HELP!!! Bought items from Distributor and still being declined
I am pretty new to selling on Amazon. I wanted to sell an item and purchased it from a distributor, and I provided the invoice with the breakdown, and I am still being declined.
I don't know what else to do and there is no person to speak with.
3 replies
Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw
Basic questions:
What are you selling (be specific; a vague "it's a grocery item" doesn't help)?
Where did you source it?
Do you have permission FROM THE BRAND to sell their items on Amazon?
Seller_kIukTwdhvntAp
" I wanted to sell an item and purchased it from a distributor, "
As noted by @Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw, your methodology is in the wrong order.
You contact the BRAND first to see if they will allow you to sell on Amazon. THEN you contact one of their recommended wholesale sources.
More and more frequently Amazon is taking a TWO STEP approach and you are probably caught with not doing one of the steps (or either one!) Amazon is NOT consistent and in a shrinking number of cases they do not require the following BUT not having them can (and often does) put your account at risk.
You may be confusing AMAZON allowing you to list (or at least "ungate") an item or category and actually being APPROVED to sell a product. Amazon might ungate you for a CATEGORY, but there can be 100's of brands in the category and they ALL have their own restrictions.
AMAZON is only interested in FEES. They will allow a chimpanzee to list if it means they collect $$$$$.
Additionally, brands that you COULD sell yesterday may be restricted today or next week. Amazon is a moving target to deal with.
DO YOU have an LOA from the brand allowing you to sell on here?
If you have an LOA that specifically says you can sell on Amazon you MIGHT survive listing items.
More and more brands are providing a "whitelist" of their approved sellers and if YOU are NOT on the list you will be stopped in your tracks and probably hit with an IP violation.
DID YOU source from AUTHORIZED wholesale sources that your rep at the brand says are OK? You DO have a sales rep at the brand, don't you?
NOTE the verification is required from the brand that the source is legitimate and authorized, NOT from one of those touted on TikTok and YouTube as having "thousands of brands and products" that assures you that they are authorized.
If you have watched any YouTube or TikTok videos FORGET everything you saw there.
Spend hours/days on Seller U and read the Forum to see all the really creative ways rookies and experienced sellers find to get suspended by ignoring the advice above!
https://sell.amazon.com/learn
If you don't already have the above requirements in place you are probably going to have stranded inventory (if you do FBA) and a suspended account.
ALSO SEE THIS POST ON GETTING APPROVALS FROM AMAZON
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/b559e6e2-3935-43d1-942e-f9ac8d963394
Cooper_Amazon
Good Morning @Seller_dwGv0eo66L5zN,
It appears a few of our seasoned sellers have shared with you some guidance on best practices when submitting selling application.
Without a CASE ID, I am unable to fully investigate why your selling applications may not be going through. If you could share your CASE IDs that would be helpful in my investigation.
Additionally, I wanted to share my own information to help you begin your selling journey such as provide the link for Amazon's Responsible Sourcing documentation request requirements.
Listed below are the requirements for sourcing documentation request:
Copies of invoices, receipts or other similar documents that demonstrate where your products are produced or manufactured
These documents:
- 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.
You may remove pricing information, but the rest of the document must be visible to enable adequate review of the documents you provide. For ease of our review, you may highlight or circle the ASIN(s) under review.
As @Seller_kIukTwdhvntAp and @Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw alluded to, a letter of authorization can be a valuable to your appeal in these situations if you’re sourcing directly from the brand or their manufacturer.
I also wanted to share our Seller University resource that addresses Invoice requirements for when you apply to sell.
Lastly, if you have a relationship with the brand/publisher, you can to be added as an authorized 3rd party reseller through Brand Registry (but the brand has to add you on their end). Once that has occurred you can attempt to list again and if you still have any issues reach out to support letting them know you are now in the brand's Brand Registry approved list.
Please carefully review all the feedback the other sellers and I have shared as we want to make sure you don't begin your selling journey on the wrong foot.
Let us know if you have any questions about any of the information provided above or you can reach out to Selling Partner Support at anytime. Have a terrific rest of your week.
Sincerely, Cooper_Amazon
