What Is A Deactivated Amazon Seller Account?
A deactivated Amazon seller account is one whose selling privileges have been withdrawn by Amazon due to a violation of their policies.
There are many reasons why Amazon seller accounts get deactivated. The good thing is that Amazon seller account deactivation can be avoided if you comply with Amazon’s policies.
Follow these three steps to have your seller account reinstated following deactivation:
- Find out why your account was deactivated
- Stay calm and don’t let emotions get in the way
- Write a compelling appeal letter
Amazon has strict policies in place to protect both customers and sellers. All sellers and buyers are required to adhere to those policies to ensure a safe buying and selling experience on the marketplace.
If there’s one thing Amazon is known for is its zero-tolerance towards policy violations. Many sellers on Amazon have had their selling accounts deactivated due to various reasons, including selling prohibited items, opening duplicate accounts, selling counterfeit items, and many more.
Getting your Amazon seller account deactivated can be stressful, especially when you’ve invested a lot in growing your Amazon business. If your Amazon has been suspended, getting it back can be an uphill task if you don’t know how to reinstate your Amazon suspended account.
In this blog post, we’ll cover a wide range of topics regarding Amazon seller account deactivation.
Specifically, we will look at the following:
- What Is A Deactivated Amazon Seller Account
- Top Reasons Why Amazon Seller Accounts Are Suspended
- What To Do If Your Amazon Seller Account Is Deactivated
- How To Avoid Amazon Seller Account Suspension
- Can Sunken Stone Help If Your Amazon Seller Account Is Deactivated
What Is A Deactivated Amazon Seller Account?
An Amazon seller account is deactivated when selling privileges are withdrawn due to a violation of Amazon’s policies. Account deactivation can also be initiated by a seller when they want to close shop.
Top 10 Reasons Why Amazon Seller Accounts Are Suspended
Receiving a notification indicating that your Amazon seller account has been deactivated can be dreadful for any seller on Amazon. Knowing the reasons accounts are deactivated can help you stay clear of things that would lead to account deactivation. Here are the common causes for Amazon account suspensions.
1 – Selling Prohibited Items
Amazon prohibits the sale of illegal, unsafe, and other restricted products on the marketplace. Examples of prohibited items that you cannot sell on Amazon include alcohol, cars, motorbikes, animals & animal products, currency, coins, cash equivalents, and many more.
Selling any of the items that are prohibited on Amazon can result in seller account deactivation. You can view the comprehensive list of prohibited items on Amazon through this link.
Also, there are products that cannot be fulfilled through Amazon FBA. A violation of this policy can get your selling account suspended. Check out a comprehensive list of FBA prohibited products. Learn more about Amazon restricted products 2021.
2 – Selling Counterfeit Products
Amazon requires that products offered for sale on the marketplace be authentic. Selling counterfeit products is strictly prohibited, and Amazon has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to counterfeit products. If Amazon finds out that you are selling counterfeit products, they will withdraw your selling privileges, withhold your funds, and dispose of your inventory in their warehouses. Amazon has consistently improved its processes of spotting fake products, so you won’t go far with selling counterfeit products on the marketplace.
3 – Having Duplicate Accounts
Operating multiple Amazon seller accounts without prior approval is prohibited, and this is one of Amazon’s strictly enforced policies. Amazon considers having duplicate accounts to be an easy way for some sellers to disregard Amazon’s policies. If you have legitimate reasons to operate multiple seller accounts, you can apply for an exception to this policy.
4 – Poor Customer Service Score
To ensure a positive customer experience, Amazon has a performance target score in place. Sellers are required to keep their late shipment rate below 4% and pre-fulfillment cancel rate below 2.5%. Also, Amazon requires your order defect rate to be below 1%. Not fulfilling any of these metrics can result in account suspension.
5 – Using Unscrupulous Methods To Get Feedback And Reviews
Some sellers on Amazon buy positive reviews in exchange for products. This is a gross violation according to Amazon’s policies. Amazon won’t hesitate to deactivate your account once they realize that you’re gaming the system.
6 – Opening A New Account After Being Suspended
Many sellers whose accounts have been suspended make the mistake of opening new accounts immediately after suspension. Amazon considers this to be a way of gaming the system. Once they discover that you’ve opened a second account after suspension, they will suspend the second account too. Opening a new account following a suspension of your Amazon seller account jeopardizes your chances of getting the original account reinstated.
7 – Selling Used Items As New
Selling used items disguised as new is an outright violation of Amazon’s policies.
8 – Negative Feedback
Too much negative feedback can get your Amazon seller account deactivated. Amazon is more concerned about providing the best customer experience, so they ensure sellers are providing quality products and exceptional customer service. Although a few negative reviews won’t get your account deactivated, receiving lots of negative reviews can lead to the withdrawal of your selling privileges.
9 – Amazon Seller Account Hackers
Sometimes hackers can gain unauthorized access to a seller’s account and change bank information, and transfer funds to bank accounts belonging to the hacker. If Amazon detects suspicious activity in your Amazon seller account, they will suspend your account. When your Amazon account is suspended due to a hacking issue, you’ll be able to gain access after they have verified your details.
10 – Copyright Infringement
Another reason your account may be deactivated by Amazon is copyright infringement. This involves using another seller’s intellectual property without their approval. If you use another seller’s images or text to create a product listing and the seller register a complaint with Amazon, you’ll be notified about the complaint. If you ignore Amazon’s notifications and fail to address the intellectual property complaints, your account will be suspended.
What To Do If Your Amazon Seller Account Is Deactivated
If your Amazon seller account has been deactivated, the first thing to do is finding out why your account was suspended. It’s never a good idea to rush into writing an appeal letter before doing a thorough investigation. Amazon sends you a letter detailing reasons for amazon seller account deactivation, but it’s important to do your own investigations to see if they are right.
The second step is to write down an appeal letter stating clearly how you plan to resolve the issue. Your appeal letter should have the following sections:
- Introduction: This section provides details about yourself, what you sell, business seller name, and why you got suspended.
- Description: This part provides further details about your suspension and the root cause of the issue.
- Action Plan: In this section, you’ll describe the actions you’ve taken to resolve the issue as well as the long-term changes you’ve initiated to ensure the problem doesn’t happen again.
- Conclusion: Lastly, reiterate your commitment to abiding by Amazon’s policies and request them to reinstate your account.
Your appeal letter needs to be as compelling as possible to increase the chances of your account being reinstated. That’s why it’s a good idea to enlist the help of an Amazon brand management service like Sunken Stone, a top-tier, results-driven Amazon marketing Agency for growing eCommerce brands to help you with writing an appeal letter.
