Amazon Seller Reinstatement Support (hereafter "we") is not an official Amazon contact channel and has no ownership or partnership relationship with Amazon. This article is for sellers on Amazon who offer Amazon Points or coupons, or show reference prices or sale prices, and whose listings have been stopped or who have received a warning about prices or points.
To give the answer first: Amazon's policies prohibit points worth more than 50% of the product price, and also prohibit coupons worth more than 50% of the product price. Coupons can be offered by Professional sellers whose seller rating meets Amazon's threshold, and only on products that have been available for sale on Amazon for at least 14 days at the time the coupon is offered. A reference price can only be the current price, such as the manufacturer's suggested retail price; past or future selling prices cannot be shown. Help describes the action under each policy; for points or coupons worth more than 50%, it includes temporarily suspending listings, suspending the account, and withholding sales proceeds (holding them, in the coupon policy). If you receive a notification, first check the text for the products concerned and the reason, then review the settings that apply. Any action is decided by Amazon.
This article is based on the Seller Central Help pages "Amazon Points Program Terms" (Amazon ポイントサービス利用規約), "Amazon Coupons Terms" (Amazonクーポン利用規約), "Merchants@amazon.co.jp Listing Rules" (Merchants@amazon.co.jp商品登録ルール), "Amazon Fair Pricing Policy" (Amazonストアにおける適正な価格設定に関するポリシー) and others, checked on 19 October 2026. It is not an explanation of laws such as the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (景品表示法) themselves, but a summary of what Amazon's Help says. Screen names and requirements can change, so please also check the latest Help.
What we handle is preparing and revising submission drafts. You log in to your account and handle appeals and submissions to Amazon yourself.
Rules for points: points worth more than 50% of the product price are prohibited
The Help page "Amazon Points Program Terms" says that a seller is deemed to have agreed to these terms at the point they decide to offer Amazon Points on a product. How points are offered and what they cost are as follows.
| Item | What Help says |
|---|---|
| How points are offered | The seller sets the points rate for each product they list |
| Limit | Offering points worth more than 50% of the product price is prohibited |
| Seller's cost | When confirmed points are given to the buyer, the seller pays Amazon 1 yen per point. This may be deducted from amounts Amazon pays the seller under other agreements |
| Referral fees | Calculated on the purchase amount minus the points |
| Cancellations and returns | For a cancellation or return after confirmed points have been given, 1 yen per point is refunded to the seller |
| Expiry | If the buyer's points expire, for example at the end of their validity period or when the account is closed, nothing is refunded to the seller |
Help says that when using points, sellers must comply with laws such as the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, and that the seller is responsible for any violation of the law.
The default points rate is 1%: change it in Points Central
According to Help, the account-level points rate is 1% by default. It is applied to all listings when you newly register for the Professional selling plan, and to newly created listings when they become "Active" (出品中). You can change the account-level points rate, or change or remove the points rate for individual listings, from Points Central (ポイントセントラル) at any time and as often as you like. You can check listing by listing in Points Central that no unintended points rate has been applied.
Conditions for the Points DEAL badge
The Help page "Amazon Points DEAL" (AmazonポイントDEAL) explains that if you offer a higher points rate than now for a limited period and lower the effective price (the selling price minus the points), a "Points DEAL" (ポイントDEAL) badge may appear in search results and on the product detail page. The main conditions for the badge are: the listing was submitted from a Points DEAL invitation or set up under "Points Promotions" (ポイントプロモーション) in Points Central; the points rate is higher than the current points rate; the effective price is lower than the past price taking points into account; the seller rating and the product's review star rating meet the thresholds; and seller-fulfilled products have free shipping. The points given through Points DEAL are ordinary points, and the seller bears the cost as usual.
Rules for coupons: available for sale for at least 14 days, no more than 50%, and raising prices just before
The Help page "Amazon Coupons Terms" is a supplement to the selling agreement. Applying for a coupon means you are deemed to have agreed to these terms.
| Item | What Help says |
|---|---|
| Sellers who can take part | Have a Professional seller account, with a seller rating that meets the threshold set by Amazon |
| Eligible products | Products that have been available for sale on Amazon for at least 14 days at the time the coupon is offered |
| Limit | Coupons worth more than 50% of the product price are prohibited |
| Cost | The full coupon discount you applied for, plus a redemption fee each time a buyer redeems the coupon |
| Budget | If 80% of the budget is reached before the coupon's end date, the coupon is no longer shown to new buyers. Buyers who clipped it before it stopped being shown can redeem it for about 30 minutes. No refund is given if actual use exceeds the budget |
Raising the price just before a coupon may violate the law
Help says that sellers must comply with laws such as the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, and then gives an example: raising the price above the price you were selling at without a coupon just before applying a coupon, and then applying the coupon, may violate the law.
