Amazon was ordered to unconditionally unblock frozen accounts! Sellers: Is spring coming?

Recently, according to foreign media reports, a German family business called Mi.to Pharm had its account blocked by the Amazon platform. The company mainly develops and sells medical technology and cosmetic products.

It is reported that the reason for the closure was " suspected violation of the terms of use ", but Amazon did not give further reasons. Moreover, the company's unsold products stored in Amazon warehouses are also at risk of being destroyed.

The company’s attorney immediately appealed against Amazon’s account blocking. The Hanover Regional Court held that Amazon’s actions seriously violated the EU Platform to Business (P2B) Regulation, which came into effect on July 12, 2020, and constituted an abuse of its dominant market position!

The German court ruled that Amazon must unconditionally unblock the frozen account of the company and cannot destroy the company's stored but unsold goods. In addition, after Amazon unblocks the company's account, it must still protect its right to continue to appeal on the platform.

In the context of the wave of account suspensions, such news is undoubtedly exciting for many sellers. However, it should be clear that such a judgment was made in Germany. The German court believed that Amazon had seriously violated the EU Business Platform ( P2B) Regulation, which regulates the unfair business practices of some platforms to ensure that merchants on the platform receive more fair treatment.

For example :

1. Digital platforms cannot suspend and terminate sellers’ accounts without clear reasons.

2. When changing the terms and conditions, at least 15 days’ notice is required .

This is of little reference value for the fact that a considerable number of Chinese sellers were blocked by the platform some time ago for operations such as false orders or paid reviews. "Fake orders" and "violation of the terms of use" are two completely different events. The evidence for false orders is clear; while the reason for "violation of the terms of use" is not clear.

In addition, even if the seller’s account is blocked for unknown reasons, a long lawsuit will consume the seller’s energy and time. Therefore, the editor also reminds all sellers here that if you want to go long-term, you still have to abide by the platform regulations, be cautious, and avoid unnecessary troubles!

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