How Can You Appeal Inauthentic item complaints from Amazon?
I cannot say this enough: Be careful with how you present your invoices to Amazon. If Amazon believes that you have fabricated any documentation, you’ll find your account suspended, and quickly. Amazon Abuse teams enforce the Code of Conduct like never before, indicating that your bad faith actions to change invoice information conflicts with the honesty they demand from any marketplace seller. If you’re going to fake an invoice in an attempt to prove authenticity, then expect an account suspension and a tough reinstatement attempt ahead.
But I don’t sell inauthentic items!
Lots of sellers receive policy warnings due to inauthentic complaints. The particular wording of inauthentic item complaintsor counterfeit items then triggers manual investigations. Those reliably lead to a suspension of your Amazon seller account if investigators identify any item quality patterns or systemic problems. Seller Performance teams suspend both individual listings and entire accounts on a daily, if not hourly, basis. If Amazon investigators see no annotations on the account that reflect action on your part to research past inauthentic complaints and improve the quality of your inventory, then they know you haven’t paid attention. Now the suspension forces you to.
How can you get your ASIN reinstated after authenticity is questioned?
Inauthentic complaints can come from a lot of places. Did the buyer complain about your item quality? Have brands poked at Amazon with their “test buys” and questioned your ability to produce proof that you sell their genuine, authentic product? Have you reviewed your inventory, your supplier, or your item condition classifications? In sum, Amazon must ask you to convince them you sell legitimate products once inauthentic complaints roll in.
“Copies of invoices or receipts from your supplier issued in the last 365 days. These should reflect your sales volume during that time. Your supplier’s contact information including name, phone number, address, and website.”
This means providing invoices and a proper documentation trail to demonstrate supply chain. Seller Performance wants to ensure that an item’s promised quality on the product detail page matches up exactly to the products sent to buyers. If any doubt lingers in their minds, they disallow your future listings against those ASINs. That strike against you will stand, unresolved.
How does Amazon want you to prove authenticity and get that ASIN or account reinstated?
You must be willing and able to show all sourcing information to Amazon (other than pricing). Holding back anything crucial to evaluating the authenticity and quality of your products raises the risk that you will lose the ability to list against those ASINs and quite possibly your entire account. Remember, policy teams regard these violations as threats to a buyer’s experience. Higher-ups have given them the leeway and leverage to take action as they see fit against any account.
1. Invoices dated in the last 365 days.
This one is tough because it forces every seller to sell only products with reliable turnover. If you have anything sitting in FBA inventory that you didn’t buy in the last year, pull it back. If you’re FBM and your warehouse holds any aging items, pull them away from your Amazon inventory and sell them somewhere else. It’s not worth risking the chance that you may receive an “inauthentic” complaint from a buyer. You’ll face endless repeat emails from Seller Performance asking for the only info they can accept on an invoice–dates from the past year.
2. Quantities on invoices must match sales for the period specified?
Do the invoices you’re providing only account for a fraction of your sales on the site? This won’t wash because it only takes a small number of item quality complaints to trigger removal of an active listing or an overall account review. Amazon emails sellers constantly asking for the proper dates and timelines around the sales of the inauthentic complaint. If the complaint came in June, and you send them an October invoice, they’ll reject it. Multiple performance notifications for inauthentic that you fail to defend due to bad invoices will result in an account suspension.
3. Don’t manipulate or remove any info from an invoice for any reason, other than blacking out prices.
Sellers are understandably leery about sharing their suppliers with Amazon. While you may assume that Amazon is only interested in your supply chain in order to find ways to source items more cheaply themselves, consider that they can do this anyway, already, and don’t let that push you to bad decisions. Withholding information from Amazon motivates Seller Performance investigators to reject your documentation and maintain listing suspensions. Overly-redacted invoices cripple your ability to argue that you have legitimate product when you’re already suspended, too. It makes it look like you’re hiding something, and that’s not good.
4. Invoices must be in a professional, presentable format. Don’t send Amazon an invoice that looks like kids put it together for you.
