Amazon Code of Conduct: Seller Abuse Appeals
Amazon Sellers Appeal, operated by ASA Compliance Group and led by Or Shamosh, has reinstated 5,600+* Amazon seller accounts and ASINs since 2016.
We handle account suspensions, listing appeals and compliance cases, from the first review through submissions and follow‑ups.
An allegation of damaging or abusing another seller needs a factual review of the activity Amazon cited. Preserve the Performance Notification and relevant records, build the timeline, and address the specific conduct in the response.
Start with the conduct described in the Performance Notification. A purchase for product research, a genuine complaint and a coordinated attempt to harm a competitor are different situations. Your response should explain what actually happened and provide the relevant records.
This guide covers competitor research, reviews and voting, third-party activity, and preparing an evidence-based response.
What Does “Attempting to Damage or Abuse Another Seller” Mean?
Amazon’s Code of Conduct includes one broad but powerful principle:
👉 Sellers must always “act fairly.”
Under this umbrella, Amazon prohibits:
Manipulating reviews or ratings.
Voting “helpful” on negative reviews or “unhelpful” on positive reviews of competitor listings.
Misusing Q&A, reporting tools, or buyer-seller messaging to disadvantage others.
Any attempt to damage or abuse another seller’s reputation or performance.
This language is intentionally broad. It allows Amazon to act on both blatant manipulation and subtle “grey area” actions that distort the customer experience.
Check the activity, not just the intention
The following examples are illustrative checks, not findings about a particular seller or a prediction of Amazon’s decision.
- Product research: keep the order, research purpose and testing records. Purchasing a competitor’s product alone does not establish manipulation.
- Returns and refunds: distinguish a legitimate product problem from a false claim or coordinated return intended to harm the seller. Record the actual reason and communications.
- Reviews and votes: review any conflict of interest, coordinated activity and instructions given to staff or agencies. Do not arrange reviews or votes to distort a competitor’s reputation.
- Messages and reports: preserve the complete exchange and evidence. A factual safety or IP report is different from intimidation or an unsupported allegation.
Review the dates and activity Amazon identifies. Do not invent an explanation about its detection systems or assume that a shared device proves the alleged conduct.
Obvious Infringements Amazon Designed This Rule to Stop
On the other end of the spectrum, here are clear black-hat violations that Amazon aggressively pursues:
Agencies or VAs running mass review-voting campaigns.
Fake buyer accounts created solely for negative reviews.
Friends, family, or employees reviewing competitor products.
Incentivized review schemes (rebate clubs, free products for reviews).
Misusing Q&A to plant misleading or harmful questions on competitor listings.
Bulk “report abuse” campaigns to suppress competitor reviews.
Unauthorized account access to post reviews or votes.
These activities can raise serious acting-fairly concerns, especially where the purpose or effect is to manipulate another seller’s performance. Examine the actual activity and notice rather than assuming the same outcome for every case.
Keep competitor research separate from manipulation
Document the purpose of the research and keep it separate from public reviews, coordinated voting or manufactured complaints. A genuine return or factual report should use the appropriate channel and accurate evidence.
| Activity | What to check | Practical response |
|---|---|---|
| Product research | The purchase purpose, testing records and any later public activity. | Preserve the records; do not create conflicted reviews or coordinated votes. |
| Return or complaint | Whether the reason is genuine and supported by the product and order records. | Use the proper return or reporting route and describe the facts accurately. |
| Coordinated competitor harm | Instructions to staff or agencies, review activity, false reports or misleading listing edits. | Stop confirmed abuse, retain evidence and address the specific failure. |
Check buyer and seller restrictions separately
A restriction on customer reviews and an Account Health violation are not interchangeable. Read each message and identify the account, activity and response route it concerns. Include relevant staff or agency access in the review without assuming that another person’s conduct has been attributed to you.
How to appeal a seller-abuse allegation
Follow the instructions beside the violation in Account Health. If the allegation is supported, explain the activity accurately and document the corrective work. If it is mistaken, submit a supported dispute addressing the discrepancy. Use a Plan of Action where the issue and response route call for one; do not invent an admission or a root cause.
Check the Seller Code of Conduct in your marketplace and the specific instructions Amazon sent. The response checklist below helps organize the case record.
FAQs
What does “Selling Policies and Seller Code of Conduct (attempting to damage or abuse another seller)” mean?
It refers to Amazon’s “acting fairly” rule, which bans manipulation of reviews, votes, and competitor reputation.
Can voting “helpful” or “unhelpful” get me flagged?
Coordinating votes to distort a competitor’s reputation can raise an acting-fairly concern. Review the activity Amazon identified and the relevant records rather than assuming one interaction explains the restriction.
Is buying a competitor’s product allowed? A purchase for product research is different from manipulation. Avoid conflicted reviews, coordinated voting, false returns or false reports. Legitimate reporting remains available when the facts support it.
Why was my buyer account banned from reviews?
The restriction message should identify the reason and available review route. Do not infer its cause from a seller-account warning alone; compare the messages and relevant activity.
How do I appeal?
Address the specific allegation with accurate records. Dispute an error with evidence, or explain confirmed conduct and the corrective work. A Plan of Action is appropriate where the issue and response route call for one.
Review your team’s activity
- Reviews and votes: check work performed by staff, agencies, and contractors on products connected to your business or competitors.
- Reports: review the evidence and grounds for complaints submitted on your behalf.
- Listing changes: identify unauthorized or misleading edits and who made them.
- Messages: preserve communications relevant to the allegation.
- Access: review named users, authorized partners, and connected tools.
Shared devices or ownership can be relevant facts, but do not claim to know Amazon’s complete detection logic. Separating logins does not make prohibited conduct permissible.
How to prepare a response
- Save Amazon’s message. Record the policy, affected accounts or listings, deadline, and available appeal route.
- Build the timeline. Link the cited activity to actual records. Preserve evidence before changing access or procedures.
- Determine whether the allegation is supported. Acknowledge conduct that occurred accurately. If the allegation is mistaken, explain the discrepancy and provide evidence instead of inventing a confession.
- Address confirmed problems. Stop prohibited activity, correct inaccurate material through the proper process, and remove access that is no longer appropriate.
- Explain prevention. Describe concrete approval, training, access, or monitoring changes relevant to the failure.
- Submit and track. Follow Amazon’s requested format and retain the case reference and replies.
Example: an agency submitted unsupported complaints against competing listings. A useful response identifies the reports, explains how they were authorized or discovered, records the corrective steps, and shows the revised approval process. “We will follow all policies” does not explain the failure or the fix.
Facing a seller-abuse allegation?
Describe the activity Amazon identified, who carried it out and the records you can provide. We can assess the notice, your prior responses and the scope of work needed to handle the appeal.