The Framework Of A Compelling Amazon Suspension Appeal Letter

Crafting an Amazon suspension appeal letter is probably one of the hardest things an Amazon seller could go through. And the fact that it is an appeal means that there is no assurance that the suspension will be lifted.

Hundreds of Amazon sellers go through this process every month. Some deserving, while others a victim of circumstance.

The purpose of this article though is not to judge if you are indeed worthy of the suspension or not, but rather assist you in trying to get it lifted.

But before we arrive to the meat of things, let’s first talk about the factors leading to you writing an Amazon suspension appeal letter.

Shall we begin?

Why Were You Suspended In The First Place?

The dreaded notification comes in the form of an email from the Amazon Seller Performance Team. The email, though somewhat cryptic at times, indicates any violation you have incurred for your account to be suspended.

It is highly advised that you go through this email meticulously and take note of each and every point mentioned.

NOTE: In some cases, said violations does not entail a full account suspension, but rather act as a mere warning. If it’s the latter, I advise you to take the warning seriously and make sure to not do it again.

Deciphering The Email

The one good thing about Amazon’s templated suspension letter is that it is easy to find the place where they communicate why they are suspending you. Most of the time, the reason for your suspension will appear in the first two sentences of the notification. It reads something like this:

Reading the email from the Amazon Seller Performance Team, you will usually see the reason for the suspension on the first couple of sentences. That’s the easy part.

The difficult part is understanding the specifics as to why you received the notification.

Top Reasons For Getting Your Account Suspended

Inauthentic Product Complaints

This is one of the most common scenarios that merits a suspension notification.

Issues associated with this complaint are:

• A buyer complaining that the product he/she received is different from the one posted on Amazon.
• A buyer complaining that the product he/she received is damaged, or is not brand new.
• A buyer complaining that he/she received a counterfeit product

Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights

This means that Amazon received a complaint from the owner/manufacturer of a product that you listed and sold.

The owner/manufacturer of the product will claim that you have no authorization to sell their products on Amazon.

This scenario is usually common with owners/manufacturers of Gated Brands.

High order defect rate

This entails reaching, or exceeding, the allowed Order Defect Rate for the last 30 to 90 days.

To check what your ODR is, go to your Seller Metrics. Just click on “Performance” and then “Account Health”.

Amazon defines the word “Defect” pertaining to orders within their platform as, and I quote:

“An order has a defect if it incurs a negative feedback, an A-to-z Guarantee claim that is not denied, or a service credit card charge back. Your order defect rate is defined as the number of orders with a defect divided by the number of orders in the time period of interest. Order defect rate is the key measure of your ability to provide a good customer experience.”

High Late Shipment Rate

This means that your Late Shipment Rate has exceeded the allowed 4.0%.

High Cancellation Rate

This means that your Cancellation Rate has exceeded the allowed 2.5%.

All clear so far? If yes, let’s go to the main talking point.

The Right Mindset When Writing An Amazon Suspension Appeal Letter

Before we get to the meat of things, let me first skim through the right mindset when writing an Amazon suspension appeal letter.

Acknowledge the mistake

Even if its wasn’t intentional, acknowledge it as a mistake on your part. Keep your ego in check by remembering that Amazon cares about their customers first, and sellers….uhmmm… somewhere down the line.

Remember, the keyword is Amazon suspension “APPEAL” letter.

Be factual and detailed

This pertains to any information you will send the Amazon Seller Performance Team on how you are trying to amend the complaint filed against you.

That’s done, so let’s move on to the appeal letter itself.

Crafting An Effective Amazon Suspension Appeal Letter

The introduction

You should state:

• Who you are
• Your seller account
• Reason the Seller Performance Team mentioned in suspending your account

You then should add a line or two which states that you have learned from your mistakes and is doing everything to reverse any inconvenience it may have caused to your customers.

Elaborate on the reason(s) for your suspension

If it was an honest mistake on your part, take responsibility for the offense. Elaborate on why you think said offense was the cause of your suspension notice.

If there is more than one issue, make sure to detail each and every one of them. Bulleted if possible.

Detail the steps you took to rectify the issue

You need to explain in detail as to what steps you have made to address the issue.

And when I say “explain in detail” I do mean detailed. You can also choose to include screenshots of the steps you’re making to address the issue to ensure the Seller Performance Team that you are indeed working to resolve the matter.

Enumerate the steps you will take once your account is reinstated

Again, it’s all about details. So make sure you clearly define steps that you’re willing to take, if and when they decide to reactivate your account.

Again, be very detailed when it comes to this part, and do your best to assure them that such offense(s) will never happen again.

End it with a clear appeal

End your letter with a clear appeal to reactivate your account.

Also, make sure that your appeal is readable. Meaning, important points need to be highlighted, be it through bold letters or bullet points. You also need to ensure that paragraphs are well spaced for readability.

To End….

Getting your account suspended is not the end. And that is why you need to take time to craft a well written and engaging appeal letter. One that would, for a lack of a better word, “appeal” to Amazon and grant you access back to your account.

If you have anything to add to this article, or maybe have stories on how you dealt with a suspension notice, we would love to hear them. So just leave your story on the comment section below.

Anyway, good luck on making your Amazon suspension appeal letter, and I hope that this article has helped you in any way.

As always, have a great day, and see you next time.