Amazon account suspended? Suspension types, Account Health and the appeal process

My Amazon account was suspended — what should I do first?

Don't rush an appeal in the first 24 hours. Read the notice and the Account Health dashboard, list the violation type and affected ASINs, check problem listings and pending orders, and gather evidence. The first appeal matters most; a generic Plan of Action without evidence makes rejection more likely.

How do you write a Plan of Action?

1. Root cause: explain specifically and honestly why the problem happened.
2. Corrective actions: what you have already done to fix it.
3. Preventive measures: the process you've put in place so it doesn't recur.

What types of Amazon suspension are there?

An Amazon suspension (Amazon calls it deactivation) removes an account's selling privileges, either temporarily or for good. The wording in the notice tells you which evidence the appeal needs, so the first job is to identify the type.

• Performance thresholds and verification failures are listed as deactivation reasons in the 'Account Deactivation: Prevention and Reinstatement Guide' posted by an Amazon moderator on the Seller Forums.

What is Amazon's Account Health Rating and what are the thresholds?

Account Health Rating (AHR) is Amazon's 0–1,000 score for how well a seller account follows Amazon policy. According to Amazon staff on the Seller Forums, new sellers start at 200; 200 or higher is Healthy, 100 to 199 is At Risk, and below 100 the account is eligible for deactivation.

Amazon groups violations as Critical, High, Medium, Low or No impact, and a critical violation can drop the score all the way to zero. Points come back when a violation is successfully removed, and the score can move even without violations because it's measured over a rolling 180-day window.

How do you appeal an Amazon suspension in Seller Central?

You appeal an Amazon suspension from the Account Health page in Seller Central, not by email. An appeal guide posted by Amazon staff on the Seller Forums lays out the steps:

• The same guide warns sellers not to open new accounts while the current one is under review, because that can lead to permanent suspension.

1. Go to Performance → Account Health.
2. Click Reactivate your account.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions. Depending on the case, that can mean a questionnaire, acknowledging the violation, supporting documents such as invoices or a business license, and a Plan of Action.
4. Review everything for accuracy and completeness.
5. Click Submit and follow the response on the same page.

What makes a Plan of Action specific enough for Amazon?

A Plan of Action (POA) is the written appeal that explains what went wrong, what you've already fixed and how you'll keep it from happening again. Amazon's moderator guide on deactivation describes those same three parts. Each one needs specifics — dates, order counts, ASINs and named process steps — rather than promises.

• Root cause: name the gap in your own process, not the supplier or the carrier. 'We had no check to confirm the supplier shipped the listed brand' beats 'the supplier made a mistake.'
• Corrective actions: list what you've already done, in order — listings removed, inventory checked, affected customers contacted, refunds issued.
• Preventive measures: describe the new control and who owns it — an inbound inspection step, a daily metrics review, a supplier verification rule.

How long does it take to get a suspended Amazon account back?

There's no fixed timeline, and nobody outside Amazon can promise one. Amazon staff guides on the Seller Forums say to expect a reply within 24–48 hours and to allow up to 72 hours for review. Every request for more information restarts that clock.

Sellers covered by Account Health Assurance (AHA) get a different process. Per Amazon's announcement, Professional sellers who keep an AHR of 250 or higher for at least six months (with no more than 10 days below it) and have a valid emergency contact on file are contacted by an account health specialist first; if they respond within 72 hours and work through the issue, the account isn't deactivated. Amazon notes it can still act immediately on serious violations such as fraud.

What happens to your Amazon balance when your account is suspended?

When an Amazon seller account is deactivated, payouts can be held, and if the account isn't reinstated you request the funds separately once 90 days have passed since deactivation. An Amazon staff reply on the Seller Forums says that after the 90-day mark you can request a funds disbursement, that Amazon then runs a separate investigation for abusive, fraudulent or otherwise prohibited activity, and that the review team may approve or deny the disbursement.

Getting a held balance back is therefore not automatic, and the outcome depends on the violation. Reinstatement through an appeal remains the first goal. If a large amount is held or there is a contractual dispute, talk to an attorney.

• Track the 90-day date and the next settlement date in the Payments section of Seller Central.

How do you revise a Plan of Action after Amazon rejects it?

You revise a rejected Plan of Action by working through Amazon's feedback and filling the gaps in root cause, corrective actions and preventive measures, not by resending the same text. Amazon's 'Account Deactivation: Prevention and Reinstatement Guide' on the Seller Forums says that if an appeal isn't accepted, you should revise the plan using the feedback, resubmit it and allow up to 72 hours for review.

1. Read Amazon's rejection line by line and identify what fell short: root cause, evidence or prevention.
2. Rewrite the root cause in specifics: which process failed, on which dates, for which orders.
3. Attach evidence for each corrective action, such as removed listings, issued refunds, updated shipping templates or supplier invoices.
4. Make preventive measures measurable by stating who checks what, how often and with which tool.
5. If Amazon asks for documents, add them to the same appeal with 'View Appeal' on the Account Health page. Don't open a new account.
6. Track the response on the same page. Resubmitting identical documents won't change the result.

What does an Amazon account reinstatement service actually do?

An Amazon account reinstatement service prepares an appeal that answers every point in the suspension notice, backs it with genuine documents and explains the root cause in concrete terms. It cannot reinstate an account. Amazon alone makes that call, and no provider can guarantee the outcome.

Amazon's staff appeal guide on the Seller Forums sets the bar for that work: respond to every point in the notice, keep the tone careful and courteous, and back any claim that the deactivation was an error with clear evidence. A service that offers fabricated invoices, a second account or ways around Amazon's controls is offering the fastest route to permanent closure.

Why don't we offer a money-back guarantee on suspension appeals?

Because Amazon makes the decision, not us. A provider that promises reinstatement or your money back has a reason to overstate the appeal or stretch the evidence to hit that promise, and an inflated Plan of Action is one of the fastest ways to a second rejection.

What we commit to instead is written before work starts: the scope of the case, the documents we will deliver and what happens if Amazon rejects the appeal.

Does Amazon let you appeal an account termination?

It depends on the notice. Some deactivation notices state that the decision is final, while others leave an appeal option on the Account Health page. The notice itself, and whether an appeal button appears next to the violation, tell you what is possible.

If no appeal is available, the remaining question is usually the balance. According to an Amazon staff reply on Seller Forums, you can request disbursement of funds after the 90th day of deactivation, and Amazon reviews the account for abuse, fraud or prohibited activity before deciding.

How much does an Amazon suspension appeal cost?

Our suspension and Plan of Action appeal service starts at $150. The final price depends on the case: a single performance issue and a related-account case that has already been rejected twice are not the same job, so we quote in writing after reading the notice and the account history.