Amazon Sellers’ News 12/3/19 with CJ Rosenbaum: Metric Suspensions, Business Verification, Gated Brands & Experienced Sellers
Today is Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019, and this is Amazon Sellers Breaking News, where I get to share with you what I learned from our 10,000 foot view that you can hopefully avoid some of the issues that our clients all over the world are facing. So today, we have three huge breaking news stories as you continue on through Black Friday all the way through to Christmas. I hope you’re all making a ton of money and a ton of sales.
First, metric suspensions are up across the board – high ODR rates, late shipments, and canceled orders.
Canceled orders seem to be leading the pack in their cause for the metrics just going bad, and Amazon coming down on you like a ton of bricks. So try to make sure you maintain good inventory even though hopefully your products are flying off the shelves. And if you need to remove the listing itself, do it before it becomes a problem. Amazon hates canceled orders. Keep your metrics practically perfect.
Business verification for people and companies selling gated brands.
The new terms of service came online on August 16th, 2019 over the summer. Business verifications clearly apply to all sellers, large, small, new, experienced, gated brands, and regular third-party sellers. When it comes to gated brands, Amazon has been requesting copies of your authorization letters, copies of your contracts with the brands, and you have to have those forms at the ready. If you have an authorization letter, if you have a distribution agreement, if you got into selling gated brands, you have the documents, just keep them ready. They’re really quick reinstatements to obtain.
Business verification for experienced sellers who are not selling gated brands.
The business verifications for new sellers seem to have gone down dramatically. We’re getting fewer and fewer calls from newer sellers right now, but we’re getting tons of calls / emails / chats regarding business verification for experienced sellers. Make sure you are not changing your credit cards, that’s sparking problems. Make sure you are not changing your bank accounts, that is causing problems. Do not change from any type of account to another account. Don’t get your corporation online just yet. Wait until after Christmas to make those changes, because while it doesn’t make any sense at all, any change to your account can spark a business verification and/or suspension. Just ride out your sales until after the holidays and then make the changes you need to make.