Unable to log in to Amazon: checks for buyers and sellers

When you are "unable to log in" to Amazon, the screen where you got stuck tells you whether it is an input problem you can fix yourself, whether you need to go through identity verification, or whether it is a selling restriction that appears after login. This article covers buyer accounts (Amazon.co.jp) and selling accounts (Seller Central) separately and lays out what to check for each screen where you might be stuck, how to prepare before contacting Amazon, and how to review your setup so it doesn't happen again.

Check this first: narrow down the cause by the screen where you got stuck

First, confirm which screen you got stuck on (login ID, meaning your email address or mobile phone number; password; or verification code) and exactly what message was displayed. Then use the table below to find what to try first.

This article is based on Amazon.co.jp's buyer Help pages, Seller Central Help, and what the login screens showed as of September 2026. Amazon's policies and on-screen wording can change, so please also check the latest Help content before you take any action. Also note that the Help pages use different names, such as verification code, authentication passcode, and one-time password (OTP), but they all refer to a short numeric code you receive by email, SMS, voice call, or an authenticator app.

Where you got stuck / what was shown	What to try first
Entering your login ID (email or phone number)	Check the spelling of the address and whether you mixed up addresses, whether the account was created with a phone number, and the country code
Password	Check Caps Lock and upper/lower case; if that doesn't solve it, reset your password with Password Assistance
Verification code / two-step verification	Select "Resend code" and check your email, SMS, and app notifications. If you have set up two-step verification, try your backup method, and if that fails, request a reset. If you have not set it up, or cannot receive messages at your registered contact details, contact Customer Service
Passkey error	Try signing in with your password (this may not be available on accounts where passkeys have become mandatory). Clear your cache and cookies and try again
Connection refused error	Update to a browser and device that support TLS 1.2 or later
"The same email address is being used by multiple accounts"	Sign in to the account you signed in to most recently, or change the email address on the other account (this is said not to be an error indicating a security breach)
Notice that your "account is on hold" (buyers)	Verify that the notice is genuine, then sign in from an Amazon site you opened yourself and submit the form and the required documents
Some pages are not visible after login (sellers)	Check your user permissions and which store is currently displayed
A suspension or restriction is shown after login (sellers)	Check Account Health and any notices you received, and confirm the appeal procedure

The official Help pages do not say whether repeated failed attempts trigger a temporary lock, or, if they do, after how many attempts and for how long. Rather than trying one password after another, going through the official reset process is less likely to make things worse. Make a note now of when the problem occurred, the exact message shown, and what you did just before (such as switching phones, changing your phone number, or clearing cookies).

If you can't log in to your buyer account (Amazon.co.jp)

For a buyer account, start by reviewing what you entered in STEP 1, then go to the STEP that corresponds to the row that matched your situation in the table above.

STEP 1. Review the account information you are entering

Amazon's Help lists two likely causes of being unable to log in: the account information was entered incorrectly, or the password needs to be reset. Start by checking the following.

• Is your email address formatted correctly, and have you mixed up any of your addresses?
• If the account was created with a mobile phone number, are you entering that mobile number (including the country code)?
• Is Caps Lock or Num Lock turned on, and are upper- and lower-case letters in your password correct?

STEP 2. Reset your password with Password Assistance

If the password seems to be the cause, reset it with Password Assistance (パスワードアシスタント). Enter your registered email address or mobile phone number, enter the one-time password sent to you by email or SMS, and create a new password. The new password takes effect immediately and applies to all Amazon-related accounts associated with the same email address.

STEP 3. What to check if the verification code doesn't arrive

When you sign in under unusual circumstances, such as after clearing cookies, from a new browser or device, or from a different location than usual, Amazon may ask for additional verification (called "multi-factor authentication" in Help). The methods are a six-digit authentication passcode sent to your registered contact details, approval in the Amazon mobile app, or answering a security question. If the code doesn't arrive, check the following.

• On the screen where you enter the verification code, select "Resend code" (コードを再送信する)
• On both your registered email and your mobile phone, check whether a verification notice arrived, whether it went to spam, and whether you have any settings blocking incoming messages
• If you have a device that is still logged in to the Amazon Shopping app, open the "person icon," then the "bell icon" at the top right, and approve the notification about access to your account data (worded in Help as「xxxからアカウントデータアクセスの施行」, roughly "account data access attempt from xxx") only after confirming it was you

If you still can't receive it, or if you no longer have access to the email account or mobile phone used for verification, Help directs you to contact Customer Service.

