Is the email from Amazon telling you your account is under review, asking you to submit something, or delivering a decision? Misread it, and you may end up resubmitting documents when you should be waiting, or missing a request that has a deadline. This article shows how to sort review emails into three groups—"wait," "submit," and "accept and choose your next step"—how to confirm an email is genuine, and which screens to check and what to do at each stage.
This article is based on official Help pages and other sources as of September 2026. Policies and screen labels can change, so check the latest screens and Help pages as well.
Sort review emails into three groups by "what to do next"
Within the scope of our research, Amazon does not publish a list of notification subject lines or template wording. Rather than judging by the subject line, sort each email by what the body is asking you, the seller, to do. That cuts down on misreadings. For examples of warning and suspension email subject lines reported by sellers, and how to spot fake emails, see "When you receive a warning email from Amazon: example subject lines and how to spot fake emails."
| Group | What the body typically says | Main places to check | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wait (under-review notice) | Says Amazon has received your submission, is reviewing it, and will let you know the result later, without asking you to submit anything new | Progress updates sent to your registered email address, Account Health, the Selling Applications dashboard | Hold off on resubmitting and double-check your registration details (in a seller-fulfilled shipping review, you can still appeal with proof of delivery during the review period) |
| Submit (additional request) | Asks you to take action—submit documents or answers, take a quiz, book a video call—and states how to submit and by when | Account Health (including the banner at the top), Performance Notifications | Write down the scope, format, deadline, and where to submit, then submit using the specified method |
| Accept and choose your next step (decision notice) | Informs you of an approval, denial, deactivation, listing removal, payment hold, decision not to reinstate, and so on | Performance Notifications, Account Health, case history | Check the reason and how to appeal. If you are asked to submit something, write down the deadline and where to submit first |
"Under review" can still mean an additional request
One notification reposted on the Seller Forums said the account was temporarily under review and could not receive payments, and then asked the seller to take action to resume payments. An Amazon staff member replied that the seller should appeal by following the instructions in the Performance Notification. Even if the words "under review" appear, treat the email as a "submit" stage if it tells you what action to take. Likewise, if a decision notice about a deactivation or payment hold asks you to submit documents or answers toward reinstatement, handle the deadline and submission location with the same steps as the "submit" stage. Keeping in mind that a single email can straddle both groups helps you avoid missing anything.
Four checks to do as soon as you open the email
When you receive a review email, confirm that it is genuine and identify its type at the same time.
STEP1. Don't click links in the email—log in to Seller Central directly
Seller Help recommends that you not click links in emails and instead go to Seller Central directly to check. It lists "@amazon.com," "@amazonsellerservices.com," "@sell.amazon.com," and "@amazon.co.jp" as legitimate sender domains, but the displayed sender can be spoofed, and another Help page says Amazon sends email from a variety of domains. Treat the domain only as a clue, and verify in Seller Central opened on your own.
STEP2. Check whether the same information appears on screen
Compare the email against what the following screens show. Names follow the wording in the Help text and may differ on the actual screens.
| Screen | What you can check |
|---|---|
| Performance (パフォーマンス) > Account Health (アカウント健全性) | Issues that need action, the banner at the top, violation details and "Next steps" |
| Performance > Performance Notifications (パフォーマンス通知) | The original notification. In some cases you can go to an appeal from the "Action" column |
| Notification Center (通知管理センター) | Notifications from the past 30 days, and whether each was delivered, where it was sent, and why delivery failed |
| Selling Applications (出品申請) dashboard / case history | Approval status and denial reasons for selling applications, and your correspondence with support |
STEP3. Look for signs of a fake
Seller Help states clearly that Amazon will never ask by email for bank account details, credit card numbers, PINs, identity verification information such as your mother's maiden name, or passwords.
Signs of a spoofed email
- It tries to get you to enter a password, account details, or card numbers by replying to the email or on a page linked from it (genuine notifications may also ask you to update card or bank account details, but in Seller Central)
- It uses a short deadline to pressure you into replying or entering information through a link (genuine notifications have deadlines too, so decide by checking the same notification in Seller Central)
- It asks for payment on a non-Amazon site, by wire transfer, or with gift cards
- It contains noticeable grammatical errors or typos
- The same information can't be found on any Seller Central screen
Seller Help explains how to report a spoofed email by sending it as an attachment to stop-spoofing@amazon.com (not every report receives a reply). Amazon.co.jp Help also explains that if you are unsure about a message, you can forward it to verify@amazon.co.jp and ask for it to be verified.
