Seller Performance Solutions Podcast

Season 1, Episode 124 What do you do when Amazon Forgets that you're Reinstated? In this chaotic final quarter of 2023, sellers are facing an unprecedented challenge with immediate resuspensions following reinstatements. Despite being recently reinstated, many wake up...

Season 1, Episode 123 The Consequences of Bad Legal AdviceThe legalities of the Amazon marketplace are perplexing and have become increasingly challenging for sellers to navigate. In this episode, Chris and Leah discuss the nuances of Amazon’s policies, the risks of...

Season 1, Episode 122 Why is my product flagged as a pesticide?There’s a lot of confusion around the seller community and in the general public about what exactly a pesticide is. Most people tend to think of chemical pesticides, but those are not the only types of...

Season 1, Episode 121 Bulletproof Your Amazon Listings Against Suspensions & Defect Claims in Q4Recently, there’s been a noticeable uptick in listing suspensions particularly related to condition complaints—damaged, defective, used sold as new— triggering a flurry...

Season 1, Episode 120 Submitting Amazon's Appeal Form Can Hurt Your AccountWhen engaging with Amazon's Seller Performance team, sellers must tread carefully. One pitfall many fall into is the checkbox appeals. While these forms might seem like a quick fix for sellers...

Season 1, Episode 119 Questions you need to ask before using Supply Chain by AmazonAmazon has recently introduced a service called "Supply Chain by Amazon." The program is Amazon's expansion into the logistics sector, aiming to provide more comprehensive warehousing...

Season 1, Episode 118 Please provide Evidence that you did not Violate PolicyOne of the pressing concerns for sellers in the Amazon ecosystem is the nuanced policy enforcement trends, especially in a peak selling season like Q4. In this episode, Chris and Leah McHugh...

Season 1, Episode 116  Navigating Amazon Misinformation & Understanding Policy Compliance It's essential for Amazon sellers to understand the risks of following misguided or outdated advice. In this episode Chris and Leah unravel the enigma of advice from various...

Season 1, Episode 116  Optimization Hacks Don’t Work, and What you Should do Instead Prime Day is a highly anticipated event for Amazon sellers, but it's essential to approach it strategically to ensure long-term success on the platform. In this episode, Chris and...

Season 1, Episode 115 The FTC says Amazon is a Monopoly- What that Means for Sellers Yesterday the FTC along with 17 states initiated a lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the e-commerce giant of exploiting its marketplace dominance to artificially raise prices both on...

Season 1, Episode 113 Preparing for Peak Season with Uncapped The topic of accessing funds is crucial, especially as many sellers are gearing up for the bustling Q4 and the upcoming Prime Day. In this episode, Leah and Piotr discuss the secrets to maintaining...

Season 1, Episode 113 Dealing with Attacks as we head into Q4 Q4 in the ecommerce world is a period of intense competition, especially on the Amazon marketplace. With increased sales opportunities, it's also the time where brands face a heightened risk of attacks from...

Season 1, Episode 112 Navigating GS1 Standards to Safeguard Your Brand and Conquer Marketplace Challenges GS1 plays a pivotal role in global commerce by providing standardized identification solutions like UPC barcodes that ensure product authenticity, streamline...

Season 1, Episode 111 Relisting is Not an Option Strategies to boost sales and maintain product visibility are constantly evolving on Amazon, but there's been a concerning trend of consultants offering to relist suspended listings under the guise of reinstatement....

Season 1, Episode 110 What Is and Isn't a Escalation? One of the most critical aspects of handling Amazon seller performance challenges is escalations. It's your best bet at resolution when Amazon's teams aren't reviewing your appeal or issue properly. In this...

Season 1, Episode 109 Don’t Leave Money on the Table with Yoni Mazor Gone are the days of quick hacks and shortcuts. Today, it's all about crafting a unique and differentiated experience that resonates with your target audience. Yoni Mazor joins Leah and Chris to...

Season 1, Episode 108 You're Only as Good as Your Worst Supplier A wave of Amazon sellers have been suspended from the platform for unintentionally selling stolen goods. The sellers in question were unaware of their suppliers' illicit activities. In this episode Chris...

Season 1, Episode 107 New Rules for Reviews The recent FTC announcement proposed rules that aim to eliminate practices such as fake reviews, review hijacking, buying positive or negative reviews, and illegal review suppression. While some of these practices are...