STEP 4. If you can't receive two-step verification codes

With two-step verification on a buyer account, you enter your password plus a one-time password received by text message or an authenticator app. If you can no longer receive codes, first try your registered backup method or log in from a trusted device. If that still doesn't work, request a reset by uploading a scan or photo of a government-issued ID on the "Two-Step Verification account recovery" (2段階認証アカウントの復元) page.

Identity verification is said to possibly take one to two days. Once two-step verification is disabled, you will receive an email and be able to log in with your password. However, you may be asked to complete additional steps, such as entering a one-time password. Once you can log in, change to a mobile phone number that can receive SMS.

STEP 5. If a passkey or connection error stops you

A passkey lets you sign in with the fingerprint, face, or PIN you use to unlock your device. The buyer Help pages say you can still choose to sign in with a password after setting one up (for cases where passkeys have become mandatory on selling accounts, see below). On a device where no passkey is saved, turn on Bluetooth and scan the QR code with the camera of the smartphone or tablet that has your passkey.

If a page won't open because of a connection refused error, an outdated browser or device may be the cause. Amazon does not support connections over TLS 1.0 or 1.1, so update to an environment that supports TLS 1.2 or later.

If you receive a notice or see a message about a "hold" or "security measures"

When Amazon detects suspicious activity, it may cancel pending orders, invalidate your password, and sign you out, and Help acknowledges that legitimate use can sometimes be flagged by mistake. In that case, review and report the activity on the "Review recent orders" (最近の注文を確認する) page, and reset your password if asked. If the measure is confirmed to have been a mistake, access is said to be restored within 24 hours.

Separately, if unusual payment activity is detected, your account may be temporarily placed on hold, and you will receive an email or text message saying your "account is on hold" (アカウントが保留中). While the account is on hold, you cannot use any services, including digital services such as Prime and Kindle. After confirming the notice is genuine, for example in the Message Center, sign in from an Amazon site or app you opened yourself rather than through a link in the email or SMS, fill in the form, and attach the required documents (Help says submitting it yourself through the secure portal is the fastest route). Help does not make clear how this affects Seller Central if you use the same login credentials for it, so move through the process promptly. How to find out the reason for a suspension or restriction is covered in detail in What to check and how to prepare an inquiry when your buyer account can't be used.

If you can't log in to your selling account (Seller Central)

If you go to Seller Central without being logged in, you are redirected to the Amazon sign-in screen. Under "Need help?" (お困りですか?) there are links for "Forgot your password?" (パスワードを忘れた場合) and "Other issues with Sign-In" (その他のログインに関する問題), and the latter leads to the same "Account & Login Issues" (アカウント＆ログインに関する問題) page used for buyers (as displayed at the time of writing). Checking your login ID and password works the same way as for a buyer account, but two-step verification is handled very differently.

Two-step verification is mandatory, and codes are not sent by email

In Seller Central, every user must enable two-step verification, and Help says that even Technical Support cannot make exceptions. Codes can be received by SMS, voice call, or an authenticator app, but not by email. Check the phone or authenticator app you registered.

The order in which to check when a code doesn't arrive

1. Clear your browser cache (this is the first method Help suggests)
2. On the two-step verification page, use "Didn't receive the code?" (コードが届きませんか？) to send a code to your backup method
3. If the SMS doesn't arrive, get the code by voice call
4. If the code doesn't arrive during setup, check the country code you selected, the phone number you entered (including the area code), and whether the number can receive SMS

If you lost your device and have no backup method

If your phone was lost or stolen, first contact your mobile carrier. If you have no backup device and cannot change your settings, Help directs you to the same two-step verification reset (submitting an ID) used for buyer accounts. Seller Central Help says verification may take up to 48 hours, and Technical Support cannot process this identity verification. Once it is complete, you can log in, and you set up two-step verification again on a device you can use the next time you log in. The buyer Help page on resets also states that "to access Seller Central, you also need to add a phone number for two-step verification," so re-register your phone number at this point as well.

While you wait for access to be restored, orders still need to ship and buyer messages keep coming in. If someone on your team has their own login through User Permissions, that person may be able to keep working. If not, note when things stopped, and as soon as access is restored, check the ship-by dates for your merchant-fulfilled orders and any unanswered messages. Do not lend or borrow login credentials, and do not sell through a different selling account as a workaround.

