Recently, many Amazon sellers have reported receiving email warnings from the platform, commonly known in the industry as a “first-strike warning.” Many sellers do not take it seriously, thinking it is only a reminder email, and fail to address it promptly and properly. As a result, the first strike escalates into a second strike, leading to more severe account penalties.

What is a “first-strike” warning? It is Amazon’s first formal warning issued to sellers for suspected policy violations. When the platform’s systems detect that a seller’s operating behavior may violate platform policies—such as fake orders, review manipulation, or packaging violations—it sends this warning. This is a control measure Amazon uses to maintain a fair competitive environment and protect consumer rights.

Important reminder: Before Amazon sends a warning email, it has often already captured some relevant clues. Most backend operations are recorded by the system. Whether further accountability follows depends on how the situation develops and how you handle it! Six high-risk behaviors that can easily trigger a warning: 1. Offering compensation in exchange for positive reviews. Contact buyers through Seller Messages (seller box) to offer cash back for good reviews; or go outside Amazon’s system and use external channels such as Instagram and Facebook to lure buyers into leaving positive reviews through refunds, repurchase discounts, gift cards, etc. Regardless of the channel, the nature of the behavior remains the same.

2. Arranging related parties to write reviews. Asking family, friends, or employees to write reviews for your products; also instructing related accounts to post malicious negative reviews on competitors’ products. Both are violations.

3. Attempting to harm or defame other sellers. Using service providers to drive away hijackers (locking inventory, posting fake negative reviews, filing false complaints); leaving negative reviews on competitors; maliciously altering competitors’ detail pages; placing fake orders to lock up their inventory, etc.

4. Actively interfering with buyer reviews. Inducing buyers to write positive reviews, or asking buyers to delete or modify existing negative reviews. Once determined to be a violation, in some cases you are required to submit appeal materials within 72 hours; failure to respond in time may lead to account suspension.

5. Including external traffic-diversion information in product packaging. Placing after-sales email addresses, coupons, promotional materials, etc., in package inserts to guide buyers to channels outside Amazon is expressly prohibited.

Tip: If brands need to include after-sales information, they can use the Transparency Program after-sales information card to include their official website, contact email, and social media accounts.

6. Cooperating with third-party services that violate policies. Using third parties for reviews, fake orders, or Woot fake orders; exporting customer email addresses to send postcards, and other prohibited operations.

How to properly handle violations? 1. Immediately stop violations and control risk

Stop prohibited operations: Immediately stop fake orders, stop cooperating with third-party review/fake-order service providers, and stop soliciting reviews improperly through Seller Messages, insert cards, or postcards. Prevent the system from capturing new violation evidence that could escalate a “first strike” into a “second strike.”

Clean up violation traces: Delete prohibited insert cards or leaflets from product packaging, remove violating reviews (if possible), and save screenshots of the deletions.

2. Conduct a precise self-check and identify the violation type

Check the warning email: Carefully read Amazon’s warning email to identify the violation type determined by the system (such as manipulating search results/sales rankings, violating buyer review policies, packaging violations, etc.) and the ASINs involved.

Review your own operations: Confirm whether it is an actual violation or a false positive by the system.

3. Collect and organize appeal materials

Evidence: Based on the violation type, prepare corresponding appeal evidence to form a complete evidence chain.

Violation evidence (for actual violations): Organize violating order numbers, violating review links, chat records/transfer vouchers with prohibited service providers, screenshots of prohibited insert cards/postcards, and screenshots of violating Seller Messages. These are used to prove the violation facts and remediation attitude.

Compliance evidence (for false positives): Organize genuine order reports, advertising placement details, logistics tracking numbers, and screenshots of normal positive customer reviews to prove that sales growth is reasonable and operations are compliant.

Source: Cifnews
Original link: https://www.cifnews.com/article/188988