Amazon Seller Policy Violations: How to Ensure Compliance

Inaccurate Product Information

One of the fundamental rules for Amazon sellers is to provide accurate and honest product information. This includes the title, images, bullet points, product description, and any other details about the item you are selling. Misleading information or exaggerating product features can lead to customer dissatisfaction and potential policy violations.

Cross-Promoting Products on Your Listing Page

Your Amazon product detail page must be dedicated solely to the product you are selling. Amazon strongly discourages using any part of your product listing – including images, descriptions, or other related information – to advertise other products. This policy is designed to ensure that customers are not misled or confused when they’re viewing your product.

This is not the case for A+ content, and virtual bundles though. You may discuss your brand as a whole and even link to other products of yours with certain A+ modules. With virtual bundles, you can use prime real estate on your listing to bundle items together. The idea is to only cross market where Amazon specifically says it is ok and where they intend for you to do so.

Selling Prohibited Items

Amazon maintains a list of restricted and prohibited items that cannot be listed for sale. This includes items like dangerous goods, illegal items, or certain categories of health and personal care items. It’s essential that you familiarize yourself with these lists and abide by them. Attempting to list or sell restricted products can have serious legal implications and damage your reputation as a seller.

Listing (rank) Manipulation

Attempting to manipulate product rankings, reviews, or ratings is strictly forbidden. This includes activities like offering incentives for positive reviews, posting fake reviews, or artificially boosting sales through unethical means. Gone are the days of deep discounts and brand rebates.

Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing, or the overuse of keywords to manipulate ranking, is frowned upon by Amazon. While using relevant keywords is crucial to your listing’s discoverability, excessive and irrelevant keywords can lead to penalties. Amazon expects you to use keywords that accurately describe your product and not to manipulate the search and browsing experience. Also, keep in mind that listing policy violations can also arise from using keywords that are restricted by Amazon.

Using Existing Listings for New Product Versions

When selling a new version of the same product on Amazon, it is crucial to understand what qualifies as a “new version.” Any changes in the product’s name, color, size, material, or features make it fundamentally different, requiring its own separate listing. Attempting to add a new version as a variation is not permitted and can result in the suppression of seller accounts.

Unfortunately, some inexperienced sellers may unintentionally make this mistake due to a lack of understanding of Amazon’s rules. On the other hand, certain sellers may knowingly try to use this as a tactic to benefit from the reviews and ratings of an existing product. It is important to note that Amazon uses rigorous monitoring procedures to identify such instances. Penalties for violating these policies can be severe, and Amazon will not hesitate to enforce them.

Intellectual Property (IP) Infringement

Amazon values intellectual property rights and expects its sellers to do the same. Selling counterfeit items or unauthorized copies violates these rights and can lead to severe consequences, including account suspension. 

To avoid such issues, it is crucial to verify the authenticity of your products and ensure that you have obtained proper seller agreement permissions from brand owners. If you are a brand owner and wish to safeguard your brand’s integrity from third-party sellers, consider enrolling in the Amazon Brand Registry program.

Improper Listing Formats

Amazon has specific guidelines for how listings must be formatted. This includes specific rules about the image sizes, bullet points, and other formatting details. Using improper listing formats not only detracts from the user experience but also violates Amazon’s listing policies.

Here are some key considerations regarding listing formats:

Product Title: The title must contain between 150 to 200 characters and include details such as the brand name, product type, material, size, quantity, and color.

Product Images: Amazon allows sellers to include a maximum of 9 images. The main image must feature a pure white background, and the product should fill at least 80% of the image space.

Product Features (Bullet Points): For the bullet points, Amazon expects sellers to highlight the key features of the product using up to 5 points (500 characters each). Do not include icons or emojis.

Product Description: For the product description, sellers need to include additional details about the product, using up to 2000 characters. HTML tags can be used to enhance readability.