Forbidden Activity: Having or Creating Multiple Amazon Selling Accounts
To be clear upfront, it’s okay for one person to have ONE of each of the following accounts:
- Seller Central selling account
- Vendor Central wholesale account
- KDP publishing account
- Amazon Affiliate account
Please note that every professional selling account has a buying account attached to it.
What is not okay with Amazon is if one individual, one business, or even one IP address has access to more than one of each type of account, and that is not authorized by them.
If you manage multiple selling accounts, you can and should only access them through User Permissions access. Never access an account that is not solely yours through the Administrator username and password or you risk suspending or terminating them all.
If you have a legitimate business need for more than one of these account types, the good news is that you must request and obtain written permission from Amazon before creating a second account.
Before you request this, you should make sure you can meet the following:
- Each account has a unique business entity, including the name, addresses, bank account, and credit card information.
- Each business sells different brands and/or products, and is not related in any way.
Some examples of a legitimate business explanation include:
- You and your spouse have formed different businesses, set up as separate entities, that sell completely different products, but which you both sell on Amazon.
- You have multiple business partners involved in multiple businesses. Each business should have its own account with user permission provided to the different partners.
Never allow another individual to access their Amazon selling accounts from your IP or network. Avoid logging into your accounts on public IP networks for the same reason.
Can you use a VPN for all of the above? Yes.
However, Amazon is aware VPNs are used to get around this rule. You may find pages don’t load properly, or have trouble logging in. It’s best to have a “home base” for most of your account activity when possible. A VPS (virtual private server) can be a better option to host your account access.
If you violate the one-account rule, it is grounds for automatic termination/suspension of ALL Amazon accounts. Amazon has zero tolerance when it comes to this.
If you knowingly or unknowingly find yourself on the wrong side of a product or account suspension, contact us now.
