The Opposite Guide | How to “Hurt” Your Amazon Business Account

Has selling on Amazon become too difficult? Here are easy ways to hurt your Amazon business account and not get any sales.

Prospective Amazon sellers dream of ranking at the top of product searches, raving customer reviews, and generating mass profits. But what if you don’t want those perks? Or maybe you’re just sick of running an Amazon business?

13% of Amazon businesses aren’t profitable. Suppose you want to become one of those unsuccessful Amazon brands. In that case, you must make dire mistakes that can harm your Amazon business account and lead to a permanent loss of customer trust.

Here’s a seller’s guide on how to hurt your Amazon business without working too hard at it, and what to do if you want to keep that from happening.

Ignore All Amazon Rules

Amazon has detailed terms of service that all sellers must abide by. If you break any of these rules, Amazon will either suspend or block your account. This is the quickest way to hurt your Amazon business account.

 

What to do instead 

Read the Amazon terms of service carefully and follow all their rules, especially regarding product compliance. As long as you play fair, Amazon will allow you to sell your products on its platform.

 

Sell Products People Don’t Want to Buy

Have you ever seen an item and thought to yourself, Why would anyone want to buy that? Congratulations! You’ve found the perfect product to sell. If you want your Amazon business account to fail, you should only sell products that people don’t like.

 

What to do instead 

Conduct product research to see what people are actively buying. Sellers should also research their competitors and read their reviews to understand how they can stand out and improve what’s out there.

 

Never Stock Inventory

When customers want to purchase a product, the best-case scenario is that the item is completely sold out. Sellers who want to destroy their Amazon business account should never have any inventory stocked. Who needs more sales when you can tank your Amazon business?

 

What to do instead 

Exercise excellent inventory management. When you run low, reorder your inventory ahead of time. Remember to consider busy seasons, sales spikes, and holidays.

 

Always Use a Bad Pricing Strategy

Sellers can take this advice in one of two ways. You can either price your products so high that people won’t buy them, or so low that you won’t make a profit. Either way, both options will damage your Amazon business account and tank your sales.

 

What to do instead

Develop a pricing strategy that balances the cost of production with the revenue generated. You can also conduct competitor research to see which prices customers are willing to pay for similar items.

 

Take Too Long to Ship Orders

What if you sell products that people won’t buy and have an awful pricing strategy, yet you still get sales? The next easiest way to lose customers is by shipping orders late. 

After ordering a product, 40% of consumers expect their delivery in two to three days. Be sure to fulfill that order well beyond the specified time period. You can either mess up fulfillment by having an unorganized warehouse, selecting the wrong product, or using insufficient packaging.

There are even more ways to ruin shipping. You can send the item to the wrong address, send the incorrect product, or simply not send it at all.

 

What to do instead

Have the most efficient fulfillment process. If needed, use FBA for your Amazon business account or partner with a 3PL firm for warehousing and shipping.

 

Never Encourage Customers to Leave a Review

What’s worse than a one-star review? No reviews! Fortunately, this is one of the most convenient pieces of advice on this list. Only 1%-3% of Amazon customers leave product reviews, so there’s a good chance you won’t get any! Just avoid this step, and no one will review your product!

 

What to do instead

Encourage customers to leave a review. You can always contact customers after a purchase and request that they leave reviews on your Amazon business account. Participate in Amazon Vine to collaborate with Vine Voices and have honest reviews on your page. 

Don’t forget to respond to reviewers. If a customer leaves a bad review, offer a solution to their problems.

 

Write Awful Product Descriptions

Who needs well-written product titles and descriptions? Offer no information about your product whatsoever. You should especially not list features, bullet points, or respond to any FAQs. This is the easiest way for a customer to support a competitor, and that’s precisely what you want to happen!

 

What to do instead

Write a title that explains what your product is and include its features and functionality in the description. Offer as much information as you can to help customers make the best purchasing decision.

 

Take the Worst Photos

Product photography is expensive and time-consuming, especially if you have a massive inventory. And for what? So that customers will want to purchase your product? In that case, why even bother with product photography?

 

What to do instead

Product photos are vital for your Amazon business account, so upload high-res and clear images to your Amazon pages. For best results, upload several photos at different angles and include other fun media types, such as infographics and charts.

 

Never Respond to Customers

Good customer service only results in devoted buyers and more sales. If you don’t want any of those benefits, stop responding to customers. Better yet, don’t offer any contact information at all.

 

What to do instead

Always answer customer service inquiries promptly. Sellers should either hire customer service professionals or carve out a chunk of time to answer emails and phone calls. This also includes answering questions on your public FAQ.

 

Let the Competition Take Over

Are there too many sellers in your niche? Perfect! Let them dominate over you and steal potential buyers away from your business. Don’t have a unique appeal or selling point at all. That means blending in and remaining inconspicuous among other sellers.

 

What to do instead

Always find ways to attract more customers and turn them away from your competitors. This may include selling new or higher-quality products, or offering better customer service to prove you’re the most trustworthy option. 

Partner with an Amazon consultant to conduct competitor research and identify opportunities that will put you at an advantage.

Amazon Business Account Mistakes FAQs

Why do so many Amazon businesses fail?

There are many reasons why an Amazon business may not be successful. Amazon’s marketplace is highly competitive, and FBA fees can be expensive. New sellers may not have the correct systems in place to handle shipping demands.

 

How will Amazon help if a seller makes mistakes?

Since sellers operate a business independent from Amazon, it’s up to them to deliver the best experience for customers. Because of this, Amazon won’t offer a lot of assistance.

If Amazon notices a seller is making too many errors, it can cancel orders and refund customers. That said, it’s still up to the seller to correct these mistakes and avoid losses. 

 

Will an Amazon error affect my selling metrics?

Absolutely. These mistakes will directly impact various aspects of your selling performance, such as shipping, inventory management, and product listings. 

Amazon will also track specific metrics, such as Late Shipment Rate (LSR) and Order Defect Rate (ODR). If these scores are poor, Amazon may deactivate your account.

In addition, these mistakes can lead to increased product returns, customer complaints, and negative reviews. As a result, Amazon may remove your store or product listings.

 

I tend to ship too late, and it’s affecting my Amazon business account! What should I do?

If you don’t use FBA, allowing Amazon to handle your fulfillment is the best way to improve your shipping time and performance. Amazon stores, picks, packs, and ships orders so that you can focus more on your business.

If you used FBA and it didn’t work for you, you can always partner with a 3PL firm that will offer the same benefits, including cheap and fast shipping.

 

What technology will prevent future mistakes?

Inventory management, sales forecasting, and shipping software are integral for eCommerce businesses. Amazon also offers free seller tools that can identify mistakes and help you correct them.

 

This Will Surely Destroy Your Amazon Business Account

If you want to be a great seller, you’ll need to put in the work. However, if you’re considering opening an Amazon store but lack the motivation to work hard, you can still make these mistakes and potentially harm your Amazon business account.

Seriously, you really don’t want to make any of these Amazon mistakes. But the unfortunate truth is that many sellers make the same mistakes, especially when they’re first starting.

Don’t worry, we have services tailored to your needs, whether you’re just starting or are looking for an eCommerce accelerator service. 

Author

Stephanie Jensen has been writing ecommerce content for seven years, and her copy has helped numerous stores rank on Amazon. Follow her on LinkedIn for more insight into freelance writing and creating high-quality content.

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