Amazon Sellers’ News 1/17/20 with CJ Rosenbaum: Bots triggering restricted product suspensions, Influx of sellers accused of having more than 1 account, Baseless trademark complaints made against sellers
Influx of AMZ sellers accused of having more than 1 account and violating the terms of service.
We source sellers who clearly do not have any other accounts, no prior accounts, no current accounts, no multiple accounts. What is crazy is that when they’re calling into Amazon (we heard this multiple times yesterday), Amazon staff is telling them to go ahead and open another account, which is 100% against the terms of service. It is really, really bad advice. Do not follow verbal advice from Amazon staff. If they’re telling you to open another account, get it from them in writing before you do so, and if you can’t, then work on that first account and get it reopened.
Amazon’s bots are clearly scanning your listings for keywords.
If you are listing anything with terms that seem medical in nature, fetal monitor, doppler, anything like that, Amazon’s bots are going to pick it up. There is also a whole list of words that makes Amazon think you’re selling a pesticide type product. We saw a bunch of suspensions for this a few weeks ago and also we saw, suspensions for words associated with weapons. Now we think we’ll be able to get all of these sellers reinstated relatively quickly, but I want you to know about it. Check your listings. If you have any words in your description, the front end or the back end that’s related to pesticides or weapons in any way, make sure to remove those words from your listing before you have a problem.
Intellectual Property Law & Trademark Complaints
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of trademark complaints against sellers that are entirely baseless because you are selling genuine products. Be careful about listing generic products on branded names. That is a trademark violation, but if you are selling genuine goods on a brand’s listing and that consumer who gets your products is receiving the same exact product, the same exact benefits to that product that they would get from the brand itself, you are not violating anybody’s intellectual property rights.