Season 1, Episode 106 Protect Yourself For Prime Day Prime day is right around the corner, which means Amazon sellers need to be preparing themselves for the worst. In this episode, Chris and Leah delve into the crucial aspects of safeguarding your listings and...

Season 1, Episode 105 Don't Keep Waiting for Amazon Teams to Get Back to You Many sellers have been told to wait for a response from Amazon, but waiting indefinitely may not be the best strategy. It's important to be proactive and ensure your concerns are addressed...

Season 1, Episode 104 Should you Give Amazon your Manufacturer Info? Amazon's requirements can often perplex sellers, and one common area of confusion lies in the sharing of manufacturer information. In this episode, Chris and Leah delve into what information Amazon...

Season 1, Episode 103 What You Need on Your Invoices Invoice verification can be tricky business on Amazon. In this episode, Leah and Chris discuss the challenges faced by sellers when presenting invoices to Amazon and the mysterious knee-jerk rejections that leave...

Season 1, Episode 102 Just Because you Can Doesn't Mean you Should In the fast-paced world of e-commerce, it's easy to get caught up in the desire for quick success and immediate results. Shortcuts or hacks that promise to boost sales or game the system are rampant....

Season 1, Episode 101 INFORM Consumers Act: What You Need to Know Congress recently passed the INFORM Consumers Act, going into effect June 27th. What does this mean for Amazon sellers? In this episode, Chris and Leah give an overview on what this bill entails, who it...

Season 1, Episode 100 Document Your Relationships Maximizing your success as an Amazon seller requires maneuvering through the complexities of listing corrections and suspensions. In this episode, Chris and Leah discuss how to navigate these complexities to minimize...

Season 1, Episode 99 Correcting Listing Content When Your ASIN is Restricted Maximizing your success as an Amazon seller requires maneuvering through the complexities of listing corrections and suspensions. In this episode, Chris and Leah discuss how to navigate these...

Season 1, Episode 98 The Dark Side of Infringement Complaints False infringement claims can lead to serious consequences and may even result in legal action. In this episode, Chris and Leah discuss the negative consequences making erroneous infringement claims can...

Season 1, Episode 97 72 Hours Have you gotten the dreaded 72 hour warning from Amazon Account Health Services? In this Episode, Chris and Leah discuss the implications of this warning for your account and what you need to do so that you don't end up getting stuck with...

Season 1, Episode 96 Extreme ASIN Merging Question from an Amazon Seller: How should sellers approach the 'extreme merging' of a lot of ASINs together (which results in a single ASIN with a whole group of UPC's)? Who is doing the merging? Why is it happening? Are...

Season 1, Episode 95 Selling on Amazon Japan with Gary Huang For Amazon sellers, expanding into international marketplaces is a significant and indispensable step for the growth of your business. In this episode, we discuss with Gary Huang, who is known for organizing...

Season 1, Episode 94 Growing Your Brand on Amazon with Daniel Fernandez Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your brand to the next level on Amazon, it's vital for you to understand your potential pain points and how to alleviate them. In this episode,...

Season 1, Episode 93 Is All Your Inventory Defective? There's been a recent increase in Amazon sellers experiencing their inventory being declared defective and unsellable, resulting in sellers suddenly having thousands of units detained. In this episode, Chris and...

Season 1, Episode 92 The Best Amazon Ads Launch Strategy with Laura McCaul PPC has always been the go-to strategy for launching products, but many sellers are hesitant to invest in it, instead opting for black hat tactics that inevitably put your account at risk. With...

Season 1, Episode 91 Changes to Compliance Recently we have noticed an increase in issues with products being incorrectly identified and rejected by Amazon's compliance teams. In this episode Chris and Leah deep dive into the current state of compliance enforcement to...

Season 1, Episode 90 Amazon Seller Account Security Having your account compromised is an issue that has unfortunately affected many Amazon sellers. In this episode, Chris and Leah will discuss different ways in which an account can be compromised and provide tips on...

Season 1, Episode 89 Problematic Products    When selling on Amazon, not all products are created equal. Sellers should be aware that if they keep having issues with a problematic product, it may not only risk the product being taken down, but also a suspension...

Season 1, Episode 88 New Year, New You: Amazon Seller Edition   As we kick off the new year, it's the perfect time to review and assess your account. In this episode, Chris and Leah discuss the importance of regularly evaluating your account to identify and...

Season 1, Episode 87 Amazon is Inconsistent Amazon's enforcement teams are notoriously inconsistent. In this episode Chris and Leah explore the reasons behind this inconsistency and offer strategies for addressing this in your appeal process. Show...

