Suspended for complaints of inauthentic products
Hi all,
First of all, may I say that I know I have messed up here. A few months ago (when I first started on FBA) I found a supplier on AliBaba (I know, I know) that was offering an item from a well known brand at a low price. I ordered some and sold them for a while, as when I inspected them they seemed really legit (not good enough, I know). Fast forward and I received an inauthenticity complaint. Stopped selling them, removed all of them and a couple of days ago (months after the fact) I receive a notification that my account has been suspended.
I have submitted the following POA below, which they have replied to requesting more information. I have included my original POA (which included invoices from the seller, not Alibaba) and their reply below in italics. I know the chances of reinstatement are relatively slim but if anyone could help me in any way I would be so appreciative. I desperately need to pay off credit card bills etc with the money in the account!
Thanks in advance.
Dear Seller Performance
I am the owner of Frank’s Warehouses, and I am writing to appeal our suspension due to inauthentic claims. As a relatively new seller, we did not fully appreciate the need to scrutinise all branded products and their supply chain. We now understand that his has fallen beneath what is expected of Amazon by its customers, and what Amazon expects of its sellers. We understand that our account is under review for the following reasons:
The authenticity of ASINs xxxxxxx has been brought into question.
We have not used right standard of vigilance when choosing a supplier.
Failure to act on customer complaints of authenticity and other seller performance notifications.
Immediate Corrective Actions
All of our listings have been closed. These will not be reopened until their authenticity can be proven through verifying suppliers and contacting brand owners.
The ASINs which received complaints have been deleted and removal orders were made as a result of the complaint (removal order ID: xxxxxx).
All dissatisfied buyers have been refunded.
A full review of the Amazon Seller’s Code of Conduct.
Long Term Corrective Actions
The items authenticity will be checked with the brand owner before any purchase is made from a third party distributor or supplier.
In future, all products will be sourced from authorised suppliers with the adequate licensing permissions.
All units will be thoroughly inspected upon receipt to ensure both authenticity and that they match entirely to the colour, description and other details on the Amazon product page.
Any customer dissatisfaction will be immediately addressed with a full refund and the customer allowed to keep the item.
Seller metrics will be closely monitored to ensure I am reaching Amazon’s standards of quality. Any discretions will be immediately corrected.
We would like to take full responsibility for the satisfaction of Amazon customers, and understand that Amazon values customer experience extremely highly. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to reinstate our selling privileges.
Thankyou for working with us to resolve these issues.
Hello,
_ _
We still need more information about your plan to address inauthentic complaints.
_ _
Please reply to this email with a plan that explains:
– The issue that caused the complaint
– Steps you have taken to resolve the complaint
– How you will prevent similar complaints
_ _
Here are a few things to consider as you work on resolving this:
–Sourcing: Are you sourcing the product from a trusted supplier?
–Listing: Is the product accurately described on Amazon? Have you ensured that there is no ambiguity and the customer is well informed?
–Packaging: Is the product in its original packaging as listed on Amazon?
– Shipping: Have you taken all appropriate steps and quality checks to ensure that the product is stored, packed, and shipped appropriately?
_ _
Please review your communications from buyers to better understand the issues. Be as specific as possible in your plan. Do not limit your plan to issues with specific orders.
_ _
_Get help creating your plan in Seller Central Help: (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/200370560) _
_ _
Learn more about our policies in Seller Central Help:
– Prohibited Seller Activities and Actions (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/200386250
_-- Product Detail Page Rules (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/200390640) _
_-- Condition Guidelines (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/200339950) _
_ _
Have questions? We can help right away. Contact us (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/hz/contact-us/performance).
We still need more information about the items at the end of this email. Please reply to this email with copies of invoices or receipts that include the following:
_ _
– Supplier information (name, phone number, address, website)
– Buyer information (name, phone number, address, website)
– Item descriptions
– Item descriptions (for ease of our review, you may highlight or circle the ASIN(s) under review)
_-- Invoice date (must be issued in the last 365 days) _
_ _
You can send .pdf, .jpg, .png, or .gif files. These documents must be authentic and unaltered. We may call your supplier to verify the documents. You may remove pricing information, but the rest of the document must be visible. We will maintain the confidentiality of your supplier contact information.
_ _
We will review your information and decide whether to reinstate your listings.
_ _
Have questions? We can help right away. Contact us (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/hz/contact-us/performance).
-------------------------------------
ASIN: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-------------------------------------
_Sincerely, _
_Seller Performance Team _
https://www.amazon.co.uk
Suspended for complaints of inauthentic products
Hi all,
First of all, may I say that I know I have messed up here. A few months ago (when I first started on FBA) I found a supplier on AliBaba (I know, I know) that was offering an item from a well known brand at a low price. I ordered some and sold them for a while, as when I inspected them they seemed really legit (not good enough, I know). Fast forward and I received an inauthenticity complaint. Stopped selling them, removed all of them and a couple of days ago (months after the fact) I receive a notification that my account has been suspended.
I have submitted the following POA below, which they have replied to requesting more information. I have included my original POA (which included invoices from the seller, not Alibaba) and their reply below in italics. I know the chances of reinstatement are relatively slim but if anyone could help me in any way I would be so appreciative. I desperately need to pay off credit card bills etc with the money in the account!
Thanks in advance.
Dear Seller Performance
I am the owner of Frank’s Warehouses, and I am writing to appeal our suspension due to inauthentic claims. As a relatively new seller, we did not fully appreciate the need to scrutinise all branded products and their supply chain. We now understand that his has fallen beneath what is expected of Amazon by its customers, and what Amazon expects of its sellers. We understand that our account is under review for the following reasons:
The authenticity of ASINs xxxxxxx has been brought into question.
