Account Deactivation (counterfeit)
As a new seller, has anyone had success in getting your account back after a deactivation?
I realize now the mistake I made with sourcing because I do not have brand authorization for the product I was selling. The product I was selling was not counterfeit though and matched the exact listing that I was ungated for and listed under. My account deactivation notice says my account was flagged because it appeared to be selling counterfeit. I even ordered a sample of it first before listing to make sure it matched perfectly. I have good account health standing and have been only selling for a year. I have submitted multiple appeals, have sent a proper POA and even have sent an additional appeal showing how I will source properly in the future. But I'm stuck in the automaton AI loop I believe.
I started to make my own PL product with proper sourcing documentation a few months back and I'm so disheartened that I won't be able to sell it now because of one mistake I made. My account was deactivated right as I was finalizing my new product. If anyone has advice for my situation I would very much appreciate it.
Thanks and have a great day.
Melissa
Account Deactivation (counterfeit)
As a new seller, has anyone had success in getting your account back after a deactivation?
I realize now the mistake I made with sourcing because I do not have brand authorization for the product I was selling. The product I was selling was not counterfeit though and matched the exact listing that I was ungated for and listed under. My account deactivation notice says my account was flagged because it appeared to be selling counterfeit. I even ordered a sample of it first before listing to make sure it matched perfectly. I have good account health standing and have been only selling for a year. I have submitted multiple appeals, have sent a proper POA and even have sent an additional appeal showing how I will source properly in the future. But I'm stuck in the automaton AI loop I believe.
I started to make my own PL product with proper sourcing documentation a few months back and I'm so disheartened that I won't be able to sell it now because of one mistake I made. My account was deactivated right as I was finalizing my new product. If anyone has advice for my situation I would very much appreciate it.
Thanks and have a great day.
Melissa
10 replies
Seller_kIukTwdhvntAp
" I'm so disheartened that I won't be able to sell it now because of one mistake I made."
Let me rephrase this part for you --
" I'm so disheartened that I won't be able to sell it now ON AMAZON because of one mistake I made."
"has anyone had success in getting your account back after a deactivation? "
It depends entirely on the reason BUT you happened to pick one of the almost 100% FATAL rules to break.
AMAZON AUTOMATIC REJECT FOR PLAN OF ACTION ON IP VIOLATIONS
If you had this issue 5 years ago you might have had a chance to win an appeal.
Amazon is now in a 'take no prisoners, shoot on site' mode of operation.
AMAZON AUTOMATIC REJECT FOR PLAN OF ACTION ON IP VIOLATIONS
Amazon is no longer letting people (successfully) appeal an IP violation. Sellers are finding out that if you want to play Russian Roulette on Amazon with a loaded Glock, go ahead, but your first violation notice will probably be your last.
This is from about the middle of May, 2025. All sellers need to wake up and start paying attention to the REALITY of selling here and not the pipe dreams spread by all the TikTok and YouTube shills making money off gullible people.
This is from @Emet_Amazon --
“As mentioned by both @Picks_by_Nisha and @NEVERLAST, you are welcome to write an appeal. I will have to warn that in most situations surrounding authenticity, we no longer accept a written plan of action. “
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/0b311008-d6ff-4633-bf35-2f43e3c04112?postId=c5907378-3703-44f3-9688-a6e63dc524b7
@EMET_AMAZON --
“Thank you for posting your concern with your account deactivation.
Bin_Badar_Sellers
Amazon has deactivated my account and asking me invoice but unfortunately I dont have invoice but I have quite good selling history and also have authentic incoices of many products but due to only one negative review Amazon asking me invoice for inauthentic product. Can I write POA to Amazon that I will never purchase from inauthentic suppliers ?
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Picks_by_Nisha
You can try to appeal, but Amazon has gotten pretty strict lately that the only thing they accept for any inauthentic complaint is legitimate paperwork with a verifiable supply chain.
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As you've mentioned the situation stems from an authenticity concern. Since you've stated that you do not have the invoices requested, can you advise on why? Have you sold or listed this product in the last 365 days? Can you advise on what specific ASIN(s) were involved in this scenario, or can you share your original deactivation notice from seller central?
