In this episode, Leah and I cover the key differences between Amazon’s “Account Health Services” team and the “Seller Performance” team. They may sound like they’d cover the same ground, but if your account or listings get suspended, you quickly understand that they are far from the same thing. We dig into what these teams are there for, who staffs them, and how their work influences (and sometimes undermines) the reinstatement appeal process. We also cover how much you can trust the information they provide, and how to know if it’s accurate.

We understand that many sellers want to talk about a dire situation like suspension on the phone, and that Amazon won’t always clarify your next steps. But understand the limits of each, as we explain here using specific examples from our work.