Amazon Seller Ban

Craig Gedey has seen just about every conceivable reason for having an Amazon SellerBan. Geed is the managing partner of Thompson and Holt, a company that specialises in getting deactivated accounts back on line as quickly as possible. Using his vast experience, here he covers five of the most common causes for receiving an Amazon Seller Ban.

1. Receiving inauthentic complaints

“This is one of the most common causes that we see for being handed an Amazon Seller Ban,” Gedey explains. “It’s something that Amazon rightly takes very seriously, stating in their guidelines that ‘If you sell counterfeit goods, we may immediately suspend or terminate your selling privileges and destroy inventory in our fulfilment centres without reimbursement’. Because it is such a consumer-driven platform, they are always keen to protect the customer in every way possible. But what we have also seen in recent years is a rise in baseless claims against Sellers, either by unhappy customers or rival businesses. To avoid that you need to be proactive and prepared for any such instances by having all the relevant details of your product from your supplier, which will help you respond accordingly you do receive an Amazon Seller Ban.”

2. Be found to be selling restricted products

“Amazon’s policy is very clear on the prevention of the sale of illegal, unsafe or restricted products, including those only available by prescription,” Gedey says. “If you sell any of those items, you immediately risk an Amazon Seller Ban. It pays dividends to familiarise yourself with Amazon’s policies and lists of prohibited items. If you are ever notified that you’re selling a prohibited product, remove it from your listings immediately. If you do receive an Amazon Seller Ban, outline clearly in your appeal how you will avoid a repeat of the situation in future.”

3. Running multiple Amazon Seller Accounts

“This is an issue that Amazon enforces strictly,” Thompson and Holt’s Gedey explains. “Sellers must not operate multiple accounts without Amazon’s prior approval, or they can find themselves land with an Amazon Seller Ban. Amazon’s guidelines state: ‘Operating and maintaining multiple Seller Central accounts is prohibited. If you have a legitimate business need for a second account, you can apply for an exception to this policy.’ Yet we still see examples of Sellers ignoring this. They can be detected by identifying the same IP address, using the same bank information, tax ID or address. If you are caught doing this you’re facing an immediate Amazon Seller Ban it simply isn’t worth it.”

4. Failure to address intellectual property complaints

“This is an issue that we have seen a rise in leading to Amazon Seller Ban in recent years,” Gedey continues. “Intellectual property law deals with the enforcement of patents, trademarks and copyrights. What usually happens is that when a rights owner makes a claim against a Seller, Amazon first notifies the Seller of the complaint. Amazon will often remove the listing for that product and instruct the Seller to work out the complaint with the rights owner. Make sure you deal with the issue at that stage, because ignoring those warnings could quickly lead to an Amazon Seller Ban.”

5. Being hacked

“This less common, but something that can happen through no fault of the Seller and still result in an Amazon Seller Ban. At Thompson and Holt we have seen an increase in cases where Seller accounts are hacked, bank account information is changed, and funds are transferred to an overseas bank account belonging to the hacker. Amazon has the ability to suspend the account on its own if they notice any suspicious activity, while other times, Sellers themselves will notify Amazon of the unusual account activity. That can then lead to an Amazon Seller Ban until the company can verify account details with the Seller. Funds may also be put on hold to protect the Seller further.”

* If you have found yourself with an Amazon Seller Ban, contact Thompson and Holt for a free LiveChat to get your Amazon Seller business back online as quickly as possible.

Amazon Suspended Account

If you’ve fallen victim of an Amazon Suspended Account for the very first time, it can be a daunting period for your online business.

But there are straight forward steps which work that you can take immediately to help get your business selling again quickly. Craig Gedey is the managing partner of Thompson and Holt, a company that successfully specialises in doing exactly that. Gedey has vast experience of what to do in the aftermath of an Amazon Suspended Account, from the moment it happens through to the day your deactivation is overturned.

Here Gedey provides his straight forward five-step process to take if you have had an Amazon Suspended Account for the first time.