- If they can’t read it, then it has no value to you as proof of authenticity. Invoices must be easy to read with crucial SKU info that’s easy to find. Don’t expect investigators to go hunting around for bits of information. If it’s not legible or they cannot verify supplier information on there, then don’t bother. They won’t look at it. They deny your reinstatement and move on.
- If you’re highlighting and drawing arrows and folding up receipts, make sure it’s legible. Investigators don’t have a lot of time to dig through copies of your documentation because of their own metrics. Yellowing things and circling things may work, but it may not. Be careful how you do it.
- Shipping info must be readable and accurate (Make sure to include the date, method, tracking, etc.) on your invoice.
- Don’t forget to show how you received the shipment of products, indicating that the items were sent to your warehouse or your place of business. Company name and address consistency is essential.
5. Supplier information must be verifiable
- If investigators don’t see any info they can verify about your supplier, then your “proof of authenticity” dies very quickly.
- Make sure you ask suppliers to put links to their websites on the invoice, it’s incredibly helpful for investigators to look them up.
- Make sure you include direct-dial phone numbers to names of specific people with titles and email addresses. Investigators look for all of this on invoices. When you’re suspended for inauthentic, less isn’t more.
6. Proof of authenticity. Letters!
Before Amazon even asks, be ready to provide authenticity letters from a brand, manufacturer or supplier that contains crucial info about their business relationship with you.
How long have you bought from them, and what items have you sold on Amazon? In what quantities? Have you anything to show regarding your supplier’s relationship with the brand, if they are not the brand themselves?
How can they prove authentic sourcing of the products sold to you, for the items sold on Amazon?
Investigators regularly reject appeals by disqualifying invoices for missing or incomplete information. Again, they really hate inconsistent supplier addresses, company name information, and anything else suspicious. If it looks like you are hiding something, you will be turned down cold. Investigators are sometimes even seeking reasons to disqualify an invoice and move on to the next case. It saves time, effort and energy.
Unbelievably, some grey market sellers hold back supply chain info because their distributor isn’t authorized to sell items in the US, and they simply don’t want to ask anyone for an authenticity letter. Those suppliers skirt the terms of their own deals with manufacturers and don’t want Amazon seeing the documentation that shows it. Unfortunately, that’s the Amazon seller’s funeral, and not the supplier’s. At that point, the strength of the invoices will play a major role in reinstatement or denial of appeal.
Can you risk an account suspension to protect your supplier’s interests? For most Amazon sellers that I talk to, Amazon IS their business. Losing Amazon means losing everything.
dear respectful sellers
How can I escalate the case to Amazon?
because I was sending genuine invoices but Amazon keep repeating same templated messages.
keep refusing or rejecting.
I don’t understand why Amazon doing this
Hi Chris
I have had an 2 authenticity complaints made about an ASIN which we created on Amazon. The product was created as a bundle and we purchase the individual items from our suppliers. On submitting invoices to them we have been told that
‘We received your submission but do not have enough information to reactivate your listings at this time. We cannot accept this invoice because we are unable to verify the supplier.
What happens now?
Your listings for the below item(s) will remain inactive. If we receive more complaints about your listings, we may deactivate your Amazon seller account.’
The invoices only show the components of the bundle but we do have invoices for the last 365 days.
Any ideas what is the best way forward.
I have sent seller performance a request for more information on what the issue is with our supplier however I have not yet had any reply..
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Simon
any luck with this
I have a question. If I have a product, let’s say a toy, customized in china using alibaba, do I have to ask my supplier from Alibaba if they need to send me their manufacturer invoices or do they have to create one for me with my own brand name on it? Or do I have to make one? If so, what is the process?
My other question is that Amazon requests website url for supplier when requesting invoices, what if my supplier’s main website source is Alibaba, will Amazon look down on that Alibaba supplier and not accept it or just accept that as the company’s main website?
Hello,
How about dropshippers doing it through Amazon. I do not have invoices because I only purchase the product when I receive an order. And I never sold those products Amazon asking me for invoices. That’s why I do not have any invoices. How should I appeal? Thank you
Fatih
Hi Steven, two points to make here. One, they won’t accept Commercial invoices. They need to actual verifiable invoices covering all sales and quantities sent to FBA/ sold on Amazon already.
