Inauthentic and Counterfeit product suspensions are a very common problem among Amazon sellers. And in this guide, we’ll look more closely at this problem and try to give you a few ideas for solutions.
Amazon is the world’s largest e-commerce company so it’s no surprise that thousands of new sellers are flocking to sell on Amazon. And not all of them are honest.
Many sellers from 3rd world countries try to trick Amazon and its customers by supplying fake products.
That’s why Amazon introduced Inauthentic and Counterfeit products suspensions.
Sadly, not all suspensions are accurate and very often Amazon suspends the accounts falsely and legit sellers lose their accounts undeservingly.
Read on to find out how you can avoid these types of suspensions and what are your other options.
Inauthentic and Counterfeit Products on Amazon
However, with it, another issue resurfaced. This is the issue of sales of inauthentic or counterfeit products. As with any other multinational company, Amazon observes a set of stringent rules and policies that all sellers using the company’s platform must abide by. So, if you are a Seller account owner and you have received an ominous looking email from Amazon suspending you, fret not. We know this account might be your primary or only source of income and as such we will equip you with everything you need to know to set the scales right.
What Is a Suspended Amazon Account?
Before we go any further, let us first understand what a suspended account means. It is when Amazon disables your sellers account. However, at this point you still have the chance to recover it by submitting an appeal within 17 days. If that appeal does not go through, your account will be categorized as denied. Even a denied account can be recovered by submitting a revised action plan but if it escalates to the point of banning, that is the last straw. You might as well say goodbye to your Amazon days. However, if you are thinking you can get around this smartly by making a new Amazon sellers account, think again. Amazon’s terms and conditions do not allow you to open another Amazon seller’s account once you have set up your first account.
Now that we know what suspension is, the next question that arises is, why was your Amazon seller’s account suspended?
Reasons Why You Got The Inauthentic/Counterfeit Products Suspension
There are myriad reasons why this could have transpired, and you will find out yours when you check your Performance Notifications in Seller Central. Generally, this will have to do with failure to stick to Amazon’s terms and conditions. This includes:
- poor seller performance that may have been brought to notice via negative reviews and fewer sales,
- violation of Amazon policy in terms of fraudulent products, inappropriate customer or
- sale of inauthentic and/or counterfeit products.
An inauthentic product is one that has not been brought from a reliable enough supplier even though the product may be original. This can happen when customers file a “Not as Advertised” complaint regarding the product not matching the packaging description on the website, or it could be because your product resembles another on the web, raising suspicion about product specification. At other times, you could be bearing the brunt of a customer’s mistake where they accidentally file a false complaint despite your product being authentic. This can be especially annoying. To ensure the authenticity of your product, Amazon follows a series of protocols, including but not limited to checking your supplier receipts and invoices to track and ensure you acquired it from a reliable distributor.
The other issue regarding your product that can lead to your amazon seller account suspension is the likelihood of counterfeiting. Oftentimes people confuse counterfeit items with inauthentic items, but they are different transgressions. While the inauthentic product has an unreliable manufacturer even though it might belong to the original brand, a counterfeit product is a straight-up phony or fraudulent product.
So now that you have a fair idea of why your account was suspended, you might want to know what you can do to remove the suspension.
Removing & Reinstating Your Suspended Amazon Account
First and foremost, thoroughly scale the suspension email Amazon sent you and understand their reasons for doing so. Review your selling practices and analyze if they align with Amazon’s policies.
Next, make a formal appeal. In your formal appeal, outline an action plan. If a counterfeit item was the reason for your suspension, accept your shortcoming keeping Amazon’s customer-centric ethos in mind, and explain how you are reviewing with your current supplier how an inauthentic/counterfeit item entered the supply chain and if need be, to change your supplier to a more reliable one, and implement more astute product inspection measures for authenticity and meeting buyer standards.
Make sure to structure your appeal into Introduction, Solutions, and Closing Statement. Once you have done this, submit by clicking the “Appeal” button in the Seller Central under Performance Notifications. Do not forget to follow this up with a phone call!
Lastly, it is important to remember that even the most carefully created appeal letter and provided invoices of authenticity are not a guarantee for a reinstated account.
If you’re unable to reinstate your account — you should consider buying a new Amazon seller store.
Most of the time Amazon will suspend your account and won’t even return your hard-earned money.
That’s where we can help you set up a new seller’s account (even if you had a suspended one) and resume selling on Amazon again.
Click here to contact us and order a new, fresh account that’s ready to sell.