If you use a passkey

At the time of writing, Seller Central Help says passkey authentication is recommended over two-step verification and one-time passwords, and is not mandatory for all users. However, the same Help page states that "in 2026, the use of passkeys will be required for some security-critical features," and an announcement from Amazon on the Seller Forums also says passkeys are "scheduled to become mandatory for some accounts in the second half of 2026." On accounts where they have become mandatory, you may be shown passkey setup steps before signing in, and you may not be able to switch to signing in with a password. Check the announcements you receive and Help for which features and accounts are affected and when it starts.

Most passkey errors are browser settings issues and are said to be resolved in many cases by clearing your cache and cookies. If you lose the device where your passkey is saved and have no backup device, present identity documents to Customer Support or Selling Partner Support; once approved, passkey authentication is disabled (Technical Support cannot skip this verification). If your account is locked out, Help directs you to contact Amazon Technical Support to recover access.

However, Help does not specify which entry point connects you to Technical Support when you cannot log in. Through the contact option opened from "Other issues with Sign-In" on the login screen, state at the outset that the issue concerns your selling account (Seller Central), and if you are directed to a sign-in inquiry channel for sellers, check that guidance as well. If the cause is that you can't receive codes, first request the two-step verification reset, which Technical Support cannot process.

How authentication differs between buyer and selling accounts

Item	Buyer account	Selling account
Two-step verification	Set up by you (recommended by Amazon)	Mandatory for all users
How codes are received (per Help)	Text message, authenticator app	SMS, voice call, authenticator app (not email)
Time to verify a reset (per Help)	May take one to two days	May take up to 48 hours

Both use the same "Two-Step Verification account recovery" process for resets; only the stated processing time differs between Help pages. Both are estimates and do not promise completion within that period.

Treat restrictions or suspensions shown after login as a separate problem

If "you can log in, but the screens you normally use aren't available," the issue is permissions or selling restrictions rather than authentication, and both the screens to check and the procedures are different.

Some pages aren't visible, or a different store is displayed

The pages you can see are determined by your user permissions and access rights (your selling plan, Individual or Professional; whether you use FBA; which country's store you are logged in to; and so on). Users added as employees should ask the primary account administrator for the permissions they need. If you manage multiple stores, also check that the store you want is displayed, using the account selector near the top left or the "store switcher" (ストアスイッチャー) at the top.

A suspension or restriction is displayed

If a suspension or similar status is displayed after login, the process you need is reinstating your selling privileges. Help explains that you appeal from "Reactivate your selling account" (出品用アカウントの再開) at the top of the Account Health (アカウント健全性) page, and that it can take up to about two days to receive a response. This is only an estimate of when you will hear back, not a promise of reinstatement. You may also be asked for additional information, such as a questionnaire or supporting documents; in that case, submit it from "View Account Health requests" (アカウント健全性の要請を見る).

Note that if you closed your selling account yourself, you can never log in to it again and cannot reactivate it. On the other hand, Help does not explain whether you can still log in, or what message appears, if Amazon has suspended or closed your account. Don't judge the situation just by whether you can log in; check the emails you received and what Account Health shows. How to tell a suspension from a closure is covered in How to tell a seller account suspension from a closure, and how to read the screen is covered in How to check your Account Health score. If you see a message such as "Unauthorized," see Steps to check a Seller Central authorization error.

Item	Restoring authentication	Reinstating selling privileges
Main procedures	Password Assistance, two-step verification reset, login inquiry channel	Appeal from Account Health, submitting additional information
What to record	Messages displayed, actions you tried, date and time you submitted your ID	Contents of notices and deadlines, documents submitted, date, time, and outcome of appeals

Even if both happen at the same time, keep separate records for each.

Be careful with shared login credentials: using them for buying too, and sharing among multiple people

If you use the same login credentials for buying and selling

If you log in to Seller Central with the same email address and password as your buyer account, actions you take as a buyer also affect your selling account.

• A password reset applies to all Amazon-related accounts associated with the same email address
• Because two-step verification is tied to the login credentials, it applies to both, and you will also need a code to log in to the Amazon store
• Passkeys also apply to both the retail site and Seller Central if the login credentials are the same
• If you close your Amazon account, you also lose access to the associated listings and Seller Central data

If you are thinking about closing your buyer account, read What to check before closing your buyer account, including how it affects your selling.

