Notification of Restricted Products Removal... OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.....
I currently sell a product that I manufacture (and have 30+ international patents and patents pending on) - inView® - a "Wireless Helmet-Mounted Brake & Turn-Signal Light With Red Reflective Lens" that attaches to a motorcycle helmet for increased visibility. The Amazon ad is exactly as stated in the quotes. Despite the clarity (it is a helmet-mounted light), Amazon sends me a Notification of Restricted Products Removal that states "This product has been identified as a motorcycle helmet that does not indicate that it meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218 (FMVSS 218). " I respond and the product is reinstated.
Thais has happened dozens and dozens of times. It is always the same letter and the same response.
How do I escalate this crazy AI issue to a real thinking person who can stop the nonsense??
Thanks,
David
Notification of Restricted Products Removal... OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.....
I currently sell a product that I manufacture (and have 30+ international patents and patents pending on) - inView® - a "Wireless Helmet-Mounted Brake & Turn-Signal Light With Red Reflective Lens" that attaches to a motorcycle helmet for increased visibility. The Amazon ad is exactly as stated in the quotes. Despite the clarity (it is a helmet-mounted light), Amazon sends me a Notification of Restricted Products Removal that states "This product has been identified as a motorcycle helmet that does not indicate that it meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218 (FMVSS 218). " I respond and the product is reinstated.
Thais has happened dozens and dozens of times. It is always the same letter and the same response.
How do I escalate this crazy AI issue to a real thinking person who can stop the nonsense??
Thanks,
David
13 replies
Seller_EzxPFDHhVTLTI
We are a motorcycle dealership that sells helmets online. AMAZON has also flagged some of our helmets, which have absolutely zero electronics on them, as requiring FCC certification. Our product description notes that a 3rd party Bluetooth device can be attached to the helmet (that would require certification). For whatever reason, Amazon can't figure it out that there is NO electronics inherent to the helmet.
Seller_LTNvvFJ2jqJOv
retain a lawyer and get them to talk to Amazon legal.
Seller_y2AhqvPUsnqxG
Amazon built a seller platform, but does not actively support it with any real live staff "onshore". I tried for six months to just get on a call with a human. Unfortunately the only way you'll get traction is by fudging the wording, getting legal involved, just dealing with the annoyance, or do what I did and completly opt out of the platform. They will copy your product if it begins to sell well, your listing is just thier free testbed to make Amazon branded products if they are cheap to manufacture and undercut the quality competition. Think of seller central like your little store in a big mall, and they get to see how every item in your little store is doing, then they funnel ALL foot traffic through thier store first.
Seller_1sZE5n9hympJR
IF you can get the resintated (which it seems you have) - you will keep getting the same violation over and over .. even years later.
Because we received repeat violations that almost deactivated our account, once we got our items reinstated for a third/fourth time, we ended up just deleting them.
There is no escalation process. It's all just keyword based AI. We did basically put a jibberish generic title & description with no "offending" keywords at all and still got a violation, so once an item is flagged, it appears to always be flagged (thus our deletion).
I know not offering the product isn't the outcome you're looking for, but deleting was OUR only option. Maybe you can check what category and item type Amazon has on these. We noticed some products have an appropriate non-offending product type, but Amazon picks up on a keyword, changes the type and it starts a violation. Check your search terms too to see if you can edit any to not reference a helmet.
Seller_koze3xwqeahiA
Same. It's not the humans its AI and it makes me wonder if AI is manipulated outside of the Amazon software. Ive been selling the same product for years now on Amazon and they said the smaller size was restricted. Like we already sell it. they made us send our label.
Seller_WrX6L26AmagHr
This is common, we may be deactivated for selling a product Amazon specifically looked at and re-instated, telling me it was good to go. 16 months later they said it was restricted , never telling us they made a mistake months earlier' they just dropped a safe on our head and said we should have known better.
best of luck with this, but i don't think you will win. I have always looked at these forums as mostly people that don't read the selling standards on amazon, i no longer think that, I believe the motto for this company is "screw this dealer, 5 more will be here tomorrow."
Seller_yitSORjsQdQlM
What you have described has been the bane of my existence selling on Amazon.
Over the last 11 years, Amazon has upended my business multiple times, costing us millions of dollars by removing our products (in some cases our entire catalogue), causing a back and forth battle of attrition each time lasting many weeks or months, all due to a misunderstanding of the nature of our product and lack of desire or inability to help reclassify or white list our listings in the algorithm. We've gotten every product removed and reinstated many times. EVERY ONE, MANY TIMES.
