Account suspended for inauthentic items. Need help with POA! No invoice just receipts from retailer
Hello,
I am currently struggling with a POA case as I am unable to provide supplier invoices for the items I have sold. However, I do have the receipts from the retailers. Is there any advise on how I can move forward to get my account activated? This is the POA I have currently:
Dear Amazon Seller Performance,
I am writing in regards, to address the customer complaints of the items ASIN: B084CKR6VP and ASIN: B07VGGF8DP being inauthentic. I would like to address the violations that has lead to my suspension. I have understood that I have become contravention of Amazon policies. Firstly, I would like to apologise and highlight that I am determined to ensure this does not happen again. Following this complaint, I have taken a number of actions to ensure this issue does not reoccur and to avoid any future infringement is non existent.
First of all, I’ll address the issue that has led to this violation. My company was a retail arbitrage online business. Due to my lack of research on amazon policies and inexperienced selling on amazon, I had not taken the proper vigilance necessary to ensure the authenticity of my items. I had purchased my items from argos and pets at home. As you can see from the receipts, I have provided. Due to this poor decision, I had made, I am unable to provide the correct invoices nor letter of authorisation from the actual brands. I had broken the policies ’ Prohibited Seller Activities and Action Policy’ and ‘Anti-conterfeiting Policy.’ I had failed to ensure the supplier was verified by the seller.
However, the immediate actions, I have taken to ensure that this issue does not arise is:
⦁ All my listings have been permanently removed, until I can gain authorisation letters directly from the brand, to sell their items. Will not be opened until authorisation from brands can be gained.
⦁ All orders were cancelled to avoid more customer complaints regarding inauthenticity. All the remaining stock has been destroyed.
⦁ All dissatisfied customers have been refunded fully.
⦁ I have reviewed all the amazon policies including ‘Prohibited Seller Activities and Actions Policy,’ and ‘Anti-Counterfeiting Policy’. All members of staff in Finity Brands have been made to read Amazon Policies. Our company will now strictly abide by the policies and will continue to stay updated with all policies.
The long term corrective actions I do ensure to take are:
⦁ All inventory will be sourced by contacting the brand owners to be directed to verified suppliers or manufacturers.
⦁ Purchases will no longer be bought from retailers, only verified supplier.
⦁ Units will all be inspected thoroughly upon arrival and before the item is sent directly to the customer. The authenticity of the items will be checked, as well as the colour and descriptions will be checked, to ensure it matches with the amazon selling page.
⦁ Any customer dissatisfaction or complaints on item authenticity will be immediately addressed and refunded. The item or stock will be destroyed. being inauthentic. I would like to address the violations that have lead to my suspension.
I would also like to reiterate that I understand that Amazon highly values their customers and the experience they gain highly. I am also determined to continue selling on Amazon and providing the best customer service I can and is hopeful that the mistake I have made can be forgiven, as I am a new selling who intends to amend my wrongs.
Please let me know if their is anything I can do to to reinstate my selling privileges.
Thank you for working with me to resolve this issue.
Please let me know what I can further do to improve my POA and what else I would need to say. All advise and feedback will be appreciated. Thank you.
60 replies
Seller_lljyzgTxr5fgI
Good morning
Firstly, receipts from retailers are not acceptable to Amazon, and neither is retail arbitrage, if the items were sold in New condition. So, before you begin any appeal, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself, otherwise the POA has absolutely no chance of success. You have clearly purchased items to sell for profit so:
- Are you regsitered as a business with Amazon?
- Which account and which selling plan have you signed up for with Amazon?
- Are you registered as a business with HMRC?
- Do you have a Unique Tax Reference Number (UTC) from HMRC?
- Do you have any trade accounts with any suppliers that you have invoices for (not retail receipts)?
If you can please answer those questions then it will be possible to advise further 
Seller_6sxtIS0RbZ5k7
My feeling is that it is far too wordy and you are also addressing issues that aren’t part of the problem.
The first section (what happened and why it happened) needs to be broken down into bullet points, at the moment it is just a wall of text.
There are a few grammatical errors that I would worry won’t translate well.
Seller_6sxtIS0RbZ5k7
I have corrected some of the grammar (see the bolded bits), that’s not to say that I think you should keep it all in, it’s still too wordy (especially at the beginning, which also needs to be broken down into bullet points.)
Seller_LGcFRUwJdg45L
Hello @Finitystore,
After reviewing the information provided I understand that you want suggestions on how to activate your account.
