Overview

Amazon is warning sellers to keep a close eye on their Account Health Rating (AHR) as the holiday rush approaches. Falling below the safety threshold can trigger an automatic deactivation at the most critical sales moment of the year. Proactive monitoring and rapid issue resolution are the only ways to protect revenue during the peak season.

Key Points

• Score range — The AHR runs from 0 to 1,000, with scores under 100 placing an account in the “high‑risk” zone that can lead to suspension.
• Violation severity — Critical and high‑severity policy breaches subtract the most points, while medium and low issues have a smaller impact.
• Dynamic recovery — Points are restored once Amazon confirms a violation has been fixed, often within a few hours of the seller’s response.
• Fulfillment bonus — Every 200 orders shipped adds four points to the rating, giving high‑volume sellers a modest buffer during busy periods.
• Policy‑driven deductions — A single critical violation can erase hundreds of points, dwarfing the incremental gains earned from order volume.
• Daily dashboard habit — Checking the Account Health dashboard each morning catches problems early, preventing them from snowballing into deactivation risk.

How the Account Health Rating Works

1. Initial calculation — Amazon assigns a baseline score based on the account’s historical compliance record.

   • Example: A seller with no recent violations starts the season at roughly 950 points.

2. Violation impact — When a policy breach is detected, Amazon tags it with a severity level and deducts points accordingly.

   • Example: A critical listing violation (e.g., prohibited product) removes 300 points, dropping the score from 950 to 650 instantly.

3. Customer‑experience weighting — Issues that affect buyers directly—such as late shipments, defective items, or A‑to‑Z claims—carry a higher penalty than purely administrative errors.