In years past, our products used to get removed as "hazmat", even though they aren't, and the back and forth battle would ensue. Now, they changed their strategy / classification and they outright accuse us of selling ammunition casings, which is absurd. Most responses from seller support seem automated, as in they don't actually read my appeals at all and regurgitate the original stated reason for removal in copy and paste fashion, but if I persist, I eventually find a rep that understands and I'm able to use that case as an avenue to get most or all of our products back, but it takes weeks or months. I'm currently in one of those cycles right now. To help someone else who is affected by this, you can't ask for a lot of reinstatement's all at once, because if you do, they won't even read your message, so I've learned the hard way to piecemeal what I ask for and go back and forth with a few ASIN's each time. Through necessity, I've almost learned how to survive, but that's lost revenue, its suppression in the search rankings, its literally having our business routinely upended over and over again instead of being able to focus on growth and optimization, etc. I've had to fire / rehire family members over this. We used to be Amazon's choice in basically everything, and top 1 or 2 in the search results. Not anymore, as its impossible to fight your way to the top over and over again, which changes ones mindset from a "thrive" mindset to a "survive" mindset.
I feel for you, and anyone else who has to endure this situation. I wish there were someone at Amazon that could offer a permanent solution, because the current situation does nothing but feed a sentiment of "persecution complex" among those affected. I've asked support "what about my listing is getting it flagged - I'll change it!" But they never are willing to tell you anything that could even remotely be helpful. Its sad, and seems to me at this point to be purposeful... What's saddest is that I used to really enjoy selling on Amazon, and felt like I could rise to the top. I would love for that to be the case again.
Notification of Restricted Products Removal... OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.....
I currently sell a product that I manufacture (and have 30+ international patents and patents pending on) - inView® - a "Wireless Helmet-Mounted Brake & Turn-Signal Light With Red Reflective Lens" that attaches to a motorcycle helmet for increased visibility. The Amazon ad is exactly as stated in the quotes. Despite the clarity (it is a helmet-mounted light), Amazon sends me a Notification of Restricted Products Removal that states "This product has been identified as a motorcycle helmet that does not indicate that it meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218 (FMVSS 218). " I respond and the product is reinstated.
Thais has happened dozens and dozens of times. It is always the same letter and the same response.
How do I escalate this crazy AI issue to a real thinking person who can stop the nonsense??
Thanks,
David
Notification of Restricted Products Removal... OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.....
I currently sell a product that I manufacture (and have 30+ international patents and patents pending on) - inView® - a "Wireless Helmet-Mounted Brake & Turn-Signal Light With Red Reflective Lens" that attaches to a motorcycle helmet for increased visibility. The Amazon ad is exactly as stated in the quotes. Despite the clarity (it is a helmet-mounted light), Amazon sends me a Notification of Restricted Products Removal that states "This product has been identified as a motorcycle helmet that does not indicate that it meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218 (FMVSS 218). " I respond and the product is reinstated.
Thais has happened dozens and dozens of times. It is always the same letter and the same response.
How do I escalate this crazy AI issue to a real thinking person who can stop the nonsense??
Thanks,
David
Notification of Restricted Products Removal... OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.....
I currently sell a product that I manufacture (and have 30+ international patents and patents pending on) - inView® - a "Wireless Helmet-Mounted Brake & Turn-Signal Light With Red Reflective Lens" that attaches to a motorcycle helmet for increased visibility. The Amazon ad is exactly as stated in the quotes. Despite the clarity (it is a helmet-mounted light), Amazon sends me a Notification of Restricted Products Removal that states "This product has been identified as a motorcycle helmet that does not indicate that it meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218 (FMVSS 218). " I respond and the product is reinstated.
Thais has happened dozens and dozens of times. It is always the same letter and the same response.
How do I escalate this crazy AI issue to a real thinking person who can stop the nonsense??
Thanks,
David
13 replies
13 replies
Seller_EzxPFDHhVTLTI
We are a motorcycle dealership that sells helmets online. AMAZON has also flagged some of our helmets, which have absolutely zero electronics on them, as requiring FCC certification. Our product description notes that a 3rd party Bluetooth device can be attached to the helmet (that would require certification). For whatever reason, Amazon can't figure it out that there is NO electronics inherent to the helmet.
Seller_LTNvvFJ2jqJOv
retain a lawyer and get them to talk to Amazon legal.
