"Used Sold As New Turns into Inauthentic" Need help with a POA Please

Account Health Product Authenticity and Condition
1

Hi fellow sellers; I need your advice for dealing with Amazon seller performance; one of my products got taken down by Amazon, initially for a “Selling Used items as New” but then turned into an authenticity issue. I haven’t had any problem for years until now, and I’m not sure what to do as they are being very vague; I’m not sure how to deal with this further.

This is the initial email I received:

"We removed some of your listings because we have concerns about the product condition of the item(s) listed at the end of this email.

Why is this happening?

In order to ensure that customers can shop with confidence on Amazon, we routinely request additional documentation from sellers to verify their account information and confirm the product condition of certain items. Products listed in “New” condition are expected to arrive in brand new, unopened condition with no signs of damage or wear. Customers may perceive an item as used if the product has been opened, contains previous user data, or shows other signs of use such as scratches, dirt, or scuffs.

Complaint type: USED SOLD AS NEW

ASIN: B074WG63NL

Title: 6pc Cabinet Scraper Set for Woodworking

-------------------------------------"

I submitted an appeal explaining the issue, which is basically a manufacturer defect in the latest batch we received from them; Amazon got back to me and requested manufacturers’ invoices from the past year; I provided all the invoices straight from the manufacturer of this item.

They got back to me with this:

"Hello,

We received your submission but do not have sufficient information to reactivate your listings.

Why did this happen?

You have not sent us sufficient information that we previously requested from you. We requested this information to address the complaints we received about the authenticity of your items. For privacy reasons, we do not provide details about our investigation methods.

What happens now?

Your listings will remain deactivated. If we receive more complaints about your listings, we may deactivate your Amazon seller account.

Complaint type: USN

ASIN: B074WG63NL

It started with a Used product sold as new, and by looking at the customer complaints, it seems to be the main issue, But it looks like now they are saying it’s not authentic; I provided the invoices I have, but not sure why are they not accepting the invoices, all the info on the listing seems to be correct, invoices are from the manufacturer of the item, can someone shed light on this?

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2

Red Flag - You product does not have the graphics on it.

There are 3 main areas for you.

  1. Supplier is not authorized by ROK (these may not even be from ROK)
  2. Invoices are the wrong type
  3. Invoices are incomplete

ETA

Going from UaN to Inauthentic is not unusual. I’ve seen it many times before.

I don’t think you need a PoA yet.

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3

This listing?
6pc Cabinet Scraper Set for Woodworking - - Amazon.com

Because of this customer?

image

I’m wondering if it’s your manufacturer Being listed as Holland Imports? Instead of ROK or ROK Tools like the other ROK listings?

Can you reach out to the manufacturer for a COA/LOA?

4

Hi Oneida, I understand what you mean but the supplier is the brand owner, and the Invoices are pdf invoices basically the same as any other supplier they are complete with all the information about the product like line items and part numbers (which matches the listing) and all the supplier, like contact info, address, and website, etc.

They are, however, scanned documents (this is how they send it to me) they look fine to me, but do you think that may be the problem?

5

I forgot to add they do arrive in full branded packaging, but they stopped printing the logo on the actual scraper, of course the review is not showing you the packaging

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6

yes one of them, we did have a problem with a defective batch though

Do you think it would help to get a COA/LOA? they did not specifically ask for that

7

They scan the invoices and send to you as PDF? That’s a bit odd.

If they really have all the info… then what you really need is a printed doc you can take a cell pic of to submit. Sometimes though after invoices are not accepted it can be tough. That is when you need the LOA to submit with them.

Example

[COMPANY LETTERHEAD REQUIRED HERE]

Date: ____________
Subject: Letter of Authorization

_____________________ hereby appoints Amazon Seller “______________”, whose information is provided below, as an authorized reseller of our Brand _______________ for and in the United States of America Marketplace.

“______________” is hereby fully authorized to use our brand _____________ for the activities of selling, reselling and advertising as needed on Amazon.com.

