How to appeal Amazon variant/ASIN violation? All you want to know is here!

What is the most "troublesome" question when interviewing Amazon sellers? Nine out of ten people will tell you it is "audit".

But what is more disturbing than the audit is that after working hard to make money, you encounter the problem of "account being blocked and funds frozen" !

Amazon's crackdown on abuse of variants has not stopped, and perhaps will never stop, so I think it is necessary to remind all sellers about this issue again.

The Amazon platform allows the creation of variations, but creating variations in a manner that does not comply with regulations is a violation.

For example, creating variations for products in a category that does not have a variation attribute.

For example, you can create variations for the listing that do not comply with the attribute selection specified by the platform. Some categories can use color as a variant attribute, and sub-SKUs in black and white are allowed.

However, creating a sub-SKU with the attributes of "black + white" does not comply with platform rules.

For example, none of the categories have quantity as a variant attribute, but you insist on creating variants such as 1Pcs, 2Pcs, 10Pcs, etc., which is not in compliance with the platform rules.

For example, if there are two products with the same function, one is round and the other is square, it is fine to create two independent listings, but if you insist on creating them in one variation, it is not in compliance with the platform rules.

Of course, there are even more serious problems, such as the merging of zombie listings, modifying the content of their own listings, splitting and merging after branding, etc., which are the main targets of Amazon's crackdown.

Creations that do not comply with platform rules are likely to be judged as abuse variants. The result is that at the very least, your account will be split by the system. If the system determines that the circumstances are serious, or if you merge the accounts after they have been split by the system, and then merge them again after they have been split by the system, your account may be stripped of its sales privileges.

Recently , I have received many complaints from Amazon seller friends, saying that their accounts have been closed due to variant violations. So , in this article today, I will talk to you about this.

Things to note when appealing a variant/ASIN violation

It is miserable to have your store closed, but in order to avoid further damage, I give the following suggestions (only for variant/ASIN violations):

1. Do not submit an appeal without first figuring out the reason;

2. If you have failed to appeal two or three times in a row, please do not use the same appeal letter to appeal again;

3. Don’t believe that using a template will lead to a successful appeal;

First, the number of appeals for variant/ASIN violations is limited. Generally, if the appeal is unsuccessful after three or so times, the relevant Amazon team may choose not to respond. Although this is not a death sentence, it will undoubtedly indefinitely prolong the subsequent appeal cycle.

Secondly, the key and difficulty of appealing variation/ASIN violations lies in correctly understanding the specific reasons for the store’s violations. To achieve this, you must be very familiar with Amazon’s ASIN creation rules and variation relationship rules .

Finally, luck is needed. There are many types of variant/ASIN violations. If you apply a template, unless you are extremely lucky, it will be rejected directly.

Therefore, being proficient in Amazon rules + having a certain amount of experience + communicating well with sellers to understand the reasons for violations + luck are all essential. Of course, there are examples of novice sellers getting their own appeals approved, but that is not a common phenomenon.

What are variation/ASIN violations?

ASIN is the ID card of each product, and variants are multiple ASINs aggregated together. Therefore, ASIN violation means that the listing creation process violates Amazon regulations, and variant violation means that there is an error in the combination method.

But since the two issues often intersect, I've put them together out of caution.

When you receive this email, you can be sure that the sales privileges have been removed due to a variation or ASIN violation.

Why does a variation/ASIN violate Amazon regulations?

A variant (also known as a parent-child ASIN relationship) is a collection of interrelated products. The purpose of a variant is to distinguish the differences between related products. The theme of the variant will be different depending on the product category or node.

For example, the clothing category can have "color/size" variants, and the pet supplies category can have "flavor" and "quantity" variants. Among them, the parent, child, and variant attributes are the three elements of a variant combination.

When can you use a variation relationship? When two products differ only in certain specific aspects, when the same product has multiple options for certain attributes, such as color, size.

When consumers expect to find a range of products on a product detail page, a range of products can share a product title.

To sell a product that is already in the Amazon catalog, you need to match it to an existing ASIN, however, if your product is not in the Amazon catalog, you need to create a new ASIN.

Duplicates are usually created when one or more of the following occurs: You mistakenly identify your product with another product's UPC, EAN, ISBN, ASIN, or JAN.

You are a brand-registered seller listing products using alternate key attributes. If you list the same product using multiple key attribute values, a new ASIN will be created for each key attribute value.

For a product that already has a product ID, you have been granted a product ID exemption and listing the product without an ID will create a duplicate.

This is the most accurate answer Amazon gives about variants/ASINs, when to create variants, and how to avoid creating duplicate ASINs. However, it does not provide strong guidance in actual operations.

What is the best way to appeal a variant/ASIN violation?

Seeing this, you may have figured out the answer. The first step in appealing a variation/ASIN violation is to determine how your account violated Amazon’s rules.

Before preparing a POA, first ask yourself the question, “What did I do wrong?”

First, find out which ASINs are in violation. After the investigation is complete, please complete the adjustment of the ASIN content or variation combination.

Then submit the list of variations/ASINs, what was adjusted, and what you learned as an action plan to Amazon to apply for reinstatement of selling privileges.

If you don't know whether you have violated the rules or which variant/ASIN is in violation, it is recommended that you check all variants/ASINs in your account and check them one by one according to the rules.

Correctly adjust all possible problematic variations/ASINs, submit your checklist, all adjustments, and the rules you learned as an action plan to Amazon to apply for reinstatement of selling privileges.

Once you are sure that you have no violations, you can submit the process and results of checking each variation/ASIN and a complete description of the comparison variation/ASIN creation rules as an action plan to Amazon to apply for reinstatement of selling privileges.

(Amazon appeals via email)

Amazon’s tolerance for variant/ASIN violations is getting lower and lower. As a result, sellers have suffered heavy losses in repeated enforcement campaigns. Amazon’s reputation of “repaying after the event” is well-deserved.

Faced with the risk of account closure due to variant/ASIN violations, the best defense strategy for sellers is to try to avoid crossing the red line of Amazon rules and nip the risk in the bud.