The landscape of Amazon policy enforcement shifted dramatically in 2024, with a marked increase in full account suspensions rather than just individual ASINs. For many sellers, that development introduced a new level of unpredictability and risk, particularly during critical sales periods like Prime Day and the holidays. Sellers now face significant uncertainty when trying to appeal suspensions, with unclear pathways to resolution. In this post, we’ll explore why proactive account management is more important than ever and how Avenue7Media’s Presence services can help protect sellers from these risks.
The Shift: From ASIN Suspensions to Full Account Shutdowns
Historically, Amazon sellers who ran into policy violations often found their individual ASINs suspended. While frustrating, this allowed them to continue selling other products while addressing the specific issue. However, in 2024, we noticed an alarming trend: entire accounts are being suspended due to infractions that, in the past, would have been handled on a product-by-product basis.
For example:
- A health and wellness seller recently faced a full suspension over a single product flagged for labeling non-compliance. Instead of simply suspending the problematic listing, Amazon deactivated the seller’s entire account—putting all revenue on hold. This seller was left scrambling to submit appeals, manage stock, and appease anxious customers, all while losing valuable sales momentum.
Emerging Trends in Suspensions: INFORM Act & COA Verification
Two key trends have caused increased suspensions since 2024:
- INFORM Act Verification: New verification requirements under the INFORM Act have led to sellers being suspended due to mismatched business information or documentation discrepancies.
- Certificate of Analysis (COA) Verification: Many sellers in regulated categories, such as health supplements, are facing suspensions due to third-party lab testing results being flagged as fraudulent or non-compliant by Amazon’s automated systems.
These suspensions often occur without clear communication from Amazon, leaving sellers stuck in limbo while their accounts remain inactive.
The Appeal Process: A Journey Through Uncertainty
When an account suspension occurs, the appeal process can feel like navigating a maze. Amazon’s communication often lacks clarity, with little guidance on what specific violations led to the suspension. High-volume sellers with robust portfolios face increased risk of account-wide suspension due to the sheer scale of their operations. With so many moving parts, pinpointing the exact cause of an account suspension becomes an uphill battle.
Key Appeal Challenges:
- Unclear Suspension Reasons: Often, Amazon’s suspension notices lack specificity, leaving sellers guessing about the exact cause.
- Slow Response Times: Sellers frequently experience long waiting periods for feedback from Seller Performance teams.
- Cross-Team Communication Gaps: Amazon’s internal teams (e.g., Seller Performance, Policy Compliance, Account Health, and Seller Support) often operate in silos. This means the team issuing the suspension may not communicate effectively with the team responsible for reviewing appeals.
This breakdown creates a disconnect between the suspension reason and the reinstatement solution—a frustrating and costly delay for sellers.
Avenue7Media Bridges the Communication Gap
At Avenue7Media, our Performance team acts as an advocate between Amazon’s internal teams, aiming to ensure that:
- The correct team reviews the appeal documentation.
- Any internal miscommunication is clarified and resolved.
- The root cause of the issue is addressed effectively—not just for our client but in ways that improve processes for other brands and sellers navigating similar problems.
This advocacy aims to ensure your appeal reaches the right decision-makers with the right information to achieve faster and more reliable resolutions.
The Importance of Proactive Account Health Management
Given the heightened risk of account suspensions, sellers must adopt a proactive approach to maintain account health. This is where Presence— Avenue7Media’s FIRST of the 7Avenues to Success
Steps Sellers Should Take:
- Monitor Account Health Regularly: Sellers need to consistently check their Amazon Account Health Dashboard, focusing on customer service metrics, policy compliance, and any upcoming performance notifications.
- Ensure Policy Compliance: Amazon’s policies are ever-evolving, and sellers in high-regulation categories like supplements, healthcare products, wellness, children’s products, and sports equipment face particular challenges
. - Verify Documentation: Ensure your business information is accurate and aligns with INFORM Act requirements. For COA compliance, validate that all testing labs are legitimate and documentation is readily available.
- Respond Quickly to Notifications: Speed is critical in addressing any Amazon notifications, particularly those relating to performance, safety, or policy compliance.
How Avenue7Media’s Presence Services Can Help
At Avenue7Media, we understand the complexity of maintaining a healthy Amazon account in today’s environment. Our Presence services, which are designed to safeguard product availability and account health, offer comprehensive support to help sellers stay ahead of potential issues.
Here’s How We Help:
- Proactive Monitoring: We keep a close eye on your Account Health Dashboard, identifying red flags before they escalate.
- Custom Compliance Audits: For sellers in high-regulation categories, like supplements, health and wellness, children’s products, and sports equipment, we ensure every listing complies with Amazon’s policies.
- Appeal Expertise: If your account does get suspended, we provide hands-on support for crafting and submitting custom appeals that align with the issue-at-hand and Amazon’s requirements (no generic templates here!).
- INFORM & COA Compliance Assistance: Our team ensures your INFORM Act verification documents are properly submitted and COA documentation is validated by legitimate third-party labs.
- Holiday Season Support: During high-stakes periods such as Prime Day and the holidays, our services ensure sellers can focus on driving sales without worrying about account health.
Protect Your Amazon Business Now
As Amazon continues to tighten its policy enforcement, sellers must take a proactive stance in managing account health. The days of simply dealing with ASIN suspensions are fading, replaced by the looming threat of full account shutdowns.
At Avenue7Media, our Presence services offer the expertise and support needed to:
- Protect your account from suspension risks.
- Navigate policy complexities like INFORM Act verification and COA compliance.
- Safeguard your business year-round and during critical sales times.