1. Don’t panic

“I can still recall the first time I had an Amazon Suspended Account and it was certainly a scary moment initially,” Gedey explains. “It was something I’d never been through before, I didn’t have any knowledge of the processes involved, and if I’m being totally honest my initial reaction was to get angry. But I’ve since learned that is probably the worst thing you can do, so definitely don’t fire off a panicked response after an Amazon Suspended Account that could end up doing more damage to your prospects of getting back online. It’s also worth understanding that you can have an Amazon Suspended Account even when you believe you’ve been operating correctly - it can be a genuine mistake that can be rectified.”

2. Collate your information

“If you’ve experienced an Amazon Suspended Account, you need to gather all the relevant information possible about why it has happened. Accept that you have made a mistake in Amazon’s eyes and begin to think of ways to remedy that moving forward. Amazon want to hear exactly how you’re going to avoid the same situation happening in the future, so it’s very important to understand the reason why you’ve had an Amazon Suspended Account.”

3. Put together a Plan of Action

“This is the most important step when trying to get back online. At Thompson and Holt we specialise in helping businesses write their Plan of Action once they’ve had an Amazon Suspended Account, because especially if it’s their first time, it can be difficult to understand exactly what they are looking for in that vital response. The first thing we always say is do not copy and paste a generic Plan of Action from the internet - that is the worst thing you can do. The experienced Amazon teams are well versed in these and it will actually work against you rather than in your favour. Instead make sure you refer to specific details of your Amazon Suspended Account and outline clearly how you’re going to ensure they won’t be repeated again.”

4. Use the correct structure

“Poorly constructed Plans of Actions could hinder your case after having an Amazon Suspended Account. As a basic outline it should include an introductory paragraph, the description of the issue, your action steps to avoid repeat and a closing statement. Keep it concise and to the point without feeling the urge to use long-winded, descriptive paragraphs. There’s plenty of material online that goes into great depth about the best structures, but that straight-forward approach will serve you well.”

5. Send it to Amazon

“Finally - and importantly - you need to make sure your Plan of Action goes to the right place as you appeal your Amazon Suspended Account,” Gedey adds. “From the ‘Performance’ dropdown in Seller Central, select ‘Performance Notifications’. Find the suspension notice that you received, click the ‘Appeal’ button, and then the ‘Appeal Decision’ button. In the form that’s provided, enter the details of your Plan of Action, and include a telephone number where you can be reached in case there are any questions. Then click on ‘Submit Appeal’ and your Amazon Appeal will be sent to Seller Performance for review. You should receive a response to your appeal of your Amazon Suspended Account within 48 hours.”

If you have found yourself the victim of an Amazon Suspended Account, contact Thompson and Holt for a free LiveChat to get your Amazon Seller business back online as quickly as possible.

Amazon Appeal Plan

Writing an Amazon Appeal Plan can be a minefield if it’s a process you’ve never experienced before.

What should you include? What should you avoid? And where does it need to be sent?

Craig Gedey, the managing partner for Thompson and Holt, has vast experience of writing Amazon Appeal Plans following a suspension of account, and believes there are key issues that anybody in that position should take on board. His company has successfully reinstated business through writing them a tailored, bespoke Amazon Appeal Plan.

Gedey has also seen the flip side - common mistakes made by businesses panicked into trying to get back online as quickly as possible. Here, he shares a list of key Do’s and Don’t when putting together your own Amazon Appeal Plan.

DO - Identify exactly why you’ve been suspended

“The first step of your Amazon Appeal Plan is fully understanding the reason for your suspension,” Gedey explains. “Amazon often give you a very basic explanation for their action, so it’s down to you to do some detective work and find out exactly what it is that has gone wrong by looking back through past orders and studying both feedback and the metrics linked to your account. The more you understand the reason for your suspension, the stronger your Amazon Appeal Plan will be.”

DON’T - Copy generic Amazon Appeal Plans from online

“The last thing that Amazon investigators want to see is generic responses that you’ve lifted from the internet. They are extremely well versed in these and it throws up major red flags for them when what they want to see is how you’re going to rectify your own mistakes. Instead put together detailed information from your own case, stressing that you’ve identified the issue and explaining how you will avoid it being repeated in the future. Structure wise, your Amazon Appeal Plan should include an introductory paragraph, the description of the issue, your action steps to avoid repeat and a closing statement.”

