With my recent experience, I believe your information is too long. If it’s too long, it’s likely that they can’t be bothered to read it and reject it automatically. I have a feeling that the term “scratched” really triggers some bots as this is the comment that got me, and I’ve seen other threads mentioning that as well. I would think about at which point the product would be getting scratched (at the factory, in shipping, etc, and figure out how you can avoid that better). I don’t know anything about this sort of product, so I have no idea what you would do about the “sluggish” and other complaints of that sort. Maybe there is more/different information that needs to be modified on the listing to indicate how the product performs? You’ll have to figure that part out, but I wouldn’t think that these types of comments would cause a Used as New complaint so it may not be necessary. Remove anything related to how most customers are happy with the product, complaints are rare, etc. Even though it’s true, they don’t want to hear it. If a customer accuses a seller of anything, then the seller is always guilty even if you aren’t and there is no point in trying to defend yourself or your product’s quality as it will be ignored. Make sure that you go through any returns, product reviews, customer messages, and see if there are any other complaints. It is possible that other customers had complained about issues in these other channels as well, just to be sure that the customer return you have referenced is not the only problem. Make your reason(s) for the product issues very clear, concise, and confident that you know what all the problems are.

I’m trying to paste a template that was given to me in my thread, but the format is screwing up, so I will just link to my thread. You will see a template shared by Rushdie marked as the Solution and what I entered into the template below that. Notice that my comments are very brief in the POA that they accepted of me.

Entirely too long, with entirely too many “ifs”, “ands” or “buts”…

Amazon does not need / want and will not read an appeal that causes one’s eyes to gloss over.

Stop explaining the technical details of how a pedal works. Amazon does not care.

Offering a refund, is not a solution. It’s a concession. Amazon wants solutions, not concessions.

Get rid of the …third party quality inspection specialist… percentages and all the other fluffy numbers and details that go along with it. Amazon does not care.

So much fluff makes an extremely poor appeal and it will be ignored.

• Stick to Bullet Points.
• Make concise statements, not run on sentences.
• Forget about a customer’s confusion.
• It’s a seller’s responsibility to provide clear, concise listings, that will not confuse a potential customer.

Please keep in mind, Seller-Performance has approximately 5 minutes to read, digest and make a decision on your appeal.

Anything that overwhelms them, will be rejected.

@Rushdie @Lettuceguy
Thanks so much for this helpful information. I assumed that every time they responded with “Great detail needed” . then that means they were looking for additional information. My appeals, format just kept getting longer and longer, thinking that I need to cover everything, and trying not to leave anything out.

I will try now using the more simple short format you have suggested. thanks again for your input!

Hello, @Rushdie @Lettuceguy
So just received an email from Amazon, (about an hour after I sent them my response). Unfortunately they are yet again requesting for “Greater Detail” . I tried to keep it as brief as possible, and sticking to the same format as KG_Sales. I am not really sure what other information to provide. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am posting what I sent to amazon below, as well as their follow up response at the end.
I searched all customer messages, return request, product feedback for anything related to this SKU in the past 6 months, and all I could find is the 1 customer who mentioned “Scratch” on the product feedback. I really dont know where else to look. Additionally, I did provide commercial invoice with the highlight on that particular product. They are requesting all the vendor information which was already provided. I made sure it was attached to the email, so I am not sure how else to send it, or if I am sending it wrong. Anyway below is the message I sent, as you can see it is much shorter, and similar in format to KG_Sales.

B006AGKOY0 was Used sold as New**

- Greater detail on the issues(s) that you believe caused the complaints about the condition of your items

• I have reviewed all buyer message communication, product feedback, return request from Amazon in the past 6 months, regarding ASIN: B006AGKOY0 . In conclusion the following is what I learned.

Issue : There was a product in inventory which had scratches and was declared or considered used. (specifically scratches on the chrome exterior). The cause of the scratches we believe was the product shifting to much inside the inner box due to much void space.

- Greater detail on the actions you have taken to resolve the complaints about the condition of your items.

We have recalled all inventory from our warehouse, each unit was inspected before restocking back and being made available for sale. The units currently stored at our shipping facility have all been thoroughly inspected for any signs of starches, damage or missing parts. We have disposed of any units which were not in pristine brand New condition.

