Forum

Notice: Policy Warning for selling f@kes?
 

My account has 50+ feedback all 5.0 100%, did not receive any complains for any buyer indicating they had issue with any product...received the following email from amazon, looks like competition bought an item from me and complained about it to amazon...

My question is, does this email always leads to suspension? what should be my next step? should I consider this account gone as its flagged? or these policy warnings are removed eventually if they don't get another complain? please share your experience...

email from amazon:

Hello from Amazon.

We are writing because we have received complaints that you have sold count@rfeit items on our site.

Items offered for sale on Amazon.com must be authentic. Our policies prohibit offering any item that has been illegally replicated, reproduced, or manufactured. For more information on this policy, search on “Prohibited Content” in seller Help.

While we are unable to provide information about specific orders that are reported to us, reviewing your feedback, recent contacts from buyers, and inventory may help you identify problematic items. Please review your listings and make any changes necessary to ensure compliance with our policies.

Failure to comply with our policies may result in the removal of your selling privileges.

We appreciate your cooperation and thank you for selling on Amazon.com.

Regards,

Seller Performance Team
Amazon.com

Question is really, are you selling counterfeits on Amazon?

This will determine the best course of action.

No they are not phakes, most of the stuff in this account is generic ... Rest I bought of sales on overstock.com , Walmart etc... But I can't proof it by providing invoices to Amz because , name , credit card, address used to purchases these items are all linked to suspended accounts ..

What I want to know is what happens usually after this 1st warning?

Also I wanted to add this account is all FBA

I complained once about a phake I bought on Amazon. Amazon sent me this long reply of what I need to do. It said I had to ship them the item and also tell Amazon why I think it's a phake. Then they said they would hold an investigation, but would not tell me the outcome.

They don't just suspend your account for being accused for selling phakes, they will conduct an investigation. I understand that you do not sell phake, however what is to stop the competitor form buying a phake elsewhere and ordering an item form you and then shipping that to Amazon as proof of selling them. I'd give your account another 30 days before being deleted or suspended as the worst case.

I think you should open a new stealth account and slowly migrate your items over to the new one. Be sure to create at least 10 listings for every same item you are going to sell and make sure the new account is in anther city.

thanks ! .... I will do that...

what I am trying to figure out is how much time i have ... I think after warning they allow anther few weeks ? if some one can confirm

If this is an FBA as you say and amazon are holding a lot of stock, then I would create a removal order, as once the account is deleted your stock as well as your cash is lost

That is a direct by a customer to amazon CS department. Unless you start getting more complaints about f@kes i wouldnt worry about it.

This is the 1st time I have seen one of these so kinda worried

Ive had plenty in my many years on amazon.. idiots report you like i said as long as you dont start getting feedback and returns about f@kes you will be alright

Get out now!

Define "generic"...

You can have "generic" Android phones that are similar in design to the S3 and they will be reported as counterfeit as well. (They essentially are, even if they aren't being sold as the S3)

If you know 100% in your heart that there is absolutely no funny business going on with your items, then you have nothing to worry about; however, if you know you're listing something you shouldn't then you can expect the issue to bite you in the butt again.

generic I meant with no Brand associated with it ..

People need to start understanding design patents and not just name trademarks. If it is made to imi/tate an official product, you and your listings won't last, regardless of a name being on it or not.

Not gone but I would not try and push the same sales through - it is likely flagged and on thin ice. Are you able to create other accounts?

I have more accounts, but I would like to know if any one got this warning and still survived after a month or so...

If this is really a competitor doing this, then he will do it again, 2 strikes and you will be out. Think about it. Get your stock out,get your disbursement, then just list a few items and wait.

Yes, we did. Had the warning and went on selling. Probably 6 months later though I was hit with 2 more of these warnings within a week of each other. Needless to say, the account was immediately suspended. That first warning happened over a year and a half ago, Amazon may have tightened up on things since then.

Later, on a different account, I was wrongly accused of infringing on another seller's trademark (never did, only was selling generic), and a month later the account was suspended.

You'd think phakes would be worse.. but it depends on how aggressive your opponent is (lawyers...) and what Amazon rep happens to review the case. In other words, no one can give a definitive yes or no on this, but I FEEL like if your account survives the next 60 days, you're in the clear. Assuming you don't get hit with any other of these warnings in the near future ^^

I recently had amazon write to me stating someone had complained about a phake item. I knew beforehand they would as some guy accused me of selling him one with negative feedback. That was in January of this year. I switched what items I was selling to something else that is less high risk. Account still good thusfar.

Were you dong fba? In what time did you switch ? When you say switch do you mean you stop selling completely on that account?

I am trying to figure out how to reply to this Policy warning ? is there a email I can write to ? should I email Seller Performance team?

dont even bother replying. you ail only get a generic response about NOTHING...

It is a sad truth that Az seller performance team are horrible with e-mail replying...or phone call returns.

^ Very true; you are just a number to them. If the account gets wrongfully suspended due to this, do not waste a whole day writing up the perfect appeal letter.. it simply won't work. I have wrote a couple appeals that could have won awards or cured effing cancer, but I never even got a canned response. You could be pulling rabbits out of hats all day long and they wouldn't give a shyt. Do not bother talking to this dark void of apathy within the Amazon corporation. >> I am speaking specifically to when you get accused of knockoffs or copyright infringement. They have no sympathy.

:) ... I have heard of working appeal some times ... do you think its just random they sometimes accept your appeal... regardless of what you say?

It could be that - and I cant say 100%, a speculation - they will read a set ratio of e-mails for quality check and action...maybe 1:5 or 1:10...pick a random e-mail and do something about it rather than no action. I get that feeling from Amazon

I agree, what happens with a lot of stuff with amazon

If they reply, it can be considered to be lucky.

You should survive to the next account review.

From May 2013 - jig may be up for OP ....