Seller_y2AhqvPUsnqxG
Amazon built a seller platform, but does not actively support it with any real live staff "onshore". I tried for six months to just get on a call with a human. Unfortunately the only way you'll get traction is by fudging the wording, getting legal involved, just dealing with the annoyance, or do what I did and completly opt out of the platform. They will copy your product if it begins to sell well, your listing is just thier free testbed to make Amazon branded products if they are cheap to manufacture and undercut the quality competition. Think of seller central like your little store in a big mall, and they get to see how every item in your little store is doing, then they funnel ALL foot traffic through thier store first.
Seller_1sZE5n9hympJR
IF you can get the resintated (which it seems you have) - you will keep getting the same violation over and over .. even years later.
Because we received repeat violations that almost deactivated our account, once we got our items reinstated for a third/fourth time, we ended up just deleting them.
There is no escalation process. It's all just keyword based AI. We did basically put a jibberish generic title & description with no "offending" keywords at all and still got a violation, so once an item is flagged, it appears to always be flagged (thus our deletion).
I know not offering the product isn't the outcome you're looking for, but deleting was OUR only option. Maybe you can check what category and item type Amazon has on these. We noticed some products have an appropriate non-offending product type, but Amazon picks up on a keyword, changes the type and it starts a violation. Check your search terms too to see if you can edit any to not reference a helmet.
Seller_koze3xwqeahiA
Same. It's not the humans its AI and it makes me wonder if AI is manipulated outside of the Amazon software. Ive been selling the same product for years now on Amazon and they said the smaller size was restricted. Like we already sell it. they made us send our label.
Seller_WrX6L26AmagHr
This is common, we may be deactivated for selling a product Amazon specifically looked at and re-instated, telling me it was good to go. 16 months later they said it was restricted , never telling us they made a mistake months earlier' they just dropped a safe on our head and said we should have known better.
best of luck with this, but i don't think you will win. I have always looked at these forums as mostly people that don't read the selling standards on amazon, i no longer think that, I believe the motto for this company is "screw this dealer, 5 more will be here tomorrow."
Seller_yitSORjsQdQlM
What you have described has been the bane of my existence selling on Amazon.
Over the last 11 years, Amazon has upended my business multiple times, costing us millions of dollars by removing our products (in some cases our entire catalogue), causing a back and forth battle of attrition each time lasting many weeks or months, all due to a misunderstanding of the nature of our product and lack of desire or inability to help reclassify or white list our listings in the algorithm. We've gotten every product removed and reinstated many times. EVERY ONE, MANY TIMES.
In years past, our products used to get removed as "hazmat", even though they aren't, and the back and forth battle would ensue. Now, they changed their strategy / classification and they outright accuse us of selling ammunition casings, which is absurd. Most responses from seller support seem automated, as in they don't actually read my appeals at all and regurgitate the original stated reason for removal in copy and paste fashion, but if I persist, I eventually find a rep that understands and I'm able to use that case as an avenue to get most or all of our products back, but it takes weeks or months. I'm currently in one of those cycles right now. To help someone else who is affected by this, you can't ask for a lot of reinstatement's all at once, because if you do, they won't even read your message, so I've learned the hard way to piecemeal what I ask for and go back and forth with a few ASIN's each time. Through necessity, I've almost learned how to survive, but that's lost revenue, its suppression in the search rankings, its literally having our business routinely upended over and over again instead of being able to focus on growth and optimization, etc. I've had to fire / rehire family members over this. We used to be Amazon's choice in basically everything, and top 1 or 2 in the search results. Not anymore, as its impossible to fight your way to the top over and over again, which changes ones mindset from a "thrive" mindset to a "survive" mindset.
I feel for you, and anyone else who has to endure this situation. I wish there were someone at Amazon that could offer a permanent solution, because the current situation does nothing but feed a sentiment of "persecution complex" among those affected. I've asked support "what about my listing is getting it flagged - I'll change it!" But they never are willing to tell you anything that could even remotely be helpful. Its sad, and seems to me at this point to be purposeful... What's saddest is that I used to really enjoy selling on Amazon, and felt like I could rise to the top. I would love for that to be the case again.
Seller_EzxPFDHhVTLTI
We are a motorcycle dealership that sells helmets online. AMAZON has also flagged some of our helmets, which have absolutely zero electronics on them, as requiring FCC certification. Our product description notes that a 3rd party Bluetooth device can be attached to the helmet (that would require certification). For whatever reason, Amazon can't figure it out that there is NO electronics inherent to the helmet.