Secondly, you should report anyone, if you can i.d. them, to abuse teams if they are submitting false infringements, or at least speak with me or an attorney you’ve vetted for real knowledge about that. I can assist with the reporting aspects and references. Thanks
Thank you Chris. I know who submitted the infringement claim. It seems that the claim is due to the wording of my listing title. I have no idea why, as I didn’t mention the other brand name or slogan. I have spoken to customer service numerous times and still, no word on what it was that caused the issue. I will send you a PM.
Hi Steve, you’ll want to do more than talk to customer service, and spend time talking to an attorney if you’re unclear how the wording created a violation of rights ownership. I can make some recommendations as needed when you PM me. But if you’re referring to Seller support, they won’t be able to offer any assistance on this. If it’s the wording of the title, you need to reach out to the rights owner and determine the nature of the offense, then try to resolve it with them. If they don’t offer any terms, or they don’t reply, you’ll want an IP attorney on this.
Thanks.
Hello!
I am going through this myself. I recently had two (the two best selling variations) of my private label product flagged for trademark infringement by a competitor. I only sell two products with 12 size/color variations of which two were flagged. I manufacture these products under my brand name which is currently patent pending. The logo, product design, listing copy, and images are all original. I make no mention of any other company in my listing. My listing titles were changed to “generic” and all other details were left as is.
I have been in a loop with Amazon, this is the latest response;
— Proof of product authenticity (e.g., invoice or Order ID). Please ensure that your proof of authenticity includes an invoice or order ID. It must clearly prove that your products do not infringe on the intellectual property of the rights owner. Please send this information, any other documentation, and a list of impacted ASINS to notice-dispute@amazon.com.
I have sent them a commercial invoice from my manufacturer with invoice # and order ID. I have 5 more products all under my brand currently being manufactured and am worried they will be flagged also. I have contacted the “rights owner” and being that he is my competitor he has not responded.
Thank you for your help!
Thanks for the great article! What if your you own the company (S-corp or LLC) that owns the brand? For example, as a private label seller I manufacture in China, but all of my items are branded with my company name and logo (not trademarked yet though). Should the invoice be from my company rather than from the Chinese manufacturer that creates the items? It seems like that would be the proper way to have your invoice set up, but an Amazon inspector might think that it looks strange to have an invoice from your company to your company. Do you recommend creating your own invoice templates for the company that are in compliance with what Amazon is looking for and filling them out with the order information from working with your supplier ( things like item quantity and shipping date)?
the invoice needs to show the info that can be verified on the company you have making the products as the manufacturer, and your ‘buyer info” on the invoice needs to match what you have in Seller Central. Make sure everyone has a verifiable web site, contact info, phone direct dial numbers, etc. Investigators will need to be able to verify it to accept the invoice.
Dear Chris and Lead!
I sent my invoice to Amazon, but they did not accept.
Here is the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nsMOfQf5eUV2mguLTZIoBGnTy7IzHy8z/view
This is the response I keep getting:
Hello,
We still need more information about the items at the end of this email. Please reply to this email with copies of invoices or receipts that include the following:
— Supplier information (name, phone number, address, website)
— Buyer information (name, phone number, address, website)
— Invoice date (must be issued in the last 365 days)
— Item descriptions
— Item quantities
……
Thank-you for your help!
Tuan
If you keep getting the same response asking for the information you’ve already submitted, you may need to escalate your appeal.
What if you are a small growing business and can’t get a brand authorization letter but only have invoices. I don’t see how a small business can get a manufacturer to supply a letter if you are only buying a few items. What about invoices from major retailers whereby you might resell something you found on sale or clearance for example. How would you explain that to Amazon. I would imagine most small businesses wouldn’t have the capability to get such letters or documents.
Hi Bruce, It sounds like more of a sourcing issue than the size of the business issue. If you’re buying wholesale from a brand that knows you are selling on Amazon, you should have no problems getting a letter of authorization, or invoices with the information needed. Whereas, retail arbitrage or online arbitrage don’t provide the supply chain documentation Amazon wants to see.