If you entered your login details or other information on a page linked from a fake email, your selling account may have been affected by fraudulent activity. This situation is also listed among the example uses of Technical Support's "Urgent Request" (緊急対応依頼). Along with general measures such as changing your password, seek help early.
STEP4. If it's genuine, copy down "type, scope, deadline, and where to submit"
Once you've confirmed the email is genuine, write down the following four points. Amazon notes that the list of affected products appears at the bottom of the first notification.
- Type: What kind of review it is—identity verification, seller-fulfilled shipping, selling application, policy violation, and so on
- Scope: Whether it covers the entire account or specific ASINs, SKUs, or categories
- Deadline: The number of days or date given in the notification (if there is none, record "not stated")
- Where to submit: The Account Health page, an application page, an email address given in the notification, etc.
"Under review" notices: how to read the waiting stage
The following timeframes are all estimates of how long a review or response takes, not how long until approval or reinstatement.
| Type of review | Officially stated timeframe | What to watch while you wait |
|---|---|---|
| Identity verification at registration | Help says it may take up to 2 business days. The official website says 3 business days (estimate) | Do not resubmit or appeal while under review. Submit documents only through Seller Central |
| Seller performance review | Review of identity documents takes up to 2 business days from receipt | Don't submit repeatedly before enough time has passed |
| Deactivation appeal (after submitting) | About 2 days at most for a response to the appeal | Wait for the result email. If you get a reply asking for more information, submit it from "View Account Health request" (アカウント健全性の要請を見る) |
| Seller-fulfilled shipping review | The review period is within 30 days | Keep shipping unshipped orders. Listings and payments may be temporarily restricted |
| Selling application | 2 to 7 business days | Check the status on the Selling Applications dashboard |
| Review under the Installment Sales Act | No completion notice; as a rule, you are contacted by email only if there is a problem | Sellers already selling can continue selling during the review (and can keep working on tasks such as listing products) |
Within the scope of our research, the review under the Installment Sales Act is the only one where Amazon explicitly says it will contact you only if there is a problem (Preparing for the Installment Sales Act review). We found no basis for taking silence as approval in any other review. If nothing happens after the estimated timeframe has passed, check the Notification Center and your spam folder.
Don't resubmit the same documents while under review
As the table shows, Amazon warns against resubmitting while a review is in progress or without leaving enough time, but it doesn't say how many days to wait.
While you wait, check that your registration details (name and address) match what's on your documents. Help for the seller performance review says the name and address on at least one document must match your registration details, and if a document is rejected because of a mismatch, you should either update your registration details to match the document or submit a document that explains the mismatch. Changing your registered address, bank account, or similar details during a review can itself trigger additional verification. Make any changes in line with the rejection reason or the instructions in the notification. If the review drags on, also see What to check when your account stays "under review".
In a seller-fulfilled shipping review, you can submit proof even during the review period
In a seller-fulfilled shipping review, your listings are automatically reactivated once delivery is confirmed, and if the review period ends, you're notified by email of the action taken. Even during the review period, if you have proof of delivery such as updated tracking information, you can submit it through an appeal on Account Health or to the email address given in the email you received about the review.
Additional requests: pin down the format and where to submit
With an additional request, figure out what to submit, in what format, by when, and where.
Submit through the location the notification specifies
Additional information for a deactivation appeal is submitted from the Account Health page, and identity verification documents at registration are submitted only through Seller Central. On the other hand, some reviews, such as the seller-fulfilled shipping review, name the email address given in the email as the place to submit. You can't generalize that "replying to the email is fine" or that "any submission by email is a fake," so trace the submission location specified in that notification from the screens and confirm it.
How to prepare for each request format
| Format requested | Key preparation points (summary of official Help) |
|---|---|
| Identity or business documents | A photo or scan of the original that is unexpired, clear, and shows all four edges (screenshots are not accepted). Compare the name and address with your registration details. For identity verification at registration, My Number Cards and My Number driver's licenses are not accepted, and black-and-white images are not eligible. When it comes to which documents are required, the notification's instructions take priority |
| Invoices | Issued within the 365 days before you received the notification, covering quantities that match the sales volume and inventory of the affected ASINs over the past 365 days, with the supplier's contact information. Quotes and editable formats are not accepted |
| Questionnaires and appeals | Concise, specific statements of the facts that led to the issue, the root cause, and the actions you took and when you took them |
| Multiple-choice appeals | For violations such as condition issues, choose the option that matches the facts and attach proof of the correction. Plans of action are not accepted |
Don't assume that "an additional request should be answered with a long plan of action"—match the format the notification and screen indicate. How to check identity documents against your registration is explained in detail in Preparing additional identity verification documents.
