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A family member had the same problem recently. Amazon "deleted" all seller accounts in Europe, because they allegedly didn't sell anything. There was only an US

by kharak 8y ago

A family member had the same problem recently. Amazon "deleted" all seller accounts in Europe, because they allegedly didn't sell anything. There was only an US seller account left to contact support. We send support requests over the request platform (forgot the name), to one of the email addresses we got from another support request and to a local post address of Amazon. We got answers from all sources, from different persons with quit different results. Some told us to use the EU support request platform (which was no longer available). Some answers told us the same thing the automatic email said. There is no quality control here, no due process. Luckily (literally luck), all stores got reinstated after a week. At some point, we provided evidence that those seller accounts did in fact sell products and our requests were forwarded to an internal business department. There, finally, someone realized that Amazon made a mistake. Our case isn't yours, but that's the only thing I can tell you. Shotgun initial requests to 3-5 addresses. Make it quit clear that you a) are generating value for Amazon b) want to continue doing so and c) fixed the issue (or better that there actually wasn't an issue and you got flagged for the wrong reason). Ultimately, this is a question about policy. Big platforms need to be regulated. They are no longer a single business you can avoid. They are a platform, a monopoly holding influence over our daily lives, with the power to destroy financial existences due to algorithmic decisions. You never know beforehand what could go wrong, there is no proper way to contact Amazon in emergencies (like a hotline). You have no way to reinstate your seller account if Amazon simply says "no". (Maybe you could sue them, but you're going to be bankrupt long before that process is finished). Power imbalance is at the root of all injustice and exactly the reason we need rights to protect those with less. I sincerely hope you can save your business.

stef25 8y ago
> Amazon "deleted" all seller accounts in Europe, because they allegedly didn't sell anything. Very weird. I know a guy who wants to close his seller account and the number of hoops he has to jump through is ridiculous, despite not having sold anything in years.
enobrev 8y ago
> Amazon "deleted" all seller accounts in Europe, because they allegedly didn't sell anything. In the US, I used to use Amazon to re-sell things I no longer wanted / needed. Old books, especially technical ones, usually got a great price. Electronics I'd replaced would also do really well, especially since I kept the original packaging. And before I'd move to a new city, I'd sell as much as I could. Back then it was essentially encouraged, with a button showing "You purchased this item on <date>, click here to sell it!". I'd had excellent reviews from all buyers and as far as I was concerned it was the best way to get rid of quality goods because the sale was already made - I just needed to package and ship. About a year later, I tried to go on to sell some things I'd replaced and it turned out they killed my seller account. Worse, I couldn't contact customer service because authentication on their Seller site was required, and my account was closed. I called a few numbers and finally got hold of someone and was told my account was closed because I hadn't sold anything in a while. Seemed odd. I asked if they could re-open my account, which had been left in excellent standing, and that was denied. The support person suggested I just start a new account with a new email address. That seemed ridiculous to me. I don't want a new email address. All that good will I'd built with the hundred or so things I'd sold: Gone, with no chance of return. Since I'm not trying to make a living on the platform, I was tossed. I'm surely not a blip on their radar, but I easily would have sold at least another $10k worth of stuff through them over the next few years. It was a pretty great thing. Unfortunate how they've ruined it so.
- kharak 8y ago
  > The support person suggested I just start a new account with a new email address. That seemed ridiculous to me. I don't want a new email address. One of the replies told us exactly the same. Just reopen with a new email address. Ridiculous on it's own, but we had inventory in Amazons warehouses left, worth thousands of euros. What would have happened with that? Destroyed without compensation is my best guess.
  - enobrev 8y ago
    That's ridiculous. I imagine you're right. They would have likely sold it off at one of their bulk auctions.

by kharak 8y ago

stef25 8y ago

> Amazon "deleted" all seller accounts in Europe, because they allegedly didn't sell anything. Very weird. I know a guy who wants to close his seller account and the number of hoops he has to jump through is ridiculous, despite not having sold anything in years.

enobrev 8y ago

> Amazon "deleted" all seller accounts in Europe, because they allegedly didn't sell anything. In the US, I used to use Amazon to re-sell things I no longer wanted / needed. Old books, especially technical ones, usually got a great price. Electronics I'd replaced would also do really well, especially since I kept the original packaging. And before I'd move to a new city, I'd sell as much as I could. Back then it was essentially encouraged, with a button showing "You purchased this item on <date>, click here to sell it!". I'd had excellent reviews from all buyers and as far as I was concerned it was the best way to get rid of quality goods because the sale was already made - I just needed to package and ship. About a year later, I tried to go on to sell some things I'd replaced and it turned out they killed my seller account. Worse, I couldn't contact customer service because authentication on their Seller site was required, and my account was closed. I called a few numbers and finally got hold of someone and was told my account was closed because I hadn't sold anything in a while. Seemed odd. I asked if they could re-open my account, which had been left in excellent standing, and that was denied. The support person suggested I just start a new account with a new email address. That seemed ridiculous to me. I don't want a new email address. All that good will I'd built with the hundred or so things I'd sold: Gone, with no chance of return. Since I'm not trying to make a living on the platform, I was tossed. I'm surely not a blip on their radar, but I easily would have sold at least another $10k worth of stuff through them over the next few years. It was a pretty great thing. Unfortunate how they've ruined it so.

kharak 8y ago
> The support person suggested I just start a new account with a new email address. That seemed ridiculous to me. I don't want a new email address. One of the replies told us exactly the same. Just reopen with a new email address. Ridiculous on it's own, but we had inventory in Amazons warehouses left, worth thousands of euros. What would have happened with that? Destroyed without compensation is my best guess.
- enobrev 8y ago
  That's ridiculous. I imagine you're right. They would have likely sold it off at one of their bulk auctions.