Help advises that if you don't want to use two-step verification for buying, you should create a separate Amazon account for buying. That guidance applies to buyer accounts. For selling accounts, the Seller Code of Conduct says you may maintain only one Seller Central account per region where you sell, unless you have a legitimate business reason to open a second account and all of your accounts are in good standing. Creating a new selling account to get around a login problem or a suspension violates this code, so do not do it.

If several people operate a selling account

Sharing one set of login credentials among several team members creates risks, such as former employees still having access. Also, if the team member who set up two-step verification is away, no one else can receive the code, and work may stop until that person returns. Amazon recommends using User Permissions (ユーザー権限) to create separate login credentials, each with its own email address, for each team member.

• Only sellers on the Professional selling plan can set up user permissions. Invite users from Settings > User Permissions > Manage Employees > Invite Employee (「設定」→「ユーザー権限」→「従業員の管理」→「従業員を招待」, as named in Help).
• Invited secondary users set up two-step verification themselves the first time they log in. Passkeys are personal, so if you keep using a shared login, other team members may be unable to log in. Inviting a secondary user requires a new email address that has never been used for any Amazon account.
• The seller is responsible for the actions of users it adds (including misuse and illegal activity). Selling accounts cannot be transferred; if only the person in charge changes, handle it by adding a user.

Section 16 of the Business Solutions Agreement also states that the seller is responsible for keeping its password secure, must not disclose it to anyone other than those it has authorized, and must change it immediately if it is compromised.

Two-step verification can affect some third-party tools that log in with a username and password to perform screen scraping, and Amazon recommends checking whether the same functions are available through the Selling Partner API (SP-API) or reports. Grant access to third-party providers from "Manage Your Services" (サービスの管理) under User Permissions. The access you grant is valid only for the service period you selected.

First steps if you suspect account takeover or phishing

If you receive a one-time passcode or sign-in notification you didn't request, or notice changes you don't recognize, someone else may know your password. If you can log in, reset your password right away with Password Assistance and check the email account you have registered as well. If your password or registered email has already been changed and you can't log in, contact Customer Service through "Other issues with Sign-In" on the login screen to recover access. If a suspicious email or SMS started it, check things in the following order.

1. Don't act through links in emails or SMS: Open the official website, app, or Seller Central yourself and check there. Do not give out selling account or bank account information by replying to an email or on a linked page.
2. Confirm whether the message is genuine: Emails sent by Amazon.co.jp can be checked in the Message Center (メッセージセンター). If you can't tell, submit the message through the "Verify a communication" (連絡を検証する) form or forward it to verify@amazon.co.jp to check.
3. Reset your password: Reset it from Password Assistance or a similar option on a site or app you opened yourself. For a security alert shown within the app, you can also proceed from "This wasn't me" (私ではありません), but for an alert that arrived by email, first confirm that the same message appears in the Message Center before taking action.
4. Report it according to your situation: The form for reporting suspicious communications offers different options depending on whether you shared no information, shared account or bank account information, or allowed remote access, among others.
5. Contact other relevant parties too: If you entered card details on a suspicious site, also contact your card issuer.

Once you can log in, check your registered email address, mobile phone number, two-step verification devices, and passkeys, and for selling accounts the User Permissions list, for any additions or changes you don't recognize.

Creating a sense of urgency, asking for login information, and asking for payment outside Amazon or with gift cards are red flags for impersonation, and Amazon is said never to ask for your password or verification passcode unprompted. If you may have been harmed, also consider contacting a police consultation service (for non-emergencies, a police station or #9110) or a lawyer. If you are unsure whether an email asking you to verify your identity is genuine, How to proceed when you receive a seller account verification email may also help.

Preparing to contact Amazon: what to tell them and what not to do

If the steps you can try yourself don't solve the problem, contact the channel that fits your situation.

Situation	Channel to use
You can't log in at all (buyer or selling account)	"Account & Login Issues," opened from "Other issues with Sign-In" on the login screen
You can't receive two-step verification codes	Request a reset by submitting your ID through "Two-Step Verification account recovery"
You can log in, but have a display, permissions, or suspension issue (selling account)	The primary account administrator for permissions, Account Health for suspensions, and Contact Us within Seller Central for anything else

The "Account & Login Issues" page shows the options "Email" and "Phone." Check the actual screen for what happens after you choose and for hours of availability.

Contact Us within Seller Central has guidelines, and if you don't follow them, your case may be closed. There is also a note that in many language settings you can contact Technical Support directly through "Seller Assistant" (セラーアシスタント).

• First check the situation in your Case Log, and create one case per issue
• Don't create a new case for the same issue while it is under review; if you have questions about a closed case, reopen it
• For a case where you were told there will be "no further action," don't reopen it or create a new one
• Flag time-sensitive issues as "urgent"

How to structure what you say is also covered in How to organize a request to Technical Support. Below is a sample message from a buyer who can no longer use the contact details used for sign-in verification (a hypothetical example, not a real case). Rewrite it to fit your own situation.

I am contacting you about logging in to my Amazon.co.jp account. Around [month/day], when I tried to sign in from a new smartphone, I was asked to enter an authentication passcode sent to my registered email address. I can no longer receive email at this address because I canceled my internet provider, and I no longer use the mobile phone number registered on the account either.
I have already checked my account information and tried resending the code. Please let me know the procedure for recovering access and the information required to verify my identity.

On the other hand, avoid the following.

• Telling anyone your password or verification code: This includes people advising you and outside service providers. Even if a family member's phone is your backup method, only ask them for the code when you are logging in yourself, and do not tell them your password. If you want someone else to handle the work, issue each person their own login through User Permissions.
• Contacting a "support desk" that turned up in search results or an email: Use a channel opened from Amazon's official website or app, or from within Seller Central.
• Altering the contents of your ID: Help tells you to cover sensitive information such as account numbers, but you must not submit a document in which your name, address, or other details have been edited.
• Creating a new selling account to keep selling: This violates the Seller Code of Conduct mentioned above and could make your situation even worse.

Review after it's resolved: a checklist for your authentication methods

Once you can log in again, review your authentication methods. Amazon recommends setting up a passkey, switching to two-step verification, and registering both a mobile phone number and an email address, and says accounts with only an email address are more vulnerable to attack.

Pay special attention when you switch phones or change your phone number. In Seller Central, you must receive a code and verify before changing your two-step verification settings. Register the new device in Advanced Security Settings (高度なセキュリティ設定) while the old device still works, and only give up the old one after confirming that codes arrive on the new one; doing things in this order makes it easier to avoid needing a reset. Run this check every time you switch phones or a team member changes roles.

Frequently asked questions

Q. I've requested a two-step verification reset. What should I do while I wait for the result?

A. You will receive an email when two-step verification is disabled, so check the spam folder and receiving settings for your registered email. Have a device ready to use as soon as it's done (a mobile phone that can receive SMS, or an authenticator app), and set up two-step verification again once you log in.

Q. Does not being able to log in mean my account has been suspended?

A. You can't tell from being unable to log in alone. For a buyer account, check for notices such as your "account is on hold"; for a selling account, check what Account Health shows and any emails you received, and separate authentication problems from suspension or restriction problems.

Q. If I change my buyer account password, does my Seller Central password change too?

A. Yes, if you log in with the same email address. If you have third-party tools or other services that use those login credentials, you may need to update their settings.

Q. Only an employee (secondary user) can't log in. What should I check?

A. Check that person's two-step verification device and how they receive codes. If they can log in but can't see some pages, ask the primary account administrator to confirm that the necessary permissions have been granted in User Permissions. Also confirm that the email address used for the invitation is not being used by any other Amazon account.

Summary

The starting point is to confirm the screen where you got stuck and to think separately about buyer versus selling accounts, and about authentication versus selling privileges.

• Record the screen where you got stuck and the exact message, and start by reviewing what you entered
• For buyer accounts: if you're stuck at the password, go to Password Assistance. If you're stuck at a code, try resending it; if it's a two-step verification code, use your backup method and then a reset, and if you haven't set up two-step verification, contact Customer Service. For an "on hold" notice, confirm it's genuine before taking action
• In Seller Central, two-step verification is mandatory and codes are not sent by email. Set up backup methods, and watch for announcements about passkeys becoming mandatory
• If a suspension or restriction appears after login, appeal from Account Health. Keep the process and records separate from restoring authentication
• Review any shared or dual-use login credentials, and never tell anyone your password or verification code

If you still can't figure out what is going on after trying these steps, organize the messages you saw and the sequence of events, then consult Amazon through its official channels. If a login problem and a suspension notice overlap, first restore authentication so you can log in, then check what Account Health shows and the deadlines in the notices.

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

Further reading

When you cannot use your Amazon buyer account: checking the reason for a suspension or temporary suspension and preparing a support inquiry Read article → Amazon Seller Central authorization errors: checking login status and recovery steps Read article → Responding to Amazon misconduct warnings: preparing for additional virtual identity verification Read article →