Go back to the first notification to confirm the list of affected items and the deadline
Official Help asks you to provide evidence for every product and ASIN under review and to highlight key details such as ASINs and supplier names, for example by circling them. If you look only at the replies, it's easy to leave some affected items out, so check against the list in the first notification and keep a list of the documents for each item.
Don't overlook requests with short deadlines
- Critical violations: You have a 3-day grace period before deactivation. During that time, an Account Health specialist may call you
- Quizzes: When your seller-fulfilled listings are at risk of deactivation, a 5-question quiz may appear at the top of the Account Health page, and you must answer it within 72 hours
- Account Health Assurance (アカウント健全性アシュアランス) participants: Get in touch within 72 hours of being contacted by Amazon
- Requests to resubmit registration documents: If you don't respond within 30 days, the registration process will be closed
- FBA inventory investigations: If you don't provide information by the stated deadline, your inventory may be disposed of
Other deadlines vary by notification, so check what the notification says. If you absolutely can't make a booking or submission the notification asks for—such as scheduling a video call for identity verification—record what the screen shows and the date and time, and let the contact point given in the notification know as soon as possible.
Decision notices: read the decision and the next procedure
The Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement states that if Amazon suspends or terminates your use of the services, it will notify you with the reason and your options for appeal (with certain exceptions). Start reading a decision notice with the "reason" and "how to appeal."
| Type of decision | What to read for | What to consider next |
|---|---|---|
| Approval / violation removed | The scope and whether the change has taken effect | If accepted, the violation and its impact on Account Health are removed. However, a violation accepted on appeal may still count toward the repeat-violation limit for 180 days. Keep a record of the cause and the measures you took |
| Selling application denied | The reason in your case history or email | You can review the requirements and submit a new application. However, a denial stating "You do not meet the requirements for this application" cannot be appealed |
| Notice of action (deactivation, listing removal, payment hold) | The reason, what's needed, where to submit, the deadline | Appeal following the steps in the notification |
| Decision not to reinstate | The reason and any statement about future contact | Don't open a new case with the same content; sort out the remaining procedures |
Read a notice of action in "fields"
In one reposted example of a deactivation notice citing identity verification, the headings were phrased as questions: why the account was deactivated, how to reactivate it, how to send the information, what to do if it was deactivated in error, and what happens if you don't send it. Even though the layout varies by notification, writing the content into the following six fields helps you avoid missing anything.
Six fields for breaking down a notice of action
- The action taken
- The reason for it
- What's needed for reinstatement
- Where to submit
- Steps to take if you believe the action was a mistake
- What happens if you don't submit, and the deadline
The overall flow from deactivation to appeal is laid out in The full picture from account deactivation to reinstatement request.
When you keep getting the same denial
In a Seller Forums thread about a deactivation for related accounts, one seller posted that they kept receiving identically worded denials no matter how many times they revised and resubmitted their documents. In the same thread, an Amazon staff member advised that if you've already provided the information required in the notification, you should contact Account Health Support (the contact point for Professional sellers) via "Contact Us" on the Account Health page. Sellers who are not on the Professional plan were directed to use resources such as Help, Seller University, and the Seller Forums. Below is a sample message that clearly states which submission you're asking about (a hypothetical example, not a real case).
I have submitted the documents requested in the Performance Notification dated [month/day] twice from the Account Health page, but both times I received a reply with the same content, and I can't tell what information is missing. Before my second submission, I updated my registered address in Seller Central to match the address on the documents. Could you please tell me what additional documents or information you need?
For how to prepare before reaching out, see How to prepare before contacting Account Health Support.
Notices about a hold on your sales proceeds
If Amazon determines there is a risk of returns, chargebacks, or the like, your sales proceeds are generally held for 90 days, and the hold may be extended as needed. You can appeal through the steps in the notification or in Seller Central, and if the hold isn't released, you can file a separate appeal to disbursement-appeals@amazon.co.jp once 60 days have passed since the hold date (for details, see How to check your sales proceeds after a deactivation).
