Preventing Amazon Suppressed Listings and How to Fix Them in 2024

Encountering suppressed listings on Amazon is a frequent challenge for online sellers, particularly those new to the e-commerce landscape or dealing with a diverse range of products. The occurrence of suppressed listings on Amazon arises when a product listing fails to meet Amazon’s stringent guidelines. Additionally, the loss of the Amazon Buy Box, a key feature for sellers, can also contribute to the suppression of listings within the Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) system. Understanding the nuances of Amazon’s guidelines and ensuring adherence is crucial for sellers aiming to maintain an active and visible presence on the platform.

What Is an Amazon Suppressed Listing?

The occurrence of suppressed listings on Amazon stems from a product listing’s failure to meet the stringent guidelines set forth by the platform. Amazon emphasizes the establishment of these guidelines to enhance the overall shopping experience for its customers, facilitating easy navigation, comprehensive research, and seamless purchases. Consequently, listings that deviate from these guidelines face suppression, rendering them invisible to potential shoppers. The subsequent section of this article will delve into a detailed exploration of Amazon’s suppression guidelines, shedding light on the specific criteria that sellers need to adhere to for maintaining active and visible listings on the platform.

Why Is My Amazon Listing Suppressed?

Amazon suppressed listings, also referred to as deactivated listings, can happen if your product listing omits required product details such as:

• Product listings without at least one primary (display) image
• Product listings without an accurate product description (excluding specific categories such as apparel, books, or shoes)
• Any clothing or accessories item with a title having more than 80 characters
• Product listings without a defined category type
• Your listing is violating one or more of Amazon’s selling policies

Amazon may also suppress listings for more complex reasons that can be time-consuming and difficult to rectify. These include the following:

• If you have received a complaint regarding the listed items.
• If there is an attempt to sell a used item as new.
• If there is an attempt to sell an expired item.
• If you are not found to be the rightful owner of the product listed.

More often than not, Amazon suppressed listings are standard; only a few brands become immune to it. Here are some of the reasons in detail; check them out to have a better understanding of Amazon suppressed listings: 

1. Not including an image

The absence of an image in an Amazon listing is deemed incomplete by the platform, leading to the suppression of such listings until a primary image is added. This underscores the critical role that product images play in the success of Amazon listings. Recognizing the significance of visuals in online shopping, Amazon enforces this requirement to enhance the overall shopping experience for its customers. Therefore, ensuring that your listings feature high-quality and engaging product images is imperative for the visibility and success of your products on the Amazon marketplace.

2. Not including a compliant image

Even with the inclusion of an image in your listing, suppression may persist, and this could be attributed to non-compliance issues. One common reason for such continued suppression is the failure to adhere to the platform’s standards, particularly regarding the use of a proper white background in conjunction with the product image. Amazon places a high value on visual consistency, and listings that do not conform to these image guidelines may face ongoing suppression. Ensuring compliance with image requirements is crucial for maintaining the visibility and active status of your product listings on the Amazon marketplace.

3. Cross-promoting products

Engaging in cross-promotion within the description space of your product listing is a definite path to suppression, as it violates Amazon’s policies. The product description section should strictly contain information relevant to the actual item for sale. Utilizing this space to promote additional items for sale is against Amazon’s rules and can result in the suppression of your listing. It’s crucial to adhere to these guidelines to maintain compliance and ensure the active visibility of your products on the Amazon marketplace.

4. Using a promotional title

Incorporating terms like “best,” “cheapest,” or “top-rated” into your listing title is not advisable and may trigger suppression. Such language is deemed overly promotional for a platform like Amazon, which prioritizes a balanced and informative approach in product listings. To navigate this, opt for more creative and subtle adjectives that convey the value and qualities of your product without breaching Amazon’s guidelines. Striking the right balance in your listing language is essential to avoid suppression and ensure that your products maintain a visible and compliant presence on the Amazon marketplace.

5. Lengthy title

The optimal length of your listing title depends on your specific selling category, but generally, crafting a lengthy title is a swift route to listing suppression. Adhering to the norm of maintaining titles within 100 characters or less is a standard practice. This ensures clarity and succinctness, aligning with customer preferences and preventing any potential issues related to listing suppression. Striking the right balance in title length is essential for maintaining visibility and compliance within the diverse landscape of the Amazon marketplace.

6. Inserting your business information in the product description

The purpose of your product description is straightforward – it should provide a clear and concise portrayal of your product. Some sellers, however, may resort to selling gimmicks that deviate from Amazon’s rules and regulations. It’s crucial to note that Amazon strictly prohibits the inclusion of addresses, phone numbers, websites, or email addresses in your listed item’s description. Such practices are in direct violation of the Amazon Seller Policy, and adherence to these guidelines is vital to ensure the integrity and compliance of your product listings on the Amazon platform.

7. Omitting key information

Ensuring a comprehensive product listing on Amazon is paramount for guiding customers towards well-informed purchasing decisions. Key product attributes, including the UPC, product description, bullet points, and brand information, should be meticulously incorporated. Missing any of these essential elements poses a significant risk of having your listing suppressed. To maintain visibility and facilitate a positive shopping experience for customers, meticulous attention to including all pertinent product details is crucial within the dynamic environment of the Amazon marketplace.

