Here comes a large number of service providers that help sellers delete negative reviews and restore accounts

For millions of Amazon sellers, the biggest worry is probably that their accounts will be blocked due to various problems, and in the end they can only watch their business that they have worked hard to build for many years go down in flames.

For years, Amazon sellers have complained that the platform freezes their accounts without explanation, and the process of recovering their accounts can take months or even years, during which time they will have no source of income at all.

Based on this situation, helping sellers recover their accounts has gradually become a business, and it is very profitable. Since sellers often spend a lot of time and have a low success rate when applying for account recovery themselves, many sellers choose to seek help from "professionals".

It is understood that by paying only US$200-400, sellers can buy various services from so-called brokers on a certain platform, including contacting internal employees to help delete negative comments or provide information about competitors , and of course, restore frozen accounts.

With the rise of third-party sellers on platforms such as Amazon, Etsy and Walmart, the market for so-called black hat service providers has sprung up rapidly.

These “brokers” act as middlemen between sellers and Amazon employees, often using LinkedIn to connect with internal Amazon employees, said a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because of confidentiality requirements.

Cynthia Stine, president of eGrowth Partners , a consulting firm that helps businesses resume operations, said, "I've heard CEOs of large companies crying on the phone that they had to lay off employees and have even declared bankruptcy."

But Sting also said that as the number of black hat brokers and consultants has multiplied in recent years, this has eroded her business.

Amazon said it has systems in place to detect suspicious activity, such as improper access to confidential data, and will investigate those activities and share information with law enforcement agencies.

Back in 2018, Amazon conducted an investigation into employees who received payments ranging from $80 to more than $2,000 for sharing confidential information or removing negative reviews, The Wall Street Journal reported .

Amazon declined to say whether it had disciplined or fired employees who leaked data in exchange for compensation, only noting that it has a zero-tolerance policy for employees who violate its policies.

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Black Hat Service Provider

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