We have not used right standard of vigilance when choosing a supplier.
Failure to act on customer complaints of authenticity and other seller performance notifications.
Immediate Corrective Actions
All of our listings have been closed. These will not be reopened until their authenticity can be proven through verifying suppliers and contacting brand owners.
The ASINs which received complaints have been deleted and removal orders were made as a result of the complaint (removal order ID: xxxxxx).
All dissatisfied buyers have been refunded.
A full review of the Amazon Seller’s Code of Conduct.
Long Term Corrective Actions
The items authenticity will be checked with the brand owner before any purchase is made from a third party distributor or supplier.
In future, all products will be sourced from authorised suppliers with the adequate licensing permissions.
All units will be thoroughly inspected upon receipt to ensure both authenticity and that they match entirely to the colour, description and other details on the Amazon product page.
Any customer dissatisfaction will be immediately addressed with a full refund and the customer allowed to keep the item.
Seller metrics will be closely monitored to ensure I am reaching Amazon’s standards of quality. Any discretions will be immediately corrected.
We would like to take full responsibility for the satisfaction of Amazon customers, and understand that Amazon values customer experience extremely highly. Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to reinstate our selling privileges.
Thankyou for working with us to resolve these issues.
Hello,
_ _
We still need more information about your plan to address inauthentic complaints.
_ _
Please reply to this email with a plan that explains:
– The issue that caused the complaint
– Steps you have taken to resolve the complaint
– How you will prevent similar complaints
_ _
Here are a few things to consider as you work on resolving this:
–Sourcing: Are you sourcing the product from a trusted supplier?
–Listing: Is the product accurately described on Amazon? Have you ensured that there is no ambiguity and the customer is well informed?
–Packaging: Is the product in its original packaging as listed on Amazon?
– Shipping: Have you taken all appropriate steps and quality checks to ensure that the product is stored, packed, and shipped appropriately?
_ _
Please review your communications from buyers to better understand the issues. Be as specific as possible in your plan. Do not limit your plan to issues with specific orders.
_ _
_Get help creating your plan in Seller Central Help: (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/200370560) _
_ _
Learn more about our policies in Seller Central Help:
– Prohibited Seller Activities and Actions (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/200386250
_-- Product Detail Page Rules (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/200390640) _
_-- Condition Guidelines (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/gp/help/200339950) _
_ _
Have questions? We can help right away. Contact us (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/hz/contact-us/performance).
We still need more information about the items at the end of this email. Please reply to this email with copies of invoices or receipts that include the following:
_ _
– Supplier information (name, phone number, address, website)
– Buyer information (name, phone number, address, website)
– Item descriptions
– Item descriptions (for ease of our review, you may highlight or circle the ASIN(s) under review)
_-- Invoice date (must be issued in the last 365 days) _
_ _
You can send .pdf, .jpg, .png, or .gif files. These documents must be authentic and unaltered. We may call your supplier to verify the documents. You may remove pricing information, but the rest of the document must be visible. We will maintain the confidentiality of your supplier contact information.
_ _
We will review your information and decide whether to reinstate your listings.
_ _
Have questions? We can help right away. Contact us (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/hz/contact-us/performance).
-------------------------------------
ASIN: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-------------------------------------
_Sincerely, _
_Seller Performance Team _
https://www.amazon.co.uk
14 replies
Seller_0pkMTMROIPEmY
The issue you have here is depending on the ASIN you have listed against , we’d need an ASIN example, Amazon will want Authorised distributior or manufacturer invoices to clear the authenticity claim, sourcing from Alibaba will guarantee this will not be possible and there will be a high possibility that the product supplied is OEM, Counterfieit etc. Amazon will not accept a plan of action relating to authenticity without the ability to clear or prove the product supplied was authentic, they clearly state, in some cases you may be able to delete your entire inventory and submit a POA but I’m not convivence this route will clear the authenticity.
We still need more information about the items at the end of this email. Please reply to this email with copies of invoices or receipts that include the following:
_ _
– Supplier information (name, phone number, address, website)
– Buyer information (name, phone number, address, website)
– Item descriptions
– Item descriptions (for ease of our review, you may highlight or circle the ASIN(s) under review)
_-- Invoice date (must be issued in the last 365 days) _
Seller_EJIX7rqDNQJi2
In order to appeal this suspension, you will really need to provide Amazon valid invoices, the Plan of Action is a secondary thing.
I have checked your appeal and I can see that it will need a lot of editing + additional details.
So where did you source the product, could you provide the ASIN? Because in the beginning of your post you are saying that you found a supplier on Alibaba but later that the invoices weren’t from Alibaba.
You were suspended for “inauthentic complaints”, this applies to your entire account, therefore you shouldn’t be talking about any specific ASINs.
Also, in the “What happened” part, you need to tell Amazon what you did wrong and what led to the complaints.
Not why your account was suspended:
In the “What we have done to resolve the problems” part you need to talk about reviewing your entire account and inventory, reading buyer feedback, returns comments and product reviews to catch any complaints, removing any listings for which you don’t have valid invoices, offering buyers to return items with complaints for a refund to inspect the merchandise, etc… Regarding reviewing the Amazon policies, you should mention the specific ones that apply in your case.
In the “What we will do to prevent similar complaints” part you need to present Amazon multiple steps, which address especially sourcing - directly from the manufacturers, regulary checking and reviewing your entire inventory, not commingling your FBA items for example…
This is not what Amazon wants to hear. They want to know how you will prevent this happening again and not what will you do when it happens again.
