Slow account verification? 11 things to do while you wait
All new Seller applicants go through a period of suspended or paused accounts while Amazon verifies submitted documents, financial info, and identity.
Use this time to your advantage and become familiar with a few basics of selling Amazon, as well as the Seller resources available.
Housekeeping in Seller Central
□ 1. Update your Notification preferences in Seller Central.
□ 2. Review and bookmark the Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct and Amazon Help index in Seller Central.
Exploring the Forum
□ 3. Learn to use the Forum search function to search for selling tips AND suspensions, to give you the big picture.
□ 4. Read @Rushdie’s New Seller Checklist and Forum Etiquette topics.
□ 5. Read @Lake’s You Are Going To Get Returns - Plan Before You List.
□ 6. Bookmark @Oneida’ Phone Support and Seller Help - Creating Cases - Help and Contact us changes once again (updated Aug 2019).
□ 7. Read this post.
□ 8. Ask (specific) questions in easy to understand posts.
Learning about Amazon
□ 9. Read What you need to know to sell on Amazon – Read all and links.
□ 10. Watch Selling on Amazon Video Tutorials.
□ 11. Complete all training modules in Seller University --and then go through all a second time. Take notes and remember what questions you want to ask here.
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When you have questions and you can’t find an answer in Seller Central (or you need clarification), search the Forum–you are probably not alone! If you still can’t find what you need, start your own topic with your question, quandary, or concern.
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UPDATE #2 April 18, 2021: 19 tasks to complete while awaiting Seller verification (plus Extra Credit!)
First Things First
□ 1. Update your Notification preferences in Seller Central.
□ 2. Review and bookmark the Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct and Amazon Help index in Seller Central.
Exploring the Forum
□ 3. The Seller Forum is viewable by the public, indexed by Google, and accessible via online search.
- Review the Forum Guidelines.
- Change your Forum handle to something different from your Amazon store name.
□ 4. Learn to use the Forum search function to search for selling tips AND account deactivations, to help you understand more about Amazon’s unique e-commerce marketplace rules and strategies.
- Image how-to here
- Video how-to here from @The_Sawle_Mill
- You can also use Google to search by adding sellercentral as a search term or by adding site:sellercentral.amazon.com as a limiter.
□ 5. Read @Rushdie’s New Seller Checklist and Forum Etiquette topics.
□ 6. Read @Lake’s You Are Going To Get Returns - Plan Before You List.
□ 7. Bookmark @Oneida’ Phone Support and Seller Help - Creating Cases - Help and Contact us changes once again (updated Aug 2019).
□ 8. Read this post for a basic overview about how selling on Amazon works.
□ 9. Ask (specific) questions in easy to understand posts.
□ 10. Set these two Forum topics to “tracking”:
- Lighten up! from @To_Your_Health
- Stressed out by COVID-19? Coping strategies for Sellers
Learning about Amazon
□ 11. Read What you need to know to sell on Amazon – Read all and links .
□ 12. Watch Selling on Amazon Video Tutorials.
□ 13. Complete all training modules in Seller University–and then go through all a second time. Take notes and remember what questions you want to ask here.
Communicating with Buyers
□ 14. Amazon’s Communication Guidelines, Communicate with buyers using the Buyer-Seller Messaging Service, and Buyer-Seller Messages FAQ describe general limitations to Buyer-Seller contact and communication that comply with the rules set for this in Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct.
□ 15. Customer product reviews are the opinions of Buyers left in comments on a product page and/or by rating the product on a 5-point scale. These reviews and ratings contribute to the star rating of a product. Read these resources for tips in following Amazon’s strict guidelines for requesting reviews:
- Customer product reviews policies
- Customer product reviews
- Request a review
- Inappropriate product reviews
- Answers to Questions about Product Reviews
- Amazon’s Community Guidelines apply to Sellers and Buyers. Not all Buyers are eligible to leave product reviews.
- Here you find Amazon’s warnings to all about steps they can take for trying to manipulate customer product reviews: Anti-Manipulation Policy for Customer Reviews.
□ 16. Seller feedback comments and ratings are provided by Buyers who have purchased from you. They contribute to the “percent positive” associated with your Seller profile. Read these resources for information about managing Seller feedback.
Protecting your Amazon account
□ 17. You will get emails from Amazon, but you’ll also get emails from scammers and phishers. Learn how to tell the difference and report scam/phishing emails: How can I protect myself against fake emails? and Identifying false (spoofed) e-mails.
