When you get an alert from SellerPulse that your Amazon listing was search suppressed, deactivated, or deleted without your knowledge, it's important to take action quickly.
Jump to information on inactive listings, search suppressed listings, or deleted listings.
Inactive Listings
What is an inactive listing?
Inactive listings are listings that buyers cannot purchase because Amazon has removed the "Buy Now" and "Add to Cart" buttons.
Why was my listing made inactive?
Amazon will show the reason the listing was deactivated on the "Fix Your Products" page in Seller Central. Common reasons include:
- The listing was not priced competitively compared to other websites. (If you sell the same item on other websites for a lower price, Amazon may deactivate your Amazon listing.)
- You need approval to sell this product.
- Amazon has received complaints that the product is inauthentic, unsafe, expired, etc.
- The item is out of stock.
- Two listings are suspected to be duplicates of each other.
Learn more from Seller University.
How does an inactive listing impact my business?
If a listing is inactive, customers cannot buy it. This causes a loss of sales until the listing is active again. Also, the decreased sales may change the ranking of the product, which means it may be harder for sales to return to their former levels once the listing is active again.
How do I fix an inactive listing?
Follow the prompts on the Fix Your Products page in Seller Central to get the listing active again.
For example, if the listing is inactive because the item is out of stock, restock the item (FBA) or update your item quantity to reflect the inventory you have on hand (MFN). If the listing is inactive because you need approval to sell the product, request approval from the Fix Your Products page.
How can I prevent listings from being deactivated?
To keep your listings active:
- Follow all of Amazon's policies regarding listing information, title, and images.
- Avoid duplicating your listings.
- Stay in stock and keep your inventory quantity up to date.
Search Suppressed Listings
What is search suppression?
According to Amazon, "Search Suppressed listings are products which Amazon has removed from the Amazon site product search due to quality reasons. Search suppressed products will not surface in customer searches until action is taken."
This means that buyers who search for products like yours will not see your listing's product detail page in search results because Amazon has identified a problem with the listing.
Why do listings get search suppressed?
Some common reasons for suppression are:
- The listing is missing required images, category, price per unit, or other information needed for the specific product category (e.g. Child listings in the Jewelry category that are missing a material type).
- The listing title is too long (more than 80 characters for apparel, shoes, and luggage, and more than 130 characters for all other categories).
Learn more on Seller Central.
How does search suppression impact my business?
While the listing is search suppressed, buyers won't be able to find its detail page by searching on Amazon. Because the search bar is the main way that shoppers find items, this means they won't buy the product, which results in a loss of sales.
As a result, your product may lose traction in Amazon's search ranking as well, resulting in slower sales even after the issue has been resolved.
How do I fix a search-suppressed listing?
Amazon will show you the reason for search suppression and a suggested next step on the "Fix Your Products" page. Fixes might include:
- Adding missing images or product information.
- Correcting invalid product information.
How can I prevent listings from being search suppressed?
To reduce the chances of your listing being search suppressed, follow all of Amazon's listing policies carefully, including image policies, guidelines for title and detail page content, etc.
Deleted Listings
What is a deleted listing?
Deleted listings have had all their details removed from your catalog. Usually, sellers do this on purpose, or Amazon may delete a listing after merging it with another listing.
How do I fix a deleted listing?
If you deleted a listing in error, you may re-list it by going to Manage Inventory > Add a Product and searching for the UPC or the same ASIN the item was listed as before. Then, click "Sell this product."
If Amazon merged listings that should not have been merged, contact Seller Support to request that the listings be separated again. Provide the two ASINs that were merged, along with as much evidence as possible that the items are different (e.g. photos).