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Hoping to Better Understand Forum Moderation Processes
I've noticed many moderator profiles mention fostering community growth, enabling seller success, and building lasting connections. The Seller Forums Guidelines seem to provide the foundation for these goals.
Last week, I experienced something that raised questions about how these guidelines are implemented. While this is personal to me, I believe discussing it openly could help our whole community participate more confidently.
Here's what happened:
On February 13th, I responded to a question about dietary supplement compliance requirements. As always, I included links to specific Amazon help pages to ensure my information was verifiable. However:
- On February 15th, my comment was edited to "[Moderator Edit: removed off-topic commentary]"
- My account was silenced indefinitely without warning (though the guidelines mention "Repeated warnings" should precede such actions)
- After a week, my posting privileges were restored, with a reference to "customer review creation guidelines" (though the discussion wasn't about reviews)
I'm grateful to be able to participate again, but I have some questions:
- Are automated systems involved in moderation? For example, if multiple questions about dietary supplements arise in a short time, could providing similar help page references trigger automated flags?
- What options exist for discussing moderation decisions? As a secondary account user, I didn't have the privileges to open a support case, which left me unsure how to seek clarification.
While my experience prompted these questions, I hope clarity around these processes would benefit everyone who wants to contribute to our community.
Thank you for considering these questions.
6 replies
Seller_rI7BZIczK8iAC
I agree you did a great job lately by helping people and providing wherever possible links to the help pages.
But I guess the forum is handled the same way like the Amazon seller platforms: there are a truckload full rules and prohibitions and in fact nobody knows exactly what is allowed and what isn't. And especially nobody knows how the AI will react to some steps we take.
So asking clarification or clarity will remain without answer.... Amazon is a big foggy cloud and we just can go forward step by step searching the less dangerous way.
(Now, also mods are aware that your big engagement is not just charity, but I don't see nothing reprehensible in your answers)
Let's hope you stay, your contributions are valuable to other sellers. Hopefully one day it will also be valuable to you.
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
I see nothing but advertising every time I see you post. it's all over your profile....
There is no other good reason to post back user files to people that they could easily read them self by going to help....there certainly is no other good reason for spamming your profile
Seller_rI7BZIczK8iAC
Personally I believe that 80% of the OPs here don't even know that these help pages exist and where to find them....
Seller_rI7BZIczK8iAC
Yes you are right. They even don't know that this is a seller forum and think to talk to seller support. Also they don't know that eventual answers show up under "Notifications". And you think they have the IQ to understand that such an answer from a "spammy profile" could further help them, against compensation? I am sure he didn't make a penny till now and I think as long as it's not too obvious it doesn't bother anyone. Finally he will note that he is just loosing his time. But, probably the Amazon gods will decide....
Seller_i6S8knzW6zU6Z
@Seller_rI7BZIczK8iAC and @Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI, thank you for sharing your perspectives. I value the diverse insights that help us all support fellow sellers more effectively.
The forum is described as "an inclusive community" where sharing experiences and exchanging useful insights is key. By providing links to Amazon’s help pages, my intention is to ensure accuracy, help sellers locate official resources, and make information easily verifiable.
@Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI, I’m curious about your remark:
Are you suggesting that questions answerable via the official help pages should neither be posted nor addressed? If that’s the case, it might inadvertently discourage a significant portion of discussions that benefit many sellers here.
While we may differ in our approaches, calling someone "spammy" repeatedly conflicts with the guideline to avoid "disrespectful" commentary, including "personal attacks" and "spiteful remarks." I believe that the quality of our contributions can be objectively assessed through community feedback—both qualitative (from discussion authors and forum moderators) and quantitative (like the ratio between "Most helpful replies" and overall "Replies to discussions"). I’m more than willing to examine these indicators in detail if needed.
Ultimately, I think the Amazon ecosystem flourishes when sellers receive prompt, well-informed answers. I look forward to collaborating with you both and other community members to keep the forum constructive, helpful, and welcoming for everyone.
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