□ 18. For tips to keep your account secure and what to do if your account is hacked, please review Keeping Your Account Information Secure and What To Do If Your Account Has Been Hacked.
□ 19. Plan for the worst.
Extra credit!
□ 20. While you wait on verification, you’ll be tempted to contact Seller Support. Click here for Amazon’s Guidelines for contacting Selling Partner Support. Understand the rules before you make a mistake!
□ 21. If you’ve gone through all of the above, then you know the very basics of operating your business through Amazon’s sales channel. Click here for the next level: Seller Best Practices.
□ 22. If you are selling on .COM from outside of the US, please read the following: Important Notice for International Sellers and Important information for international sellers.
□ 23. Review this post: Seller Central daily review list.
□ 24. See this nifty video walk-through from @The_Sawle_Mill for how to open a case with Seller Support–but do NOT do so for account verification!
Struggling with account verification?
Check out these handy Forum posts:
- Account Verification Utility Bill & Credit Card Questions – a FAQ post from @M_L_H
- About Credit Cards and Seller Verification…
- Common verification errors from @ABC_23
- [Informative] My new account was suspended shortly after registration … Help by Oneida Books – more details and “how to” advice from @Oneida
- Info: Why was my account suspended, immediately after registration? – lots of tips (especially for non-US based/international Sellers) from @Rushdie – read all posts in the topic
- Related Accounts deactivation – considerations for addressing this deactivation reason.
- Additional information from Forum veteran @Oneida:
[Informative] Help for Suspended for Section 3 - We found that your account is related to an account that may not be used to sell on our site .
If you still have questions about your individual situation, then please start your own topic for help from the Forum.
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For help with new Seller suspensions, these are the two gold standard threads to consult:
- @Oneida’ [Informative] My new account was suspended shortly after registration ... Help by Oneida Books
- @Rushdie’s Info: Why was my account suspended, immediately after registration?
(I tried to edit this info into Post #1, but I was too slow! )
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Learn to use Google. Just add “sellercentral” as one of the search terms.
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Update Mar 8 2020
EXTRA CREDIT
□ 12. While you wait on verification, you’ll be tempted to contact Seller Support. Click here for Amazon’s Guidelines for contacting Selling Partner Support. Understand the limitations before you make a mistake!
□ 13. If you’ve gone through all of the above, then you know the very basics of operating your business through Amazon’s sales channel. Click here for the next level: Seller Best Practices.
□ 14. If you are selling on .com from outside of the US, please read the following: Important Notice for International Sellers and Important information for international sellers.
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Another how-to found in this post (click the link):
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Update APRIL 29, 2020
PROTECTING YOUR AMAZON ACCOUNT
□ 15. You will get emails from Amazon, but you’ll also get emails from scammers and phishers. Learn how to tell the difference and report scam/phishing emails: How can I protect myself against fake emails? and Identifying false (spoofed) e-mails.
□ 16. For tips about how to keep your account secure and what to do if your account is hacked, please review Keeping Your Account Information Secure and What To Do If Your Account Has Been Hacked.
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UPDATE JUNE 24, 2020: 19 tasks to complete while awaiting Seller verification
Communicating with Buyers
□ 17. Amazon’s Communication Guidelines, Communicate with buyers using the Buyer-Seller Messaging Service, and Buyer-Seller Messages FAQ describe general limitations to Buyer-Seller contact and communication that comply with the rules set for this in Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct.
□ 18. Customer product reviews are the opinions of Buyers left in comments on a product page and/or by rating the product on a 5-point scale. These reviews and ratings contribute to the star rating of a product. Read these resources for tips in following Amazon’s strict guidelines for requesting reviews:
- Customer product reviews policies
- Customer product reviews
- Request a review
- Inappropriate product reviews
- Answers to Questions about Product Reviews
- This Forum topic was a response to Sellers questions to Amazon’s Customer Review team: Customer Product Review Policies - Q&A Summary
- Amazon’s Community Guidelines apply to Sellers and Buyers. Not all Buyers are eligible to leave product reviews.
- Here you find Amazon’s warnings to all about steps they can take for trying to manipulate customer product reviews: Anti-Manipulation Policy for Customer Reviews.
□ 19. Seller feedback comments and ratings are provided by Buyers who have purchased from you. They contribute to the “percent positive” associated with your Seller profile. Read these resources for information about managing Seller feedback.
