🚨 WARNING: Amazon's Abuse Portal is Systematically Broken - Competitor Fraud Going Unaddressed
TL;DR: Competitor is conducting serial fraudulent product swaps to steal inventory and force us out of stock, reducing competition on our listings. Amazon's abuse portal has rejected my reports 3 times with wrong classifications. Support just told me to use the same broken system again. Looking for advice on escalation.
The Situation:
I've discovered a competing seller conducting systematic fraudulent product swaps and returns to damage my seller metrics. This isn't your typical buyer abuse - this is a registered business conducting what appears to be competitive sabotage.
The Shocking Statistics:
- 100% return rate: Buyer has initiated refunds on 5 out of 5 orders placed
- Average order value: £183
- Same business entity, same delivery address across all fraudulent orders
- Pattern spanning Feb-April 2025 (documented across multiple months)
- Orders placed by different "buyer" names but all shipped to identical storage facility address
- Product swapping: Returns don't match what was originally sent
- Clear connection to competitor's Amazon storefront (documented but not naming publicly)
The Amazon Response (or lack thereof):
Abuse Portal Failures:
- Submitted detailed reports 3 times through official abuse portal
- ALL rejected as "Inventory Hold Abuse" (this isn't inventory-related at all)
- Complaint IDs: 11049986532, 10946997502, 10913253222
Support Response:
- Sent comprehensive documentation to Seller Performance
- Got back a template response telling me to... use the same abuse portal that already failed 3 times
- Zero acknowledgment of the evidence provided
- No escalation path offered
- Even contacted the Managing Director - they just keep circling me back to the same broken system
The Circular Nightmare:
Me: "The abuse portal is broken and misclassifying my complaints"
Amazon: "Please use the abuse portal"
QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY:
Has anyone else experienced systematic misclassification in the abuse portal? Seems like their automated system can't handle anything beyond basic buyer abuse.
Alternative escalation paths? The standard support channels are clearly inadequate for sophisticated fraud patterns.
WHY THIS MATTERS TO ALL SELLERS:
If Amazon can't/won't address documented competitive fraud, what's stopping other bad actors from using the same tactics? This could become a widespread problem if left unaddressed.
The fact that their own abuse portal systematically misclassifies reports suggests either:
- Their automated systems are fundamentally broken
- They don't have proper categories for competitive fraud
- They're not equipped to handle sophisticated abuse patterns
TO AMAZON SUPPORT: If you're reading this, Case #11135517402 needs human attention, not template responses. Your current system is failing legitimate sellers dealing with sophisticated fraud.
- Original Case: 11079744362
- Follow-up Case: 11135517402
- Failed Abuse Reports: 11049986532, 10946997502, 10913253222
- Reimbursement ID: 6969993332
