Amazon Seller News: Sellers Redacting Content in Plans of Action
One of the most confusing aspects of completing an Amazon Plan of Action (POA) appeal is what evidence to include and what content to redact from it. In this blog, we walk sellers through a recent Amazon Sellers Lawyer case which demonstrates the potential downsides of redacting information from your POA appeals.
Amazon Suspension POA Plan of Action
Appealing suspended products or accounts on Amazon most often involves completing an Amazon Plan of Action appeal. POAs consist of three major writing sections:
- Root Cause Analysis: Discusses what you believe led Amazon to suspend your product or account.
- Immediate Corrective Actions: Includes all actions you have taken to resolve the issue, including offering refunds, altering your storefront, etc.
- Future Preventative Measures: What you are doing to prevent future suspensions from occurring. Depending on the reason for your suspension, this could include actions such as switching manufacturers or showing proof that you inspected the conditions of where your products are being manufactured.
Additionally, POAs include supporting evidence for your written sections. This is where a major point of confusion can come in for sellers – whether or not to redact information from your supporting evidence.
Appeal Accounts Amazon Should You Redact Evidence?
For Amazon sellers submitting POAs, Amazon allows you to redact information from your supporting documents at your discretion. However, a major problem with this is that Amazon has used redacted information as a justification for denying account appeals. This means that although you should have the ability to redact information from these documents, it may be the factor that leads your account to stay suspended.
The justification for this action is that Amazon believes that you have altered invoices in a way that is advantageous to your case. Even if this is not true, this places a major roadblock for sellers who want to redact sensitive information from documents like invoices.
Recent Amazon Sellers Lawyer Cases
In a recent Amazon Sellers Lawyer case, a client reached out to us after failing to appeal a suspension with a POA that included redacted supporting documents. Because their reinstatement was denied with allegations that they had altered the documents, we worked with the client to update the appeal with unredacted documents and persuasive language in the writing sections.
This led the seller to be reinstated on the first attempt with Amazon Sellers Lawyer. For this reason, it can be good to use unredacted documentation whenever possible for POAs. Because redacted documentation has the potential to create further issues for your appeals, if you can leave information in the documents, it can support your case for reinstatement.
Contact Amazon Sellers Lawyer Today!
If you are currently dealing with suspension on Amazon and don’t know your next step, reach out to the team at Amazon Sellers Lawyer today! We have been working exclusively with e-commerce sellers since 2016, and know the ins and outs of appealing suspension from this extensive experience. Give us a call today at 212-256-1109 or fill out our online form linked here.
About the Author
CJ Rosenbaum, Esq.
CJ Rosenbaum is the founding partner of Amazon Sellers Lawyer. He’s been practicing law since 1995, and since 2016 his firm has focused exclusively on helping Amazon sellers deal with issues like suspensions, intellectual property disputes, and withheld funds.
CJ has written six books on Amazon seller legal issues including the Amazon Sellers’ Guide to Copyright Law. He has spoken at major industry events like the Prosper Show, Global Sources Summit, Retail Global. CJ also works with the Amazon Sellers Lawyer team to provide free content for Amazon sellers. This is available through their online blog and YouTube channel, frequently covering major Amazon updates and important topics relevant to the seller space.
Through BrandProtectionAmazon.com, the firm also supports brands in protecting their products. This gives the team the unique opportunity to learn from case wins on both sides of the fence, strengthening protection for both the sellers and brands that Rosenbaum & Segall P.C. represents.
Amazon repeatedly rejecting your Plan of Action? Amazon Sellers Lawyer handles suspension appeals and account reinstatement cases – including arbitration against Amazon when they’re withholding seller money. Contact us to discuss your situation and figure out the best path forward.