Your Amazon account was suspended even though you did nothing: just after registration, after inactivity, or with no idea why

Amazon Seller Reinstatement Support ("we" below) is not an official Amazon contact channel and has no ownership or partnership relationship with Amazon. This article is for sellers who have been told their selling account is suspended even though they don't recall any violation, and who don't know what has happened.

To give the answer first: even when you have no idea why, the first place to check is Performance Notifications. The reason for the suspension and the next steps may be written in the notification. Official Help states that even if your Account Health Rating is "Healthy," Amazon will suspend an account where required by law, where a policy not covered by the rating has been violated, and in other such cases. In addition, events that are not violations, such as a change of address or bank account or an expired card, can also lead to a verification process.

This article is based on our explanatory articles (which draw on Help and other sources we checked as of September 2026) and on Seller Central's official Help, which we checked on October 17, 2026. Policies and screens can change, so please also check the notice you received and the latest Help.

Our role is to prepare submission drafts and advise on revisions. You log in to your account and handle appeals and submissions to Amazon yourself.

First steps: three things to check today

• Without using the links in the email, open Seller Central yourself and look at Performance Notifications and the Account Health page
• Check whether what was stopped is your entire account, some of your listings, or your seller-fulfilled shipping
• Copy the wording of the reason in the notification without paraphrasing it, and note the documents requested and the deadline

Situations in which it tends to feel like "I didn't do anything"

The following table lists, drawing on our articles and official Help, situations in which sellers tend to feel they received a suspension or verification notice without having committed any violation. Use it not to decide the cause, but to get a sense of which situation your notification is closest to.

Situation	How it appears in the notification or on screen	What to check first
Just after registration, before listing anything	The identity verification at the end of registration has not been completed. A request to resubmit documents has arrived at your registered email address	The registration screen and your email. If Verify Account (アカウントを確認) appears under Catalog (カタログ) > View Listing Applications (出品申請を表示), that is the status you are in
You changed your address, bank account, or phone number, or your card expired	You are asked for documents as part of a "Seller Performance review" (出品者パフォーマンスの審査)	Submit New Information (新しい情報を送信) on the Account Health page, and Performance Notifications
You noticed a suspension notice after a long period without listing	When you logged in for the first time in a long while, it showed that you were suspended	The reason in Performance Notifications. If you had only paused your listings yourself, there will be no suspension notice from Amazon
A link to another account you don't recognize	It says the account is "related to another account." Only part of the related account's name is shown	Whether another account in your name (including an unused overseas one) still exists
An intellectual property warning for a product you have never listed	You received a rights infringement notice	Your own listing history. If you have never listed the product, reply to the notice and say so
A notice about suspected misconduct	You may be asked for a video call for identity verification (virtual identity verification)	The booking link in your latest Performance Notification
Settings or listings changed without your knowledge	Listings you don't recognize, or changes to your address or email	Email settings, payment information, User Permissions, store information, and listings

If you can't tell which situation your notification is closest to, you can send us the text of the notification on LINE (see the consultation box at the end of this article).

The order in which to check

STEP1. Confirm whether the notification is genuine

Without using the links in the email, look for the same notification in Seller Central that you open yourself, from a bookmark or similar. On the other hand, there are also posts by sellers who deleted a genuine warning thinking it was fake, and found a violation on their Account Health page the next day. Neither ignore it nor act through the links; confirm it on the screen.

STEP2. Write down what was stopped and why

The screen you open and where you file an appeal depend on whether what was stopped is your entire account, some of your listings, or your seller-fulfilled shipping. Copy the reason in the notification word for word, without putting it in your own words.

STEP3. Check whether Amazon is waiting for a response from you

Even if "Under review" continues to be shown, there may be an unanswered request left somewhere on the screens. Look in turn at View Account Health Requests (アカウント健全性の要請を見る), the "Next steps" section on the same page, Performance Notifications, and your case history. The Notification Center shows notifications from the past 30 days, and notifications may be going to an address you no longer use.

STEP4. Check for signs of unauthorized access

Official Help advises that if there are changes you don't recognize, you should change your password, check whether there have been changes to your email address settings, payment information, User Permissions, store information, and listings, and report it to Technical Support.

STEP5. Submit through the entry point that matches the reason

For a suspension of your entire account, file an appeal from Reactivate Your Selling Account (出品用アカウントの再開) on the Account Health page. A response is said to take up to about two days, but this is a guideline for receiving a response, not the timing of reinstatement. For a verification of your registration information, submit documents by following the guidance in the notification or on the Account Health page. The review takes up to 2 business days from receipt of the documents, and you cannot list until it is complete.

How to check, by situation

Your account was stopped just after registration

The review of the identity verification at the end of registration is said to take up to 2 business days according to Help, and around 3 business days according to a seller-facing page. Help asks you not to resubmit documents or file repeat appeals during the review. If you are asked to resubmit and do not respond within 30 days, your registration process will be terminated. For sellers whose identity verification suspension continues, Amazon staff have advised that if Verify Account (アカウントを確認) under Catalog (カタログ) > View Listing Applications (出品申請を表示) is under review, they should wait for a response, and if the item is not there, they should open a case.