Seller_EzxPFDHhVTLTI
We are a motorcycle dealership that sells helmets online. AMAZON has also flagged some of our helmets, which have absolutely zero electronics on them, as requiring FCC certification. Our product description notes that a 3rd party Bluetooth device can be attached to the helmet (that would require certification). For whatever reason, Amazon can't figure it out that there is NO electronics inherent to the helmet.
Seller_LTNvvFJ2jqJOv
retain a lawyer and get them to talk to Amazon legal.
Seller_LTNvvFJ2jqJOv
retain a lawyer and get them to talk to Amazon legal.
Seller_y2AhqvPUsnqxG
Amazon built a seller platform, but does not actively support it with any real live staff "onshore". I tried for six months to just get on a call with a human. Unfortunately the only way you'll get traction is by fudging the wording, getting legal involved, just dealing with the annoyance, or do what I did and completly opt out of the platform. They will copy your product if it begins to sell well, your listing is just thier free testbed to make Amazon branded products if they are cheap to manufacture and undercut the quality competition. Think of seller central like your little store in a big mall, and they get to see how every item in your little store is doing, then they funnel ALL foot traffic through thier store first.
Seller_y2AhqvPUsnqxG
Amazon built a seller platform, but does not actively support it with any real live staff "onshore". I tried for six months to just get on a call with a human. Unfortunately the only way you'll get traction is by fudging the wording, getting legal involved, just dealing with the annoyance, or do what I did and completly opt out of the platform. They will copy your product if it begins to sell well, your listing is just thier free testbed to make Amazon branded products if they are cheap to manufacture and undercut the quality competition. Think of seller central like your little store in a big mall, and they get to see how every item in your little store is doing, then they funnel ALL foot traffic through thier store first.
Seller_1sZE5n9hympJR
IF you can get the resintated (which it seems you have) - you will keep getting the same violation over and over .. even years later.
Because we received repeat violations that almost deactivated our account, once we got our items reinstated for a third/fourth time, we ended up just deleting them.
There is no escalation process. It's all just keyword based AI. We did basically put a jibberish generic title & description with no "offending" keywords at all and still got a violation, so once an item is flagged, it appears to always be flagged (thus our deletion).
I know not offering the product isn't the outcome you're looking for, but deleting was OUR only option. Maybe you can check what category and item type Amazon has on these. We noticed some products have an appropriate non-offending product type, but Amazon picks up on a keyword, changes the type and it starts a violation. Check your search terms too to see if you can edit any to not reference a helmet.
Seller_1sZE5n9hympJR
IF you can get the resintated (which it seems you have) - you will keep getting the same violation over and over .. even years later.
Because we received repeat violations that almost deactivated our account, once we got our items reinstated for a third/fourth time, we ended up just deleting them.
There is no escalation process. It's all just keyword based AI. We did basically put a jibberish generic title & description with no "offending" keywords at all and still got a violation, so once an item is flagged, it appears to always be flagged (thus our deletion).
I know not offering the product isn't the outcome you're looking for, but deleting was OUR only option. Maybe you can check what category and item type Amazon has on these. We noticed some products have an appropriate non-offending product type, but Amazon picks up on a keyword, changes the type and it starts a violation. Check your search terms too to see if you can edit any to not reference a helmet.
Seller_koze3xwqeahiA
Same. It's not the humans its AI and it makes me wonder if AI is manipulated outside of the Amazon software. Ive been selling the same product for years now on Amazon and they said the smaller size was restricted. Like we already sell it. they made us send our label.
Seller_koze3xwqeahiA
Same. It's not the humans its AI and it makes me wonder if AI is manipulated outside of the Amazon software. Ive been selling the same product for years now on Amazon and they said the smaller size was restricted. Like we already sell it. they made us send our label.
Seller_WrX6L26AmagHr
This is common, we may be deactivated for selling a product Amazon specifically looked at and re-instated, telling me it was good to go. 16 months later they said it was restricted , never telling us they made a mistake months earlier' they just dropped a safe on our head and said we should have known better.
best of luck with this, but i don't think you will win. I have always looked at these forums as mostly people that don't read the selling standards on amazon, i no longer think that, I believe the motto for this company is "screw this dealer, 5 more will be here tomorrow."