As you mentioned you will not be able to provide invoices. A strong plan of action would be in need to get your account reactivated. But before proceeding with the Plan of action mention the reason about why you do not have invoices.
As per Amazon polices you need to have all the necessary documents of the products before you list them on Amazon. Provide a Plan of action which also includes the steps which you would follow to make sure you have all the necessary documents before listing the products.
Below are some points which will help you to construct an effective plan of action:
Root cause:
- Reason for which you do not have invoices to provide?
- When you did not have the invoice why did you listed that products?
Corrective Measure:
Now that you are aware that you need to have invoices what steps you would take to resolve the issue immediately.
Preventive Measure:
- How will you verify that you are procuring the products from the authentic supplier?
- What proactive steps will you take to ensure items are sourced from reliable suppliers?
- What will be your listing procedure?
To send the appeal follow the below path: Seller central home page >> Performance tab >> Performance Notification >> Check the email which Amazon sent while deactivating your account >> Send your details through the “Appeal” option so that the performance team reviews the same.
Make sure you implement the changes before providing the Plan of action.
Good luck.
Dhoni
Seller_o3B8JQHrKy9Lb
This is what I have so far for my new POA. Is there more advice on what else I should discuss or remove. Thank you for your support
I am writing to address the customer complaints of the items for sale being classed as inauthentic. I would like to address the violations that have led to my suspension. I have understood that I have contravened Amazon policies. Firstly, I would like to apologise and highlight that I am determined to ensure this does not happen again.
I would like to address the root cause that has led to the suspension. My company was originally a retail arbitrage online business (I no longer participate in a retail arbitrage). The root cause of my suspension was:
- Listed items I was not authorised to sell
- Purchased items from retail stores that were not authorised by Amazon. This led to me being unable to provide invoices.
- Not checking that the suppliers were licensed by the brand owners or checking documents verifications of authenticity
- I had failed to research and understand amazon policies thoroughly and inexperience selling on Amazon
- Due to the retail arbitrage, I am unable to provide the correct invoices nor letter of authorisation from the actual brands
Immediate action I have taken to ensure this issue does not arise again:
- All listings have been permanently removed
- All orders were cancelled to ensure customers had not received inauthentic items
- All remaining stock has been disposed of
- Any customer dissatisfaction or complaints on items will be immediately addressed and refunded.
- I have reviewed all the amazon policies including ‘ Prohibited Seller Activities and Actions Policy (https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/help.html?itemID=G200386250&language=en_GB&ref=ag_G200386250_cont_G521)’; ‘ Anti-Counterfeiting Policy (https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/help.html/?itemID=G201165970&ref_=xx_G201165970_a_r54_cont_sgsearch)’.
- All members of staff in Finity Brands have been retrained regarding Amazon Policies.
- Our company will now strictly abide by the policies and will continue to stay updated with all policies.
The long term corrective actions are:
- All inventory will be sourced by contacting the brand owners to be directed to verified suppliers or manufacturers.
- Item will only be purchased from verified sources and will undergo a quality check against documents to verify the authenticity
- Units will all be inspected thoroughly upon arrival and before the item is sent directly to the customer.
- Invoices and letter of authorisations for brands will all be collected before listing and selling items
I would also like to reiterate that I understand that Amazon highly values its customers and their buying experience on Amazon. I am also determined to continue selling on Amazon and providing the best customer service I can.
Please let me know if there’s anything else you require from me to reinstate my selling privileges.
Thank you for working with me to resolve this issue.
Seller_o3B8JQHrKy9Lb
@olderithian @Jackie1 @Retro_Emporium @Dhoni_Amazon
Hey guys,
I would appreciate feedback on my new POA please and ways to improve it. Thank you.
Seller_sFEUMUfeW5484
Just for reference, can someone link me to the Amazon policy about selling retail arbitrage items. I see it mentioned a lot but can’t seem to find anything via Amazon help.
Seller_6sxtIS0RbZ5k7
I think the middle and last section are looking quite good but you were repeating yourself a bit in the first section so I have taken the liberty of chopping it around a bit but, ultimately, it’s your POA and your decision!.
I really, really don’t think you should mention that you are/were a retail arbitrage company.
I would like to address the violations that have led to my suspension due to customer complaints regarding selling inauthentic items. I understand that I have contravened Amazon policies and would like to apologise and assure you that this will not happen again.