Hi Chris,
I’m stuck in a loop where Amazon keep asking me for the same information:
‘Copies of invoices or receipts from your supplier issued in the last 180 days. These should reflect your sales volume during that time. Your supplier’s contact information including name, phone number, address, and website.’
Could you please advise on what information is missing as i’ve received the same response from them 5 times now:
URL REMOVED
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Kindest Regards
Stefano
Hi Stefano,
The link you included is broken.
Your invoices must include:
— Supplier information (name, phone number, address, website)
— Buyer information (name, phone number, address, website)
— Invoice date (must be issued in the last 365 days)
— Item descriptions
— Item quantities
They do not accept Commercial invoice/pro-forma invoice/order confirmation/purchasing list/contract document/delivery report as proof of authentication.
Hi Chris, thanks for the response.
Here is the link: LINK HIDDEN
All of that information is included apart from website as my supplier does not have a website.
This is the response I keep getting:
Hello,
We still need more information about the items at the end of this email. Please reply to this email with copies of invoices or receipts that include the following:
— Supplier information (name, phone number, address, website)
— Buyer information (name, phone number, address, website)
— Invoice date (must be issued in the last 365 days)
— Item descriptions
— Item quantities
You can send .pdf, .jpg, .png, or .gif files. These documents must be authentic and unaltered. We may call your supplier to verify the documents. You may remove pricing information, but the rest of the document must be visible. We will maintain the confidentiality of your supplier contact information.
We will review your information and decide whether to reinstate your account.
To talk to someone about this email, ask our Seller Support team to contact you (https://sellercentral-europe.amazon.com/hz/contact-us).
————————————-
ASIN: B01DDWSTN6 and B001RXMRL4
————————————-
Sincerely,
Amazon Payments
Kindest Regards
Stefano
I assume you’re not sending this to Amazon with the information redacted.
Hi Leah, thanks for the response.
(1) Information is not redacted when sent to Amazon
(2) How do Amazon verify if a supplier is an authorised distributer? My supplier is purchasing the stock direct from the brand/ outlets
(3) Are they expecting to see the sku’s the same as whats on Amazon or my suppliers SKU’s?
(4) Are style numbers the same as EAN numbers/ Barcode numbers?
(5) What is the difference between pro-forma and a normal invoice?
Thank-you for your help!
Kindest Regards
Stefano
(2) Ideally you can give Amazon a link to the brand’s website, where your supplier is listed as an authorized distributor of the brand, or provide a letter from the brand stating the same. Amazon won’t go out of their way to verify if your supplier is authorized- you need to provide them with the proof. My guess is, if they are buying from outlet stores, your supplier is not an authorized distributor.
(3) and (4) It doesn’t really matter, so long as Amazon can identify what item is what.
(5) You need a an invoice which shows that payment was made, and that the goods were shipped. A pro-forma invoice is issued prior to payment.
HI Chris:
Thanks for your response. I actually have a separate EIN number not just different DBA.
Hi Linda,
I’d get invoices under the new business name ASAP. From an accounting standpoint, I believe you should be invoicing yourself to move the inventory from one business to another (disclaimer: I am not an accountant). However, from a supply chain standpoint, that can make things murky if it’s a highly controlled brand with authorized resellers.
Hi Leah,
If my supplier is an authorized distributor of the brand which I can link the website showing that, can I still provide the invoice even though the item is not listed?
Thank You
Hi Linda, I’m not sure I follow. Why are you submitting an invoice without the item in question?
I didn’t check the boxes under the last comment, please reply to this comment.
Hi Linda,
If you are DBA different business names, you simply need to show proof that they are the same business e.g. your DBA paperwork.
HI Chris:
I have a brick and mortar retail store under one business name and I want to sell the same products under a separate business name on Amazon. Amazon is asking for my invoices with my business name on it, but I don’t have invoices under that name yet because I buy everything under the brick and mortar store…how should I handle this?
Hi Chris,
Great article very informative. I am currently going through this process but am yet to sell on amazon, my product is ready to go.
Just wondering…the stamps required do theh have to be from the Chinese government? I have mine stamped by the supplier..
Cheers
Eoghan
Hi Eoghan,
The stamps are issued to your supplier by the Chinese Government, and then your supplier issues them to you.