Amazon Seller News: The Biggest Mistakes Sellers Are Making With Suspension Appeals
Every day on Amazon, thousands of sellers are working to appeal suspensions issued as a result of accusations from Amazon’s enforcement team. Regardless of the merit of these suspensions, creating successful appeals can be extremely difficult for independent sellers that do not know the language and evidence that Amazon’s team is looking for. In this blog, we walk you through some of the biggest mistakes that sellers are making when they create appeals.
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Using AI In Plan of Action POA Appeals
When you are suspended on Amazon, appeals are created through documents known as Plans of Action (POAs). These documents include three main sections: a root cause analysis, immediate corrective actions, and future preventative measures, in addition to attaching supporting evidence for your reinstatement case.
With the advent and development of AI tools throughout the seller space, one way in which many sellers have attempted to use AI is creating these documents. At first glance, the documents that AI tools create for you may appear as highly sophisticated and with a high likelihood of appeal success, however, these documents are often flawed in several major ways which can actively hurt your case for appeal.
The first major way that AI tools can hurt your case is by lying or falsifying information based on what you provide. Although AI tools are constantly improving, they generate responses based on training data that includes incorrect information about legal cases, past Amazon appeals, and other areas which often leads to false information being put into your appeals. While this may not seem like a major hurdle to getting your account appealed, Amazon’s enforcement team is trained to look for signs that a seller is not putting effort into their appeal as it shows a lack of commitment to being a compliant seller in the future.
Additionally, AI tools may not be confidential, which means for sensitive cases involving areas such as intellectual property, the information you provide to an AI chat bot may be turned against you. This is especially relevant for sellers who are suspended on Amazon and also facing potential litigation against their business, as opposing lawyers seek to dig up your AI tool chat logs to find any incriminating evidence against you.
Why First Amazon Appeals Matter
Although many sellers are aware of the general appeals process on Amazon, what many do not know is how important each individual appeal is. While some sellers view the process leniently, with multiple attempts being allowed to appeal reinstatement, the reality is that every appeal you submit matters. When you submit a second or third POA to Amazon’s enforcement team, they consider all previous appeals you have submitted to look for development of a case for reinstatement on your end.
This is why it is imperative to have a solid ground of appeals to work with from the start, as lying or failing to provide pertinent information on your first appeal can work against you if you are required to submit additional appeals.
Key Evidence For Plans of Action
One of the biggest things that experience brings to the appeals process for Amazon sellers is an understanding of the different types of evidence that gets results for reinstatement cases. At Amazon Sellers Lawyer, we frequently see sellers who have a compelling case for reinstatement, but lack the experience with Amazon’s enforcement team to know what evidence of theirs will best support their Plan of Action.
This was the case recently when we were contacted by a seller whose product was suspended for being a product advertised to children that shipped with batteries. Amazon flagged the product as being dangerous and lacking the proper certification, leading to an indefinite suspension. When our team was contacted, we immediately noted that the product did not ship with batteries, and used documentation from the manufacturer to confirm this information to Amazon. Additionally, the product’s certifications for use by children allowed us to create a Plan of Action which was accepted on first submission.
Contact Amazon Sellers Lawyer Today!
If you are facing suspension on Amazon and are unsure of your next step, contact the team at Amazon Sellers Lawyer today! We have been focused exclusively on helping sellers for over a decade, and have the experience to make sure your case is handled with the attention it deserves. Give us a call today at 212-256-1109 or fill out our online contact 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.