How To Report An Amazon Listing (Step By Step)

Amazon ensures that the buying and selling process on the Amazon app is as safe and smooth as possible for both you and the buyers. 

However, with the growing number of sellers on Amazon, there is an increased chance that you will come across a listing that is not following Amazon’s guidelines.

if you’re competing with sellers who are consistently breaking rules and seeming to get away with it the good news is that you can take action. 

You can report listings that violate Amazon’s selling policies so that Amazon can take appropriate action.

In this article, we’ll discuss what the different kinds of violations are and how you can about reporting them to ensure your business is not negatively affected by ‘black hat’ sellers.

What is an Amazon product listing violation?

A listing violation happens when a seller breaks Amazon’s guidelines on Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct for listing products on the site and marketplace.

As a brand owner and seller on Amazon, you are expected to follow these guidelines in order to create a safe and positive buying experience for customers, as well as protect your own listing from being removed. 

However, there are some third-party sellers who choose to break the rules in order to gain an unfair advantage over other sellers such as accepting fake orders or even placing an order for their own products to inflate sales rank. There are some who also claim to have the best seller tag when they actually don’t.

These are just some examples of how a seller can violate Amazon’s listing policies. Below, we’ll discuss some of the different types of listing violations in more detail.

What are the different types of Amazon seller listing violations?

There are many types of listing violations that can occur on Amazon. An Amazon seller may be reported for their product listings for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to:

Product information violation

This includes anything from false or misleading content including product descriptions or images that do not accurately represent the product.

This can include things like not providing the correct model number, dimensions, or weight of the product.

Pricing violations

This can include pricing that is significantly higher than the going rate for the product or listing products at an artificially low price in order to increase sales and rankings. For example, a seller might list a product for $50 when it should be listed for $100.

Additionally, this can include price gouging or taking advantage of high-demand situations (such as a natural disaster) by significantly raising prices on essential items.

Counterfeit items

This is perhaps one of the most serious violations an Amazon seller can commit.

Selling counterfeit products not only violates Amazon’s policies, but could also result in legal action. See Amazon Anti-Counterfeiting Policy for more information.

Poor customer service

This can manifest in a number of ways, such as not responding to customer inquiries, not honoring return or refund requests, inappropriate messages, and more.

Intellectual property rights or trademark infringement

This can include anything from using someone else’s copyrighted material in your listing to selling products that violate trademark law.

Suspicious reviews

This can include review manipulation, such as paying for fake reviews or offering free products in exchange for positive reviews. 

This usually happens when a seller is trying to artificially inflate their product’s ranking or cover up bad reviews.

Inappropriate content

If you come across a listing that contains offensive or inappropriate content, it may be reported.

This can include things like profanity, sexually explicit images, or offensive language.

Hijackings

Many sellers have their listings “hijacked” or taken over by another seller without their permission.

Hijackers usually dive into the opportunity when they see a buy box listing with good reviews and loyal customers. This can be done by changing the images to look like their own product and replacing the product with a bootleg version.

Any of the above-mentioned policy violations can get an Amazon Seller account suspended and sellers who consistently violate Amazon’s policies may have their accounts permanently banned from the site.

Who can report sellers who violate Amazon guidelines?

Can customers report an Amazon listing?

Yes, customers can report a seller on Amazon if they find that listings violate policies.

Can other sellers report a seller?

Yes, Amazon sellers can report a violation too. In fact, Amazon encourages it!

How to deal with Amazon seller violations?

There are two things you can do if you come across an Amazon vendor who is violating selling policies on the Amazon platform:

One option you can do to resolve the issue without getting Amazon involved is to contact the seller directly and ask them to fix their listing.

This is available through the Amazon app messaging service where you can directly send queries or discuss issues with the seller. 

For buyers, we recommend doing this if you have any issues with the product you received as it will likely be the quickest way to get the issue resolved. 

And for Amazon sellers, we recommend doing this when dealing with an unauthorised seller on Amazon who has hijacked your listing.

You can simply reach out to the seller by sending them a cease and desist letter through your Amazon account. This should help save time and get the problem resolved quickly without having to involve Amazon customer service. 

However, if they still don’t comply, you can then proceed with the other option: report the seller to Amazon customer service. 

