Overview

Amazon has dramatically escalated its enforcement operations heading into 2025 and 2026, rolling out more sophisticated AI-driven detection tools and raising the bar on documentation requirements for third-party sellers. Account suspensions remain among the most damaging events a seller can face, often freezing revenue with little or no advance warning. Staying ahead of these changes is no longer optional — it's essential for business continuity.

What's New in Amazon's Enforcement Approach

• AI-driven pattern detection — Amazon's algorithms now identify suspicious seller behavior before human reviewers step in, leading to faster but sometimes unpredictable enforcement actions.
• Tighter supply chain documentation standards — Retail receipts from big-box stores are increasingly being rejected. Amazon now expects legitimate commercial invoices from authorized distributors or manufacturers.
• Enhanced multi-account detection — The platform cross-references shared IP addresses, device fingerprints, browser metadata, and even warehouse locations to uncover related accounts.
• Proactive inventory quality flags — Products are being flagged as restricted based on Amazon's own internal assessments, even without customer complaints or IP claims.
• Competitor and brand owner complaints — Rights owner reports and strategic competitor filings continue to trigger suspensions, frequently with minimal investigation before action.

Supply Chain Documentation Remains the Top Risk

Inadequate supply chain documentation is still the number-one driver of account suspensions. Wholesale and retail arbitrage sellers who have historically relied on store receipts as proof of authenticity are finding those documents no longer pass muster with Amazon's review teams.

The current standard requires commercial invoices from authorized distributors or directly from manufacturers. These must include the supplier's complete business name and contact details, itemized product information with quantities and ASINs where relevant, and dates that correspond to your inventory records. Sellers who cannot produce compliant documentation when challenged face suspension and a difficult reinstatement process. Building and maintaining relationships with authorized suppliers — and keeping organized records — has become a non-negotiable cost of doing business on the platform.