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Watch out! Amazon is mercilessly cracking down on dropshipping!

Published

2 years ago

February 14, 2022

Recently, there has been a massive wave of aggressive enforcements by Amazon towards dropshippers. This time, they are not targeting just shady accounts operated by scammers based in Asia, but the company is shutting down all kinds dropshippers, including legitimate businesses operated by established US-based entrepreneurs.

Amazon is not just suspending Seller Accounts, but they are closing (“frauding”) Buyer accounts belonging to sellers who are fulfilling sales received on eBay, Walmart or other platforms by purchasing from Amazon sellers to have them ship to their customer’s addresses. This now applies even in cases where the seller isn’t using Amazon Prime for placing the dropshipping orders.

Amazon simply no longer allows anyone to fulfill commercial dropshipping orders using their site!

Suspensions related to dropshipping are now announced with a deactivation wording:

” We deactivated your Amazon.com account, because you have consistently used your Amazon account for the purpose of reselling in a violation of Amazon Terms and Conditions. ”

The following forms of business practices are no longer allowed on Amazon:

Buying from Amazon to fulfill Amazon orders using Amazon Prime
Buying from Amazon to fulfill Amazon orders (even without Amazon Prime)
Buying from Amazon to fulfill other marketplace orders (even without Amazon Prime)
Buying from Amazon to later resell on their platform (even without Amazon Prime)

Here is how Amazon detects dropshipping violations that lead to account closures:

Tracking numbers from Buyer Account purchases inserted into Amazon customer orders are an obvious trigger. Don’t even think about doing this!
Entering the same tracking number repeatedly, across different orders.
Entering incorrect tracking numbers showing delivery in a different country and with a different shipping date.
Confirming shipment and refunding.
Placing large volumes of purchases on Amazon to different addresses and then claiming no -receipt and seeking refunds.
Placing large volumes of purchases as a buyer on Amazon to different shipping addresses.

How Jacob lost access to his 17 years old Seller Account with 2 million USD yearly turnover

Jacob – a young American man, has been selling on Amazon since high school. He has a large warehouse, where he stores products purchased from other retailers for a resale. At the same time, he manages a massive dropshipping business involving eBay, Walmart, Amazon or AbeBooks. With a team of developers, he created a fully automated software, which identifies the lowest offers for a specific product, advertises the merchandise across e-commerce platforms with a small markup and then places orders and has them fulfilled directly to the customer. Thanks to this profitable business model, Jacob was able to generate millions of dollars in profits per year.

It all started two days ago, when Jacob was unable to access his 17 years old Amazon Seller Account. The login screen greeted him with the following scary message:

“ Account Closed – Your account has been closed for misuse of Amazon’s services. We have sent you an email with additional information. ”

Despite this, his Seller Account storefront remained active and orders were getting received. He was just unable to login to the Amazon Seller Central.

At the same time, Jacob received the following scary e-mail from dsappeal@amazon.com :

In a shock and despair, Jacob sent several frustrated e-mails as a response to the appeal option, which resulted in him getting a final decision, without realizing that he was running out of his appeal attempts:

Jacob did not understand what happened to his account and spent a lot of time searching the internet for answers. Then, he found my recent article about Seller Account Holds and subscribed to my Onlyfans page, in order to get help with his account.

What actually happened to Jacob’s Seller Account

After investigating the matter with Jacob, I informed him that his Buyer account has been placed on a hold, which is internally referred to by Amazon as a ”frauded account” or terminated / closed account.

Since his Buyer Account is closed, he is unable to access his Seller Account as well, despite it remains fully operational. Thanks to his automated software which works through API, Jacob can still remotely process Amazon orders and mark them as dispatched. This gives him more time to resolve the situation and prevent damage to his metrics.

If you would like to learn more about Amazon Account holds, read my article regarding the matter: https://seller-union.com/what-to-do-when-your-amazon-seller-account-gets-placed-on-a-hold/.

We quickly determined the cause of the Buyer Account closure – Jacob has been placing hundreds of dropshipping orders per day directly using his Buyer Account that belongs to his Seller Account.

He also told me, how he noticed that all of his other competitors – all large dropshipping businesses, appear to be suspended as well and their storefronts are empty. This reiterates that Amazon is cracking down on dropshipping.

The e-mail address from which he received the original deactivation notice is dsappeal@amazon.com, which stands for ”dropshipping appeal”.

What is shocking about this case – the orders were not placed through Amazon Prime, they were regular purchases. Additionally, he never submitted any A-Z claims, cancellations, returns or refunds.

