The account with annual sales of 50 million US dollars was blocked!

As the year draws to a close, sellers are busy preparing for a surge in orders, while platforms are also tightening their compliance policies, setting off a new round of "number scanning", and many sellers have already been affected.

The account of a seller with annual sales of 50 million US dollars was blocked

"My account was blocked for no reason," a seller complained in a post on the Amazon seller forum.

According to the seller, he was once one of the top sellers in the United States and has been carefully selling products on Amazon since 2016, with an average annual sales volume of $50 million.

But recently, Amazon suddenly closed his account on the grounds of "unverifiable ASIN" and froze his FBA inventory worth $5 million.

"Every time I solve a problem, a new one pops up," the seller complained. According to the seller, when he suddenly received a performance notice, he contacted several suppliers and provided the required documents.

But I never expected that after solving the current problem, Amazon would raise new problems. And my account has not been restored.

In response, the seller emphasized his dissatisfaction: "Amazon did not contact the supplier for confirmation, nor did it have any evidence to review. It closed my store simply because of suspicion about a product."

Currently, the seller’s store has been frozen and his capital chain has run into problems. Loans and supplier payments need to be paid, and a debt crisis has already emerged.

Many netizens offered suggestions below the post. Some sellers thought that the documents provided were insufficient and perhaps Amazon needed loan-related documents. Some sellers said they had the same experience and lost millions of dollars in sales. They suggested hiring an experienced consultant.

In fact, there are many sellers who have complained about their stores being blocked. Brent Wynne, who was blocked during Cyber ​​Monday, also posted that "a product I sold was accused of false copyright infringement. After I provided evidence, Amazon did not conduct an in-depth investigation and my account was still suspended."

Sellers believe that they have indeed been unfairly punished by Amazon. In many cases, even if they provide supporting documents, Amazon will not conduct an in-depth investigation, but will simply block their accounts. Not only will the company's account be deactivated, but they will also lose a large amount of money.

In contrast, many sellers have indeed committed various violations such as false orders, refurbished products, and fake goods, and their accounts have been blocked as a result of Amazon's thunderous rectification.

Data shows that in the first 20 days of November alone, about 5,000 Chinese sellers’ stores were blocked by Amazon, and even stores with annual revenue of over 100 million yuan were not spared. This is a good time to boost sales at the end of the year, but many sellers are unable to participate because of account blocking, which is a pity.

Similar account suspension incidents have sparked a lot of discussion among sellers. No matter how well the account is run or how big it is, once it crosses the platform's red line, it will be like a building about to collapse. On the other hand, it also highlights a risk: don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Now, as the new year approaches, Amazon is still tightening its policies and cracking down on various non-compliant behaviors more vigorously. Many sellers are deeply aware of this.

A new round of strict inspections! A large number of sellers’ stores were closed

Recently, sellers have reported that their stores have been blocked. There are three main reasons for the blockage - video verification, false reviews and renovation, which has caused headaches for many sellers.

1. Commercial 3-video verification

When it comes to the video verification in Article 3 of the Business Solutions Agreement , I believe many sellers have a deep feeling about it. In short, if Amazon believes that the seller has violated the rules, it will freeze the seller's account. Especially since this year, many stores have received this notice.

One seller said that the video verification process was relatively strict, with specific and detailed questions. If the questions were answered incorrectly, the verification could fail. The questions involved multiple aspects such as legal person, account, product, supplier, etc., and also involved some Amazon knowledge testing questions, such as "How to deal with negative reviews of the store?"

Amazon mentioned that the main purpose of this video verification is to verify the authenticity of the products sold by the seller and to detect any illegal account operations.

It is worth noting that this scanning does not matter whether the number is new or old, and the seller needs to complete the video verification within 14 days after receiving the notification , otherwise his account will be at risk of being frozen.

2. Fake reviews

Amazon has repeatedly issued warnings against fake reviews, but some sellers still defy the rules and end up having their accounts blocked. Recently, Amazon has stepped up its crackdown on fake paid reviews, especially on major overseas social media platforms.

Amazon has begun sending questionnaires to influencers to investigate whether they leave product reviews on social media in an attempt to catch sellers manipulating reviews, Bloomberg reported.

In terms of the questionnaire questions, they mainly include "Do you post videos on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram?", "How do you interact with the product sellers?", "Can you describe the work you have done for this seller as an influencer?" and other similar questions.

It is not difficult to see how hard Amazon is cracking down on paid reviews. Prior to this, the Federal Trade Commission also issued a policy that would fine violators more than $50,000, which will take effect in January.

3. Listing Renovation

Old links have poor sales, so they are refurbished; too many negative reviews, so they are refurbished; infringement is removed, so they are refurbished. For a long time, many sellers have regarded refurbished links as a lifeline to revive their listings. Although this operation can bring sales growth to sellers in a short period of time, it actually hides huge risks.

Recently, many sellers have received warning emails from Amazon for "refurbishment". The email clearly pointed out that some sellers or agents are trying to change a listing that is not new to another new product's ASIN by adjusting or replacing the ASIN.

If the seller commits the same violation again, the platform will block the relevant account, and in serious cases, the account may be permanently banned.

It is understood that there are two common methods of renovation: one is to open a case for renovation and operate it yourself by merging; the other is to change the ASIN attributes in a short period of time. However, renovation is a kind of "taking advantage of loopholes" and has violated the seller's code of conduct.

It is not difficult to see that Amazon has been cracking down on violations more and more stringently this year, especially when the peak seasons are approaching. Sellers should still abide by the rules to avoid hidden dangers to store operations and financial crises, which will eventually lead to Amazon settling accounts.

Amazon

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Strict inspection