DO - Include details that are specific your own case

“Firstly, this will show Amazon that you’re not simply and lazily lifting somebody else’s Amazon Appeal Plan from the internet. What Amazon actually wants to hear are clear plans to rectify whatever they’ve highlighted for your company, not vague excuses about what you think might have gone wrong. Reasons for suspension can broadly fall into two categories - either failing to follow the site’s agreed Seller Policies, or your Seller Performance has fallen below the required expectations. Take your time to research both and figure out which one is relevant to you, and then be specific with the details when putting your Amazon Appeal Plan together. The details of your individual case are very important.”

DON’T - Rush into an angry Amazon Appeal Plan

“At Thompson and Holt we’ve come across plenty of examples where an Amazon Appeal Plan has been written and sent in the heat of the moment. Simply expressing anger and frustration about your situation isn’t going to find any kind of favour with the relevant Amazon teams, and can often lead to poor spelling, punctuation and grammar. Others we’ve seen have simply been desperate pleas for help, which again looks poor. If you’ve been informed of a suspension take a measured approach to your Amazon Appeal Plan.”

DO - Be clear and concise

“It’s important to provide key details of your case, but there’s absolutely no need to use long-winded, descriptive paragraphs,” Gedey says. “At Thompson and Holt we’ve found that using bullet points works well because it allows the Amazon team reading your Amazon Appeal Plan to access the information they need as quickly as possible. Make your closing statement concise and clear, so that they are left under no illusions about your plans to avoid suspension again in future.”

DON’T - Offer your opinion on Amazon processes

“Your Amazon Appeal Plan doesn’t need to include an analysis of how the company works, how the system has been unfair to you or what you think they are doing wrong. Instead, you need to accept responsibility for what’s happened, and use your Amazon Appeal Plan to show how seriously you are taking your response to it.”

DO - Send it to the right place

“From the ‘Performance’ dropdown in Seller Central, select ‘Performance Notifications’,” Gedey adds. “Locate the suspension notice that you received, click the ‘Appeal’ button, and then the ‘Appeal Decision’ button. In the form that’s provided, enter the details of your Plan of Action, and include a telephone number where you can be reached should there be any questions. Then click on ‘Submit Appeal’ and your Amazon Appeal Plan will be sent to Seller Performance for review. You should receive a response to your Amazon Appeal Plan within 48 hours.”

* If you have found yourself suspended while selling on Amazon, contact Thompson and Holt for a free LiveChat to get your Amazon Seller business back online as quickly as possible.

Amazon Appeal

To ring in the New Year, Thompson and Holt managing partner Craig Gedey has outlined the five crucial mistakes you should resolve not to make when writing an Amazon Appeal.

An Amazon Appeal is your method of reinstating your Amazon account as quickly as possible if you’ve been suspended by the site. But mistakes are common - and making them could delay or even prevent you getting back online.

Here, Thompson and Holt’s Gedey provides his five biggest mistakes to avoid in 2020.

1. Lift a generic Amazon Appeal from the internet

“This is the biggest thing to avoid in our line of business,” Gedey stresses. “The last thing the experienced teams at Amazon want to read is generic responses that you’ve copy and pasted from the internet. You need to put together detailed and specific information from your own individual case, highlighting that you’ve identified the issue that got you suspended and explaining how you will avoid repeating it again. Your Amazon Appeal should be tailored to deal with exactly what has unfolded in your specific case, and should never, ever be a copied version of somebody else’s. The people that deal with your Amazon Appeal have seen all of that before countless times and it will actually count against you when looking to get back online.”

2. Poorly constructed Amazon Appeals

“Many Amazon Appeals that we see at Thompson and Holt have been thrown together with no structure, making them difficult to read and crucially, hard to access the important information that you need to include and Amazon needs to hear. As a basic outline, your Amazon Appeal should include an introductory paragraph, a clear description of your specific issue, your action steps to avoid repeat and a well written, concise closing statement. Sticking to that basic outline will serve you well.”

3. Letting anger take over

“I come across plenty of Amazon Appeals that have been written in haste shortly after being suspended and it’s clear to pick them out,” Gedey says. “Just expressing frustration and anger about your suspension isn’t going to appease the relevant Amazon teams, and can also lead to poor spelling, punctuation and grammar, which further hampers your case. I’ve also seen Amazon Appeals that have basically been desperate pleas for help - which again just won’t cut it. Take some time to consider all the facts if you’ve been informed of a suspension and take a measured approach to your Amazon Appeal.”

4. Rambling, long-winded Amazon Appeals

“Don’t think that your Amazon Appeal is an exercise in showcasing your English GCSE writing skills with long-winded, descriptive paragraphs. Instead, the primary aim is providing the key details of your case in a clear, concise manner. We find that using bullet points is a good idea because it allows the people reading your Amazon Appeal to access the information they need as quickly as possible. And make sure your closing statement is factual and to the point, so they are left under no illusions about your plans to avoid any other suspensions again in the future.”

5. Telling Amazon what they’re doing wrong

“Another big pitfall to avoid,” Gedey concludes. Your Amazon Appeal doesn’t need to include your own personal analysis of how the company works, what they are doing wrong or how their systems have been particularly unfair to your company. Instead, you need to accept responsibility for the suspension you’ve been given, and use your Amazon Appeal to show how seriously you are taking your response to it. Focus on your own situation, not any Amazon systems.”

* If you have found yourself suspended while selling on Amazon, contact Thompson and Holt for a free LiveChat to get your Amazon Seller business back online as quickly as possible.

Amazon Seller Lawyer

Getting suspended on Amazon can be a daunting prospect for Sellers, especially those new to the platform. There are a number of avenues available to get yourself back online, one of which is employing an Amazon Seller Lawyer.

Any mention of a lawyer can faze some people, but there are undoubted benefits to hiring an Amazon Seller Lawyer, particularly if it is to deal with an issue you are entirely unfamiliar with. Amazon Seller Lawyers are experienced in dealing with a wide variety of suspensions on the site, and that expertise can be invaluable to the uninitiated.

Craig Gedey is the managing partner of Thompson and Holt, a company that specialises in getting Amazon Sellers back online as quickly as possible if they have been suspended. He explains: “Life as an Amazon Seller could have started perfectly. The sheer scale of the site means that there are now significant opportunities for businesses to sell either their product, or others’, to a huge marketplace across the world.

“But Amazon can also be an intimidating place if you are unfamiliar with its rules and regulations, and there can also be times when you become suspended without knowingly doing anything wrong. Because Amazon is so focused on providing a good service for consumers, at times Amazon Sellers can get caught up in their systems despite trying to operate in the correct manner.

“That is when Amazon Seller Lawyers can come into their own. Amazon Seller Lawyers are well versed in the website’s often complicated processes, and know exactly what information is required to get your business back selling online as quickly as possible. A good Amazon Seller Lawyer can deal with whatever issue you have encountered in a relatively short period of time, because with online sales, time is of the essence and being offline for any extended period of time can be very damaging for your business.

“There are lots of Amazon Seller Lawyers available online, which can also be confusing to those approaching them for the first time. Take your time to visit their websites and read whatever reviews are available for their respective companies - don’t just jump into hiring the first Amazon Seller Lawyer you stumble across after a quick search.”

The kind of issues that an Amazon Seller Lawyer can help you with include Intellectual Property Violations, Start Up and Company Formations, Negotiations with competitors and Legal Reports.

Gedey adds: “But it is also important to note that you don’t always need an Amazon Seller Lawyer to get you reinstated following a suspension on the website. Most of the time an Amazon Consultant such as Thompson and Holt can resolve the issue for you, possibly saving you thousands of dollars.

“The cost of an Amazon Seller Lawyer is always going to be a factor for companies, especially those that have just started up. Again, do your research online into the various cost of each Amazon Seller Lawyer, and read through the experience of some Amazon forums as well if that helps.

“It may be that a consultancy such as Thompson and Holt can help with your particular issue, and it’s advisable to contact them first because they will have a clear understanding of your situation, whatever that may be. They are also able to recommend trusted Amazon Seller Lawyers if that is the route you ultimately have to take to get your online business selling again in the quickest possible time.”

* If you have found yourself suspended while selling on Amazon, contact Thompsonand Holt for a free LiveChat to get your Amazon Seller business back online as quickly as possible.