Amazon account suspended: what to do in the first 24 hours
The sellers who act in the first 24 hours (not panic, but plan) are the ones who get reinstated fastest. Every day delayed costs sales, rank, Buy Box share, and cash flow. Here's the sequence that works.
What happens when your Amazon seller account is suspended
When Amazon suspends your account, you receive a Performance Notification (the suspension email) in Seller Central. Your listings may be deactivated, your Buy Box share drops to zero, and Amazon may hold funds for 90 days or longer. Revenue stops while your inventory, rank, and customer base decay. The sellers who get back fastest are the ones who act strategically in the first 24 hours: gathering information, not rushing another appeal.
Don't (what to avoid in the first 24 hours)
- Don't submit another appeal yet. Rushing a Plan of Action (POA) or appeal letter before you understand the root cause creates contradictions in your case log. Amazon compares every submission against prior ones. Wrong moves can shut down reinstatement.
- Don't guess at what Amazon wants. The Performance Notification is vague on purpose. Guessing leads to template-style appeals that get rejected.
- Don't contradict prior submissions. Everything you've already sent (every appeal, every POA, every reply) sits in your case log. Inconsistencies give Amazon reason to deny.
- Don't delete anything. Don't remove correspondence, appeals, or documents. You need them for a proper appeal.
Do (what to do in the first 24 hours)
- Read the Performance Notification fully. It's the suspension email from Seller Central. Note the policy cited, the date, and any specific ASINs or orders mentioned.
- Gather what you have: invoices, supplier records, appeals you've already submitted, every rejection or request for more from Amazon, and a short timeline of what changed and what you tried.
- Keep all correspondence and documents. Your case log is permanent. You need the full picture for a viable appeal.
Understand: account-level vs listing-level, and suspension type
Is it account-level (whole account suspended) or listing-level (specific ASINs removed)? What policy is cited in the Performance Notification? Knowing this shapes what evidence you'll need and how we approach the appeal. Different suspension types require different evidence and appeal strategies:
- IP suspension: Inauthentic, counterfeit, trademark, Section 3: invoices, supplier auth, rights-owner coordination
- Regulatory: FDA, pesticide, Prop 65, medical claims: lab reports, SDS, EPA/FDA docs
- Account health: Related accounts, review manipulation, ODR, verification: separation proof, compliance docs
- Condition: Used sold as new, defective, expired: FBA records, QC logs, preventive controls
- Operations: Drop shipping, FBA reimbursement, VTR: fulfillment docs, packing process
- Listing compliance: Incorrect detail page, variations, parallel import: listing evidence, catalog compliance
Cost of delay: why the first 24 hours matter
Every day your Amazon account is suspended, you lose revenue, search rank, Buy Box eligibility, and cash flow. Amazon may hold funds for 90 days or longer. Your listing visibility decays; competitors take your share. The longer you wait to fix your case log, or the more wrong appeals you submit, the harder reinstatement becomes. Acting in the first 24 hours doesn't mean rushing an appeal; it means gathering the right information so your next move is the right one.
Next step: free viability review
We read your Performance Notification and appeal history, identify why Amazon rejected, and tell you what we need before you submit again. We stabilize your case log first, then build the next appeal. No templates, no guesses. If we can't help, we say so before you spend a dollar. Use the form below to get started with a free appeal viability review.
What we guarantee: Full ownership, evidence mapping, disciplined submissions, and execution through follow-ups. Amazon decides outcomes. We say no if we can't help, before you spend a dollar.