Amazon suspends seller accounts when it decides a seller poses a risk to customers or to the marketplace. The most common reasons are poor performance metrics (order defects, late shipments, cancellations), authenticity or intellectual property complaints, related or duplicate accounts, review manipulation, and failed identity verification. Most are preventable if you know what Amazon measures and check your Account Health dashboard every day.
What does Amazon measure?
Seller Central has an Account Health page that summarizes your standing. It shows an Account Health Rating, customer service performance, policy compliance, and shipping performance. The key performance targets Amazon has long published are:
| Metric | Amazon target | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Order Defect Rate (ODR) | Under 1% | All sellers |
| Late Shipment Rate | Under 4% | Seller-fulfilled orders |
| Pre-fulfillment Cancel Rate | Under 2.5% | Seller-fulfilled orders |
| Valid Tracking Rate | Above 95% | Seller-fulfilled orders |
FBA orders are shipped by Amazon, so shipping metrics mostly apply to orders you fulfill yourself. ODR applies to everyone, because negative feedback, A-to-z claims, and chargebacks can happen on any order.
1. High order defect rate
ODR is the share of orders with negative feedback, an A-to-z Guarantee claim, or a credit card chargeback. Going over 1% can lead to deactivation.
How to prevent it:
- Make sure listings are accurate: size, color, materials, and what is in the box.
- Answer buyer messages within 24 hours, including weekends.
- Resolve problems before the buyer files an A-to-z claim; a quick refund often costs less than a claim.
- Pull product variations with high return or complaint rates and fix the root cause.
2. Late shipments and cancellations
For seller-fulfilled orders, late shipments and cancellations hurt customers and your metrics. Running out of stock without updating inventory is a common cause.
How to prevent it: sync inventory across every channel you sell on, set realistic handling times, use carriers that integrate tracking with Amazon, and switch high-volume SKUs to FBA if you cannot keep up.
3. Authenticity complaints
If a buyer or brand says your item is counterfeit or not as described, Amazon may ask you to prove the product is authentic. It usually wants invoices from the manufacturer or an authorized distributor, with quantities that cover what you sold.
How to prevent it:
- Buy only from the brand or authorized distributors, never from retail clearance or unverified lots.
- Keep every invoice, with supplier contact details that Amazon can verify.
- Do not list used or opened items as new.
4. Intellectual property complaints
Brand owners can report trademark, copyright, or patent infringement. Enough complaints, especially valid ones, can lead to listing removal and account deactivation.
How to prevent it: do not use another brand's name in your title or keywords, do not copy images or listing text, check for design and utility patents before launching a private label product, and get written authorization before selling restricted brands. If you own a brand, enroll it in Brand Registry so you can report infringement yourself.
5. Related or duplicate accounts
Amazon links accounts through shared information such as bank accounts, credit cards, addresses, devices, and IP addresses. If a linked account was suspended, yours can be affected too.
How to prevent it: do not open a second account to get around a suspension. If you have a legitimate business need for more than one account, follow Amazon's current policy for multiple accounts, keep each one in good standing, and be careful about sharing devices, networks, or payment methods with accounts you do not control. This matters when you hire outside help: any agency or VA logging in should use user permissions you grant, not shared credentials.
If you already received a warning or deactivation notice, a short call can tell you which of these problems you are dealing with.
Book a Free Strategy Call →6. Review manipulation
Amazon prohibits paying for reviews, offering refunds or gifts in exchange for reviews, asking only happy customers to review, having friends or family review, and review swapping. Violations can lead to listing removal and suspension.
It is also a legal issue. The FTC's rule banning fake reviews and testimonials took effect October 21, 2024, and allows civil penalties against businesses that buy or sell fake reviews.
How to prevent it: use Amazon's Request a Review button, product inserts that ask for honest feedback without incentives, and Amazon Vine if you are brand registered. Never work with services that promise a set number of positive reviews.
7. Seller verification failures
Amazon verifies the identity of new sellers and may re-verify existing ones. This can include government ID, a bank or credit card statement, and sometimes a video call. Mismatched names or addresses, blurry documents, or a utility bill that does not match your registered address can cause a failed verification.
How to prevent it: make sure your legal name, business name, and address match exactly across your ID, bank statements, and Seller Central. Respond quickly to any verification request.
8. Restricted products and listing policy violations
Selling items in gated categories without approval, making medical or pesticide claims without the right documentation, or listing products Amazon prohibits can all lead to action. Read the restricted products policy before you source.
Does using FBA protect you from suspensions?
Partly. When Amazon ships your orders, late shipments, cancellations, and tracking problems are Amazon's responsibility, and Amazon generally removes FBA-related negative feedback about delivery. That takes a big group of risks off your plate.
FBA does not protect you from the rest. Authenticity complaints, IP complaints, review policy violations, related accounts, restricted products, and verification issues all apply to FBA sellers the same way. Product quality also still matters: a high return rate or many “not as described” complaints can still push your order defect rate up and draw a policy warning.
A simple daily and weekly account health routine
Prevention works best as a habit, not a scramble after a warning. A routine that takes a few minutes a day covers most of the risks above:
| When | What to check | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | Account Health page and performance notifications | Catch warnings and policy flags early |
| Daily | Buyer messages and A-to-z claims | Keep response times under 24 hours and stop claims before they count against ODR |
| Weekly | Voice of the Customer and return reasons | Spot listing or quality problems before they become defects |
| Weekly | Inventory levels on every channel | Avoid overselling and cancellations |
| Monthly | Supplier invoices filed and matched to sales | Be ready for an authenticity request |
| Monthly | User permissions in Seller Central | Remove anyone who no longer needs access |
If you sell on several channels, run the same routine for each marketplace. Walmart, eBay, and Etsy have their own performance standards, and a problem on one channel often starts with inventory sync issues that affect the others too.
Write the routine down and assign it to a specific person. Many suspensions happen not because nobody knew the rules, but because nobody was responsible for checking.
What happens if you get suspended?
Amazon will usually tell you the reason and ask for an appeal. In many cases, that means a Plan of Action explaining the root cause, what you fixed, and how you will prevent it from happening again. Your listings may be inactive and your funds may be held while the appeal is reviewed.
Read our guide to writing an Amazon Plan of Action for the structure and the mistakes that get appeals rejected. If you want it handled for you, FBAXtreme offers Amazon reinstatement with a full refund if there are no results.
Prevention is cheaper than reinstatement
Every suspension reason above has a simple prevention habit: accurate listings, fast customer service, clean supplier paperwork, no shortcuts on reviews, and one account you keep in good order. If you hand operations to someone else, make sure they follow those habits too; see how to choose an ecommerce automation agency.