When you're told Amazon may not respond further
In one reposted example, a notice declining reinstatement stated that Amazon might not respond to any further emails. Technical Support's guidelines for contacting them ask that you not reopen or create a new case for an issue you've been told will receive no further action. For separately defined procedures, such as appealing a hold on sales proceeds, check the guidance in the notification or Help. If you need a judgment on contractual matters, also consider consulting a lawyer or other professional.
Times to pause before replying or submitting
- Uploading documents through a link in an email: Log in to Seller Central directly, check that the same request appears on screen, and then submit to the location the notification specifies.
- Opening one new case after another for the same issue: As a rule, there should be one case per issue; if you have questions about a closed case, reopen it.
- Using "Urgent Request" for a deactivation appeal: The examples Help gives are business issues where an urgent resolution is essential, such as pricing errors you can't fix yourself or problems receiving payments. Amazon directs you to appeal a deactivation by following the steps on the Account Health page.
- Altering documents or giving explanations that don't match the facts: Altered documents will not be reviewed, and the Code of Conduct prohibits misleading Amazon in your communications with it.
- Continuing to sell on a different account: As a rule, you may have only one account per region where you sell. Opening a new account to get around a deactivation violates the rules, so don't do it.
Commonly confused points are also summarized in 5 points that are easy to confuse when handling a deactivation.
Keep a notification log to avoid mix-ups
Recording each notification and submission on its own line shows which reply responds to which submission, makes it easier to spot items you haven't handled, and gives you material to explain your situation to support.
| What to record | Tips |
|---|---|
| Date/time received and subject line | Subject lines can look alike, so pair them with the date |
| Where it appeared and which group | Email, Account Health, LINE, etc. Whether it's wait, submit, or accept and choose your next step |
| Scope and deadline | The list of ASINs/SKUs and the deadline stated in the notification |
| Submission date and what you submitted | Document type, file name, and the screen you submitted from |
| Date/time and gist of the reply | Which submission it responds to and anything new requested |
Check your notification settings
Under the agreement, sellers must keep their registration details, such as their email address, current and accurate at all times. Check the following regularly.
Notification settings checklist
- In Settings (設定) > Notification Preferences (通知設定), is each notification type going to an address someone actually reads?
- Can you reliably be reached at the phone number for emergency notifications?
- Is there a delivery-failure alert on the Home page?
- Have you linked the LINE official account? (a send-only account that delivers important notifications about deactivations)
Frequently asked questions
Q. Notifications were only going to a staff member's address.
A. Check the past 30 days of notifications and where they were sent in the Notification Center, and review the recipients for each notification type in Notification Preferences. Notifications whose emails you've muted still appear in the Notification Center for 30 days.
Q. A deactivated product mentioned in the email doesn't appear on the Account Health page.
A. Help advises that if deactivated products don't appear on the Account Health page, you should check "Manage Your Compliance" (コンプライアンスの管理). That's because some violations, such as those related to product safety, are reported on a separate dashboard.
Q. I received a deactivation notice on LINE. Can I reply on LINE?
A. The Amazon selling services LINE official account is send-only, and you can't contact Amazon through LINE. The same notification is also sent by email, so check the details in Seller Central and respond from the screen the notification specifies.
Q. The email went to my spam folder, and I noticed the deadline late.
A. Check the original notification and your current status in Seller Central, and explain the situation to the contact point the notification directs you to. How a late response is handled depends on the notification and your circumstances, so act as soon as you notice.
Summary
Read review emails by "what they're asking you to do next," not by the subject line.
- Sort them into "wait (under review)," "submit (additional request)," and "accept and choose your next step (decision notice)," and if an "under review" notice or a decision notice asks you to submit something, follow the "submit" steps
- Don't click links—log in to Seller Central directly and find the same notification there
- While under review, don't resubmit documents; check that your registration details match your documents and wait
- For additional requests, go back to the first notification to confirm the scope, format, deadline, and where to submit, and submit through the specified location
- Read decision notices starting with the reason and how to appeal, and don't open new cases for the same issue
If you're unsure which stage you're at, gather the original notifications and your submission records and consider consulting an expert early.
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Further reading
Before submitting an Amazon Plan of Action: destination, documents and submission records Read article → 
From Amazon account suspension to an appeal: reviewing the notice and planning your response Read article → 
Preparing additional documents for Amazon identity verification: matching evidence to the request Read article →