When your Amazon seller account gets suspended, your Plan of Action (POA) becomes the most critical document you’ll write for your business. It’s your one opportunity to convince Amazon that you understand what went wrong, you’ve fixed it, and you deserve another chance. Yet, the difference between a POA Amazon approves and one they reject often comes down to structure, specificity, and understanding what Amazon’s review team is actually looking for.
After reviewing thousands of POAs—both successful and failed—I’ve identified clear patterns that separate approvals from rejections. Let me break down the framework Amazon approves versus what gets immediately rejected, so you can craft a POA that actually works.
The Three-Part Framework Amazon Requires
Every successful POA must address three specific components in this exact order: root cause identification, immediate corrective actions, and long-term preventive measures. Amazon explicitly states this requirement, yet countless sellers still submit appeals that miss one or more components.
Think of these three parts as answering three questions Amazon is asking: What actually caused this problem? What did you do immediately to fix it? How will you ensure it never happens again?
Missing any single component guarantees rejection. Addressing all three incompletely or vaguely also leads to rejection. The framework itself is non-negotiable.
Root Cause: What Amazon Approves vs Rejects
What Gets Approved
Amazon approves root cause statements that demonstrate deep understanding of the actual underlying issue, not just surface-level acknowledgment of the suspension.
A seller suspended for late shipment rate might write: “Our root cause analysis revealed that our warehouse management system was not updating tracking information to Amazon within the required timeframe. Specifically, our staff was scanning packages as shipped at end-of-day batch processing rather than in real-time as items left our facility. This created a 12-24 hour delay in tracking uploads, causing shipments that left on time to appear late in Amazon’s system.”
This works because it identifies the specific operational failure, explains the mechanism of how it caused the problem, and shows analytical thinking about business processes. Amazon sees a seller who truly understands what went wrong.
What Gets Rejected
Amazon rejects root cause statements that are vague, make excuses, or blame external factors without accountability.
“We had some shipping delays due to carrier issues and will be more careful going forward.” This fails on every level—it’s non-specific, blames the carrier, and doesn’t identify an actual root cause within your control.
“We didn’t realize Amazon’s policies were so strict.” This demonstrates ignorance of seller requirements and suggests you might violate policies again because you still don’t understand them.
“A former employee was responsible for this issue and is no longer with our company.” While personnel issues can be part of the root cause, simply blaming and firing someone doesn’t show you’ve fixed the underlying system that allowed the problem to occur.
Amazon rejects anything that sounds like excuse-making rather than accountability. They want to see sellers who own their mistakes and understand their business operations deeply enough to identify genuine failures.
Immediate Corrective Actions: What Amazon Approves vs Rejects
What Gets Approved
Amazon approves corrective actions that are specific, already completed, and directly address the root cause you identified.
Continuing the late shipment example: “We immediately implemented the following corrective actions: (1) Reconfigured our warehouse management system to upload tracking information to Amazon in real-time as each package is scanned for shipment, eliminating the batch processing delay. This change was implemented on [specific date]. (2) Conducted emergency training with all warehouse staff on proper scanning procedures and the importance of immediate uploads. Training was completed on [specific date] with 100% staff participation. (3) Manually reviewed all pending orders and expedited shipping for any at-risk deliveries to bring our metrics into compliance.”
This works because actions are concrete and measurable, include specific implementation dates proving they’re already done, directly connect to the identified root cause, and show immediate effort to mitigate customer impact.
What Gets Rejected
Amazon rejects corrective actions that are vague promises, future intentions, or don’t match the root cause.
“We will try to ship faster.” This is meaningless—no specific action, no implementation timeline, no measurable change.
“We have reviewed our processes.” Reviewing isn’t fixing. Amazon wants to know what actual changes you made, not that you looked at things.
“We will hire more staff to handle orders better.” Future tense is a red flag. Amazon wants actions you’ve already taken, not plans you might implement later. Additionally, hiring staff doesn’t necessarily address a tracking upload issue—the action doesn’t match the root cause.