Season 1, Episode 86 New Years Resolutions: Get Your Amazon Ads Ready for 2023 with Adam Mellott from BetterAMS As the Holidays quickly approach, it's time to start gearing up your ads for 2023. In this episode we talk with Adam Mellott on what to expect and creating...

Season 1, Episode 85 Keeping your Account Healthy in Q4 We're in the peak of Q4 which means Amazon sellers need to discover and fix problems with their account before Amazon does. In this episode Chris and Leah go through how to identify potential threats and the...

Season 1, Episode 84 Understanding Counterfeits & Black Hat Attacks with Carrie Miller from Helium10Every seller wants their product to be successful, but this comes with unforeseen distress from counterfeiters copying your product and shady competitors looking...

Season 1, Episode 83 Mysterious Product Recalls A lot of sellers have been receiving mysterious product recall messages from Amazon, when their product hasn't actually been recalled. The messaging states that all products need to be removed from FBA before the listing...

Season 1, Episode 82 Preparing for Black Hat Attacks with Norm Farrar Black hat attacks are rampant during Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Chris McCabe talks with Norman Farrar about ongoing brand struggles with abusive attacks, what to watch out for and how to prepare...

Season 1, Episode 81   Category Approval Doesn't Equal Proof of Authenticity Invoices previously accepted for ungating are getting rejected by Amazon for proof of authenticity, resulting in a withholding of funds, creating panic among many Amazon sellers. In this...

Season 1, Episode 80   Suspected IP Complaints Potential IP infringement has become a hot button topic recently. In this episode Chris and Leah discuss what to do if your account is flagged for a potential IP infringement and how to move forward to fix this...

Season 1, Episode 79   Too Many Amazon Sellers Don't Take Safety Complaints Seriously We are in the thick of Q4 and resolving safety complaints are a high priority for Amazon right now. In this episode, Chris and Leah discuss why you need to take all safety...

Season 1, Episode 78   Misusing Brand Registry Did you know brand registry doesn't mean that you get to decide who lists your product on Amazon? We've recently seen an uptick of sellers falsely accusing competitors of counterfeit, resulting in a suspension from...

Season 1, Episode 77   The Right Way to Dropship The internet is flooded with bad information when it comes to dropshipping. As a part two of the previous episode, Chris and Leah discuss the right way to dropship and how to write an appeal if you already been...

Season 1, Episode 76    You Need Better Sourcing Arbitrage and Dropshipping are becoming outdated on Amazon but sellers are still using these methods, inevitably getting their accounts suspended. In this episode, Chris & Leah discuss why these sellers need...

Season 1, Episode 75    Insights from the Sell+Scale Summit by Helium 10 At the recent Sell + Scale Summit by Helium 10 there was an abundance of relevant questions regarding brand protection and the ongoing struggle with contacting Amazon's teams. In this...

Season 1, Episode 74     Poor Decisions Now Will Cost You Money Later When it comes to selling your business, the earlier you start doing your due-diligence the better. In this episode Chris & Leah spoke with Jamie Davidson of Northbound Group about the...

Season 1, Episode 73     Don't Misrepresent your Products Many sellers are adding popular keywords or content, trying to make their listing easier to find on Amazon. But sometimes these additions are a distortion of what the product is and it's uses. In this...

Season 1, Episode 72     You Need More than a Sales Pitch Your business's safety needs to be priority number one. That's why when hiring third party services, asking the right questions is key. In this episode Chris and Leah discuss how to vet "experts" and...

Season 1, Episode 71 What You Need to Know about the Category Listing Report Category listing reports were once useful tools to check for abusive keywords placed on your listing by black hat vandals. This is no longer the case. In this episode Chris and Leah discuss...

Season 1, Episode 70 Is Amazon flagging your GS1 UPCs? Barcodes, GS1 & GTIN exemptions are complicated topics, especially with the conversation constantly being muddled with bad information from online forums. In this Episode Chris & Leah take a deep dive into...

Season 1, Episode 69 Where is Your Money?  Do you have money being held by Amazon without any idea on when or if it will be disbursed back to you? In this Episode, Chris & Leah discuss the murky & concerning world of mystery reserves holding Amazon seller's...

Season 1, Episode 68 Who is the Unblock Team? There is apparently a new Amazon team on the block, the obscure unblock team. In this episode Chris and Leah speculate on who they think the unblock team might be and if this means good news for Amazon sellers. Show...

