EP 6: Reinstatement, Root Causes, and ASIN Suspensions with Chris McCabe

Chris McCabe of EcommerceChris.com is an expert in working with sellers and brands in the area of account and ASIN reinstatement.  In this episode, we talk about what Amazon is looking for in your POA (Plan of Action) when your account is suspended. Here is some vocabulary to help you follow along with the show: Account Suspension When Amazon suspended the entire account from selling.  This usually means they are holding your funds until the issue is resolved.  While you can appeal your suspension, you only have so many chances to get an acceptable POA in place. ASIN Suspension When Amazon restricts the sale of just one product detail page.  The page may be suppressed from the site or you might be restricted from selling the product while other sellers continue to make sales on that ASIN. Plan of Action- This is the format of appeal for Amazon.  It generally involves you taking responsibility for a root cause of the symptom you were suspended for and actions to make sure that issue is permanently resolved. You plan of action should match the root cause of the suspension.  The most important part of drafting your POA for an Amazon account suspension is being really clear on the root cause, not just the symptom that triggered the account review. Chris also talks specifically about some of the potential root causes for suspensions due to “used sold as new” which generally comes from packaging issues.  Authenticity complaints can be similar.  It doesn’t always mean that your product was considered counterfeit, it could be that the packaging wasn’t the same, inconsistency in product quality, or items that were repackaged with Amazon. We also talk about the lack of change after Amazon implemented the new 30-day warning policy for Amazon Account Suspension. Chris predicts increased requirements for proof of insurance and safety certifications as a result of the many articles on unsafe products on Amazon.   Looking for support, training, or someone to handle your Amazon channel sales for you? Contact us at MarketplaceBlueprint.com for more information. We have case studies of our work with a variety of Amazon accounts on both Amazon Vendor Central and Seller Central.  You can also visit our Marketplace Blueprint Blog and schedule an appointment with Robyn.