So this is a complete game changer! Amazon is now entirely outlawing dropshipping on their platform performed by buyers, despite they originally only prohibited misuse of the Amazon Prime Program for this purpose.

Regardless, all Amazon sellers need to remember NOT TO EVER use the Buyer Account connected to their actual Amazon Seller Account for making purchases.

I would strongly advise you not to ever buy on Amazon, if you are a seller on the platform. Even the slightest issue – such as leaving a negative Seller Feedback or requesting a return from another seller could land you into a trouble.

Additionally, you should always maintain a separate e-mail address with User Permissions into your Seller Account, which will enable you to access the Seller Central even after your Buyer Account gets closed.

Next Steps for Jacob

Jacob will need to appeal the Buyer Account closure with a good Plan of Action. We will see, if Amazon still responds through the dsappeal@amazon.com channel, since there were many appeal attempts made before he contacted me.

If there is no response, we will submit the appeal using different channels for executive escalations.

Here you can find the full Plan of Action, which I prepared for Jacob to appeal his Buyer Account closure: https://onlyfans.com/268410699/kikaangelic.

In case that you are a dropshipper, who is worried about his Amazon business or you already received the dreaded deactivation notice, feel free to subscribe to my OnlyFans page at www.onlyfans.com/kikaangelic, where I will assist you for $24.99 per month.

Additionally, here you can watch my YouTube video, where I am presenting you several secret tips about appealing Amazon Seller Account suspensions (don’t be confused by the opening of the video, where I am enjoying a vacation – it’s a part of the story):

Kika Angelic

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My name is Kristina Hajdukova, but I am known as Kika Angelic. I have been selling online since high school and I dedicated my entire life to helping other Amazon Sellers and building the seller community Regarding Amazon Seller Performance, you can always participate in my Amazon Seller Performance – Friendly Advice – Worldwide group, where you will be very welcome. If you are an Amazon Seller who needs help with any Amazon-related issues such as suspensions, listing blocks or is looking for professional assistance, please don’t hesitate to subscribe to my new OnlyFans page at: www.onlyfans.com/kikaangelic

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New “At Risk” Account Health Status Warnings in Amazon Seller Central

Published

4 weeks ago

November 7, 2023

Kika Angelic

As an Amazon seller, maintaining a healthy account status is crucial for the success of your business on the platform. Amazon continually updates and enhances the tools and features available to sellers to help them navigate their seller journey. One recent change that sellers may be aware of is the display of the “Account Health at Risk” status.

Previously, the “At Risk” Account Health status used to be displayed in a marketplace-specific rectangle which reflected that particular store’s state.

Now, Amazon Sellers will see a drop-down menu called “Account Health” displaying the number of “At Risk Stores”. This then expands to show more information, as pictured below:

At the same time, there is now an orange rectangle in the middle of the screen displaying the At Risk status in the specific store as well (below):

I hope you found this article helpful. If you are experiencing issues with your Amazon Seller Account and your Seller Account already received a warning or is under a review, I can help you resolve the matter.

If you would like to hire me to privately assist you, feel free to subscribe and reach out through my dedicated assistance page at www.onlyfans.com/kikaangelic, where I provide support with Amazon related matters in exchange for a small $24.99 fee. Alternatively, you can post into my free public discussion forum for Amazon Sellers, where I will answer your question.

To stay in touch, feel free to join and post into my large Amazon Seller Performance – Friendly Advice – Worldwide Facebook group, where you will be very welcome.

Many Amazon sellers recently started trading stocks and crypto currencies, hoping to diversify their income, which is a very good idea with all the uncertainty which comes with the platform. For this reason, we launched a new Facebook group, Crypto Arbitrage Income (Bitcoin, Crypto, Altcoins, Blockchain, Trading) – feel free to join us and forget about the troubles of selling on Amazon for a moment!

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You will be automatically enrolled in EPR Pay on Behalf, unless you prove compliance by December 31, 2023

Published

4 weeks ago

November 6, 2023

Kika Angelic

As Amazon sellers, staying compliant with various regulations and requirements is crucial for a successful and hassle-free selling experience. Recently, Amazon has announced changes related to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance in Spain, which may impact sellers offering packaged goods. In this blog post, we will explain what EPR compliance entails and how Amazon is here to assist you through the Pay on Behalf service.

What is EPR Compliance?