Seller:
{STORENAME}
{MERCHANT TOKEN / SELLER ID}
{ADDRESS}
{PHONE}
{EMAIL - same as Amazon Primary Email}

“____________” must import the products from __________________ directly. Any other channel of importing {…brand…} products or another source will not be within the scope of this authorization.

{This authorization shall remain in effect until our notification in writing (either by postal mail, e-mail, or facsimile transmission) that the authorization is revoked.}

… OR …

{This authorization shall remain in effect from ____________ until ____________.}

Please contact our office at _______________, for further clarification, or if any other information is needed.

Authorizing party
__ {…company…} __

_____ {…signature…} _____
(Owner / Representative)

__________________________
(Printed Name)

__________________________
(Date)

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8

That is of course problematic too.

I do think that it might be time.

@Oneida has provided about the best boilerplate LOA, I have seen. I can’t stress that it must be on the Brand/Manufacturer’s corporate letterhead enough.

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9

I read the reviews for this product.

IMO which may sound cruel, you do not want this product to be reinstated. If your account has not been deactivated you want this interchange to end before your account is deactivated.

This product has clearly become unmarketable to anyone who takes the time to read reviews, and has way too much competition. Even the positive reviews show weakness of the product.

It need not be your fault, but the product has been poisoned by its manufacturer.

I would pursue return and refund to the manufacturer.

This is no longer an Amazon process problem, this is a business strategy issue.

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10

@ lake yes, I agree, a lot of the reviews are misinformed as it is not a product that can be used right out of the box;( it’s not a scraper in the traditional sense), Definitly Not a good thing for Amazon lol but some of the issues like rust and residue is a manufacturer problem, and I’m tired of it (last straw).

Most likely, I will discontinue it, but I still want to deal with this issue and get it reinstated first, as I don’t want to have inauthentic issues on my account, its BS.

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11

It looks like this is what I need to do

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12

That is your decision to make, but your decision reflects and affects your business reputation and your Amazon account.

Good luck.

13

Yes. ANY type of violation needs to be cleared, even if you don’t continue to sell it.

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14

➙ Writing an Amazon Account Health appeal

This was posted on the NSFE; would this be considered a Product Condition Customer Complaint?
If so, then according to Amz @SuperA_Seller would need to submit a POA.

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➙ My response on that thread

However, what I was getting at is basically what that thread is about - Amazon’s current use of “Radio Buttons” or “Request for invoices (only)” on certain violations.

Based on experience across pretty much all violations - Sometimes now it takes several denied invoices to get to the clear request/option for a PoA. It’s all in what @SuperA_Seller sees when he goes to “Submit additional information.”

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16

Although I rarely disagree with @oneida_books, I suspect that prolonging this situation is not in your interest,

This can escalate, and @Medic interpretation might be correct.

But I feel that this manufacturer issue is also YOUR issue since you should have never shipped any product, to FBA or a buyer which had rusted.

If you choose to send a POA it should include inspection of all shipments and rejection all all product with rust or visible residues. This, of course, would preclude all products which are shipped direct from your supplier to FBA. And that opens another can of worms.

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17

Nice Reposnse!!

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You got a well-deserved shoutout for being a skilled fact-checker and editor. :wink:

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18

:rofl: … “fact-checker”

No, I’ve just worked a few hundred suspensions and know what the Amazon process is based on those.

Yes, recently things have changed some … even for the good on certain issues … but i believe few get just the radio button reinstatement.

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19

Under your Account Health, do you still have the option to submit an Appeal/Invoice?

If this is the final decision, the violation will remain and drop off after 180 days; make sure you fully delete the ASIN under your Manage Inventory page; If you don’t fully delete it, you may get hit with another violation.

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20

Hi @SuperA_Seller, welcome and thanks for posting! On a mod note, I recategorized this topic to the Product Authenticity and Condition category and added the help-me-please tag.

On a personal note, this is a frustrating violation because of the several little factors you’ve mentioned, all jumbling up to make things difficult for you. You’re getting great help and suggestions here, so hopefully you can resolve this ASAP and then make your long term decisions about this ASIN.

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