Recently, many sellers in the children's category have reported that Amazon has gradually strengthened its verification of the authenticity of CPC certificates on the platform. Sellers who had previously managed to get away with it have been "uncovered" this time. The scope of the impact is becoming wider and wider, and a large number of sellers have received official emails from Amazon, informing them that their accounts have been suspended, their funds have been withheld, and the difficulty of appealing is very high.
01 Amazon begins to settle accounts after the autumn
According to the email received by some sellers, your Amazon seller account has been permanently suspended and the funds will not be transferred to you, but will remain in your account, as stipulated in Article 3 of the Amazon Services Business Solution Agreement. Why did this happen? We took this measure because you provided compliance documents that were suspected of being forged or altered.
It is reported that the longest duration of report falsification may date back to certificate reports from half a year or even longer ago.
Most of these sellers had previously provided false materials, either by directly using CPC reports that can be issued for a few hundred yuan on the market, or by submitting certificates provided by suppliers without undergoing necessary inspections, which led to rejection by Amazon. As the inspection requires a certain fee, they took a chance and modified the original certificate, essentially falsifying it, and resubmitted it.
In the past, there didn't seem to be any problems, but this time, everything was "settled after the autumn." A seller said, "The inspection is too strict. We sold the information of CPC for half a year. Today, we were found to be faking and our store was closed. It's so painful."
Such sellers are like ants on a hot pot at the moment, as many service providers have indicated that the difficulty of appealing is extremely high…
According to Amazon's policy, all compliance documents required to be provided are original, authentic, and unmodified. If you submit forged or manipulated compliance documents, Amazon may suspend or delete your account. If you are a seller of children's products but have submitted a fake CPC certification, how can you remedy the situation?
These are all requirements for providing a formal CPC certificate and submitting a compliance appeal POA within 7 days. For example:
- Company name, seller/supplier number, contact information
- List all affected ASINs, briefly describe the current status of each ASIN and the problem it is facing.
- Product images and manuals
Product Images: Provide high-quality, clear product images that showcase all angles and details of the product, ensuring that the images meet Amazon's requirements.
Product manual: If applicable, provide a detailed product manual or instruction manual, including safety warnings, usage guidelines, and other information.
- Children's Product Certificate (CPC) and Test Report
CPC Certificate: For children's products, a CPC certificate issued by the manufacturer or authorized representative must be provided to demonstrate that the product complies with all applicable children's product safety regulations.
Inspection Report: Select a laboratory recognized by the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) for product testing and obtain a detailed inspection report. The report should clearly list the testing standards, testing methods, test results, and conclusions.
- Plan of Action (POA)
Problem identification: Elaborate on the specific reasons that led to product certification issues, such as poor supplier management and insufficient understanding of regulations.
Corrective Actions:
Re-inspection: It indicates that a reputable laboratory has conducted a comprehensive inspection of the product and a new inspection report is attached.
Supplier management: Strengthen the supplier audit process to ensure that all suppliers comply with relevant regulatory requirements.
Internal Training: Conduct training on product safety regulations and Amazon policies for the team to enhance overall compliance awareness.
Inventory processing: For products that do not meet the requirements, specify the disposal measures that have been taken, such as destruction, return to the supplier, etc.
Preventive Measures: Propose long-term preventive measures, such as establishing a regular self-inspection mechanism and strengthening communication with Amazon, to prevent similar issues from recurring.
- Purchase invoice
Amazon has a zero tolerance for report falsification. Although temporary report falsification may deceive Amazon's review team, the subsequent investigation and the severity of the account should be unexpected by most sellers.
02 Some sellers are innocently affected
Many insiders said that Amazon's strict inspection may be related to a recent ruling issued by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The ruling of CPSC clearly pointed out that Amazon meets the definition of "distributor" and should bear corresponding legal responsibility for products that do not meet safety standards or have defects.
This challenges Amazon’s long-held position that it is merely a middleman that provides a platform for transactions and is not directly responsible for the quality of products sold by third-party vendors. However, as Amazon’s business has expanded, particularly with the widespread adoption of its “Amazon Delivery” service, this line has become blurred, making Amazon’s responsibility for product quality control more prominent.
The CPSC requires Amazon not only to identify and recall these dangerous products, but also to notify consumers through effective means and encourage them to return or destroy these products. This also prompted Amazon to strengthen the quality control and supervision of products sold on its platform.
Amazon's sudden anger also innocently affected some sellers.
A seller said, "We contacted the laboratory, we submitted the CPC report, and Amazon approved it. We received the email of approval. But a week later, the second scan was removed again."
Another seller claimed that they have always placed great importance on this aspect and there is no possibility of fraudulent behavior, but they were still banned.
If the seller confirms that they have been wrongly judged, some service providers suggest trying the following approach:
The first step is to gather comprehensive and effective evidence, such as precise technical parameters of the product, high-definition images of the product from multiple angles, legal sales invoices, stable manufacturer information, etc. The more complete and clear the evidence is in showing the actual situation of the product, the higher the probability of a successful appeal.
The second step is to carefully craft the appeal document. The document should have a clear logic, starting with a sincere statement of the problem, followed by a detailed analysis of the evidence and reasons, and ending with a demonstration of respect for the platform's rules and a firm determination to correct the mistake. Attention should be paid to the use of precise and objective language, and any impulsive or extreme expressions should be avoided.
Falsifying information has always been a major taboo for Amazon, and we hope that sellers will not take risks in the future. Sellers who have been wrongly judged this time should also actively appeal to ensure the safety of their accounts.