This is not a Help rule but our own way of organizing the point: if you change prices around the time you create a coupon, keeping a note of the date and the price makes it easier to check against a notification if one arrives.
Amazon may also stop a coupon
According to Help, Amazon may change or stop a coupon created by a seller at its own discretion and without notice. If a coupon suddenly stops being shown, also check whether 80% of the budget has been reached.
Rules for reference prices and sale prices: what to check when showing comparison pricing
The Help page "Merchants@amazon.co.jp Listing Rules" says that there are two main types of comparison price (比較対照価格): the list price and the past price (was price). Comparison pricing (二重価格), which shows the pre-sale price next to the current price, is also checked against these rules.
Prices that can and cannot be shown as a reference price
According to the Help page "Prohibited seller activities and actions, and seller obligations" (出品者の禁止活動および行為、ならびに遵守事項), what can be shown in the reference price field is a price that a manufacturer, wholesaler or similar has made widely known to consumers (the manufacturer's suggested retail price) or widely known to retailers (the suggested retail price), and it must be the current price.
Conversely, the following prices cannot be shown as a reference price.
- A price specially offered only to a very small number of retailers
- A past selling price or a future selling price
- The price of a product that is not recognized as the same as that product
The Help page "Product detail page rules" (商品詳細ページの規則) says that the reference price or suggested retail price shown should be a price that the manufacturer recommends and that retailers actually use as the selling price in their stores. It says that sellers are responsible for checking that the price is accurate and current, and asks that the field be left blank if there is no price that meets the conditions. The Help page "Parallel imports" (並行輸入品) prohibits showing the price of the authorized product as the comparison price for a parallel-import product (with an exception for the fashion category).
The past price is the median selling price over the last 90 days
The past price is calculated automatically and changes over time. Unless otherwise indicated, it is the median of the selling prices at which the product actually sold over the last 90 days, regardless of seller. Sales at discounts from limited-time deals, prices paid in the Amazon Haul store or the Amazon Now store, business prices and similar are not included in the calculation. For products with variations such as different sizes or colors, the past price shown may include all the variations, and the discount percentage is shown in 1% steps, rounded to the nearest whole number.
Four rules for sale prices
| Rule | What Help says |
|---|---|
| Sales history | A sale price cannot be set for a product that has had no sales history on the Amazon site for at least the 2 weeks immediately before the sale price is set |
| Period | From the sale start date to the end date, up to 1 month at most, unless Amazon decides otherwise |
| Law | The price must comply with laws such as the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations |
| After the sale | Setting a price lower than the regular selling price within 2 weeks of the end of the sale may violate the law |
The rules on product names in the same Help page also say not to include words such as "sale" (セール), "% off" (OFF率), "super cheap" (激安) or "free shipping" (送料無料) in product names.
Action taken when a violation is found: temporary suspension of listings, account suspension, withholding of sales proceeds
Help describes, for each rule, the action Amazon may take. In each case it is worded as "action Amazon considers appropriate", including the following.
| What is found to be a violation | Action described in Help |
|---|---|
| Points worth more than 50% of the product price | Temporary suspension of listings, suspension or closure of the selling account, withholding of sales proceeds, and similar |
| Coupons worth more than 50% of the product price | Temporary suspension of listings, suspension or termination of the selling account, holding of sales proceeds, and similar |
| Misleading representations such as sale prices | Removing eligibility to take part in future deals, removing product pages, temporarily stopping listings, permanently suspending selling privileges, and similar |
| Pricing that harms buyer trust | Removal of the Featured Offer, removal of listings, temporary suspension of shipping options. In serious or repeated cases, temporary suspension or removal of selling privileges |
The Help page "Amazon Fair Pricing Policy" gives, as examples of pricing that harms buyer trust, a misleading comparison price, a price significantly higher than recent selling prices on or off Amazon, a per-unit price in a multi-pack that is higher than the single item, and excessive shipping fees.
If you receive a notification, or your listings are stopped, reviewing the following points makes things easier to sort out.
