A locked Amazon account is of no use, so this publication explains how to recover locked amazon account quickly, whether it is a seller or customer account. A locked Amazon customer account stops you from making or receiving your Amazon orders. You could even be locked out of services such as Fire and Kindle. As a seller, this affects your bottom line until you unlock your account again.
Fortunately, you can always recover a locked Amazon account depending on your violation or whatever forced Amazon to lock the account.
Common reasons your Amazon account is locked
Amazon does not lock accounts by mistake, at least we are yet to see such a report. The common reason is always security-related. When Amazon detects unusual activities, either on a seller or customer account, they will lock it for protection.
Below are the reasons your Amazon account is locked:
1. Increased number of orders
For a new Amazon account, if there is a sudden surge in orders, Amazon’s anti-fraud system can block your account if it suspects the slightest activity. You can limit the number of daily orders to prevent this from happening during the first few weeks of creating the account.
2. Logging in with different IPs
If you use too many IPs of different locations to access your Amazon account, the systems will suspect that the account has been compromised or hacked, and prevent further login.
This could be the case if you recently move to a different location or regularly changed location.
3. False signup information
If you provided false information when signing up on Amazon, your Amazon account can get locked. Amazon will try to verify your name, billing address, shipping address, and other important information. If there is a mismatch, the account will be locked for verification.
4. Excessive number of returns and refunds
If there is a high volume of product returns and refunds, Amazon locks you out of your account. Amazon is buyer-focused, like many companies, and will try to reduce the number of item refunds.
As a buyer, if you do Amazon exploit refunds too many times, they will lock your account.
5. Suspicious gift card activities
Amazon will lock an account if suspicious gift card activities are detected. Amazon is generally strict with its gift card policies, so you could get locked out for abusing the policy.
You cannot also sell or exchange your Amazon gift card. If Amazon manages to detect this misuse, they can lock your account since it does not conform with its gift card policies.
How to recover locked amazon account
When your Amazon account is locked, Amazon usually provides a reason for it. Check your registered email address for Amazon’s notification to know how to prove you did nothing wrong.
Meanwhile, here are the steps to recover your locked Amazon account:
1. Contact Amazon by email
If you find out that your Amazon account is locked, check your registered email address for an Amazon notification regarding the development. You may be able to reply to Amazon directly with proof to get your account unlocked.
To contact Amazon by email, send an email to cs-reply@amazon.com. Ensure to attach any documented proof and other information to be reviewed.
If there is an Amazon notification regarding your blocked accounts, check to be sure you are logging into the correct email account.
Alternatively, you can click the “need help” option on Amazon’s website. Select Account & login issues and click “I cannot sign in to my account”. You will be prompted to compose an email regarding your locked account, asking Amazon to reinstate it.
2. Use Amazon live chat to contact support
Contact Amazon support through the online live chat. Select the Contact Us button from your Amazon account after logging in.
Click the Start chatting now button and compose a message stating the problem and when it occurred.
The account specialist will mostly require providing verification details to get you to recover your locked Amazon account.
You can type certain required information such as numbers in the box. You may be provided a link to upload other documents or send an attachment through email.
3. Reach Amazon by phone call
Contact Amazon via 1-888-230-4331. Select the number as applicable when the machine answers. You may have to then explain that locking your Amazon account was a mistake.
You may be required to provide additional documents or information like:
- Gift card receipt
- Amazon account number
- Bank statement with the credit or debit card used for the applicable payment. Should include your billing address.
- Shipping address proof like water or electricity bill.
4. Recover Amazon account through ID verification
You can upload attachments directly on Amazon using the designated page to regain access to your Amazon account. The documents you provide should show your name, billing address, shipping address, or any other personal information. Generally, Amazon requires a scanned or photo of a government-issued identity document for identity verification.
First, go to Amazon’s recovery upload page Where you will upload the document.
Your name and address on the state or country-issued document should be visible. You can cover, conceal or remove sensitive information like identification numbers or account numbers.
This identity verification process typically takes 1 to 2 days to complete. You will then receive an email from Amazon to confirm once Two-Step Verification is disabled. Now, you can enter your correct password to unlock the account.
How can you stop Amazon from locking your account?
Following Amazon’s rules is not always enough in the case of your account getting hacked and logged into from a different location. Do the following to stop Amazon from locking your account in the future:
1. Use a VPN when in a new location
Amazon will lock your account if suspicious login occurs. Typically, this could be that you are accessing the account from another country. Amazon thinks the account is compromised, so they lock it to protect your information from being stolen.
The solution is to use a VPN. Suppose you moved from the US to the UK. You need the US VPN to log into your Amazon account. Since the IP address is still US, no suspicion from Amazon.
This does not mean that Amazon will not still lock your account if different US IPs keep logging in.
2. Reduce your spending amount
For a new account typically, making orders over a certain amount could be put on review. If Amazon thinks the credit or debit card in the account is compromised, they will lock it.
Carders would normally attempt to quickly use up funds in the victim’s account, so they have to start a new account and order items worth $500+, which trigger’s a check.
3. Minimize the rate of returns and refunds
Suppose you run a seller Amazon account. Amazon does not want your customers to frequently return and request refunds. If the number of returns and refunds is high in your account due to common reasons like items not arriving or not being what the customer ordered, Amazon will lock the account to verify ID.
If you own a buyer account with many refund requests, Amazon will put your account in check.
If they have any cause to believe that there are fraudulent refunds from your buyer account, they will lock it. In many cases, you never get to recover the account again even after providing your ID.
Read Also: How to combine Amazon gift card
