Before submitting an Amazon Plan of Action: destination, documents and submission records

This article is for sellers who have finished writing their plan of action (also called a Performance Improvement Plan, or POA) but are stuck on which screen to submit it from, whether their attachments meet the requirements, and what to keep on hand after they send it. We work through, in order, the submission destination for each type of action, how to read the various deadlines, a final check just before you send, how to verify a notification email is genuine, and how to keep your own submission records.

A plan of action is one continuous task, from "how you submit it" to "what happens after you send it"

Finishing the text of your plan of action isn't the end of the job. Think of it as one continuous process: submitting it through the correct channel, in the format the screen requires, with the necessary documents attached, and then keeping a record of what you sent. How to put together the cause, corrective action, and prevention sections is covered in how to build a plan of action.

Your starting point is the notification you received. Under the Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement, when Amazon immediately suspends or terminates your use of the services, it generally states the reason and your dispute options and notifies you by email, through Seller Central, or by other means (with exceptions, such as when doing so would interfere with an investigation). The same notification is also said to be available under Performance (パフォーマンス) > Performance Notifications (パフォーマンス通知) in Seller Central (based on guidance from an Amazon staff reply on the Seller Forums; the menu's location may change).

This article is based on Seller Central Japan Help content and similar sources as of September 2026. Button names are worded inconsistently even across different Help pages, and policies and screens can change, so please also check them against your actual screen.

Confirm the destination: submission channels by type of action

Here is a summary, by type of action, of the main submission channels described in official Help. Determine which category your action falls under from the text of your notification and what's shown on the Account Health page.

Type of action	Submission channel (as worded in Help)	What to check
Account suspension	"Reinstate your selling account" (出品用アカウントの再開) at the top of the Account Health page	Even if you believe the suspension is a mistake, follow the instructions on the same page
Listing removal	Check the status and "Next Steps" under "View All" (すべて表示) in Product Policy Compliance (商品規約の遵守), and submit your appeal (or fix the listing) following that guidance	If nothing is shown, check Manage Inventory and Performance Notifications
Product safety and restricted products	"Submit" in the "Next Steps" column of Product Policy Compliance	You can add documents per product or upload them in bulk. Some product-safety and extended producer responsibility violations may instead appear on the "Manage Your Compliance" (コンプライアンスの管理) dashboard
Critical violations and reaching the repeat-violation limit	Follow what's shown on the Account Health page (for reaching the repeat-violation limit, follow the steps in the banner and submit from the Product Policy Compliance dashboard)	You have a three-day grace period before suspension
Suspension of seller-fulfilled shipping (for example, due to Late Shipment Rate)	Buttons such as "Submit Account Health Appeal" or "Submit Reconsideration Request"	Button names differ from one Help page to another
Seller performance review (such as identity verification)	"Submit New Information" on the Account Health page	You can also open it from "View Appeal" in Performance Notifications
Review of your seller-fulfilled selling-account eligibility	The appeal under the Account Health tab, or the address given in the review notification email	The review is said to take up to 30 days
Intellectual property warnings and suspensions	There are three possible routes depending on the situation, including replying to the notification	For a warning about a product you aren't even selling, reply to the notification. If you have a business relationship with the rights owner, ask them to retract it. For multiple warnings on genuine products, file an appeal from Seller Central with a list of the affected ASINs plus one of an invoice, order number, or written statement from the rights owner (email forwards aren't accepted). If your account was suspended for an infringement, appeal from the account dashboard or reply to the suspension notification you received
Reserve on your funds	The reserve notification or the steps described in Seller Central	This is a separate process from a plan of action

Some appeals don't accept a plan of action

For appeals concerning product-condition policy violations, you select from a set of preset options and submit evidence such as updated training materials or quality-check photos, and Help states that a "Performance Improvement Plan" is not accepted for this type of violation. Before you draft a plan, check what format the screen actually asks for.

Know which channels are not submission destinations

• LINE Important Notifications: You can receive notices such as account suspensions here, but it's send-only — you cannot contact Amazon back through LINE.
• The "Urgent Request" option in Technical Support (テクニカルサポート): This is limited to matters such as incorrect pricing information or problems receiving payment, and is not a channel for submitting a plan of action.

Telling deadlines and day-count guidelines apart

The day counts that appear in Help are each guidelines for a different process. Be careful not to confuse a response-time guideline with the number of days until reinstatement, or apply another process's deadline to your own case.

Number of days	What it's a guideline for	Notes
Three days	The grace period from a Critical violation or reaching the repeat-violation limit until suspension	An Account Health specialist may call you during this period
72 hours (AHA)	For sellers enrolled in Account Health Assurance (アカウント健全性アシュアランス, AHA), the deadline for reaching back out to Amazon after receiving contact urging you to resolve an issue	If you miss the call, you can also submit a resolution plan on the Account Health page
72 hours (quiz)	The deadline for answering the five-question quiz shown in the pre-suspension banner when your Cancellation Rate or Order Defect Rate worsens	Passing means you don't need to submit a plan of action. This is a separate process from the AHA's 72 hours
Up to roughly two days	From submitting an account-suspension appeal until you receive a response	This does not indicate when, or whether, you'll be reinstated
Up to two business days	From when Amazon receives your identity-verification documents until it reviews them	If it's rejected due to a mismatch in information, you'll need to update your registered information or provide supporting documents
The number of days stated in the notification	The deadline for submitting documents	This differs from one notification to another, so check your own notification (a seller's post to the forums several years ago cited "within 90 days," but that may not apply to current notifications)

AHA covers Professional sellers who meet conditions such as maintaining an Account Health Rating (AHR) of 250 or higher for at least six months and having a valid emergency contact phone number registered, and eligible sellers are enrolled automatically. Even an eligible seller may still be suspended immediately if Amazon determines the conduct was fraudulent, deceptive, or illegal.

Work backward from the deadline to set aside time for review

Help for seller performance reviews asks you to avoid resubmitting documents before enough time has passed for review, or repeatedly sending inaccurate documents. To get each submission right the first time, work backward from your deadline and allocate your tasks.

1. The day you receive the notification: write down what's affected, the deadline, and the documents required, and confirm the submission channel on screen
2. Arranging documents: identify everything the notification requires and arrange for anything you're missing
3. Drafting: put the text together while confirming the facts with the staff involved
4. Cross-checking: have someone other than the author run the three-point check described in the next section
5. Submitting and recording: save a copy right after you send it

During the three-day grace period for a Critical violation or reaching the repeat-violation limit, and during the 72-hour AHA response window, Amazon is expected to call you. Check whether your emergency contact tag is green (verified) under Emergency Notifications (緊急通知) in Settings (設定) > Notification Preferences (通知設定), and if it's red (verification needed), verify it with a one-time code.

Checking your documents: the three-point check of notification, text and attachments

Just before you send, cross-check three things: the notification, the text, and the attachments. Reviewing only one of them won't catch a mismatch with the others.

STEP 1. Pull out what's being asked for from the notification

The document format may also be specified in the notification. An identity-verification suspension notice a seller posted to the forums several years ago stated "PDF, PNG, JPEG, or GIF format" and "no screenshots," but the specification can vary from one notification to another, so go by the wording in your own notification.

STEP 2. Check the text against the guidelines

Here are the four key points from Help's guidelines for appeal text.

• Write clearly and concisely, based on facts. Don't include a product or company introduction, references to other cases, or emotional language
• Identify the root cause (such as an unverifiable supplier, or a problem with inventory or quality control), and describe the action you took, together with its content, the date it was carried out, and related documents
• Provide evidence for every product/ASIN under review (some products require invoices covering the past 365 days)
• Circle or highlight the most important parts of your documents (such as the ASIN, supplier name, or transaction terms)

After that, check that the dates, quantities, ASINs, and supplier names in your text match your attachments, and that no unrelated product name is left over from reusing text from another case. If your text reads as heavy with template phrasing, see how to match your plan of action to your own facts.

STEP 3. Check your attachments against the requirements

Help does not state the limits on the number or size of files you can attach on the appeal screen, so follow whatever limits appear on your screen.

Document	Key requirements	Examples that aren't accepted
Invoice	Issued within 365 days before you received the notification, a quantity sufficient for each affected ASIN, a product code you can verify online, and the supplier's contact information. Must be an unaltered original, in PDF or image format (.jpg, .png, .gif)	Quotes or proforma invoices, invoices issued by the seller themselves, altered invoices, or editable formats such as Excel or Word
Identity-verification and similar documents	Valid and not expired, clear and showing the whole document, a utility bill dated within the past 90 days, and at least one document with a name and address matching your registered information	Screenshots, images taken at an angle or cropped, or password-protected files
Letter of Authorization (LOA)	The five items of licensor, licensee, grant of rights, territory, and term, plus items such as the rights holder's letterhead and signature	Invoices, reseller agreements, delivery notes, or purchase orders/quotes
Product-safety and similar documents	Genuine documents, test reports, or certificates, in their original format or unedited	Documents that have been altered or edited

Help states that the invoice quantity should cover your sales volume over the past 365 days plus your current inventory on hand, but on the Seller Forums there are examples of Amazon staff asking for a match with your current inventory quantity, so cross-check against the instructions in your own notification. Documents for authenticity verification are covered in detail in responding to a product authenticity check.

When you have multiple attachments, listing them at the end of your text makes it easier to connect your explanation to the right document. What follows is a hypothetical example, not a real case.

List of attachments
Document 1: Two invoices issued by our supplier (wholesaler) (we have marked the rows and quantities for the three affected ASINs)
Document 2: Revised inspection procedure (in effect from [date])
Document 3: Inspection log under the revised procedure (covering the first week after it took effect)

Verifying a notification email is genuine: guarding against spoofing

Suspension and warning notifications are also a favorite subject for spoofed emails. Before you send documents or personal information, verify it in the following order.

1. Don't use links inside the email: Type the address into your browser yourself, or otherwise log in to Seller Central directly.
2. Cross-check it against the notification on screen: Check whether the same notification appears in Performance Notifications, Account Health, and the Notification Center (通知管理センター).
3. Check what information is being requested: Amazon states clearly that it will never ask you to provide bank account details, credit card numbers, passwords, or similar information by email.

Help lists addresses ending in "@amazon.com," "@amazonsellerservices.com," "@sell.amazon.com," and "@amazon.co.jp" as legitimate senders, but don't decide based on the domain alone — prioritize cross-checking against the notification on screen. You can report a suspected spoofed email to stop-spoofing@amazon.com.

That said, some processes do treat email as a legitimate channel — for example, replying to an intellectual property notification, or sending to the address given in a seller-fulfilled review notification. Decide whether it's safe to reply based on whether the notification's wording matches what's shown in Seller Central, and never send documents or personal information to an address you can't verify.

Keep your own submission records

If you receive a follow-up request, or need to appeal again for a different violation, you can't keep your explanation consistent unless you know "when, what, and from where" you sent it. Here's why you should keep your own records.

• The Notification Center only shows notifications received in the past 30 days.
• Even a violation that was removed from the Account Health page after your appeal was approved may still count toward the repeat-violation limit for up to 180 days, if you did not dispute that the violation occurred.
• Official Help doesn't state whether you can look back at the text or attachments you submitted on screen afterward.

What to record for each submission

Item	What to record
Notification	Date/time received, subject line, sender, affected ASINs, and deadline. Save the body as a PDF or similar, and keep the email header along with the message
Text and attachments	The exact version you sent, along with the full set of attachments. Include the send date and a version number in the file name
Submission	Date/time sent, the screen and button name you used, and the state of the screen right after you sent it
Type of process	Whether it was an appeal that acknowledges the violation and shows corrective action, a dispute arguing the determination was wrong, or a submission of requested documents
Contact and outcome	Case ID, the date/time and gist of any phone calls, and Amazon's replies or follow-up requests

Here's a hypothetical example, not a real case, of how to keep this kind of record.

Record No. 3｜Sent [Month] [Day], 14:20
Route: Account Health → Product Policy Compliance → "Submit" under Next Steps
Type: Appeal (acknowledging the violation and explaining the corrective action)
Text: POA_v3_[Month][Day].pdf／Attachments: Documents 1–3
Follow-up: Received an email on [Month] [Day] requesting additional documents (confirmed the same content in Performance Notifications)

To avoid missing anything, also review the receiving address for each notification type under Settings (設定) > Notification Preferences (通知設定). If a notification email fails to arrive — for example, because your inbox is full (a send error) — an alert appears on your selling account's home page. How to keep records of your inquiries is also covered in organizing your inquiries to Technical Support.

Purchase invoices and similar documents also have a retention period set under tax law (generally seven years for corporations, among other rules — check with a tax accountant for details). Keeping your invoices organized by ASIN as a matter of routine reduces the work needed when it's time to prepare a submission.

