I have seen a STEEP increase in sellers suspended for retail arbitrage/overstock pallets/store returns…. Some or all of this information applies to you. Your account may not be suspended yet. Maybe your funds are just on hold and you wonder when you will get paid.

Lot's of confused people here when it comes to Amazon's invoice/LOA requirements! (If a LOA was requested it MUST be provided and state permission to sell the brand ON AMAZON)

Do you need a LOA (Brand's letter of authorization for you to sell their brand on Amazon) to list a product?

No, according to Amazon "in writing", you just need a distributor invoice showing you purchased 10 items of the same product to get approved to sell most brands

Can I get approved to sell items I purchased retail? Yes, sure, Whatever gets you to pay fees.

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So why would I suddenly need a LOA and my invoices are not accepted?

Because as soon as there is a complaint, from a buyer or competitor, claiming your item is not authentic,

Amazon will now request and demand... brand approved distributor invoices for everything you sold in the last year! And frequently along with that, they now want to see your LOA.

Amazon "assumes" you are authorized to sell the product, but they don't ask. They actually don't mind you to sell however you can and pay your fees, but will throw you under the next passing bus, at the first sign of trouble. While that sounds pretty mean, it really only catches up to sellers that didn’t waste the time to read laws and policies, before starting to run a business. The information has always been there. You agreed when you signed up that you understood all the policies. You just didn’t actually read them, who does…

That means without LOA and proper distributor invoice, your account will remain suspended for selling "counterfeits", for all affected products, any sales proceeds in your account will be confiscated and any products you have at FBA and cannot produce these documents for, will be destroyed as counterfeit.

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How is buying from Cosco/Walmart/Alibaba/Overstock pallets……. an issue?

To proof authenticity, one has to look at the supply chain.

From Brand to authorized distributor, from distributor to retailer from retailer to end consumer.

That supply chain ended, when you purchased it at retail. The manufacturer lost all control over the product at THAT POINT, the sale to you, the END CONSUMER. Since nobody can control if the product you are reselling is the actual product you got a receipt for, the supply chain (and authenticity) cannot be validated.

That also means all warranties and product backing also ends with you, holder of the receipt (not an invoice!!), and your product cannot be resold as new, as it now lacks that FULL warranty time (at least) and manufacturer backing. A new products MUST include all warranties

So what can I do now?

Honestly? Likely nothing, unless you have the required paperwork. You can try to go to Amazon’s seller university and watch the videos and then write an appeal apologizing and telling them what you did wrong, how and what you have learned now and that you will never list items again you are not authorized to sell. In mild cases, this may be enough. If they wont accept that…..

The problem is, they will want to know how and where you will source your products in the future and unless you have a legit business, you wont get a wholesale account and brand approval easily. But you will likely need to show you are working with a brand approved distributor and they may also demand a LOA upfront this time, to go with your appeal. (See details in your suspension notice)

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So what do they need in my invoice to proof my items are authentic?”

INVOICES

Copies of invoices, receipts or other similar documents that demonstrate where your products are produced or manufactured

You invoice should include

• detailed list of products (at least 10 per item, Product name, model number or UPC that can be verified online)) ,

• terms of sale (net30/net60/cash..)

• must be by the brand itself or a brand authorized distributor (not a retail store for the general public, not some back door pallet seller wanna be distributor )***

• your full business name and address, as entered in seller central

• a COMPLETED transaction ( order shipped),

• suppliers full name and contact details, (e-mail, phone or both)

• Should reflect the sales volume of your product across all Amazon marketplaces in the last 365 days

• Should demonstrate your product’s full supply chain

**Should include contact information for the supplier(s) and the original manufacturer. We may contact suppliers or manufacturers to verify the documents

Your documents should be able to trace your products to the original manufacturer even if you did not purchase them directly from the original manufacturer. This may require requesting additional invoices or supply chain documentation from your supplier if you are not sourcing directly from the manufacturer.

Any brand approved distributor will provide supply chain documents! They are not asking for invoices showing the distributor purchased from the brand, they are asking for proof that the distributor is a brand authorized distributor. A contract between the brand and that distributor. That contract may also include information about limitations, such as certain products may only be sold to retailers with a B&M, or some products may not be offered at online marketplaces. Supply chain documentation may include material disclosures, substance declarations, compliance certificates, and especially certificates of origin

@Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI has provided you with an excellent explanation of what Amazon requires and expects.