Season 1, Episode 67 Amazon Mad Libs Their Template Responses The Seller Performance teams on Amazon have shown their incompetency and disinterest in solving seller issues time and time again. In this episode Chris and Leah tackle this topic and discuss what needs to...

Season 1, Episode 66 You’re Responsible for getting Compliance Info from your Suppliers We've recently seen an uptick in sellers who's manufacturer is unwilling to give compliance documentation when requested. In this episode Chris & Leah discuss the importance of...

Season 1, Episode 65 Is it "Black Hat" or is it Fraud? Amazon is suing thousands of Facebook admins for facilitating reviews abuse, an issue that has been ongoing for years. In this episode Chris and Leah discuss the ramifications of these black hat tactics not just...

Season 1, Episode 64 Off-Amazon Strategy for Driving Amazon Sales Sometimes the most effective marketing strategy on Amazon is off-Amazon marketing. In this episode Chris and Leah talk with Andrew Maff from BlueTuskr about how to diversify your brand and the...

Season 1, Episode 63 Don't Give Amazon More Money than you Need to Are you spending more money on Amazon than you need to? In this episode Chris and Leah talk to Yoni from Getida about how to check if your seller account is being overcharged, what to do if you are...

Season 1, Episode 62 We Need More Emphasis on Product Safety Amazon publicly prides itself on offering the best buyer experience. As a "consumer obsessed" company, why aren't they putting more emphasis on product safety? In this episode Chris and Leah discuss the...

Season 1, Episode 61 What does Executive Seller Relations do? Having your issue delegated to Executive Seller Relations for problem resolution can feel like a lost cause. In this episode Chris and Leah debate on the inefficiency of Executive Seller Relations and the...

Season 1, Episode 60 Amazon Escalations: The Do's & Don'ts  Spamming Amazon executives with begging & emotional language might feel gratifying in the moment, but it's also more than likely going to keep your appeal unresolved. In this episode Chris and Leah...

Season 1, Episode 59 Protecting Your Account with the Correct Documentation Amazon has been amping up their requirements for supply chain and product information in order to push back on counterfeit products and bad actors. In this episode Chris and Leah go over the...

Season 1, Episode 58 Supplement Compliance on Amazon Do you know what's in your supplements? In this episode we spoke with Keith Gregory of Highland Labs about the illusive world of supplements on Amazon, the uncertainty of product authenticity for consumers and why...

Season 1, Episode 57 Efficiently Managing Advertising on Amazon Selling on Amazon is becoming more and more of a pay-to-play endeavor. In this episode we talk with Priyanka from Seller App about how to get the most out of your pay-per-click ads & the rising...

Season 1, Episode 56 Growth Optimization Using Low Hanging Fruit Strategies For brand optimization, go for the low hanging fruit first. In this episode we spoke with Ankita from SellerX about deciphering your pain points and dividing your growth opportunities into...

Season 1, Episode 55 Taking an Agnostic Approach to Your Online Business Diversifying your revenue streams is paramount for your Amazon business. In this episode we talk with Justin Coats, a speaker at the recent Seller Velocity Conference, about the necessity of...

Season 1, Episode 54 Scale Your Brand Series: Creating More Brand Visibility With cost-per-clicks rising and the over-saturation of ads, it's getting expensive and difficult to become visible on Amazon. In part of the Scale Your Brand Series we spoke with Ritu Java,...

Season 1, Episode 53 Scale Your Brand Series: Understanding Your Customer Journey How do you build your brand off of Amazon? In part of our Scale Your Brand series we talked with Doug Hollinger about why direct to consumer marketing should be an integral part of your...

Season 1, Episode 52 Scale Your Brand Series: Are You in a Red or Blue Ocean? Is your brand swimming in a red or blue ocean? In part of the Scale your Brand series we talked with Krystel Abi Assi, one of our Seller Velocity speakers, about the perks of entering into...

Season 1, Episode 51 Scale Your Brand Series: Do You Know who Your Customers Are? How do you transform your brand audience into a community? Connection. In part of the Scale Your Brand series we spoke with Janelle Page on the significance of discovering exactly who...

Season 1, Episode 50 Scale Your Brand Series: Bringing External Traffic to Amazon When it comes to growing your ecommerce business, Helium 10 are experts in the field. In part of our Scale Your Brand series we talk to Carrie Miller about expanding your business to...

