what went wrong. From there, many times you can go through your sales and find specific ones that have been cited or if it is a performance issue, amazon has a system that will specifically highlight what area the issue is in.
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Determine exactly what is wrong with your selling practices and come up with a plan of action. This might entail reviewing all of your sales and finding which ones do not comply with the Amazon’s selling policies or taking down items that are prohibited. You want to make sure to take down anything that doesn’t follow their procedures, that way when you contest the suspension, the customer service department can see that you are working towards improvement as a seller on their website.
Once you have the exact problems reviewed and solved, write down what you have done or are going to do to work towards improving your sales and practices. This plan of action is your biggest weapon in fighting the suspension. Make sure that it is formally written on letterhead, write in a professional and respectful manner, be short and to the point and of course outline your practices before you were banned and the present solutions- such as hiring more staff, updating your shipping methods, etc.
Once you have written your plan of action, contact Amazon’s customer service. Amazon encourages its sellers to appeal their suspensions and have a specific section for appeals within Amazon seller central, though they definitely do not make it easy to find. Go first to the seller central then performance and performance notifications, there should be a button that says location suspension notice and finally appeals. Once you submit your appeal request and plan of action, sit back and wait for the reply. This can anywhere from 48 hours to several days.
Typically, once they respond to your email your account goes into review. If they say they are not lifting the suspension the first time, don’t give up! Look back to your account and see what else you can change. Adjust your plan of action and resubmit it. If Amazon sees that you are serious about improving, many times they will reinstate your account.
Unfortunately this method isn’t perfect; ultimately it is up to Amazon to decide whether they want you as a seller on their website. All you can do is try!
Resources:
http://www.wired.com/2015/10/amazon-ban-apple-tv-google-angers-shoppers-companies/