Are Amazon reinstating suspended accounts quicker in 2021?

Thompson and Holt has reported a noticeable trend in the average time it is taking to reinstate Amazon accounts that have been suspended from the site.

There are several reasons you could have been suspended by Amazon from selling online. They can include running multiple Amazon Seller Accounts, selling restricted products, having been subject to inauthentic complaints and not addressing intellectual property issues. It could also be something outside of your control - like your account having been hacked or competitors submitting spurious claims.

When that happens it can be daunting and distressing - particularly if it is the first time you’ve been suspended and aren’t familiar with Amazon’s processes. If you make one of several common mistakes in trying to appeal your suspension it can drag on for days, weeks or even months in some cases. Constructing an effective Amazon appeal and plan of action involves using particular techniques that increase the chances of success, and straying away from those and making common mistakes can considerably lengthen a business’ time offline.

Even with the help of experts like Thompson and Holt - who specialise in getting suspended Amazon accounts back online as quickly as possible - there are timescales involved that are usually fairly consistent. But towards the back end of 2020 and at the start of this year, managing partner Craig Gedey has started to notice a trend in the 100s of suspensions the company deals with each month - and it’s one that he has welcomed.

Gedey explained: “What we’ve seen at Thompson and Holt is the average number of days for an Amazon reinstatement coming down from three to two days almost across the board. It’s a pattern that we began to notice first in America in December, but one that now appears consistent across all Amazon marketplaces around the world.

“The amount of additional information that Amazon has been requesting in each individual case has reduced, seemingly speeding the process up by an average of 24 hours. We’ve been pleasantly surprised with how quickly they have been responding and how requests for further information is reducing.

“We’re not sure why this is happening at the moment, but it could centre around Amazon being increasingly better resourced. The company had such a good year amid the worldwide lockdowns in 2020 that they have invested heavily in further growth in a number of areas.

“If that includes their suspension departments then that is good news for Amazon Sellers in general. Many Sellers who find themselves suspended have either made a genuine, innocent error, or are unfamiliar with certain aspects of how Amazon and its rules and regulations work. Keeping those Sellers offline for extended periods of time is often overly harsh, and can impact significantly on their business.

“As always at Thompson and Holt, we look to get cases such as those and others - including the ones hacked by rogue accounts - back online as quickly as possible to help their businesses, and hopefully avoid repeat suspensions in the future. If this trend of reinstatements being processed quicker continues throughout 2021 then it’s certainly one that we will welcome.”

Happy Amazon Sellers who have been recently reinstated have sent us emails confirming their delight at being reinstated, some of their messages can be found on Thompson and Holts Instagram account.

Worried about an Amazon suspension?

If you have found yourself suspended while selling on Amazon, contact Thompson and Holt for a free LiveChat to get your Seller business back online as quickly as possible.