An account you had not used for a long time was stopped

Even if it seems the account was stopped because you had not been listing, Amazon staff have replied that the reason for the suspension and the steps for reinstatement are written in Performance Notifications. Do not assume that not listing for a long time was the cause; look at the reason in the notification. With an account that has been unused for years, you may be unable to use the Two-Step Verification phone or your registered email address and get stuck at the login stage.

If you had only paused your listings yourself, there will be no suspension notice from Amazon. In that case, switch your listing status back to "Active" (出品中) under Store status (ストアのステータス).

You were asked for verification after changing your address or bank account

Changing the address, bank account, or phone number you originally registered, or having card information that is out of date or unusable, can trigger a Seller Performance review. Even if it is not a violation, it is a process during which you cannot list until the verification is complete. Prepare the requested documents so that the name and address match your registration information. While your card is shown as invalid, you also cannot list, manage inventory, or receive your sales proceeds.

Your account was stopped for a "link" you don't recognize

Amazon has not made public what it uses to decide that accounts are related. First, check whether another account in your name still exists. Accounts registered in other regions are automatically linked to the original account, so overseas accounts you no longer use are also included. Also check whether an overseas registration you abandoned partway through is still left as "Registration pending" (登録保留中). If you look and find nothing, rather than flatly stating "There is no connection," writing what scope you checked and how makes what you confirmed easier to understand.

If you think the suspension is a mistake

Even if you think the suspension itself is a mistake, explain it by following the guidance on the Account Health page, together with your grounds and supporting documents. "I didn't do anything" alone is something the reviewers cannot verify. Write down separately the screens you checked, the dates, the facts you found, and the facts you did not find.

What not to do in a hurry

• Opening a new account and continuing to sell: While you have a suspended account, it does not fall under the exception to the one-account-per-region rule.
• Hurriedly changing your registration information regardless of the notice: Changing your address, bank account, or phone number can itself trigger a new review. Make any requested corrections, and fix information that did not reflect reality, by following the guidance in the notice.
• Sending the same documents again and again: Help cautions against sending documents repeatedly without allowing enough time, and against resending inaccurate documents.
• Taking action through links in emails: Amazon will never ask you to confirm confidential information by email.
• Recreating or altering documents: For documents you do not have, ask the issuer for a proper reissue.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Why would Amazon suspend my account when I haven't done anything?

A. The reason differs from notice to notice. The first place to check is Performance Notifications. Official Help states that even if your rating is "Healthy," Amazon will suspend an account where required by law, where a policy not covered by the rating has been violated, and in other such cases. A verification process may also be triggered by a change of address or bank account, for example. First, copy the reason in the notification word for word.

Q. I only just registered and haven't listed a single product, but my account was stopped.

A. Check whether you are in the middle of the identity verification at the end of registration. During the review, do not resubmit documents, and if a request to resubmit has arrived at your registered email address, respond within 30 days.

Q. An account I had not used for years turned out to be suspended.

A. Do not assume that not using it for a long time was the cause; log in and first check the reason on the notifications screen. If you cannot log in, first regain access to your Two-Step Verification phone and your registered email address.

Q. My Account Health is green (Healthy), but my account was stopped.

A. Official Help states that even if it is Healthy, an account will be suspended where required by law, where fraud, deception, or similar conduct is suspected, or where a policy not covered by the rating has been violated. Check the reason given in the notification.

Q. The notification gives almost no reason.

A. The agreement provides that, as a general rule, a suspension is notified together with the reason and the options for appeal, but there are exceptions, such as when doing so would hinder the investigation or prevention of fraud. Check the violation or products concerned in Product Policy Compliance (商品規約の遵守) and on the Account Health page.

Q. I can't find anything in Performance Notifications.

A. The Notification Center shows notifications from the past 30 days. Also check whether notifications are being sent to an address you no longer use. Some genuine notices arrive only by email. If you can't find it on the screen, confirm through Account Health Support (Professional sellers only) or Technical Support.

Q. I think the suspension is a mistake. What should I write?

A. Explain it by following the guidance on the Account Health page, together with your grounds for thinking it is a mistake and documents that support them. Writing separately the screens and dates you checked, the facts you found, and the facts you did not find makes what you confirmed easier to understand.

Summary

• Even when you have no idea why, the first place to check is Performance Notifications. The reason for the suspension and the next steps may be written in the notification.
• There are situations in which an account is stopped even though you don't recall any violation, such as identity verification just after registration, verification triggered by a change of address or bank account, and a link to an account you don't recognize.
• Check in this order: whether the notification is genuine, what was stopped and why, whether any request remains unanswered, and whether there are signs of unauthorized access.
• Avoid opening a new account, hurriedly changing your registration information, and resending the same documents.

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

Further reading

From Amazon account suspension to an appeal: reviewing the notice and planning your response Read article → Revisiting an old Amazon account suspension: organizing past notices and current evidence Read article → An Amazon seller account verification email: steps for identity verification Read article →