A - I have confirmed with our sourcing supplier that they are providing me with all NEW and un-damaged inventory, and that I will not accept any products which are damaged, scratched or not professionally packaged and sealed.

B - I have reviewed the Amazon condition policies, and confirmed that the listing information and condition is accurate and matches the product being sold.

C - I have investigated the product packaging and determined that there is to much empty void space inside cardboard box, and should add air pillows inside the void space to prevent product movement.

D - I have put plans in place so that the product will be shipped in double box sturdy shipping boxes, and properly protected with protective packing material.

- Greater detail on the steps you have taken to prevent future complaints about the condition of your items.

We will be taking greater care to inspect the condition of all products being sold on Amazon. Any products showing signs of use will not be sold in New condition.

A – Sourcing: I will thoroughly inspect every unit of every product that we purchase from all of our suppliers, and dispose of any which show any signs of use, damage or any other signs of performance issues. I have communicated directly with our sourcing factory to ensure they have a process set up to prevent any damage or scratches.

B – Listing: I will ensure that all products accurately match the condition I am offering as per Amazon’s policies. I have also verified that all information within the product listing accurately matches the products description. I will also immediately change the product description, should any new future inventory be modified or changed in any way.

C – Packaging: I will wrap every unit of this product in bubble wrap or clear scratch resistant bags, and fill void spaces with air pillows to ensure proper protection against damage.

D – Shipping: I will ensure that every shipment is properly packed for protection and shipped in sturdy double shipping boxes. Meaning every shipment will be double boxed to prevent any damage in transit. Products will be stored in a safe, secure, clean, and insulated facility. (See attached picture of the exact double boxed packaging we use.)

Factories contact information as requested. (Invoice Attached)

Then Amazons follow up response is shown below.

We received your submission but do not have enough information to reactivate your listings at this time.

Please send an updated plan of action that explains:

– Greater detail on the issues(s) that you believe caused the complaints about the condition of your items.

– Greater detail on the actions you have taken to resolve the issue(s) that caused the complaints about the condition of your items.

– Greater detail on the steps you have taken to prevent future complaints about the condition of your items.

Here are a few things to consider as you create your plan:

–Sourcing: Are you sourcing the product from a trusted supplier?

–Listing: Is the product accurately described on Amazon? Have you ensured that there is no ambiguity and the customer is well informed?

–Packaging: Is the product in its original packaging as listed on Amazon?

– Shipping: Have you taken all appropriate steps and quality checks to ensure that the product is stored, packed, and shipped appropriately?

–Review your communications from buyers to better understand the issues.

–Be as specific as possible in your plan.

–Do not limit your plan to issues with specific orders.

2. Copies of invoices or receipts from your supplier issued in the last 365 days for the ASINs listed below

–These documents should reflect your sales volume during the last 365 days.

–Please include contact information for your supplier, including name, phone number, address, and website. We may contact your supplier to verify the documents. We will maintain the confidentiality of your supplier contact information.

–You may remove pricing information, but the rest of the document must be visible. For ease of our review, you may highlight or circle the ASIN(s) under review.

@Lettuceguy
Thank you for your detailed response , as it was very helpful. I want to add to the following about your response, as well as ask a couple questions, if someone might know.

• Thanks for pointing out the spelling mistake. I missed that, and will get my next draft checked for spelling and grammar before sending

• I totally agree with you about Amazon’s response should provide some detail like about what exactly they are looking for. On one hand I am trying to keep it as short as possible , but on the other hand I feel like I am leaving out important details about the case. Its a bit frustrating. Still I will work on getting it shorter.

• I actually did list the supplier name exactly as you have formatted. I just removed it from the post for privacy reasons. Another thing, is the invoice I sent also included everything they are asking. I highlighted the SKU code in the invoice also. However, one thing that I did not try which you suggested is provide a printed scanned copy with a physical pin or highlight marker on the SKU. My version of the invoice was just a pdf file from a digital copy. It was not a copy of paper invoice. So the black out “Price” was done by digital blocks (with Acrobat) and not a physical marker. I will certainly try it the way you did next time.