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a concept that places the responsibility for the management and recycling of packaging waste on the producers or manufacturers of the packaged goods. In Spain, Amazon is required to ensure that packaged goods offered for sale by sellers not established in Spain comply with EPR requirements.

Amazon’s Pay on Behalf Service

If you are a producer not established in Spain and sell on amazon.es, Amazon will automatically enroll you in the Pay on Behalf service for the period from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. This service ensures that Amazon reports and pays eco-contributions on your behalf for your packaged goods sales on amazon.es. The collected amounts are then recovered from your seller account.

How Does Pay on Behalf Work?

EPR Pay on Behalf allows you to continue selling on amazon.es without worrying about EPR compliance. Under this service, Amazon will handle the reporting and payment of eco-contributions on your behalf. This means you can focus on your business while Amazon takes care of the regulatory aspects.

The process of using Pay on Behalf involves Amazon reporting and paying eco-contributions for your packaged goods sales on amazon.es in 2023 and beyond. All the terms and conditions are specified in the EPR Requirements policy for third-party sellers in Spain, which can be found on sellercentral.amazon.es.

Learn more on our Pay on Behalf page.

Service Costs

You might wonder about the costs associated with the Pay on Behalf service. Amazon will charge your seller account with a service fee and the eco-contribution fees that Amazon pays on your behalf. Detailed service fee information will be communicated before December 2023. To learn more about the service fees, visit the Pay on Behalf page on Amazon.

Learn more on our Pay on Behalf page.

Opting Out of Pay on Behalf

If you prefer not to use the Pay on Behalf service, you have an option to submit a valid packaging registration number here by December 31, 2023. This ensures that you can manage your EPR compliance independently. For more information on how to submit a valid packaging registration number, you can refer to Amazon’s Help page.

In case you don’t have a valid packaging registration number, Amazon has designed the EPR Services on Amazon, a solution that helps sellers obtain a UIN (Unique Identification Number) and pay eco-contribution fees to PROs (Producer Responsibility Organizations) with the assistance of trusted service providers.

To stay in touch, feel free to join and post into my large Amazon Seller Performance – Friendly Advice – Worldwide Facebook group, where you will be very welcome.

Additionally, here you can watch my YouTube video, where I am addressing everything you need to know about Seller Identity Verification and how to pass it:

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Action required: Important information about your product listings – Explained

Published

4 weeks ago

November 5, 2023

Kika Angelic

Many sellers contact me daily through my OnlyFans page, informing me that they have received documentation requests for their Amazon listings and are feeling helpless, unsure of what to do. Some have even deleted their listings out of fear.

If you recently received a concerning email from Amazon titled “Action required: Important information about your product listings,” don’t worry. This article will tell you what it means and how to properly address the matter.

Here, you can view a screenshot of such an email:

The text of the wording states:

Hello from Amazon,

We are contacting you because you have listed products that require you to submit compliance documents. Click View Compliance Requirements below to see the list of affected products and submit the required compliance documents. If you do not submit the documents by the due date indicated for each product in this link, we may remove the affected listings.

Why is this happening?
This requirement helps ensure that products are compliant with local laws and safe for customers.

How do I continue to sell the affected products?
Click View Compliance Requirements to find out more information about the documents you need to provide for each product.

Was there an error?
If you believe that you do not need to submit documents for your product(s):

1. Click View Compliance Requirements.
2. Click Provide Documentation or Appeal next to the product.
3. Click Yes on Is this an Appeal?

For FBA Offers: If you do not want to continue selling these products and have any inventory of these products remaining in our fulfillment centers, you’ll have 30 days from the date your listing is removed to create a removal order. You can find instructions for creating a removal order on the Remove Inventory Overview page. If you do not request a removal, automated removal orders will be triggered. Standard removal fees apply.

Thank you,
Amazon Product Compliance

Following the link in the email called “View Compliance Requirements” will take you to the “Product Compliance Requests” and “Documentation Requests” sections on the Account Health Dashboard.

Click on the “Provide Documentation or Appeal” button.

All you need to do there is select “Yes,” insert your email address, and then submit.

Selecting “Yes” indicates that the product you are selling isn’t specifically intended for small children.

After completing this process, your listing will remain active, and you should also receive an email once your submission is reviewed.

Here is a screenshot of the correct site interface that you should see after clicking on the “Yes” option:

To stay in touch, feel free to join and post into my large Amazon Seller Performance – Friendly Advice – Worldwide Facebook group, where you will be very welcome.

Additionally, here you can watch my YouTube video, where I am addressing everything you need to know about Seller Identity Verification and how to pass it: