Authenticity complaints
Does anyone here know how to appeal authenticity complaints with retail receipts? Are retail receipts no longer allowed? I've dealt with this issue for over a month now, and I've submitted many times, including bank statements in those submissions, but still have been declined. This complaint has resulted in Amazon blocking me from selling the entire brand. Can a human please assist me with this issue? Contacted account health, and they told me it was an invalid quantity. However, they're not considering that some items were returned and purchased again, so I had more orders than quantity.
4 replies
Seller_OvL8C4BJWiuS9
Receipts do not supply the information needed to validate supply chain. You need Invoices from the brand or an LOA to sell on Amazon.
Seller_kIukTwdhvntAp
" Are retail receipts no longer allowed? "
@Seller_OvL8C4BJWiuS9is giving you the correct info but you would have known that if you had spent any time reading the Forum over the past year or more!
The short answer is NO, they are not. The longer answer is that in the past, YEARS AGO, you MIGHT have skated by with them as long as the BRANDS didn't complain. These days, you MIGHT still get away with them IF the brand is some obscure company that doesn't care about protecting their IP.
Here is the new landscape for selling here and it has been moving in this direction for a few years now --
THE AMAZON TWO STEP -- A NEW DANCE FOR SELLERS
More and more frequently Amazon is taking a TWO STEP approach and you are probably caught with not doing one of the steps (or either one!)
You are likely confusing AMAZON allowing you to list (or at least "ungate") an item or category and actually being APPROVED to sell a product. Amazon may have ungated you for a CATEGORY but there can be 100's of brands in the category and they ALL have their own restrictions.
AMAZON is only interested in FEES. They will allow a chimpanzee to list if it means they collect $$$$$.
Additionally, brands that you COULD sell yesterday may be restricted today or next week. Amazon is a moving target to deal with.
DO YOU have an LOA from the brand allowing you to sell on here?
If you have an LOA that specifically says you can sell on Amazon you MIGHT survive this. Is it POSSIBLE that the brand has sent Amazon a "whitelist" of approved sellers and did not have you on it? Contact your sales rep at the BRAND(S) involved and ask about their whitelist. (You DO have a rep at the brands, don't you?)
More and more brands are providing such a "whitelist" of their approved sellers and if YOU are NOT on the list you will be stopped in your tracks and probably hit with an IP violation.
I had one of my brands stop me because they CHANGED the company they hired to screen sellers. The NEW screener did not recognize my Amazon store name because I do all my purchases under a different LLC. It took a couple weeks to get straightened out and no problems since then.
DID YOU source from AUTHORIZED wholesale sources that your rep at the brand says are OK?
NOTE the verification is required from the brand that the source is legitimate and authorized, NOT from one of those touted on TikTok and YouTube as having "thousands of brands and products" that assures you that they are authorized.
If you have watched any YouTube or TikTok videos FORGET everything you saw there.
Spend hours/days on Seller U and read the Forum to see all the really creative ways rookies and experienced sellers find to get suspended by ignoring the advice above!
https://sell.amazon.com/learn
Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw
You can't. You need verifiable INVOICE from reliable authorized distributors. In many cases, you will also need written permission FROM THE BRAND to sell their products on Amazon.
For IP complaints, they never were.
If your only punishment is no longer being able to list the brand, count yourself lucky. Delete all listings for that brand, and carry on with brands you are authorized to sell. Most people in your situation report having their entire account deactivated.
April_Amazon
Hello @Seller_EoUwUrlVDxR6y,
Thank you @Seller_OvL8C4BJWiuS9, @Seller_kIukTwdhvntAp and @Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw for all the information
and suggestions.
There are occasional times retail receipts have been accepted, along with proof of payment for each purchase where the UPC codes correctly match items. If the receipts are original scans, not modified in any way - not saved in a document you are able to modify, just scans of the receipts with the proof of payment. This is not a guarantee this will be accepted.
This is the document you should review: Responsible sourcing - in part states:
"Listed below are the requirements for sourcing documentation request:
- Copies of invoices, receipts or other similar documents that demonstrate where your products are produced or manufactured
- These documents:
- Should reflect the sales volume of your product across all Amazon marketplaces in the last 365 days
- Should demonstrate your product’s full supply chain
- Should include contact information for the supplier(s) and the original manufacturer. We may contact suppliers or manufacturers to verify the documents
- Your documents should be able to trace your products to the original manufacturer even if you did not purchase them directly from the original manufacturer. This may require requesting additional invoices or supply chain documentation from your supplier if you are not sourcing directly from the manufacturer.
- You may remove pricing information, but the rest of the document must be visible to enable adequate review of the documents you provide. For ease of our review, you may highlight or circle the ASIN(s) under review."
For more specific information for your account, I would request a case ID, an ASIN or performance notification to be able to address your actual issue correctly.
Your fellow Sellers have giving VERY GOOD advice to prevent issues in the future. In all cases, it may become necessary to prove supply chain, and that is almost impossible if you are purchasing retail to resell on Amazon.
I look forward to your response. Thank you for reaching out on the forums.
April