What to check when you can't submit, or get no response

The appeal screen won't open, or you can't find the button

An invited secondary user can only use screens within the permissions they've been granted, so if you can't open a feature, ask the primary user (the account administrator) to grant the permission. How to locate the screen is covered in steps for when you can't find the plan of action submission button.

Choosing where to ask for help

Professional sellers can enter a phone number through the [Contact Us] button on the Account Health page to receive a call back from an Account Health Support specialist (available every day). If you're not a Professional seller, you're directed to use Help, Amazon Seller University, or the Seller Forums instead. For Technical Support, follow guidelines such as keeping one case per issue, and reopening a closed case rather than creating a new one if you have a question about it.

No response, or you can't tell the outcome

An account-suspension appeal is said to take up to roughly two days to receive a response, but that's only a guideline for the reply. If you don't hear back, before resubmitting, check whether Performance Notifications contains a follow-up request or a reason for rejection, and whether "View Account Health Requests" is asking you for additional documents. How to tell different types of emails apart is covered in reading review emails correctly.

Outside Amazon, the "Digital Platform Trading Consultation Desk," commissioned by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), takes free inquiries from businesses that use online malls (it does not provide mediation or arbitration). If you need a legal judgment, consult a lawyer.

What not to do

• Opening a new account while suspended: The Seller Code of Conduct (出品者行動規範) allows only one Seller Central account per region you sell in, unless you have a legitimate business reason for holding a second account and every account is operating without issues. Creating a new account to keep selling while suspended doesn't meet that condition and is a policy violation.
• Altering or recreating documents: As noted in the documents section, these are not accepted. If you're flagged for this, see what to do if you're told an invoice looks forged or altered.
• Resending the same content at short intervals, or opening multiple cases: Both the seller performance review Help and the Technical Support guidelines ask you to refrain from this. It also makes it hard for you to keep track of which version is currently under review.
• Logging in through a link in a notification email: You can't always tell whether a link's destination is genuine just by hovering over it, so access Seller Central directly through your browser.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Can I send my plan of action by replying to the notification email?

A. It depends on the type of action. An account suspension is generally handled from the Account Health page, but some processes — such as intellectual property notifications — do direct you to reply. Choose based on cross-checking the notification's instructions against what's shown in Seller Central.

Q. It's been several days since I sent it and there's still no response. Should I resend it?

A. Help doesn't state how many days you should wait before resubmitting. Check it the same way described in "No response, or you can't tell the outcome" earlier in this article. If you're a Professional seller, you can also contact Account Health Support.

Q. Is it better to write my plan of action in the text field, or attach it as a file?

A. Official Help doesn't specify which you should choose, or the character limit for the text field. On a screen with both a text field and an attachment field, follow the screen's layout — for example, write the key points of the cause, corrective action, and prevention, along with how they map to your documents, in the text field, and attach evidence such as invoices separately. If you write in both places, make sure the content matches.

Q. Do I also appeal a reserve on my funds from the same screen?

A. This is a separate process. Follow the steps described in the reserve notification or in Seller Central. Once 60 days have passed since the reserve date, you're said to be able to separately file a dispute demanding payment by emailing disbursement-appeals@amazon.co.jp. For more, see what to confirm with the Payments team.

Q. Does a copy of the plan of action I sent stay on screen?

A. Under "View All" in Product Policy Compliance, you can check the history and current status of removed listings and images. However, Help doesn't state whether you can look back at the text or attachments of an appeal you submitted, so it's safer to keep your own copy of the version you sent and its full set of attachments.

Summary

Here's a recap of the key points.

• The submission destination depends on the type of action. Start by confirming the channel and required documents from the notification text and Performance Notifications
• Day-count guidelines mean different things for different processes. Confirm the deadline from your own notification and set aside time to review
• Just before you send, cross-check the notification, text, and attachments, and never alter or recreate documents
• Don't use links inside emails; log in to Seller Central directly to confirm the submission destination
• Record the notification, what you submitted, the date/time sent, and the Case ID, and don't resend the same content repeatedly

*This article provides a general explanation. The appropriate response in individual cases depends on the circumstances.

Further reading

Tailoring an Amazon Plan of Action to your business: what copied templates leave out Read article → When Amazon's appeal submission button is missing: screen checks and support steps Read article → Building an Amazon Plan of Action: root causes, corrective steps and prevention Read article →