The purpose of this blog post is to share how to write an effective Amazon appeal to reinstate a product listing or account suspension. As an Amazon seller, it can be devastating for your business for a product listing to be removed from the Amazon marketplace or you receive an account suspension, as you cannot generate any sales. It is important to understand the reason that a listing goes down, the actions you should take to reinstate the listing and ensuring you are compliant with Amazon policies. Amazon has been being more aggressive in assigning policy violations in order to build a more trusted marketplace for Amazon sellers. So yes, it may be frustrating when your listing goes down and you need to write an appeal; but know that the actions taken by Amazon are increasing the level of trust with Amazon customers so that they can make a purchase knowing that the product they receive is safe, and complies with regulations and policies designed to protect customers.
At Goat Consulting, we help brands and manufactures understand and navigate Amazon policies to proactively address any potential issues. If a listing is removed, we understand the appropriate actions to reinstate an Amazon listing or account suspension that satisfies Amazon’s requirements for selling, inform clients of the requirements, and ultimately create a better shopping experience for Amazon customers. As each product and category is different, we recommend you take some time to review Amazon’s policies to understand the exact use and application that fits your situation.
Amazon Policy Violations and Situations that Require Amazon Appeal
It is important to know when it is required to address a violation in an Amazon policy. Violations can occur on both a product listing level, and an Amazon account level. All Amazon Appeals or plan of actions are due to not creating a marketplace that is in the best interest of the end Amazon customer. In a previous post, we outline how you as a seller get notified that there has been an Amazon policy violation. The three most common reasons why an Amazon Appeal would be required include:
Customer Service Performance - Not adhering to Amazon performance standards as it relates to customer service performance can result in a suspension of your account. The main metric driving this is the order defect rate metric, or a percentage of bad customer experiences. Order defect rate consists of issues from negative feedback, A-to-z Guarantee claims, and chargeback claims
Policy Compliance - failing to follow Amazon policies can result in a removal of your product listing or an account suspension. Here are several policy violations that can occur: Suspected Intellectual Property Violations, Received Intellectual Property Complaints, Product Authenticity Customer Complaints, Product Condition Customer Complaints, Food and Product Safety Issues, Listing Policy Violations, Restricted Product Policy Violations, Customer Product Reviews Policy Violations.
Shipping Performance - Shipping products in a timely manner that aligns with Amazon customer expectations is vital for a successful selling experience. Issues related to shipping include: late shipments, pre-fulfillment cancel rate, and not having valid tracking.
Complying with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies will prevent the need for an Amazon Appeal. Failure to do so can require an Amazon Appeal and plan of action.
How to Write an Effective Amazon Appeal and Plan of Action
The first thing to do when you receive a notification of restricted products removal is to ensure that your product complies with all applicable laws, regulations, and Amazon policies. If it does not, then you must close, delete, or archive your listing. If you feel that your product is compliant and the restriction should be lifted, you can submit evidence and documentation with an Amazon appeal or plan of action. For each specific case, refer to the instructions provided in the Performance Notification section and Account Health section for specific steps. Generally speaking, here are the main aspects of writing an Amazon Appeal and Plan of Action:
Identify the root cause or problem that led to account deactivation or product listing removal
Explain the actions you have taken to resolve the issue
Provide a solution so the issue will not happen again moving forward
Here are some general best practices for writing an effective amazon appeal and plan of action:
Be clear and concise in a direct and factual manner. Put yourself in the shoes of the Amazon safety team
Provide an explanation of all the issues, as there may be more than one reason why the issue has occurred
Include supporting evidence and highlight the specific policies that were not followed products under review, and ensure that they are relevant and timely to the provided issue
Do not follow a template, instead consider each situation and violation
Provide both short term action that has been taken and long term solutions to prevent issues like this happening again
Be flexible and compliant to Amazon’s requests for information and action during their review of your Appeal.
Here is a video from Amazon outlining tips for createing an effective plan of action
Conclusion
We hope that after reading this post you have a better understanding of how to write an effective Amazon Appeal. Again, review Amazon’s policies to understand the exact use and application that fits your situation. By complying with Amazon policies and all applicable laws and regulations, you help maintain a marketplace that is safe for buyers. Raising the bar on the marketplace will drive more shoppers and repeat purchases to Amazon and your products. Though we can’t write the appeal for you, if you need help understanding a policy violation or a recommendation on how to address selling concerns, please reach out to us.