The sale of illegal products, or other products listed as prohibited for sale on our Restricted Products policy page, is strictly prohibited, and it is each selling partner's responsibility to carefully review our policies before listing a product. Selling partners must also understand that they are responsible for ensuring that their products comply with all applicable federal and state laws, even if the product is not specifically described in our policies. Laws change frequently, so selling partners should monitor regulatory changes regularly and take appropriate action.
We are constantly innovating on behalf of our customers to improve the ways we detect illegal products and products that otherwise violate our policies, and we continually make adjustments to the systems we use to detect these products. On occasion, our systems may remove products that are permitted to be sold on our site. This may occur if there is incomplete or inaccurate product information provided to us or if our systems incorrectly identify a product as restricted. For example, if there is a product with both over-the-counter and prescription versions, we may restrict the product if we are unable to determine which version of the product is being offered. Also note that some products that are legal are still prohibited by our policies. Selling partners who believe a product has been removed in error should contact Selling Partner Support, and we will review the product and make any appropriate adjustments to our systems as well as to the selling partner's account status, as applicable. If you think your product was incorrectly identified as a restricted product on Amazon, close the listing immediately to ensure compliance while you appeal the restriction with Selling Partner Support. Note that moving a restricted product listing to Out of Stock (OOS) does not make the listing compliant.
Selling partners who violate our policies or applicable law may be subject to enforcement action, which can vary depending on the type of offense and the selling partner's account history. We consider a variety of factors in the selling partner's overall account when determining what action to take, including the severity and number of violations and other relevant information. Selling partners who have had their selling privileges removed may appeal the decision in most cases. In some situations, we may reinstate a selling partner's account if they have implemented a robust plan of action that effectively addresses the root causes that led to the violations and will prevent recurrence of those and other violations.
Below are some best practices selling partners can follow to aid in compliance with our policies:
What is a plan of action?
A plan of action is an explanation of the issues that led to your product or account deactivation, steps to resolve the violation, and preventative actions that you have implemented to ensure the issue does not happen again.
A viable plan of action must answer the following four questions:
Your plan of action should be factual and direct. Focus on the facts and events that led to the issue rather than providing an introduction of your product, business or customers. Avoid attempting to explain every recent policy or performance issue on your account, unless they specifically relate to the current Restricted Products violation you have to address.
Complete the following steps to create, implement, and submit your plan of action.
Step 1: Identify your restricted product violation
Identify and describe your violation in your plan of action. Include the ASIN or specific product type, and the policy that was violated.
To learn more about Amazon’s restricted products policies, refer to Restricted Products.
Avoid oversimplification, which can deny your appeal:
Step 2: Identify the cause of your restricted product violation
Identify and describe the cause of your violation in your plan of action. Be as specific as possible about why the violation occurred.
Step 3: Take reactive steps to resolve your restricted product violation
Take the reactive steps necessary to resolve your violation and describe those steps in your plan of action. These steps might include, (but not be limited to):
Step 4: Take proactive steps to prevent future restricted product violation
Take proactive steps to prevent future violation and describe the steps in your plan of action. These steps might include, (but not be limited to):
Ensure that the steps you take will effectively prevent a future restricted product violation and avoid listing invalid proactive steps. For example:
Step 5: Submit your plan of action
To submit your plan of action, refer to the instructions at the top of your Account Health dashboard in Seller Central.