• One thing I want to mention is that the ASIN shown above is not visible because its not active right now. It is the correct ASIN, but wont show up on the customer front end . However, does show up on seller central.

Some additional questions I have if anyone knows or has experience.

1. KG_sales, you had mentioned you did 4 submissions. I have read where they only give you 3 attempts, and then after the 3rd failed attempt might not respond to any other emails. Does anyone know if there is a limit on the number of attempts? This next one will be my 3rd attempt.

2. Is there any advantage or disadvantage to waiting a few days before sending a re-attempt message? I figured not, but just wondering if someone else experienced more success one way or another.

3. From my past experience selling on Amazon (Since 2007), we have had 5 other listings over the years in which amazon deactivated. In the past , I would submit my POA and always got approved with never being asked for more information. However, we had one other listing deactivated in December 2019, and now this one in Feb. 2020. In both of these recent cases, we are experiencing the response each time with “Greater details needed”, where this has never been a problem prior. Is anyone else experiencing similar situations? My assumption from other threads I have viewed, is that Amazon is using bots to remove and both approve listings.

4. There is a potential problem with the timing of my invoices and what Amazon is requesting. Amazon is asking for all invoices from the supplier in the last 365 days, and the amount shown should reflect the sales amount on Amazon . We only make 1 order from this particular suppler every year. So in the last 365 days, we have only 1 invoice. The last order we made with the supplier, we ordered slightly lighter than normal because at the time we had plenty in stock. So our recent order within the 365 days shows we ordered only 150, while our sales record on Amazon from the last 365 days is at 272. However, if we look back to the invoice before the last one, approx. 90 days earlier, it shows we made an order for 247. So while it is true that our total ordered amount from the last 365 days is only 150, which is shorter than 272 sales, our total order amount in the last 450 days is much greater at 397. So is it advised to also include the additional invoice which is just outside the 365 window? Or any other recommendations?

Thanks again KG_sales for your response and help or anyone else who might want to chime in.
Michael

Hello @Ace_Division_Inc,

Abraham with Amazon here.

I understand that you are currently in the appeals process for used sold as new complaints, and would like further assistance with your plan of action.

@Rushdie

It is essential for your appeal to be clear and concise. We should be able to read your appeal and feel confident that you have an understanding of what exactly caused the complaint and how to fix it. I see that you have submitted a few appeals since your original post, and I would like to focus on your most recent submission .

For your root cause, I would provide more detail about what caused the scratches. Did the product shift too much because there was inadequate packaging? Was there a quality control process prior to these complaints? If so, why did the quality control process miss these defects?

@Lettuceguy provided great advice. If you aren’t certain of the root cause then how can you prevent it from happening again?

I like how you revised your action steps. I have an understanding of the processes that you put into place. However you could add a little bit more detail to solidify each step. I provided a few things to consider for each corrective action below.

When did you confirm with the supplier that they will provide quality inventory? I would provide more information about what was agreed upon during this conversation. How will you confirm that you are receiving inventory in new condition? Do you have any other process to vet your suppliers?

Is there any specific information from the policy that you used to confirm the listing information was correct? Did you make any changes to the detail pages?

What type of plan did you put in place? Did you train your employees on this process? Is this a new step during your fulfillment process? What kind of protective packing material are you referring to? We want to avoid any room for interpretation.

A lot of this information is repetitive of your action steps. I would use the preventative steps for information about processes that specifically prevent future defects. It may be useful to move some of your “action steps” to this section instead. A few things that you could consider solely moving to preventative steps are how you will assess your inventory and suppliers moving forward, how you will list new products, and changes that you will make to your packaging and shipping process.

Another thing that you can evaluate is how you handle returns as this is an issue that can easily be overlooked. Do you have a process in place to verify the condition of customer returns? I recommend explaining what your return process looks like and how you decide if you can re-sell the product.

Lastly, I would ensure that you submit your invoices and supplier contact information with each appeal. It is best practice to wait for a response in your performance notifications before submitting a new appeal.

Thank you for providing insight about your account. If you have any other questions related to this issue, feel free to post them here for the seller forums community and I to assist.

Abraham