As mentioned by both @Picks_by_Nisha and @NEVERLAST, you are welcome to write an appeal. I will have to warn that in most situations surrounding authenticity, we no longer accept a written plan of action. Some unique and extenuating circumstances may allow for the acceptance of a written explanation but as they mentioned is never guaranteed and may be rejected with a request for invoices.
Once you are able to provide some additional information on your situation, I can offer some additional guidance or support with what next steps may be available. The forums community and I are here to support you. Please let us know how we can help you from this point forward.
Emet.”
"If anyone has advice for my situation I would very much appreciate it. "
Go sell elsewhere BUT learn the rules BEFORE you even think about listing something.
Seller_ImP1urpxemf0A
Unfortunately I do not think your POA will do any good. And yes your product is considered counterfeit by Amazon if you do not have an LOA from the brand to sell on Amazon.
Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw
Then you cannot show that you were selling legitimate items. There is no way out of this.
Amazon doesn't want apologies. They don't want excuses. They don't want a promise to never do it again. The only thing they want is proof that you NEVER sold unauthorized or inauthentic items. Since you cannot do that, you're done on Amazon.
I hope that in future ventures, you'll take time to learn all the rules before jumping in. A week or so of reading the forums would have given you the information you would have needed to avoid making the mistakes you made.
Seller_qHaZNqtwvHgwU
Hi Velzy,
Don’t be discouraged, I do have some good news. Yes, you absolutely still have a chance.
Back in August, my account was suspended due to a total of seven IP violations that had accumulated over several months, which made my case particularly difficult to defend. Because of the nature of the violations, my Plan of Action was denied roughly 20 times before I was ultimately successful.
One thing that helped me tremendously was calling Amazon Account Health Support after each denial and asking for clarification. In many cases, they had internal notes explaining exactly why the POA was rejected, and they were often willing to share valuable guidance on what needed to be improved.
I would also encourage you to make use of available resources, including online forums, documentation, and AI tools, at your own discretion. I found them extremely helpful when refining my appeals and understanding Amazon's expectations.
Sometimes, the person you call may even tell you your appeal was flawless and may have been rejected due to overlook error and have it sent back for a second review to correct it.
If you'd like to share more details about your situation, feel free to reply and tell us more. I'd be happy to offer any insight or suggestions based on my experience.
Seller_YBfUTeoG971hG
Responses are correct: know the rules before you start selling or your account is in danger of being permanently deactivated. But how many times do Neverlast and others have to clone their responses to the many, many hapless sellers posting on this Forum before we ask the question: Why can't Amazon make the small change it would take to prevent all this? BEFORE approving and ungating, all Amazon needs to do is to check the LOA and invoices to make certain they are 1) in hand, and 2) legitimate. They will have to so this eventually anyway, so why not do it up front and save everyone a lot of heartache and trouble?
Seller_mopCqnwieea3x
I’m really sorry to hear what you’re going through, I totally understand how upsetting it is to get your account deactivated right before launching your private label items.
I had a similar case flagged for counterfeit suspicion due to missing brand authorization before, even though the goods were genuine. The AI auto-review loop can be really tough to break through.
My key advice for you:
Compile full supply chain evidence: supplier invoices, sample inspection photos, purchase records to prove your items are authentic, clearly separate the "no brand authorization error" from actual counterfeiting.
Rewrite your POA to focus more on root cause of missing authorization, add concrete corrective actions like only cooperating with suppliers who can provide official brand authorization letters later.
In each new appeal, politely request to transfer your case to a human specialist instead of automated AI review, mention your clean long-term account metrics and ready-to-launch private label line to highlight you’re a compliant long-term seller.
Don’t give up too early, many sellers get reinstated after resubmitting detailed, evidence-backed appeals multiple times. Wish you good luck with your reinstatement!
Seller_WQr4kZmH29pwc
Is there any update on this? i am in the same situation and they only want to see and invoice from the brand owner or authorised distributor - would really appreciate if anyone has a solution for this
