really getting sick of Amazon's Bots flagging items as prohibited.

Lately we have been getting account warnings for prohibited items which are not.
So I thought I would make a list of Amazon stupidity

According to Amazon

This is a pesticide (maybe when moving at 55MPH if an insect hits it)

This is a flashlight

baton made for hitting people

This is a Lithium ion Battery (batteries are not included and it says that on the listing)

This is an anti choking device

The same item in different colors violates the Amazon variation rules

First aid kits that contain no liquids (just gauze, tourniquets, gloves) require MSDS

This is a spring loaded blade (it has a folding blade with a spring loaded window punch)

Each of these I keep getting the same warnings, provide documentation, eventually get resolved and they keep getting flagged. This is this year alone.

I have removed each listing because it isn’t worth the headache anymore.

Yet I seem Amazon going crazy with advertisements for sellers to sell on Amazon and how “easy” it is.

Amazon sells that exact knife at the same price as on the manufacturer’s site and there are two other sellers on the listing who’s price is above the Amazon price.

Do you run your own listing of this product? If you do, why are you not selling on the listing that is connected to the brand name?

In the 1990’s, I was a district manager for a cutlery chain. We sold a similar knife that (if I remember right) was made by SOG (Special Operations Group) and they were very popular (although more expensive than this one).

I did, but as I said I deleted it.

That is the other catch 22 each individual seller has to prove it doesn’t violate policy. I have seen it so many times, I will get the violation but it’s still listed for other sellers.

Not anything which should not be expected. Everything has gone according to Amazon’s plan.

I’ve had a couple of books removed lately for being “in violation of our Content Guidelines for Books”

I guess that traveling to the Azores or Vietnam is somehow offensive; both were travel guides (I think one was Lonely Planet, not sure about the other; but since listings are gone, can’t check without pulling the physical book, and I’m too lazy to do that right now).

I have the option to appeal, but both were very close to my minimum price to even list, so not gonna worry about it. But I wonder what other books the AI is going to decide are in violation. (also wonder what corrupt data the AI has been trained on to decide that travel guides from major publishers are a problem)

Are these items getting randomly flagged, or is this the result of a complaint by a malicious competitor?

It has to do with keywords

The light bar is UV resistant this is important because if it isn’t it gets brittle and cracks

The knife is because of the “spring-loaded” window punch

The flashlight because it is powered by a li-om battery.

I can’t even remove the keywords because I don’t have control over the page.

Have other 3Ps also been affected, do you know?

Did you do any advertising for these ASINs?

No idea, The item is still listed for sale

I don’t use Amazon advertising, I give them enough money