Actions that sound copied from templates also get rejected. Amazon’s reviewers see hundreds of appeals and can immediately spot generic language that doesn’t reflect your specific situation.
Long-Term Preventive Measures: What Amazon Approves vs Rejects
What Gets Approved
Amazon approves preventive measures that create systematic protections against recurrence, show long-term commitment to compliance, and include monitoring mechanisms.
“We have implemented the following preventive measures to ensure this issue never recurs: (1) Installed automated monitoring software that alerts our warehouse manager immediately if any order approaches the ship-by date without tracking information uploaded. This provides a 12-hour early warning system. (2) Created a daily compliance dashboard that our operations team reviews each morning, tracking real-time shipment metrics, tracking upload times, and carrier performance. (3) Established weekly training sessions for all warehouse staff reinforcing proper procedures and addressing any questions.”
This works because measures are systematic and ongoing, not one-time fixes, include monitoring and accountability structures, demonstrate investment in long-term compliance, and show the seller has built safeguards into their operations.
What Gets Rejected
Amazon rejects preventive measures that are generic promises without specific implementation details.
“We will monitor our account more carefully.” How? Who’s responsible? What metrics are you watching? What triggers action? Without specifics, this is meaningless.
“We will never let this happen again.” This is a promise, not a preventive measure. Amazon wants to see the systems and processes that make the promise realistic.
“We will read Amazon’s policies regularly.” This suggests you didn’t know the policies before, which doesn’t inspire confidence. Preventive measures should show you understand policies and have built operational compliance, not that you plan to educate yourself on basic requirements.
Preventive measures that can’t be maintained also get rejected. Claiming you’ll “personally review every single order before shipment” might sound committed, but if you process hundreds of daily orders, Amazon knows it’s not sustainable. Unrealistic commitments suggest you don’t understand your own business operations.
The Tone and Presentation That Gets Approved
Beyond content, how you present your POA matters significantly.
What Gets Approved
Professional, direct, and accountable tone that acknowledges the violation without excessive apologizing, takes responsibility without making excuses, demonstrates understanding of why the policy exists, and shows respect for Amazon’s processes and customer protection goals.
Clear, organized formatting with headers identifying each POA component, bullet points or numbered lists for actions and measures, specific dates, numbers, and measurable details, and concise language that respects the reviewer’s time.
Amazon approves POAs that sound like they were written by competent business professionals who made a mistake, learned from it, and fixed their operations.
What Gets Rejected
Emotional, defensive, or overly apologetic tone that sounds desperate or makes excuses, challenges Amazon’s judgment or policies, includes irrelevant personal information or sob stories, or demonstrates anger or frustration with the suspension process.
Amazon isn’t interested in your feelings about the suspension. They want facts, actions, and systems. Emotional appeals waste their time and suggest you’re not approaching this professionally.
Poor formatting also leads to rejection—long paragraphs with no organization, missing clear delineation between POA components, excessive length that buries important information, or unprofessional language or grammatical errors throughout.
Remember, reviewers process dozens of appeals daily. If your POA is difficult to read or doesn’t clearly present the required information, it gets rejected.
The POA framework Amazon approves is specific, accountable, systematic, and clearly organized. It demonstrates that you understand what went wrong at a deep operational level, you’ve already taken concrete corrective actions, and you’ve built long-term systems to prevent repetition.
Your POA is your chance to show Amazon you’re a professional seller who had a problem, analyzed it thoroughly, fixed it completely, and built protections to ensure it never happens again. Approach it with the seriousness it deserves, follow the three-part framework precisely, and provide specific, measurable details throughout.
Need Expert POA Review Before Submission? One rejected POA can make subsequent appeals exponentially harder. At Rekommerce, we specialize in crafting POAs that Amazon approves the first time. Our team knows exactly what Amazon’s review teams look for and how to present your specific situation for maximum impact. Don’t risk rejection with trial and error—get your free account health audit and POA consultation today. We’ll review your suspension, identify the root cause Amazon wants to see, and help you build a framework that gets approved. Contact us now and take the first step toward reinstatement.