Appeals & Account
Section 3 Violation (BSA)
Also known as: Section 3, BSA violation, Business Solutions Agreement violation
A Section 3 violation is an enforcement action under the Amazon Business Solutions Agreement when Amazon believes a seller breached core platform rules, often resulting in account deactivation. Notices reference Section 3 of the BSA and may cite review manipulation, authenticity, or conduct issues. Reinstatement requires a policy-specific POA and supporting documents matched to the stated reason.
Why it matters
Section 3 is among the broadest account-level enforcements because it covers fundamental trust and conduct failures rather than a single listing defect. Appeals must address the exact allegation in the notice, not a generic account health summary. Linked accounts, prior warnings, and Seller Code of Conduct history often factor into review. Misaligned POAs that discuss the wrong policy area can burn limited submission attempts. Treat the BSA citation as the scope boundary for every paragraph and attachment in the appeal.
Example
A seller is deactivated under Section 3 for review manipulation. The appeal documents terminated freelance contracts, removed incentive language from inserts, and provides audit logs showing no review requests since the fix date. Preventive measures describe quarterly audits of all customer-facing inserts.
Related terms
- Seller Code of Conduct: The Amazon Seller Code of Conduct is the baseline behavior standard requiring honest listings, lawful products, fair customer treatment, and accurate account information.
- Plan of Action (POA): A Plan of Action (POA) is a structured written response Amazon requires when reinstating a suspended account, ASIN, or privilege, explaining root cause, corrective actions, and preventive measures.
- Account Health Rating (AHR): Account Health Rating (AHR) is Amazon's consolidated account-level health score reflecting unresolved policy and performance problems across a seller account.
- Disbursement Hold: A disbursement hold is an Amazon payment freeze that stops settlement of seller funds while a risk, authenticity, or verification review is open.