Recently, I have noticed a shift in how Amazon is operating internally towards sellers and its is not just me. Everyone I work with and speak to has experienced the same thing. Amazon seems to be in a difficult place internally right now when it comes to how it handles sellers invoices, and compliance cases.
Ungating, authenticity complaints, and IP complaints have all become noticeably harder to deal with. Amazon appears to have tightened up on what it accepts and how it reviews documentation. Invoices that used to be accepted without issue are now being rejected for reasons that often make little sense.
For example, I recently applied to get ungated for Samsung and my invoices were instantly rejected with what looked like an automated response. Someone I know submitted an invoice directly from the actual manufacturer and received a message saying that the invoice had been altered or amended, even though it clearly hadn’t. I also has this myself by submitting an invoice from an A2A deal and received a rejection saying the invoice had been modified. It is clearly an automated process where bots or actual virtual assistants are selecting standard rejection reasons without actually reviewing the documents.
This makes it very difficult to get approved or to resolve authenticity and IP complaints. Fortunately for myself, I have not had any authenticity or IP complaints recently, but many sellers I work with have. The common theme is the same though – legitimate invoices being declined automatically.
At the moment, there is not much we can do other than stay persistent. Keep applying, keep reapplying, and keep asking to speak to a human. When you open a case or respond to one, ask directly to speak with a human representative. It can take several attempts, but eventually you may get someone who actually looks at your case properly instead of an automated system or a virtual assistant.
This situation is frustrating and discouraging, but persistence is key. In business, especially with Amazon, you must be resilient and have a never give up attitude. These qualities separate sellers who survive from those who give up when things get tough.
I have had some information from reliable sources within the Amazon space that things will improve in the near future. There are changes happening within Amazon that should make this process easier, but that is not the case right now. For now, we just have to stay patient and keep pushing.
If you are sitting on gated stock and you cannot get ungated after multiple attempts, do not sit on it indefinitely. Send it back, get your money back if possible, and reinvest the cash into products that you can actually sell. You never want capital tied up in products that are stuck in limbo.
This situation is not ideal, but it will not last forever hopefully. Keep buying what you can sell, stay compliant, and continue to build your business. Amazon has its ups and downs, and this is one of those tougher periods. It will improve. Stay focused, stay resilient, and keep moving forward.