8. Inadvertently duplicating listings

Opting to use the “Create a Product” link to list items may unintentionally lead to the creation of duplicate products within Amazon’s catalog. Some sellers resort to this approach to avoid the perceived hassle of searching the catalog, but this decision can prove to be a costly mistake. Duplicate products can result in confusion for both sellers and customers, impacting the overall efficiency of your listings and potentially causing issues with inventory management. Taking the time to search the catalog and accurately list items is a more prudent approach to avoid complications and maintain the integrity of your product offerings on the Amazon platform.

9. Requesting positive reviews

Encouraging customers to leave positive feedback for your product might seem like a beneficial strategy, but it can inadvertently manipulate Amazon’s feedback system and lead to listing suppression. It’s important to be cautious about soliciting feedback in a way that may be perceived as influencing the customer’s opinion.

If you find yourself facing a suppressed listing issue and are uncertain about how to resolve it or disagree with Amazon’s decision, reaching out to customer service through Amazon Seller Support is the recommended course of action. It’s worth noting that Amazon doesn’t provide a direct contact number, and sellers need to share their contact information and await a response from an adviser. During the waiting period, exploring resources like the DataHawk 2022 eCommerce Calendar can be a productive way to plan strategies for important dates in the Amazon seller calendar year.

How to Determine if You Have Amazon Suppressed Listings?

Maintaining awareness of potential listing suppression on Amazon is crucial since sellers often remain unaware of such occurrences. Unlike other platforms, Amazon doesn’t notify sellers about suppressed listings, making it imperative to proactively monitor your products. Unfortunately, Amazon Seller accounts don’t include monitoring services as a built-in feature, placing the responsibility squarely on the seller.

Staying well-versed in Amazon’s rules and regulations can be challenging, and constantly checking the status of your listings may seem overwhelming. An effective strategy to prevent product suppression is investing in reliable Amazon seller software. These tools can streamline the monitoring process and alert you promptly if any of your listings face suppression.

To check the status of your listings, regularly access the “manage inventory” button under the “inventory” tab in Amazon Seller Central. If your listings are suppressed, you’ll notice a dedicated “suppressed” button in the top navigation pane. On the other hand, if there are no suppressed listings, this option won’t be visible on your dashboard. Vigilance and proactive measures are key to ensuring the visibility and success of your products on the Amazon platform.

How to Fix Amazon Suppressed Listings

Detecting Amazon suppressed listings is not straightforward, as sellers are not automatically notified. It becomes crucial for sellers to proactively check for suppressed listings on a routine basis to rectify the situation promptly. While it might be concerning to discover that Amazon has suppressed one of your listings, the good news is that rectifying the issue is a quick and straightforward process, especially when addressed promptly after the suppression occurs.

It’s important to emphasize that suppressed listings on Amazon can significantly hinder sales. Therefore, resolving such issues should be prioritized. To address suppressed listings effectively, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to “Manage Inventory” in Seller Central.
2. Choose “suppressed” and select a viewing option such as “all suppressed listings” or a specific type like “image missing.”
3. Select an individual listing, click the “edit” button, and choose “edit” or “manage images.”
4. On the Amazon product summary page, select a tab with an alert indicator (suppressed listings are marked by a red exclamation mark, while quality alerts may have a yellow triangle). After resolving all alerts for a listing, click “Save and finish.”

This process is conveniently executed within the “Manage Inventory” section of Seller Central, with each product listing having an Amazon Product Summary page providing comprehensive information about the reasons behind the suppression. Once all issues are resolved, Amazon should swiftly lift the suppression, restoring visibility to your listing.

Adhering to Amazon guidelines is paramount to maintaining product listing visibility. Recognizing the complexity, many brands and merchants opt for SEO services to manage their Amazon accounts, ensuring adherence to guidelines and effective visibility management.

What Is a Secret Amazon Suppression?

Distinguishing itself from standard listing suppression, secret suppression on Amazon is specifically linked to trademark violations. This occurs when a seller includes a unique brand name in the product title without adhering to Amazon’s phrasing guidelines concerning trademark items.

Amazon maintains a strict stance on the use of brand names in listings, allowing it only when a compliant product is offered, for instance, as “compatible with iPhone X.” Nevertheless, even in compliant cases, failure to follow Amazon’s stringent phrasing guidelines can lead to secret suppression.

Amazon’s policy regarding the use of someone else’s trademark on a detail page is outlined as follows:

• Truthful statements about a product’s compatibility with a trademarked product are generally permissible. For example, if a seller offers a specialty cable compatible with the Kindle E-reader and states that it is “compatible with Kindle,” it is typically not considered trademark infringement, as long as the statement is true and non-confusing.

It’s important to note that claims like “similar to Kindle” or “better than Kindle” fall under “similar to” claims and are against Amazon listing policy. Ensuring compliance with these guidelines is crucial to preventing secret suppression and maintaining a healthy and visible presence on the Amazon platform.