Posted by Selling on Amazon can almost seem too good to be true. You source a product, list it on Amazon and start making sales.
Except… Amazon is in control of your business – not you. And Amazon can ban you anytime it likes for whatever reason it chooses, and there’s not a lot you can do about it.
When you are a seller on Amazon, you’ve got to remember that in any dispute or with any problem, you are guilty until proven innocent. And proving innocence can be tricky.
The #1 threat of getting your Amazon seller’s account revoked? Getting a string of negative feedback on ‘product quality policy violations.’
You might not think this is something that will affect you. After all, you only sell great products.
Except… there are services out there that will leave an array of bad seller feedback on your products. And they’ll only charge your competitor a nominal fee for destroying your business.
In one case, a seller shipped over 8,000 products in a year. 6 of those customers complained to Amazon that their product arrived damaged or used. And a small percentage listed the item as defective or “didn’t match listing” when they returned the item.
Why do buyers say a product is defective or “didn’t match listing” when it’s not true? To avoid having to pay for return shipping. That’s right – customers who don’t want to pay postage can literally kill your business.
And when this happens, you can be stuck with liabilities and retail merchandise in stock that you cannot sell…
Unless. Unless you are smart enough to set up your own store in addition to selling on Amazon. Those Amazon sellers who also have their own stores have an insurance policy against Amazon totally wiping out their business overnight. Remember, you never want to depend 100% on someone else’s website for all of your revenue.
One last thing… if Amazon shuts you down, they can also freeze money in your account indefinitely. Some sellers report getting the run-around from Amazon for months, with Amazon refusing to send their money despite return periods being long over.
If Amazon is holding your money and not transmitting within the timeframe agreed upon and you live in the U.S., contact your state agency where Amazon Payments is licensed as a money transmitter. You’ll find the list here: https://pay.amazon.com/us/help/82972
Once you have filed your complaint with your state, let Amazon know. Sellers report suddenly receiving funds that have been held for months, once they notify Amazon of the filed complaint. HINT: Amazon’s license is at risk of being suspended in a state if there are too many complaints.