Amazon Suspensions: Types of Complaints

Inauthentic Item Complaints

The best way to have your account reinstated due to a false claim of your product being inauthentic is to provide the receipts or invoices from where you purchased the product. Include the distributor’s phone number and website.

Second, do what Amazon wants: Dive Deep and do a self-analysis. Think to yourself and ask your team, “Why would my customer believe this is inauthentic?”

You may be selling authentic products, but the packaging is inconsistent with the customer’s expectations. Sometimes, complaints are misplaced which leaves you, as a seller, in a frustrating position. Your products are 100% authentic, but you realize the customer has made the complaint regardless. Either way, you will need to address why this happened, and how you plan to fix this problem to avoid future Amazon suspensions due to these types of complaints.

Once you find the root cause of your problem and attach invoices to a well-written Plan of Action, your account should be eventually restored.

Used Sold As New Complaints

You check your email and realize Amazon has sent you a message suspending your account due to a used sold as new complaint. You are baffled. You have a product, it has never been used before, so you sell it as a “new” product.

What you may have failed to realize is that the packaging is not the same. Or the item, while never being used, was returned. Amazon now considers these products used and you cannot sell them as new. Yes, even if the product truly was never used, just returned, the product cannot be labeled as new. Amazon and their customers expect perfect packaging, and that is exactly what you need to provide if you are selling a product labeled as “new”.

If your Amazon seller account has already been suspended, you will need to show that your company has been updated on the new policies and will never repeat the same mistake again. With a well written plan of action, it is likely that your account will be reinstated.

Related / Multiple Amazon Accounts

If you are a new Amazon seller and you’re opening an account and run into an obstacle such as a typical business verification, stop and solve that problem, do not start again with a new account! If you’re an experienced seller, use VPNs, different bank accounts, Mac addresses. Everything has to be different if you want to be successful at operating multiple accounts without getting caught.

Product Not As Described Complaints

Many sellers want to be as descriptive as possible when selling their products. You may even describe your product as a “type” of product, while it is not exactly that product brand. The best solution is to take immediate action. You need to clarify precisely that your product is not a certain brand, but rather is like this brand. This mistake could lead to multiple complaints for inauthentic items and for not as described items.

In your Plan of Action, you will need to show that you quickly corrected your mistake and that you will take preventative actions so that this never occurs again. It also may be in your best interest to look back at your listing and make sure the pictures match exactly to the product being sold and that the descriptions perfectly describe the product you are selling.

Trademark Complaints

In sum, if the product is genuine and you are simply reselling it, there is usually no trademark violation. In our practice, most of the copyright and trademark violations asserted against our clients are baseless. Whether the complaints are baseless or valid, Amazon often suspends your account. Trademark Bullying: this is where companies assert baseless complaints. Its existence is recognized by the United States Congress and the USPTO. Don’t be a victim.

Copyright Complaints

If you are listing on a detail page that someone else created, there is usually no copyright violation. In our practice, most of the copyright and trademark violations asserted against our clients are baseless. Whether the complaints are baseless or valid, Amazon often suspends your account. What should you do if your account has been suspended? Amazon tells you to contact the person that made the complaint. You get the email address in your suspension notice. You will need to convince the complaining party to retract their complaint from the same email address from which it was asserted. You may also need to submit a Plan of Action that seeks reinstatement whether or not the complaint is withdrawn. Your Plan of Action might state that you are not going to sell that listing anymore and also provide mechanisms for avoiding these types of complaints in the future.

Drop-Shipping Suspensions

Amazon drop shipping suspensions on sellers for dropshipping directly from places like Sam’s Club/Walmart directly to customers. We want to give you a heads up that this might be your time to change your business strategy because it seems like Amazon is continuously going to crack down harder and harder on anyone they feel is violating their dropshipping policy.

False Counterfeit Complaints

False counterfeit complaints are when brands accuse sellers of selling counterfeit products when they are selling 100% genuine products.
When that occurs, the victimized sellers usually have at least 2 legal claims that they can use as leverage or use to sue in court: Defamation & Interference with Contract. We rep these sellers and use the claims to negotiate resolutions and we can and have started lawsuits against the brands making wrongful claims against Amazon sellers.

False counterfeit complaints asserted against AMZ sellers often result in the suspension of the seller’s account or Amazon listings, and the loss of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales.

Review Manipulation

Positive customer feedback can make the final decision for Amazon customers when deciding between sellers. A customer is often willing to pay a little extra for the same product if they can be reassured that this is a product that they are able to rely on. Sellers know their positive reviews make a difference and naturally want the best reviews on their page.

However, some sellers have turned to different methods of obtaining these reviews. Sellers are hiring outside companies who in exchange for payment, write positive reviews on their Amazon page. Other sellers are offering items at a discounted rate in exchange for an honest review, positive or negative. However, both of these are against Amazon’s policies. If Amazon becomes aware of the violation, it is likely that your account will be suspended.

Review or feedback manipulation is when a customer is offered an incentive in exchange for writing a review. Amazon has strict policies against manipulating reviews because it skews the authenticity of product reviews. Even if the review itself is genuine, if it was produced in exchange for something, that review is tainted in Amazon’s eyes. Amazon cares deeply about their customers. They will not tolerate any form of feedback other than a purely genuine, uninfluenced review.

Restricted Products

Multiple sellers have come to us with either their account or listing suspended for Amazon believing their products contain ingredients on the restricted page.

From dog treats to candies containing hemp oil, VSA states that CBD products, full-spectrum hemp oil products, and rich hemp oil are ingredients that will get your listing and possibly your account suspended. There are slight differences in the makeup of these ingredients and they’re vastly different in what their effects are on a person. So, it’s justified why Amazon would want to be careful. But if you can prove through a lab analysis or some other way to show them the ingredients in your product, this is going to be your best chance at getting either your account / listing back. With this in mind, please be careful of how you list your products on Amazon because minor little things can get your account or your listing suspended.

Ordered Wrong / Unwanted Items

Amazon will notice when items are returned. They will hold you as a seller responsible when someone returns an item because it was the wrong item or an unwanted item. You as an Amazon seller need to be proactive so that this does not occur again. By improving your listing with quality photographs and thorough, easy to understand descriptions, buyers will be less likely to mistakenly purchase a product.

Another way to avoid returns for unwanted items is to eliminate selling returned items that may have some damage to the packaging. Even if the customer knows that the item is used, if the packaging is not perfect, they may be discouraged and return the item. If your account has already been suspended, you will need a Plan of Action that thoroughly describes how you fixed your mistakes and how you plan to avoid making these mistakes again.