YOUR problem is within your post --

"I've submitted receipts, "

Did you accidentally leave a retail price tag on an item?

While there are still a SMALL number of people who claim RA is actually permitted it is an extremely risky business model on the 'new and improved' Amazon.

While it is NOT specifically forbidden in the policies on the site, the ACTIONS taken by Amazon are what actually matters, not the words.

Consider yourself lucky that you have not already been suspended.

Unless you can provide an INVOICE and an LOA from the brand you can expect that as the next step. AND, if you sold the stuff as new, you are likely dead already.

Note that even eBay is cracking down on RA.

More and more brands are taking control of their own destiny on here. Unless you are authorized by the publishers or brands many sellers are being blocked entirely.

Amazon has allowed the site to be invaded by countless thousands of unauthorized sellers over the past couple decades. Amazon, to excise the disease (unauthorized sellers), is simply killing all the sellers other than whoever the BRANDS are going to favor with letters of authorization.

Expect more of this and it is partly a result of the new laws that have stripped Amazon and other sites of what they had perceived as protection from penalties for allowing counterfeit/stolen merchandise on the site.

Those restrictions will include both RA, Gray market sales, and even used sales in the future because there is no proof of authenticity or chain of custody for either version of those sales models.

Amazon is cleaning house and a lot of people selling currently are likely to be swept out the door going forward.

As @Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI and @Seller_kIukTwdhvntAp have indicated, your inability to fix your current problem is likely due to the fact that you couldn't show a commercial invoice.

Then again, if you received an email detailing what you would need to do to reactivate your FBM listings, did you follow the instructions exactly? I ask because I seriously doubt they requested pictures of you loading product into your car. Or pictures of you dropping off packages. I mean who even takes selfies with each package dropping it off at the post office? If you were actually doing such things before this incident, I have to wonder why?

Anyway, when Amazon gives instructions for doing things like verifications or POA you want to be very careful to supply them with EXACTLY what they asked for, in exactly the way/form they asked for it and making sure to get ALL the necessary attached documents supplied together in the same response since the seller support or account health agents are unlikely to go searching for anything on your behalf. If you supply something different than what they asked for, they may simply deny it because you didn't follow instructions.

As others have said, Retail Arbitrage is tricky/dangerous now days. Yes there are some sellers who still manage to do it but as I've seen it, most of the old timers are mostly sourcing wholesale now. There may still be some brands not policing listings of their products where people manage to get away with retail arbitrage but again, that list may be ever shrinking. Of course that doesn't really touch on the heart of your problem being a "drop ship" violation even if it wasn't actually a drop ship violation. The problem is, some customer thinks you had product drop shipped to them from some other source, even if they are mistaken, Amazon ALWAYS values the customer's opinion over 3rd party sellers so unless you can some how prove a negative, you may have difficulty regaining the ability to FBM product.

If you want more specific help, you could post the deactivation letter (removing personal info) and ask for assistance in crafting your POA (plan of action) to get your FBM offers restored. POA should be short but detailed. They should include what you did wrong, you must take responsibility. They must include what you did to correct the immediate situation, as in what did you do to make it right for the customer who complained? And then you need to outline how you have changed your operating procedures to make sure this situation can never happen again. (This will likely include you showing how you will be sourcing all your product for the future and how you will be shipping it to the customers.)

They most likely submitted a complaint that the items were dropshipped and not retail from you, more than the review. Dropshipping is not allowed on the platform and can result in a huge financial loss. There is a major difference between receipts (which show you as the retail customer) and invoices (which show you as a supplier to retail customers).

Curious who was the name of the buyer ? I self fulfill all my orders and have been cyberstalked by a problem buyer for over 3 years who uses different names and address and leaves negative feedback and emails to manipulate Amazon's AI so I receive a drop shipping violation. All order shipped to fake addresses and are sent back "Return To Sender" Here are just a few examples of the feedback and emails this person uses are "drop shipped from Walmart came in a Walmart box, drop shipped from Sam's Club came in a Sam's Club box with receipt, counterfeit, engaging in price fixing" I currently have my seller fulfilled listing deactivate and I'm having no luck with account health. The bogus name this person uses is Henry L, Susan D, and most recently Mark I, Amazon is well aware of this criminal who terrorizes sellers but is slow or not interested to do anything about it. This is disgraceful and Amazon needs to stop this problem buyer and stop deactivating seller fulfilled order.... Here is a link 2023 from discussion board all about this problem buyer who terrorizes sellers

https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/241089ed-e79b-4e9d-846b-22903b94b318?postId=07e119be-9ac4-4c1b-bee4-91239a7e253b

Hello @Seller_5WyUrtpKhirTf,

Thank you for posting your concerns with your account deactivation.