Seller_WrX6L26AmagHr
This is common, we may be deactivated for selling a product Amazon specifically looked at and re-instated, telling me it was good to go. 16 months later they said it was restricted , never telling us they made a mistake months earlier' they just dropped a safe on our head and said we should have known better.
best of luck with this, but i don't think you will win. I have always looked at these forums as mostly people that don't read the selling standards on amazon, i no longer think that, I believe the motto for this company is "screw this dealer, 5 more will be here tomorrow."
Seller_yitSORjsQdQlM
What you have described has been the bane of my existence selling on Amazon.
Over the last 11 years, Amazon has upended my business multiple times, costing us millions of dollars by removing our products (in some cases our entire catalogue), causing a back and forth battle of attrition each time lasting many weeks or months, all due to a misunderstanding of the nature of our product and lack of desire or inability to help reclassify or white list our listings in the algorithm. We've gotten every product removed and reinstated many times. EVERY ONE, MANY TIMES.
In years past, our products used to get removed as "hazmat", even though they aren't, and the back and forth battle would ensue. Now, they changed their strategy / classification and they outright accuse us of selling ammunition casings, which is absurd. Most responses from seller support seem automated, as in they don't actually read my appeals at all and regurgitate the original stated reason for removal in copy and paste fashion, but if I persist, I eventually find a rep that understands and I'm able to use that case as an avenue to get most or all of our products back, but it takes weeks or months. I'm currently in one of those cycles right now. To help someone else who is affected by this, you can't ask for a lot of reinstatement's all at once, because if you do, they won't even read your message, so I've learned the hard way to piecemeal what I ask for and go back and forth with a few ASIN's each time. Through necessity, I've almost learned how to survive, but that's lost revenue, its suppression in the search rankings, its literally having our business routinely upended over and over again instead of being able to focus on growth and optimization, etc. I've had to fire / rehire family members over this. We used to be Amazon's choice in basically everything, and top 1 or 2 in the search results. Not anymore, as its impossible to fight your way to the top over and over again, which changes ones mindset from a "thrive" mindset to a "survive" mindset.
I feel for you, and anyone else who has to endure this situation. I wish there were someone at Amazon that could offer a permanent solution, because the current situation does nothing but feed a sentiment of "persecution complex" among those affected. I've asked support "what about my listing is getting it flagged - I'll change it!" But they never are willing to tell you anything that could even remotely be helpful. Its sad, and seems to me at this point to be purposeful... What's saddest is that I used to really enjoy selling on Amazon, and felt like I could rise to the top. I would love for that to be the case again.
Seller_yitSORjsQdQlM
What you have described has been the bane of my existence selling on Amazon.
Over the last 11 years, Amazon has upended my business multiple times, costing us millions of dollars by removing our products (in some cases our entire catalogue), causing a back and forth battle of attrition each time lasting many weeks or months, all due to a misunderstanding of the nature of our product and lack of desire or inability to help reclassify or white list our listings in the algorithm. We've gotten every product removed and reinstated many times. EVERY ONE, MANY TIMES.
In years past, our products used to get removed as "hazmat", even though they aren't, and the back and forth battle would ensue. Now, they changed their strategy / classification and they outright accuse us of selling ammunition casings, which is absurd. Most responses from seller support seem automated, as in they don't actually read my appeals at all and regurgitate the original stated reason for removal in copy and paste fashion, but if I persist, I eventually find a rep that understands and I'm able to use that case as an avenue to get most or all of our products back, but it takes weeks or months. I'm currently in one of those cycles right now. To help someone else who is affected by this, you can't ask for a lot of reinstatement's all at once, because if you do, they won't even read your message, so I've learned the hard way to piecemeal what I ask for and go back and forth with a few ASIN's each time. Through necessity, I've almost learned how to survive, but that's lost revenue, its suppression in the search rankings, its literally having our business routinely upended over and over again instead of being able to focus on growth and optimization, etc. I've had to fire / rehire family members over this. We used to be Amazon's choice in basically everything, and top 1 or 2 in the search results. Not anymore, as its impossible to fight your way to the top over and over again, which changes ones mindset from a "thrive" mindset to a "survive" mindset.
I feel for you, and anyone else who has to endure this situation. I wish there were someone at Amazon that could offer a permanent solution, because the current situation does nothing but feed a sentiment of "persecution complex" among those affected. I've asked support "what about my listing is getting it flagged - I'll change it!" But they never are willing to tell you anything that could even remotely be helpful. Its sad, and seems to me at this point to be purposeful... What's saddest is that I used to really enjoy selling on Amazon, and felt like I could rise to the top. I would love for that to be the case again.
