Amazon is a seller’s platform, which is the livelihood of many businesses. A suspension on an Amazon seller account often puts a halt to the business in its entirety. Having an Amazon seller account under review halts sales, damages customer trust, and creates a long-term consequence for your business. For some businesses, staying active on Amazon is crucial. This article helps you navigate the challenges of an account under review and understand the reasons for the suspension. We help you create a foolproof plan of action and chart a clear path to recover your account and avoid future pitfalls.
Understanding the “Under Review” Status and What Does It Mean?
If your account is marked as under review, it signifies that Amazon has suspended your account. A suspension does not mean a ban and is different from a banned account. An under-review account can be reinstated by resolving issues causing the suspension.
An account under review is reversible and requires action from your side. This includes understanding the nature of the problem causing the suspension and your plan of action to rectify the problem.
Key Points to Understand
- Amazon’s Intent: The under-review process allows Amazon to evaluate the integrity of your business, ensuring compliance with policies to protect customers.
- Temporary Nature: A review is not a ban. It’s an opportunity to address and rectify issues raised.
- Limited Access: During the review process, certain functions of your account may be restricted. This includes the inability to receive payments and list new products.
Why Accounts Are Flagged for Review
- Noncompliance with Amazon Policy: A violation of any of the Amazon policies may flag your account to be under review. This could be actions forcing customers to leave a positive review, listing prohibited items, or selling counterfeit products.
- Account Security Concerns: If Amazon detects a potential security threat, unauthorized access attempts, or a compromised account, they may suspend your account to protect users and your information.
- Payment Issues: Failure to pay Amazon fees, chargebacks, and disputes related to payments may result in the under-review status of your user account.
- Misuse of Reviews and Feedback: Misuse of reviews and feedback to gain positive reviews and force users to rate you positively and review products forcibly will result in the suspension of your account.
- Repeated Policy Violation: Repeated violation of Amazon policies despite warnings may result in permanent suspension and severe penalties.
- Poor Quality Products and Lower Ratings: If your products are constantly resulting in complaints due to poor shipping, late shipping, poor packaging, or product quality, Amazon will suspend your account.
- Intellectual Property Infringement: Violating trademarks, copyrights, and other intellectual property infringement will result in account suspension until the issue is resolved.
Overview of Amazon’s Account Review Process
The Amazon account review process is a structured evaluation process to assess sellers’ compliance with their policies and performance standards. This ensures the marketplace remains trustworthy to customers while holding sellers accountable for maintaining high standards. The key stages of the review process include:
- Notification: Sellers receive an email with details and reasons for the review. The message may include specifics like policy violations or metrics that fall below acceptable thresholds.
- Evaluation: Amazon’s team will examine account activities, including transaction history, performance metrics, and flagged behaviors.
- Request for Information: Sellers may be asked to provide additional documentation or appeal the review. If documentation is missing or if the review is due to a policy violation or poor performance, sellers must create a plan of action to address the issue.
- Resolution: Based on the seller’s response, Amazon will investigate and decide to reinstate the account or keep it under suspension. Suspension duration can range from hours to months, depending on the violation. For performance-based suspensions, such as order defect rate issues, restrictions may apply until metrics improve.
How Amazon Reviews Accounts
The Amazon review process includes both manual and automated systems with a clear workflow. Advanced algorithms detect anomalies and potential violations in real-time, flagging accounts for manual review if needed. Human oversight occurs when Amazon’s Seller Performance or Account Health teams investigate flagged accounts and review the cause. The manual team ensures transparency, checking for consistency in invoices, product sourcing compliance, and adherence to marketplace policies. Suspicious or unverifiable documentation typically results in extended suspension, penalties, or even a ban. Plans of action submitted during the review process are vetted and verified for compliance.
What You Need to Know About the Timeline and Outcomes
The timeline for the review process varies slightly but generally follows this pattern:
- Initial Review: Amazon takes 24-48 hours to gather data and identify the root cause of the flag.
- Seller Response: Sellers are given 3-5 business days to respond with documentation or a plan of action. It’s recommended to submit your response as early as possible.
- Final Decision: Amazon typically responds within 1-7 business days, providing clear feedback on the next steps. Complex cases may take longer.
Steps to Recover Your Amazon Account
A suspension can be traumatic, but stay calm and act fast. If your Amazon account is under review, it’s natural to feel stressed. Acting impulsively can worsen the situation. A methodical approach is important to recover from the situation systematically.
- Read the Amazon Notification Carefully: The notification contains crucial information to understand the issues. Pay close attention to details, including deadlines or requested documents. Amazon expects swift action to recover your account.
- Avoid Emotional Responses: Refrain from sending angry messages to Amazon. They expect clear, professional communication. Emotional responses only delay resolution. Focus on facts and solutions.
- Gather Information: Collect all required information to address the issue. If it’s a policy violation, draft a plan of action to rectify it. If specific documents are needed, ensure they are acquired promptly. Gather invoices, supplier correspondence, shipping documents, and customer communications relevant to your case.
- Draft a Professional Appeal: Craft a professional appeal letter. Outline your plan of action and provide detailed information to help Amazon resolve the issue. Acknowledge their concerns and express your commitment to resolving the matter. Clearly address the problem and avoid lengthy explanations. Maintain a professional tone and ensure logical structure.
- Submit Your Plan of Action: Include root cause analysis, actions taken, and preventive measures in your plan. Clearly outline strategies to show Amazon that the issue is resolved and unlikely to recur.
Conclusion
The above are some of the reasons for Amazon’s suspension, though there are others. It’s crucial to thoroughly read and understand Amazon’s terms and conditions. Think like Amazon as a business—they prioritise customer trust and product quality. Issues like poor packaging, delayed shipment, counterfeit products, or payment delays can harm your account standing. Reviewing the terms ensures you avoid violations and maintain a strong, trustworthy presence on the platform.