Recently, a rising number of brands in the European market have observed their Amazon accounts deactivate with little to no notice. While this may be due to internal changes at Amazon, it also reflects how laws and regulations in EMEA are strict and much different than the requirements in the United States. A multinational wellness product client of Momentum Commerce recently experienced a 12-day deactivation period in EMEA markets. With no contact from Amazon for close to 72 hours after deactivation, Momentum Commerce and the client had to dig in and resolve the issue. Here are some tips for how to avoid these instances, but also how to deal with them if they inevitably arise.

Tips for EMEA Sellers:

• Diligently check your compliance on these accounts. Maintain a weekly or monthly status check to ensure all accounts are up to date to prevent further complications.
  • Amazon will most likely not send a notification of account deactivation. In EMEA markets, it is crucial to be aware of potential obstacles like the country of establishment or address changes.
  • Maintaining proper VAT Registration is a crucial piece of the puzzle. Make sure the information registered with Amazon and external VAT entities is checked diligently for accuracy.
• Reach out to Amazon and know who your representatives are at the start of your partnership. Smaller companies may struggle with identifying a contact or getting ahold of anyone from Amazon if any account deactivations arise, so it is important to prepare beforehand. Taking time in advance could save hours of time and money in the long run.
• In the case of our client, all of the account information was correct and up to date. In these situations, it’s helpful to have done work beforehand to gain an understanding of what internal teams are reviewing your account and maintain their contact information. This helps expedite the process to reactivate, especially when the cause is unknown.
  • If you are receiving no information about the issue itself, identifying which team the case lives through can help narrow down where the issue may lie.
    • For example, the KYC team deals with verification information, and the VAT team handles tax registration information.
  • Remember, while these Amazon contacts are helpful to have, it is not an automatic solution to the problem. 
• Selling in any international market will come with learning curves. Studying the rules and regulations in advance can help ease future stressors or problems.