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A locked account on Amazon – why it happens and how you can solve it

Blog > A locked account on Amazon – why it happens and how you can solve it

A locked account on Amazon – why it happens and how you can solve it

You are a third-party merchant on Amazon but, out of the blue, you receive an email from the marketplace telling you that your account has been locked. Your orders are blocked or pending, you can no longer enter your Seller Central account and your sales plummet to zero.

Selling on Amazon gives you access to a huge potential market. But the rules are strict and the slightest infringement of the platform’s policies can lead to your account being suspended. Unfortunately, the reasons are not always simple for third-party merchants to understand.

In fact, you might have received a message telling you that:

  • There has been suspicious activity detected on your seller account
  • Your bank card or payment information needs to be updated
  • Your delivery rates are unsatisfactory

Or even, “your seller account has been deactivated under section 3 of the contract”.

While it is not an uncommon situation, it is upsetting for all sellers who have had their account suspended. A number of questions come to mind:

Why has Amazon frozen my account?
What should I do when my account on Amazon is locked?
How can I unblock my account?

Some reasons why your seller account on Amazon has been locked

  • Your products do not meet Amazon’s quality standards
  • You are encountering delivery problems too often
  • Your package arrived at its destination in a poor condition
  • You are not responding quick enough to customer messages and after-sales claims
  • The information in your product listings is inaccurate or misleading
  • You are not reaching your seller performance targets
  • Your products do not have the required certificates of conformity

There is much more to this list; we just wanted to give a quick rundown on some of the reasons that might have caused your account to be suspended.

What should I do when my account on Amazon is locked?

You should carefully read the account suspension email so you can identify the reason for it. This will enable you to think of an action plan that you can propose to Amazon so they will reverse its decision.

If you cannot figure out why your account was locked or how to unlock it, our agency is on hand to help you out with this issue.

Below is a recent case study. 

How can I unlock my account?

"The brand I work for distributes its products through resellers who use Amazon's marketplace. Our brand also has its own official distribution channel on Amazon. Some weeks ago, Amazon suddenly suspended our brand account and we couldn’t sell anything. We’ve tried to sort out the issue with Amazon, but nothing’s come of it. We are locked out and cannot sell. Have you come across a similar situation before? What options do we have?"
Image Antoine V.
Antoine V.
Sales manager of an automotive equipment company

Our expert's response for Amazon

When an account is locked, a large number of sellers on Amazon find their businesses hit a wall. There are several possibilities but it firstly depends on whether you are in the Vendor Central or Seller Central. Amazon suspends a Seller Central account most often for reasons where the seller has broken one of Amazon’s rules. We can unlock your account on Amazon and advise you on your contract to improve your profitability (whether you’re in the Seller or Vendor Central). The eTAIL teams will help you sort out your situation after analysing it and checking the causes for the suspension, before providing you with targeted recommendations and a detailed action plan.

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