I would like to address the root cause that has led to the suspension: My company was originally a retail arbitrage online business (I no longer participate in a retail arbitrage). [I really don’t think you should say this bolded bit]
- I listed items I was not authorised to sell
- I purchased items from retail stores that were not authorised by Amazon. This led to me being unable to provide invoices.
- I did not check that the suppliers were licensed by the brand owners.
- I did not ask for verification of authenticity
- I failed to research and understand amazon policies thoroughly and was inexperienced selling on Amazon
- I was unable to provide the correct invoices nor letter of authorisation from the actual brands
Immediate action I have taken to ensure this issue does not arise again:
- All listings have been permanently removed
- All orders were cancelled to ensure customers had not received inauthentic items
- All remaining stock has been disposed of
*** Any customer dissatisfaction or complaints on items will be immediately addressed and refunded.** [You have already done everything in this section and should not be expecting it to happen again] - I have reviewed all the amazon policies including ‘ Prohibited Seller Activities and Actions Policy (https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/help.html?itemID=G200386250&language=en_GB&ref=ag_G200386250_cont_G521)’; ‘ Anti-Counterfeiting Policy (https://sellercentral.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/help.html/?itemID=G201165970&ref_=xx_G201165970_a_r54_cont_sgsearch)’.
- All members of staff in Finity Brands have been retrained regarding Amazon Policies.
- Our company will now strictly abide by the policies and will continue to stay updated with all policies.
The long term corrective actions are:
- All inventory will be sourced by contacting the brand owners to be directed to verified suppliers or manufacturers.
- Item will only be purchased from verified sources and will undergo a quality check against documents to verify the authenticity
- Units will all be inspected thoroughly upon arrival and again before the item is sent directly to the customer.
- Invoices and letter of authorisations for brands will all be obtained before listing and selling items
I would also like to reiterate that I understand that Amazon highly values its customers and their buying experience on Amazon. I am also determined to continue selling on Amazon and providing the best customer service I can.
Please let me know if there’s anything else you require from me to reinstate my selling privileges.
Thank you for working with me to resolve this issue.
Seller_o3B8JQHrKy9Lb
Hi i received this email from amazon anyone hot any thoughts on whats missing or what amazon is looking for here @Jackie1 @Dhoni_Amazon @Tomahawk_Sports @olderithian Dear Finitystore, We received your submission but do not have enough information to reactivate your ability to sell on Amazon at this time. Please address the following concern(s): {1.} You are offering items that may be inauthentic. A list of these items is provided below. Please send us the following information: – Copies of invoices, receipts, contracts, delivery orders, or authorization letters from your supplier issued in the last 365 days. The quantity of items shown should match your inventory. – If you are not the brand owner, provide an authorization letter and a complete set of documentation, including authorization letters, to prove a valid supply chain. – If you are the brand owner, provide a copy of the brand registration certificate, and business license or personal identity card. – Contact information for your supplier, including name, phone number, address, email, and website. You can send .pdf, .jpg, .png, or .gif files. These documents must be authentic and unaltered. We may call your supplier to verify the documents. You may remove pricing information, but the rest of the document must be visible. We will maintain the confidentiality of your supplier contact information. {2.} Please also send us the following information: A plan that explains: – The reason you are listing products that you are not approved to sell – Steps you have taken to resolve this issue – How you will prevent this issue in the future Here are a few things to consider as you work on resolving this: – Listing: Is the product accurately described on Amazon? Have you ensured that there is no ambiguity and the customer is well informed? – Packaging: Is the product in its original packaging as listed on Amazon? When creating your plan, be clear, concise, and as specific as possible. Focus on the facts and events that led to the issue rather than providing an introduction of your product, business, or customer. Remove other questions or references to ongoing support cases from your submission. ------------------------------------- ASIN:B00000JICB,B0002AR17S,B0002AR182 ------------------------------------- How do I send the required information? Please submit your appeal by following the instructions on the Account Health page in Seller Central What happens if I do not send the requested information? If we do not receive the requested information, you may no longer sell on Amazon. Failure to successfully appeal this decision may result in payments being withheld. We’re here to help You can get help creating your plan in Seller Central Help . You can see your balance and settlement information in the Payments section of Seller Central. If you have questions about those, please write to You can view your account’s performance at or select Account Health on the home screen of the Amazon Seller app on your iOS or Android device. The Account Health dashboard shows how well your account is performing against the performance metrics and policies required to sell on Amazon
Seller_6sxtIS0RbZ5k7
Okay, at this point you might need to purchase some legitimate items from one of the wholesalers you intend to use in the future and give them a list of the wholesalers so they can check them.