Season 1, Episode 49 Scale Your Brand: Are All Your Bases Covered? When it comes to insurance-- do you have all your bases covered? In this part of the Scale Your Brand Series we talk with our Seller Velocity sponsor, Well Insurance, about the importance of protecting...

Season 1, Episode 48 Scale Your Brand Series: Optimizing Sales and Gaining New Customers Scaling Your Brand doesn't start with increasing your ad spend. You need to create a strong brand foundation, so you're not just throwing your money away on traffic that doesn't...

Season 1, Episode 47 Scale Your Brand Series: Amazon Review Strategies with EcomEngine Our Seller Velocity Sponsor— EcomEngine, are experts when it comes to gaining Amazon reviews the right way. The importance of recent vs old reviews cannot be overstated-- recent...

Season 1, Episode 46 You Can't Just Change the Product Detail Page We know it's tempting to update an ASIN to a new version of a product, especially when third party services promote it as a "hack." In this episode Chris & Leah discuss why this seemingly short...

Season 1, Episode 45 There's a Right Way to Escalate to Executive Seller Relations When it comes to escalating your appeal through the ranks of Amazon, persistence is key. In this episode Chris and Leah discuss the best ways to escalate to Executive Seller Relations...

Season 1, Episode 44 You're Responsible for Other People's Behavior We know maintaining documentation on your every move seems tedious, but for those in the Amazon selling & consulting sphere it is vital. In this episode Chris & Leah discuss why keeping...

Season 1, Episode 43 Who Owns Your Copyright? Unethical Amazon sellers have been targeting their competitors with bogus copyright infringement reports. In this episode Chris & Leah discuss what to do to protect yourself from these black hat attackers & why...

Season 1, Episode 42 Giving Amazon More Information when you Don't Have More Information Contacting Account Health Service can feel discouraging. Their reps can be elusive about details making it unclear why your account or ASIN was suspended in the first place. In...

Season 1, Episode 41 Investing in Your Business  We know that as business owners you have a lot on your plate. Operating a successful business can be a juggling act but in certain situations the most efficient way to get a job done is by outsourcing to a professional....

Season 1, Episode 40 End of Year Strategic Planning Most sellers have come to understand that monitoring metrics and keeping your account healthy is a mandatory starting point when it comes to selling on Amazon, but due to the chaotic holiday season it is not uncommon...

Season 1, Episode 39 Related Account Suspensions We've seen a ton of related account suspensions this year! Otherwise unproblematic accounts have been shut down over a slight relation to a suspended account. In this episode Chris & Leah discuss the different...

Season 1, Episode 38 Black Hat Attacks in Q4 Sabotage is running wild on Amazon, especially during Q4. In this episode Chris McCabe & Leah McHugh discuss different types of black hat attacks and how to prepare yourself before it's too late. Show Notes[00:00:07]...

Season 1, Episode 37 Brand Registry Issues If you’re a brand owner selling on Amazon then you know that protecting your brand can be a full-time job. In this Episode Chris McCabe & Leah McHugh discuss the complexity of brand registry and the challenges it can...

Season 1, Episode 36 Amazon Advertising with Destaney Wishon Advertising in the Amazon space is more important than ever as it is one of the most fundamental ways to drive white hat traffic to your page. In this Podcast we talk with Destaney Wishon of BetterAMS about...

Season 1, Episode 35 Q4 Quick Wins with Norm Farrar We all know Q4 is a crazy time of year. It's difficult to decide where to hone in and devote your attention, money or time. In this Episode we speak with Norm Farrar of Private Label Legion about the advantageous...

Season 1, Episode 33 Amazon's New Appeal Forms Amazon has been "simplifying" the appeal process for some policy violations, in order to lighten the caseload for their investigators. Chris and Leah discuss this change, and what sellers need to know before you submit...

Season 1, Episode 33 Building Your Brand Off of Amazon with Drew Himel Marketing your brand off of Amazon, not only grows your brand, it can also grow your Amazon account. We talk to Drew Himel from Consult PCR about best practices for communicating with your...

Season 1, Episode 31 Managing Expectations in Q4 on Amazon As we swiftly head into the deep end of Q4, we're all getting busier. And Amazon isn't exempt from that. But how should you manage things on your end, as Amazon response times get longer and longer? Leah and...

Season 1, Episode 29 Expanding Your Sales Channels – Sell Your Products Wholesale with Amy Wees Get your products on the shelves of 1000’s stores all over the USA. You already know who your online consumer is, but who is your B2B retail customer? Get expert tricks and...