Although many Amazon sellers have 2 or more accounts, it’s not permissible to operate more than 1 on the Amazon platform.
Getting permission from Amazon to operate 2 accounts is extremely difficult. The only way that amazon will permit you to have 2 accounts is if:
1) you have a legitimate business reason
2) products being sold in the accounts are of a separate category
Keep in mind that a seller also needs to have their original account in good standing with Amazon customer metrics and be able to provide a separate email address and bank account for the new account.
5 Tips to Avoid Getting Caught with Related Accounts:
1.) UNDERSTAND THE NOTIFICATION – Know the reason for the suspension. Amazon wants to be sure that you aren’t creating the secondary account as an attempt to bypass their appeals system. Amazon will always consider your oldest account to be your actual account, everything else is considered to be a related account. The notification that you will receive will specifically state that you are related to an account that may not sell on the Amazon platform.
2.) FIX THE ORIGINAL ACCOUNT – resolve any issues with your oldest account and reinstatement will follow. It is usually faster and easier to get the first account reinstated.
3.) SCREEN NEW SELLERS – understand that someone else’s carelessness can affect you. Sometimes an Amazon account gets suspended for having related accounts when the seller actually only has 1 account. Oftentimes, an Amazon seller will hire other Amazon sellers to help run their business. If an employee is using their computer / same IP address that they use to do your work, that can cause the account to get flagged for related accounts whether or not they are operating 2 accounts. Always be cautious when hiring new employees and screen them to ensure this does not happen. Create a new email address for all new employees, give them a new computer to use for all matters pertaining to your business.
Amazon identifies related accounts through:
~ IP addresses
~ MAC addresses
~ Email addresses
~ Mailing addresses
~ Names
~ Employees selling behind your back
4.) MONITOR EMPLOYEES – make sure that you are the only seller operating in your office. Be sure that employees are not running other accounts or working for other people using your computers or WiFi. A seller must be vigilant about overseeing employees’ activities to avoid being suspended for related accounts.
5.) AVOID SHARED / PUBLIC WIFI – Do not sell at co-working spaces, cafes, or use municipal WiFi. There can be other sellers utilizing those same facilities or WiFi spaces, causing you to get linked as a related account. This happens most often in suburban areas, less frequently In big cities. There is most certainly a greater success rate in the city because there are greater instances of online sellers. There is extra risk involved in using the shared work space environment and a seller should be prepared to respond to a notification from Amazon at any time.