How to Fix Listing Policy Violation

How to Fix Listing Policy Violation

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Amazon sets Listing Policies on the writing styles of product description to protect the customers from false claims, and solicitations from sellers. This helps give customers a clear and consistent buying experience. For more information about the writing style guide, please see Product Detail Page Rules article.

Who is this for?

• To copywriting team that creates copies for listings.

• Every member of the Reinstatement Team that will receive Listing Policy Violation reinstatement tasks

• To all members of My Amazon Guy (MAG) that wanted to learn more about Listing Policy Violations

• Sellers that wanted to learn more about Listing Policy Violations.

Description:

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will help you understand what to avoid in writing product description, and how to fix Listing Policy Violation and related issues.

These are the primary prohibited elements in writing product descriptions, but not limited to:

Product Comparison to Another

Amazon doesn’t want the sellers to compare their products to another. Amazon observes fair marketplace to customers and sellers alike. Also, they want to avoid legal/lawsuits

from other sellers or companies outside or within Amazon. In order to prevent all these possibilities, Amazon only allows the comparison of products within the seller’s catalog.

Here are some examples of prohibited comparison from product’s copy:

• Forget cheap imitations

• Our product has more beneficial ingredients than ….

• Our product is more affordable than …

Benefits

Sellers wanted to highlight the benefits of their products to the customers to get more attention and higher chance of selling their listings. Nevertheless, in some cases, the benefits described from the product description are off the chart. This is prevalent in food supplements as they promise health benefits but it also has a fine print of not solving any health issues, thus contradicting its own product description.

In order to prevent this, Amazon wanted sellers to focus on the Features of their products. Please avoid the Feature Bridge Benefit (FBB) writing style. Do not tell the customers “what’s in it for them” if they buy your product. Just stick to the features of the product.

Here are some examples of prohibited “Benefit” descriptions from product’s copy:

• so you can easily see and tell what's going on

• so you won’t feel tired and get enough energy

• Any phrases after the products feature and has the conjunction “so”

Soliciting Reviews/Feedbacks

Amazon doesn’t want the sellers to force the customers to provide reviews on the products bought. It’s even worse to promise a reward if the customers give a review as Amazon will see it as buying reviews from customers.

Here are some examples of prohibited product review solicitation from product’s copy:

• We want to improve your experience, let us know where we can improve.

• We wanted to hear from you.

• Get 10% on your next purchase after giving your first review about us.

• tell us how your experience is!

Pressuring Language

It’s almost the same as the Benefits section but pressuring language is on another level because this writing style is proactively asking the customer to buy the product mischievously or in a subtle way. Amazon doesn’t want the customers to feel obliged to buy the seller's products.

Here are some examples of pressuring language from product’s copy:

• Reap the benefits

• Grab your pool cartridge filter now!

• Use our sleep aid pills

• a strong desire to try them right away

Accuracy and Precision

Stick to product’s specifications in its product manual or instruction. Do not promise beyond what the products can do. This applies mainly to devices but may apply to food supplements (dietary supplement intake).

Remember to always check the product website, manual and packaging of devices before writing proposed product description.

Assurance

Never promise assurances in the product description unless if it’s money back guarantee. So far, there are no to minimal encounter of listing policy violation with the reason of the money back guarantee as it’s in harmony of refund policy of Amazon to customers.

Assurance also includes promising the customers that the products are of high quality, or proven.

Here are some examples of assurance from product’s copy:

• rest assured that

• You will get assurance that our supplement can help you…

• high quality, premium

• Best selling

Wear and Tear

No product can last forever nor can withstand weather conditions without wear and tear. Therefore, Amazon flags down listings that promise it can last forever without its quality affected.

Here are some examples of wear and tear from product’s copy:

• built to last

• without losing the original quality

• Weatherproof

VIII.Boastful and Informal Marketing

We know that many sellers want to have that personalized rapport to their customers and will make their product descriptions feel like they’re directly talking to them. Nevertheless, most of the time, Amazon doesn’t like this. There are times when the copies are unprofessional and informal.that leads to boastful description of the products.

Paraphrasing informal and boastful sentences or phrases into a more professional tone will help.

Here are some examples of boastful and informal marketing from product’s copy:

• Forget about getting your hands all sticky and smelling like ointment all day

• we've been committed to giving you only the gold standard- the purest and most potent supplements available on the market, without false claims and mediocrity.

VIX.Promoting Irresponsible Intake of Substances

Some Amazon products are associated with prohibited listings (e.g., beer bong, cigar flask, etc). Most of the sellers are tempted to reel in customers that use substances by making them feel great at what they do. Amazon prohibits this.

Here are some examples of promoting Irresponsible Intake of Substances from product’s copy:

• Using our pink leopard beer bong will make your party more relaxed and fun.

• There is no doubt the 420 Flask will become your favorite Marijuana accessories

What if the Listing Remained Yanked After Removing Claims?

Call Account Health

Make sure you have removed all of possible listing policy violation claims and it should be reflecting both on seller and Amazon’s end before calling account health. They may tell you what you have missed or tell you to review some articles to understand writing styles.

Make Product Description “Bare”

Making the product description simple by describing the product in 5 sentences in the product description and assigning each sentence to the 5 bullet points will likely clear out the listing policy violation.

Send a Case to Help

• Make sure that you have documented all of the actions taken in the listing.

• What are the claims removed and where have they been?

• Take the batch ID (if you uploaded feed file)

• Go to Help > Get Support > Selling on Amazon > Or, browse for your issue in the menu > Products, Listings, or Inventory > Inventory file upload issue

Short description: US - Listing Policy Violation - Appeal - ASIN: B0xx

Greetings Amazon,

We’re sorry that you identified ASIN B0xx to have violated listing policies of Amazon.

We thoroughly checked the listing and removed the following (batch ID: [insert batch ID]).

[Enumerate the possible Listing Policy Violation claims you removed and where you’ve removed them]

We’re confident that ASIN B0xx meets the criteria for reinstatement and being cleared from the violation.

Please send this to the internal team for further review and reinstatement.

Note: Get the case ID and follow up on it, and comply with what Amazon will say or dispute if you think that the listing is compliant with Listing Policies. Do this until the listing gets reinstated.