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Public Service Announcement
The Forum is viewable by the public, indexed by Google, and accessible via online search.
Be careful what personal, business, order, or Amazon details you post here.
Additionally, from the Forum Guidelines:
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New Sellers, when your account is approved, this topic will help you start your daily Amazon routine:
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You might want to change your Forum profile name:
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More to see in Seller University!
Amazon Accelerate 2020 topics
Those in bold are my recommendations to start with, for new Sellers:
- Keynote: Fireside Chat with Jeff Wilke
- Keynote: Building Your Brand in Amazon’s Stores
- Keynote: Inside FBA - Looking to the Future
- Getting Started: The Seller Journey
- Getting Started: Making Your First Sale
- Getting Started: Deals, Coupons, and Subscriptions
- Getting Started: Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA)
- Help Accelerate Sales with Advertising
- Amazon Live: Drive Discovery and Conversion with a Livestream
- Showcase Your Brand with A+ Content
- How to Advertise a New Product on Amazon
- Best Practices for Sponsored Display
- Amazon Brand Registry
- Pricing Competitively on Amazon
- Prime Day Strategy for Your Amazon Sponsored Ads
- Promoting Products Using Deals and Coupons
- Grow Your Amazon Business with Expert Help
- Build your Brand Through Amazon Advertising
- FBA Inventory Replenishment
- Using Marketplace Appstore to Amplify Your Business Impact
- Improving FBA Inventory Performance
- Reduce Stranded Inventory
- Optimizing FBA Inbound
- Virtual Bundles for Brands
- Amazon Brand Analytics
- Maintaining Great Account Health
- Manage Your Experiments for Brands
- Expanding to Europe and Japan
- Expanding to Emerging Marketplaces
- Lightning Talk: Getting Started: Account Creation
- Lightning Talk: Getting Started: Amazon Lending Solutions
- Lightning Talk: Getting Started: Amazon Stores
- Lightning Talk: Getting Started: Creating Great Listings
- Lightning Talk: Getting Started: Protecting Your Brand
- Lightning Talk: Grow your Business with Amazon Launchpad
- Lightning Talk: Leveraging Amazon’s Advertising API for Scale and Performance
- Provider Lightning Talk: 5 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid When Shipping to Amazon FCs Internationally
- Provider Lightning Talk: A Complete Trade and Compliance Solution for Global Markets
- Provider Lightning Talk: America’s SBDC: A Nationwide Network of Small Business Support
- Provider Lightning Talk: Communicating With Customers: Complying with Amazon’s Policies
- Provider Lightning Talk: Got Returns?
- Provider Lightning Talk: Hacking your Helpdesk for Higher Revenue
- Provider Lightning Talk: Holistic Approach to Growth on Amazon
- Provider Lightning Talk: Images That Sell - Why and How to Create Them
- Provider Lightning Talk: Intelligent Advertising on Amazon
- Provider Lightning Talk: Know Your Margin, Know Your Profit
- Provider Lightning Talk: Leveraging Ad Placement for Better ROI on Your Ad Spend
- Provider Lightning Talk: Measuring and Improving Advertising Profitability with Sellics
- Provider Lightning Talk: Planning for Growth with SellerActive’s Technology
- Provider Lightning Talk: Powerful Automation Software for Amazon Sellers
- Provider Lightning Talk: Seller Drive: The Amazon Experts and the Merchant’s Growth Partners
- Provider Lightning Talk: Successful Strategies for Winning Customers on Amazon
- Provider Lightning Talk: The Smart Way to Grow on Amazon
- Provider Lightning Talk: eCommerce Intelligence Built to Win
- Lightning Talk: Amazon Attribution: Optimizing Your Off-Amazon Marketing
- Lightning Talk: Expanding to Canada and Mexico
- Lightning Talk: Going Global with Amazon
- Lightning Talk: Introduction to Brand Benefits on Amazon
- Lightning Talk: Learn About the Amazon Advertising Find-a-Partner Directory
- Lightning Talk: Leveraging FBA Liquidations and Grade & Resell
- Lightning Talk: Responding to Changes in Consumer Demand
- Lightning Talk: Smart Business with AWS
- Seller Panel: Building a $1M Business
- Seller Panel: Insights and Strategies for Accelerating your Sales on Amazon
Personally looking forward to the Seller Q&A responses and will update here.
