You wake up, you log into Amazon to see any anyone purchased something off you, then you realize you can’t log in.

Oh no! You just got your Amazon account locked for security purposes!

Youre now trying to figure out what is it that got your account locked in the first place.

• Is it because you got a few authenticity complaints?
• Maybe it’s because of account safety issues?
• Or maybe, just maybe, you were flagged with an intellectual property infringement?

Staring at your Amazon login screen, I know that you feel victimized, and even betrayed by Amazon.

But you know what, Amazon won’t just freeze your account without any legitimate reasons.

So yes, there’s a huge probability that you actually violated one of their rules, even if it was unintentional. And if was indeed an honest mistake on your part, then be happy as the reason could have been far worst.

You Could Have Gotten Your Amazon Account Locked For Security Purposes Because Of…

Someone Was Trying To Hack Your Account

If Amazon gets the slightest hint that your account is compromised, it will lock it down.

Some might call this unfair, but this is actually Amazon way of protecting you.

By freezing your account, it means that you, and the hacker, won’t be able to access your account, preventing any unauthorized use of said account until the issue is resolved.

So what do you do if Amazon suspended your account due to account hacking? Well, you send an appeal to the Amazon Seller Performance team.

Your appeal should contain a detailed action plan on what YOU intend to do in order to secure your account in the future.

Example: updating your virus protection, making sure that your wi-fi is secure, changing and using a more complicated password, no more using of open Wi-Fi’s, etc.

Violating Amazon Policies and Code of Conduct

Amazon is strict when enforcing its policies. And breaking even the most simple ones could have your account frozen.

What are some of these basic policies/rules you ask?

• Failure to honor your commitment to sell a product
• Failure to maintain accurate and current account information
• Continuous use of an account that has its seller privileges removed by Amazon
• Seller misrepresentation

Now in order for Amazon to unfreeze your account, you need to prove to them that you are now aware of said policies and rules you have violated, proof that you have taken action to rectify the mistake you made, and an assurance that no other violations will be happening in the future.

Using Restricted Products

This has everything to do with using “Gated” products.

If you don’t know what “Gated Products” are, or want to know more about Brand Gating, please take time to read our article about Amazon Brand Gating.

To give you a quick explanation on what “Gated” brands are; Gated products are brands that requires Amazon sellers to ask for approval from them before they can sell products related to their brand on Amazon.

Anyway, it is “your” responsibility, not Amazon’s, to check what products have been added to their gated list. Brands are added to that list every day, so I advice that you check the list regularly to be on the safe side.

Now if you had your Amazon account locked for security purposes because of listing a gated brand, you should…

Remove the listing immediately, and then yes, come up with a detailed “I won’t do it again letter”.

Violation of Federal Regulations

This is one of those times where it is best for a new seller to read the fine print on what Amazon allows you to sell on their platform.

You see, Amazon strictly states that all products that are sold within its ecosystem conforms with Federal laws.

What are these laws?

You need to comply with the rules set by the Environmental Protection Agency’s overview of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), U.S. Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act,Federal Warranty Law and the Federal Trade Commission.

As an example, you can’t sell any product that is labeled as “prescription use only” on Amazon.

Yes I know, it’s basic common sense. But you would be surprised how many sellers don’t realize this.

For them, Amazon is just a retail platform, thus, they practically try to sell anything they could get their hands on.

Don’t be like those sellers. Check the fine print and learn what you can, and what you cannot sell.

And yes, if you got your account suspended due to violating Federal Regulations policies, you need to prove to Amazon that you are now aware of said policies and rules you have violated, proof that you have taken action to rectify the mistake you made, and an assurance that no other violations will be happening in the future.

Manipulating Reviews

This basically means that you have asked, coerced, or forced anyone within the Amazon ecosystem to obtain a positive review for your listing.

Before, anyone could manipulate reviews for their listing. But is of October of 2016, Amazon imposed a rule that prohibits any sort of review manipulation.

So now the rule is, you should never ask for a “positive” review, provide a pre-made review template to your customers, or anything that Amazon might deem as a request for a “favorable” review.

And again, if this is the cause for your account to be locked, yes, go create that “I’ll never do it again, I promise” letter.

Wait, isn’t SellerLift an Amazon Feedback Tool?!

Doesn’t your tool promises better search visibility by asking customers for reviews? How does that work when you just said Amazon doesn’t want sellers to ask for review?

I know, it’s a bit confusing. So let me explain.

If you noticed, I highlighted the words “positive” and “favorable”.

If you ask a customer to give you a positive review after buying something off you, that’s coercion, and is against Amazon policy.

But if you ask a customer for just a “review” or “feedback”, the customer can either give you a positive or negative one, thus making said review or feedback objective.

This is the core feature of our Amazon Feedback Tool. It allows you interact with your customers and ask them to leave a “reaction” in the form of a review, or feedback. And yup! There is nothing wrong with that.

And you know what, you can try our amazing Amazon feedback tool for 15 days, absolutely FREE!

Asking for an objective review is NOT against Amazon policy!

And that is what SellerLift does. Our tool allows you to send automated review, feedback, requests after each sale without forcing a customer to give you a positive review or feedback.

Of course since SellerLift offers customizable email templates, it can be argued that some might try to coerce their customers to give them positive reviews or feedbacks. And yes, I agree with your analysis.

But then again, said action falls entirely on the seller. SellerLift is a tool. An effective tool at that. But we have no control over how our customers customize their email templates.

And this is why we tell all our customers, NO! Don’t do it!

It’s not worth getting your Amazon account locked for security reasons in exchange for one or two coerced reviews.

To End

Amazon is a great retail platform.

In fact it is the biggest in the world, and is getting bigger each day.

So by being part of a retail ecosystem that is presumed to dominate the global retail industry in the years to come, you are leveraging a platform that could help kick-start your retail empire.

Do you want to jeopardize that possibility? I don’t think so.

That is why, read the fine print. Go check what policies Amazon has implemented in the last few months. Play within the rules for you not to get that dreaded “Amazon Account Locked For Security Purposes” email.

Anyway, I hope this somewhat helped shed light in the event you got your Amazon account locked for security reasons.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave it in the comment section below.

And maybe, just maybe, if the questions are enough to come up with an FAQ type article, I’ll even credit your name with a hyperlink.

Have a great day, and I’ll see you next time.