- In the text of the notification, which products are concerned, and which rule the stated reason falls under
- In Points Central, whether the points rate for any listing is more than 50% of the product price
- Whether any coupon discount is more than 50% of the product price, and whether the products concerned have been available for sale for at least 14 days
- Whether you raised the price just before applying a coupon
- Whether you entered a past selling price, or a price without a basis, in the reference price field
- Whether there are at least 2 weeks of sales history immediately before the sale price, whether the period is within 1 month, and whether you lowered the price below the regular selling price within 2 weeks of the end of the sale
- When you made bulk changes, for example with an upload file, whether any unintended prices or points were entered
The appeal process for working toward lifting stopped listings is covered in the article on listing suspensions, and an overview of conduct found to violate the policies is covered in the article on Seller Code of Conduct and policy warnings.
What we can do about points, coupons and reference prices
Changing points rates, coupons or prices, and submitting appeals, are procedures you carry out yourself from Seller Central. We do not log in to your account or send anything on your behalf.
What we help with is reviewing the notification you received and copies of your Points Central, coupon and price settings screens to sort out which settings did not meet the rules, and preparing and revising the draft of the explanation for an appeal if your listings or account have been stopped.
Whether the action is lifted and sales resume is decided by Amazon, and we cannot promise an outcome. For cases we consider difficult, we tell you so before you engage us, to the extent known at that point.
Our fee is the same for every engagement: an initial fee of 80,000 yen plus a success fee of 80,000 yen (both including tax), paid by bank transfer. The initial fee is payable regardless of the outcome; the success fee is charged when the purpose of the engagement, such as reinstatement of the account, is achieved. If it is not achieved, no success fee is charged. Consultations are free, as often as you need.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Up to what percentage can I offer points?
A. Help prohibits offering points worth more than 50% of the product price. The default points rate is 1%, and you can change it at any time from Points Central. When you raise the rate, for example for Points DEAL, check that it does not go above 50%.
Q. Why are there products I can't apply a coupon to?
A. Help requires that the product has been available for sale on Amazon for at least 14 days at the time the coupon is offered, and that you are a Professional seller with a seller rating that meets Amazon's threshold. Coupons cannot be applied to products that have only just been listed.
Q. Can I show my own previous selling price as the reference price?
A. Help says that past or future selling prices cannot be shown as a reference price. The reference price is the current price, such as the manufacturer's suggested retail price, that the manufacturer recommends and that retailers actually use as the selling price. It is separate from the past price, which is calculated automatically. If there is no price that meets the conditions, Help asks that the field be left blank.
Q. Can a points or coupon violation stop my sales proceeds?
A. Help lists, as action for offering points or coupons worth more than 50%, withholding of sales proceeds (holding them, in the coupon policy) alongside temporary suspension of listings and suspension of the account. Which action is actually taken is decided by Amazon.
Q. Where can I check whether I am violating the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations?
A. We do not make judgments on the law itself. The Help page "Merchants@amazon.co.jp Listing Rules" lists Consumer Affairs Agency materials as references (such as its views on unfair price representations under the Act). For legal judgments, please check these materials or consult a contact that handles legal matters.
Summary
- Help prohibits points worth more than 50% of the product price, and also prohibits coupons worth more than 50% of the product price.
- Coupons can be applied by Professional sellers whose seller rating meets Amazon's threshold, to products that have been available for sale for at least 14 days. Raising the price just before applying a coupon may violate the law.
- A reference price can only be the current price, such as the manufacturer's suggested retail price; past or future selling prices cannot be shown.
- A sale price requires at least 2 weeks of sales history immediately before, and the period is up to 1 month at most. Lowering the price below the regular selling price within 2 weeks of the end of the sale may violate the law.
- Help describes the action under each policy; for points or coupons worth more than 50%, it includes temporarily suspending listings, suspending the account, and withholding sales proceeds. Which action is taken is decided by Amazon.
When you aren't sure about a notification about points, coupons or reference prices
We are not an official Amazon contact channel and have no ownership or partnership relationship with Amazon. You can send us the text of the notification you received from Amazon, or your points, coupon and price settings screens, on LINE (a screenshot is fine). We help you sort out which settings to correct and how, and prepare and revise the draft of the explanation to send to Amazon. You log in to your account and handle appeals and submissions to Amazon yourself. Whether the action is lifted and reinstatement are decided by Amazon, and we cannot promise an outcome. Consultations are free, as often as you need.
Please do not send your login ID, password, or verification code.
Free consultation, 24/7 *This article provides a general explanation. The appropriate response in individual cases depends on the circumstances.
Further reading
Amazon Seller Agreement and Code of Conduct warnings: identifying conduct deemed a policy violation and corrective steps Read article → 
Responding to Amazon sales-rank manipulation allegations: checking orders and promotions Read article → 
Amazon's Specified Commercial Transactions Act disclosure: how to show your address, phone number and person responsible, and the action taken if you don't Read article →