On December 22, we received an email (the one we all fear) regarding Section 3, stating that our funds had been seized (screenshot attached). However, Amazon has a way of slapping you first and then asking you to prove that you don’t deserve it—that’s their policy, and you have to live with it.

This was an Inventory Authentication Notification (Pic attached), which led to Amazon seizing the account funds.

Since we know we are selling 100% legitimate products with proper documentation, we were somewhat relaxed about that aspect. However, the issue is that Amazon does not explicitly tell you what went wrong with your documents when they reject them.

So, we booked an interview after submitting the business documents.

During the scheduled interview, we answered all their questions, and it went well. Their main concerns were:

1. Verifying the legitimacy of our business
2. Identifying who has child account access and providing documentation for their presence

However, we did not provide printed documentation, and the child account holders were not present in the meeting.

Key Takeaway:

Confidence during online interviews is crucial, and it’s essential to have as many relevant business documents as possible, even in digital format.

Despite this, Amazon said they would email us the list of required documents, which we needed to provide.

Documents Requested (As Seen in Picture #2 of the Notification):

• Virtual Assistant Contract (for the child account holder with access due to their role)
• Supply chain documents
• Proof of delivery
• Order confirmation
• Documents proving compliance with restricted product policies (such as SDS, etc.)

Issue Identified:
The payment was made from a personal account rather than the company account. Additionally, the person who made the payment was not listed on Amazon, but they were the Managing Director of the company. This was communicated to the interviewer.

First Submission of Documents:

We emailed Amazon the following documents:

1. VA Contract – Signed by both parties (seller & VA). The VA physically signed after scanning, while the account owner signed digitally.
2. Sales or Proforma Invoices
3. No additional business documents were sent

Result:
Only the VA Agreement was accepted, and the account restriction was not removed.

Second Notification from Amazon (Picture Attached):

After one day, Amazon sent another notification asking for:

• A valid government-issued photo ID
• Bank or credit card statement (showing purchases related to the ASINs)
• Business registration document (for registered businesses)
• Supply chain documents (invoices & receipts)
• Proof of delivery
• Order confirmation

This notification also specified which ASINs, brands, and quantities they were investigating.

At this point, we realized that Amazon required documents to be complete, easy to read, well-explained, and in the proper format.

Second Submission of Documents:

We took three days to carefully prepare the documentation and submitted it by replying to the same notification email:

Email to Amazon Seller Support (pic attached):

Hello Amazon Seller Support,

I am sending all the required documents as attachments to this email, as requested.

• The Certificate of Formation confirms that Mr. [Name], who made the payments to the brands, is the Managing Member of the company.
• The Proof of Delivery Document shows that the ASINs were delivered using Amazon Partnered Courier (UPS) and successfully received by Amazon.

Attached Documents:

1. Driving License (Front + Back) – Identity Document
2. Bank Statements – ASIN purchases highlighted under the Account Activity section. (Brand-A is an associated company of Brand-C, as shown on their official website: https://….com/)
3. Business Registration Documents – Reseller Certificate, EIN, and Certificate of Formation
4. Paid Invoices – Supply Chain Documents (ASINs clearly marked)
5. Order Confirmations
6. Proof of Deliveries

All documents are provided in PDF format, and even the ID images are cropped and converted into PDFs.

Addressing Key Issues:

1. Payments were made from the Managing Director’s account instead of the company account
2. We mentioned this in the email and attached the Certificate of Formation to prove that the person who made the payment is the Managing Director.
3. The brand in question is associated with another brand, so invoices come under a different name
4. We provided a link to the brand’s official website, proving the connection between the two brands.
5. Supplier to Amazon tracking IDs had expired
6. We created a Proof of Delivery document by including two screenshots from Amazon’s shipment summary:
7. Shipment Events page – showing that the shipment was received and closed
8. Shipment Contents page – listing ASINs and shipment details
9. We also clearly mentioned how many units of each ASIN were in each shipment and included the Shipment IDs.

Final Outcome:

We sent the above clarifications and documents, and just one day later, we received a congratulatory email—our account restriction was removed! 

Key Takeaways for Amazon Sellers:

1. Do Your Own Investigation – Amazon usually sends templated emails, so analyze everything thoroughly.
2. Order Confirmation, Paid Invoices & Bank Statements –
3. Always get an order confirmation for each purchase.
4. Make payments from the company account (ensure the amount matches the invoice).
5. Obtain paid invoices after each transaction.

3. Tracking IDs & Documentation –

• Maintain tracking records from supplier to prep center, prep center to Amazon, and supplier to Amazon.
• Keep screenshots/PDFs of all tracking IDs and shipment events.

4. Solve the Mystery for Amazon –

• Do not expect Amazon to figure things out on their own.
• Explain everything clearly so they don’t need to ask questions.

5. Highlight Key Information (If Allowed) –

• Mark important details in your documents to make them easier to review.

6. Organize Documents Properly –

• Make sure all requested documents are included.
• Name each document appropriately and refer to them clearly in your email.

7. Combine Relevant ASINs –

• If multiple ASINs require the same document, combine them into one document to simplify submission.

8. Use the Right Format –

• Convert all documents to PDF format for consistency.
• Even images should be turned into PDFs.

Checklist for Selling on Amazon with Peace of Mind:

 Government ID (updated & valid)

 Bank Statements (showing purchases related to the company)

 Business Registration Documents (Reseller Certificate, EIN, Certificate of Formation)

 Paid Invoices (for each order)

 Order Confirmations (for each order)

 Proof of Deliveries (for each order)

By keeping your business organized and following these best practices, you can avoid unnecessary suspensions and sell on Amazon with confidence!

If you have any questions regarding this process, feel free to ask.

Thank you!