Seller_5WyUrtpKhirTf

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About 1.5 weeks ago, my seller fulfilled offers had been deactivated because of a "third party shipping violation", this is due to a review someone had left on my account saying we got our products from x place and that we need another job and that we are liars.

Seller_5WyUrtpKhirTf

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The violation was a "drop shipping violation", didn't have anything to do with inauthentic products.

As you mentioned this was associated to a dropship policy violation, could you clarify what exactly was requested from you?

Seller_9Uf78DYSZ2lcW

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Anyway, when Amazon gives instructions for doing things like verifications or POA you want to be very careful to supply them with EXACTLY what they asked for, in exactly the way/form they asked for it and making sure to get ALL the necessary attached documents supplied together in the same response

As mentioned by @Seller_9Uf78DYSZ2lcW, depending on the situation we may require a plan of action (POA), invoices, letter of authorization or other supporting evidence. If the incorrect or insufficient information is provided it will not be accepted. Could you advise on exactly what was requested of you?

Again depending on your situation, if we've requested a plan of action or explanation of the situation, you will need to ensure to structure it properly.

Root cause should always be first and outline and acknowledgement and explanation as to what happened, how and why these events occurred.

Corrective actions should always be second and fully address what you have already done to correct the root cause and events or actions that took place.

Preventative solutions are what you have in place as a process or procedure to ensure the prevention of this policy being violated. These actions should primarily focused on the root cause and how you will prevent that from happened, but also from a holistic approach and how you may be improving other areas to ensure compliance to this policy.

Seller_5WyUrtpKhirTf

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I do all of the shipping, packing, product sourcing all by myself

Seller_5WyUrtpKhirTf

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I've submitted receipts, Order IDs matching with tracking, side by side the whole route of the package (from when i dropped off to when delivered). I've also provided over 400 order IDs I have done in the last 30 days with matching tracking ID (with highlighting), pictures of when I dropped off packages, pictures of me loading the product into the car, etc. And in my explanation I have also described each picture/receipt/order.

If you have run into a situation we we've only requested supporting evidence of compliance, this is considered a dispute only scenario. We will typically ask that you review your business to ensure full compliance.

You mentioned that you source, pack, and ship these products yourself. Can you confirm you have no additional support or assistance with this process?

When it comes to shipping your products, do you have a warehouse or facility you ship from, does your tracking show that you were shipping your products?? When reviewing your orders, you mentioned providing tracking and other related information, were there any orders that did not have tracking or that you could not speak too?

If you do ship from other locations, or if you supplier ships your products, do you have documentation to show your association to these locations as additional supporting evidence?

There can be situations that will require invoices, and possibly a letter of authorization as noted by @Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI. I have linked our help pages to con firm our requirements for these if they were requested from you.

The forums community and I are here to support you. Please let us know how we can help you from this point forward.

Emet.

One review was not the cause of your situation. We sell thousands of different products and almost weekly we get a bad review, and it never causes a problem with the account.

Now with that said, Amazon just wants to make sure you are purchasing from the manufacturer. Amazon knows what an invoice includes. An invoice is used when Your USA business has a retail commercial credit account with the manufacturer. Most all included.

- YOUR: business name, business address, business phone, sales tax exempt number, your EIN number, your credit line, and terms of sale

- MANUFACTURER’S: address, phone, EIN number, account Rep’s name

- PRODUCT’S: quantity, SKU-Model number,

- DISCOUNTS PROCESSES ON THIS PURHASE: quantity, sale, specials

- TERMS OF SHIPPING: method, who pays, company used, tracking number

- TERMS OF PAYMENT: 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, interest assessed

Some have more, but they all use the same basic format. Even when you call and make a small online order and pay by credit card, an invoice is still sent to you separately containing all of the above.

If you purchased the items from a distributor using cash and carry, or on-line with a credit card, and paid sales tax on it, you are not buying wholesale from the manufacturer.