Note, however, that it may take a few days before an Amazon customer service representative can get back to you and resolve the issue about the reported seller on Amazon.

How to contact customer service to report seller violations on Amazon

If you come across a listing that you believe should be reported, you can follow the below steps to report a violation:

Step 1. Identify Amazon policies violated by Amazon business.

It’s important to familiarize yourself with Amazon’s selling policies before you report a violation. This will help you determine which policy has been violated and will make it easier for Amazon to take appropriate action.

Note that as a buyer, not all customer complaints will result in a policy violation. Disappointment with the product you receive does not necessarily mean that the seller has violated Amazon’s policies.

For example, if a product you receive is damaged, it doesn’t automatically mean that the seller is guilty of shipping prohibited items.

Another example is if the product you receive is below expectations in terms of quality. This doesn’t mean that the seller is guilty of making false or misleading product claims.

Make sure to only report serious problems that are against Amazon’s policies. 

Step 2. Gather documentation to support your claim.

When you contact an Amazon customer service representative to report a seller, they will likely ask you for some documentation to support your claim.

Make sure to take note of the details as it can include things like business name, ASIN of the item’s detail page and product title, screenshots of related messaging, order IDs or ASIN, photos of products sold, and URL links of the listing.

Step 3. Report abuse via seller abuse report form

Go to Report Abuse. Fill out the online form and make sure to provide concerned order ID or ASIN/ISBN (as applicable).

Then, make sure to explain and describe in detail the violation or the issue in the text field to report abuse. Details required may include:

• The store or business name of the Amazon seller
• ASIN/ISBN of the item’s detail page and product title
• The marketplace where the violation has occurred
• Explanation of violation based on the policy supporting documentation – Indicate what selling policies and seller code of conduct have been violated and reasons why
• Supporting documentation such as order IDs, related messaging, or receipts

Note: It’s important to provide complete documentation and as many details of the violation as possible to help Amazon customer service representatives investigate and take appropriate action.

Step 5. Submit the form.

Once everything has been filled out, submit the form to notify Amazon about the policy violation. You should receive a confirmation email from Amazon that they have received your report and are investigating the issue.

Step 6. Check back for updates on your reported issue

It’s important to follow up with Amazon customer service on the status of your reported issue. Make sure to give them a few days to investigate and take action on the reported seller.

What happens after I submit a report?

Once you’ve submitted a report, Amazon will investigate the listing. If they find that the listing does indeed violate their policies, they will take appropriate action, which may include removing the listing.

Keep in mind that reportable listings are usually removed quickly, so if you don’t see any changes after a few days, it’s possible that the listing was not in violation of Amazon’s policies.

What are the consequences of listing violations on the Amazon platform?

The consequences of having a listing removed for violating Amazon’s policies can be severe. Not only will you lose the ability to sell that particular product, but you could also be suspended from selling on Amazon entirely.

In some cases, you may even face legal action. For example, if you are selling counterfeit products, you could be sued by the trademark holder.

Therefore, it’s important to familiarize yourself with Amazon’s policies and make sure that you are in compliance before listing any products.

How to prevent listing abuse reports

As an Amazon seller, there are a few things you can do to prevent getting reported for listing abuse:

1. Familiarize yourself with the Amazon guidelines and follow them when creating and managing your listings.
2. Make sure your product listings are accurate and up-to-date. This includes providing accurate descriptions, product images, and pricing information.
3. Comply with all applicable laws and Amazon’s policies. This includes things like only selling products that you have the legal right to sell, and making sure your listings don’t contain any prohibited content.
4. Don’t engage in activities that would violate Amazon’s policies or damage the customer experience. This includes things like creating false or misleading reviews, manipulating product ratings, or offering bribes in exchange for a positive feedback.

If you’re faced with a violation, it’s essential to respond quickly and appropriately if you do receive a notification from Amazon.

By working with Amazon, you can help minimize the consequences and avoid having your listing removed.

Conclusion

Whether you are a buyer or a seller, reporting an Amazon listing can help in maintaining a safe and trustworthy marketplace for everyone.

As an Amazon seller, it is important that you’re selling in a marketplace that is safe for buyers so that you can grow your business and reach its full potential.

If you need help in making sure that your brand is compliant with Amazon’s policies, join us inside the Brand Builder University as we help sellers like you build and grow your Amazon business.