The usage of third-party applications and services has become pretty standard when selling on Amazon. These apps are valuable in helping manage different aspects of your business. While they are indeed a helpful feat, it's essential to keep in mind which apps have access to your seller account and how to manage permissions.
The good news is you can easily view which apps have access to your data through Amazon Ads Console which allows you to have improved control over your advertising data.
So far, this feature is available in several countries in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific.
How to view third-party applications and what they can access:
Remove third-party access:
If you want to remove an application from accessing your account, you can manage it under the same pane. However, you may need to ask these previously granted users to delete the data they already have.
In a recent announcement, Amazon reiterates that if you send a canceled or deleted shipment to their fulfillment centers, they may be rejected. If you continue to do so, your shipping privileges may become suspended as a penalty for your actions.
This policy has been declared in the past, but many speculate that this announcement is to warn that they will be enforcing penalties in the near future. If Amazon continues to accept canceled or deleted shipments from sellers, this could lead to additional processing, handling, and rerouting, which could eventually cause delays.
This policy will be effective starting on April 1, 2022, giving you ample time to sort out your shipments so as not to get penalized for it.
This is what you should avoid:
Deleting shipment plans after they have already been approved
Misrouting shipments
Sending incomplete shipments (shipments that are already canceled or deleted)
Imagine ordering from a manufacturer only to find that they have reported you to Amazon for selling counterfeit items. This is what happened to Reddit user u/skymotion.
In this post, the seller shared how they suspected foul play while selling their product. After dropping their prices, the manufacturer swiftly reported them to Amazon.
"ten different accounts are violating their MAP policy, but the second I dropped my price a dollar to try to liquidate (yes, this was against MAP), they reported me to amazon for copyright infringement and selling counterfeit items."
The claims made against the seller, however, were all untrue. They believe that this was a move to jeopardize their seller account. They had already appealed to Amazon while providing all the invoices and communication between themselves and the manufacturer. Unfortunately, Amazon responded by saying that they don't enforce MAP agreements between parties; and they denied their claims.
Other Reddit users weighed into the discussion, with valuable insights including the following:
A Universal Product Code (UPC) is a barcode uniquely assigned to a specific product. It is a 12-digit number located underneath a scannable barcode. When the barcode is scanned, the product tied to that code will appear in the store's system or Amazon's search results.
As a seller, this is important because Amazon now requires that all new product detail pages have unique identifiers. Keep in mind you won't be limited to just choosing UPC; you can also use other unique identifiers such as EAN and GTIN.
Why is this needed?
Amazon requires this to track the brand name used to match the name and listing linked in the GS1 database. The GS1 database is where Amazon verifies the UPC and is the standard for all product barcodes.
Where to buy a UPC?
Purchase a UPC through GS1, especially if your products are privately-labeled. Beware of third-party websites claiming to sell legitimate UPCs. The problem with third-party bought UPCs is that they are often associated with a different brand or product that can ultimately lead you to some issues with your listing down the road.
How to Buy a UPC from GS1: