8 brands were suspended and 30 stores were blocked overnight: Amazon’s account blocking storm continues

The wave of account bans caused by fake reviews has not ended.

Previously, the industry was shaken by the continuous closure of big sellers' accounts, and sellers were all worried. In recent days, it seems calm, but there are undercurrents. Previously, it was said that Amazon's operation was to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, but from the current observation, things are not that simple. Amazon's rectification has a tendency to clean up, and has spread from the top super sellers to small and medium sellers.

Shenzhen seller with annual sales of 1 billion yuan had all 8 brands blocked

A few days ago, a seller revealed that all 8 brands of a seller in Shenzhen were sold out, including MO****, Ai****, Fl****, FI****, FR****, as well as KA****, PE**** and Le****.

In fact, among the eight brands that were blocked, three brands, including Ai****, had been reported blocked during the peak period of blocking of big sellers’ accounts. Now there is news again, indicating that Amazon, which has already dealt a heavy blow to many big sellers, does not want to end it hastily, and the rectification trend is still continuing.

The editor found through inquiries that the above-mentioned brands can no longer be searched on Amazon, and they are also not displayed when searching for related brands from the outside and entering Amazon.

Compared to the top sellers whose accounts were previously blocked, this seller may not be very familiar to everyone.

This Shenzhen seller is a pioneer in China's cross-border e-commerce industry. It was registered in Hong Kong in 2014 and has a domestic operation team of more than 100 people. It takes the high-quality route with independent research and development + private model selection mode. The main products include electronic products (such as Bluetooth products, outdoor hiking consumer electronics) and fashion home products and other private brands. The products are mainly in the middle and high-end direction, and are sold well in North America, Western Europe, and Japan.

Under the general trend of cross-border e-commerce, the company has also achieved good development. Less than a year after its establishment, its monthly sales have increased by more than 10 times. In 2020, it achieved sales of 1 billion yuan.

The turmoil continued, and one seller lost 30 stores overnight

After the top sellers were successively banned in the past few days, the industry seems to have calmed down a lot in the past few days. Many sellers are worried that Amazon is gathering strength to turn the knife from the top and mid-level sellers to the larger number of small sellers.

Facts have proven that the sellers’ concerns are not unfounded. Previously, Yien.com also reported that after the top sellers were blocked one after another, many sellers received review warning letters from Amazon. Now, according to feedback from sellers, Amazon is not as simple as just sending warning letters.

Yesterday, a seller said that there was a message in the group the night before showing that a company had 30 stores closed overnight, and all of them were caught for fake orders.

Another seller also said that several accounts in his company had been affected, and that Amazon's attack was very precise.

There is also a seller who ships from the UK and has 12 stores listed.

…

Some sellers speculate that the recent sudden quietness is only because many small sellers have not been noticed, not because Amazon has stopped blocking accounts.

Some sellers have also discovered that Amazon seems to be engaging in sting operations.

According to feedback from a seller, he encountered an order like this: a buyer directly emailed the customer service, asking whether the order was placed on Amazon or the official website, but there was no Amazon order number, "clearly an Amazon discount code was given."

With Amazon's actions, many sellers lamented that Amazon has really made them discouraged this year. And with many festivals in the second half of the year approaching, if Amazon does not stop, many sellers are worried that the peak season sales in the second half of the year will be in vain.

After Amazon's wave of operations, everyone in the seller circle is in danger.

It’s hard to survive on the Amazon platform, why not try Walmart?

After experiencing this account suspension incident, I believe many sellers have this idea: operate on multiple platforms to spread risks.

Regarding multi-platform operations, some sellers may choose independent sites, while others may choose some emerging small platforms.

Among the many options, I think Walmart is a good choice.

I believe many sellers have clearly felt the weakness of Amazon Prime Day this year. Although the total sales have increased, the growth rate has clearly slowed down. Some sellers said that this year's Prime Day was like a fake one. Not to mention the reappearance of last year's booming sales, the sales volume was even less than half of what it was last year. Some companies waited all night but didn't get a single order.

However, Jungle Scout survey data shows that during this year's Amazon Prime Day, Walmart's GMV was 25% higher than usual. Compared with last year's Amazon Prime Day, Walmart's GMV this year was 47% higher.

Relevant data shows that this year's Amazon Prime Day hot-selling products include electronics, automobiles, furniture, sporting goods, beauty, media and games, pets and supplies, hardware and tools, toys, baby and toddler clothing, pharmacies (OTC), grocery stores, patios and gardens.

Jungle Scout also compared the sales growth of Walmart during Amazon Prime Day compared with normal day sales for the above-mentioned hot-selling products.

The data shows that the GMV of the electronics category grew the most, with an overall increase of 62%. The automotive category grew by 36%, the furniture category grew by 31%, the sporting goods category grew by 25%, the beauty category grew by 20%, the media and games category grew by 17%, the pets and supplies category grew by 16%, the hardware and tools category grew by 15%, the toys category grew by 14%, the baby and toddler clothing category grew by 13%, the pharmacy (OTC) category grew by 13%, the grocery store category grew by 12%, and the patio and garden category grew by 6%.

In a Jungle Scout survey, shoppers ranked price as the top reason for shopping at Walmart in the first quarter. While both Walmart and Amazon offer a wide variety of merchandise, consumers focus on different products when shopping on each platform.

For example, consumers buy more “basics” categories at Walmart than on Amazon, including groceries and over-the-counter medicines, as well as hobby-related products such as fitness gear, garden and outdoor products, and crafts and sewing supplies.

From the relevant data, we can see that Walmart has been gradually developing its online business in recent years, and the results are encouraging. At the same time, Walmart's online shopping is becoming more and more popular among consumers. In the Jungle Scout survey report, 39% of people said they shopped on Walmart. And Walmart's monthly visits are as high as 120 million+.

Therefore, as Amazon's policies continue to tighten, sellers may wish to consider Walmart.

In conclusion: Judging from the situation in the first half of the year, Amazon's tightening policies are inevitable. Now the peak season in the second half of the year is approaching, and in this case, sellers should be prepared and respond. Accounts are the foundation of sellers' survival, so in order to ensure the safety of accounts and have a chance to turn things around when the peak season arrives, sellers should stop violating regulations, such as stopping posting small cards with invitations to review, and stopping fake orders and reviews. In the long run, sellers' compliance operations and multi-platform operations should also be gradually put on the agenda.

Amazon ban