Quick answer. A deactivated account still costs money every day, so run the business on a written plan. Amazon’s agreement lets it withhold payments while it judges a risk persists, and withheld money can offset refunds, A-to-z claims, removal costs and fees. Reinstatement releases funds on your normal schedule. Without it, you can separately appeal for withheld funds after 60 days from deactivation. You still owe performance on orders placed before a termination. FBA storage fees run until you request a removal or disposal, and after a termination Amazon can return or dispose of units you do not direct within 14 days. Protect cash first, then inventory, then customers, staff and suppliers, while the appeal is built properly.

A deactivation notice lands, and within an hour the questions are no longer about policy. Payroll is due Friday. A container is two weeks from the port. Three hundred units sit in fulfillment centers accruing fees. Merchant-fulfilled orders are waiting to ship, and the supplier wants to know whether to start the next run. The business has to survive long enough for the appeal to matter.

What Amazon says happens to your money, inventory and orders

Every operating decision rests on the rules as Amazon writes them. The Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement (the BSA) and a small set of help pages cover nearly all of it.

Your money

Section 2 of the BSA says that if Amazon determines your actions or performance may result in returns, chargebacks, claims, disputes, policy violations or other risks, it may withhold payments for as long as it determines those risks persist. It can also offset amounts you owe against payments it would otherwise make. Where Amazon determines an account was used for deceptive, fraudulent or illegal activity, including the sale of counterfeit or stolen goods, it may permanently withhold payments, and the BSA says Amazon will offer an avenue to appeal that decision.

The funds disbursement eligibility policy adds the detail sellers need most. If Amazon deactivates your account under Section 3 of the BSA and determines your actions may create risk, it may withhold any funds in the account. Those funds may cover product returns or refunds, A-to-z claims, inventory removal costs, outstanding fees, and damages. If an appeal reinstates the account, Amazon says funds will be released and disbursed on your disbursement schedule. If the appeal fails, or you choose not to appeal, you can separately appeal for withheld funds by contacting disbursement-appeals@amazon.com at any point after 60 days from the date the account was deactivated. Amazon says it will then release remaining funds, less offsets, after evaluating the account and confirming your identity, and it may request information about your identity, financial instruments or supply chain.

Your FBA inventory

The Fulfillment by Amazon Service Terms inside the BSA govern your units. You may request at any time that units be returned to you or disposed of (section F-7.1). Storage fees run from the day a unit is available for fulfillment until the earlier of a customer order, your request to return or dispose of it, or the day Amazon ships it back or disposes of it (F-9.1). After a termination, Amazon will return or dispose of units as you direct, and if you fail to direct it within 14 days, or as otherwise specified in program policies, Amazon may return or dispose of them itself (F-13). If your return address is outdated or incorrect, or Amazon cannot arrange payment for the return shipment, units can be deemed abandoned (F-7.2).

Your orders

Merchant-fulfilled products must ship on or before their expected ship date (S-2.1), and on termination you remain responsible for obligations on transactions entered into before it (Section 3). A deactivation does not cancel promises already made.

Area	What Amazon’s terms say	What it means for your plan
Payments	Amazon may withhold payments while it judges a risk persists, and offset amounts owed (BSA Section 2)	Plan cash as if no disbursement arrives until the matter is resolved
Withheld funds after deactivation	Released on your schedule if reinstated. Separate appeal possible after 60 days from deactivation (funds policy)	Record the deactivation date. The 60-day point is a planning milestone, not a payout date
Offsets	Withheld funds may cover refunds, A-to-z claims, removal costs, fees and damages	The balance you see is not the balance you will receive
Open orders	Obligations on transactions before termination survive. Ship by the expected ship date	Keep fulfilling merchant-fulfilled orders on time
FBA storage	Fees run until you request return or disposal, or until units ship or are disposed of	Indecision has a daily cost
FBA after termination	Undirected units may be returned or disposed of after 14 days	Keep a valid return address on file and decide early

This is educational information, not legal advice. Where a contract, employment or funds question has real money behind it, see a licensed attorney or accountant.

Find out what kind of hold you are dealing with

“Amazon is holding my money” covers several situations, each with its own path. Name yours first, because the cash plan depends on it.

A deactivation withholding

The account is deactivated and the balance is withheld under the funds policy. The money follows the account. A clean reinstatement releases it on your disbursement schedule. If the account cannot be recovered, the funds become their own matter, with the separate appeal available after 60 days.

An account level reserve

An account can keep selling while part of its balance is reserved. Amazon’s page on account level reserve says the amount appears in the Account level reserve section of the Statement View tab on the Payments report. The common reasons it lists are open A-to-z Guarantee claims (reserved until resolved, which Amazon says can take up to 14 days or longer), chargebacks from transactions in the last 90 days, performance below benchmarks, an account under review after an unexpected change in sales or activity, and tax withholding. Several reasons can apply at once. A reserve shrinks as its causes are resolved, not as you argue about it.

A remittance delay you caused

The BSA says that when you provide or change bank account information, the remittance calculation date may be deferred by up to 14 days. A panicked bank change adds delay and, on an account under review, invites scrutiny. Leave payment details alone unless they are wrong.

The inbox separates four holds sellers often call the same thing. Open each notice to see what releases it and what to do this week.

The first 72 hours. Stabilize before you write anything

Most damage comes from fast, unplanned reactions. Use the first three days to stabilize and collect facts. The U.S. Small Business Administration’s guidance on preparing for emergencies describes a continuity plan in three parts. Identify and document critical business functions, organize a continuity team, and evaluate recovery strategies.

Capture the record

Save the deactivation notice in full, with the date and time it arrived. Screenshot the Account Health page, the Payments report balance and Statement View, and the inventory position. Export recent orders and a current inventory report. The BSA says Amazon notifies you by email or Seller Central with the reason and appeal options, except where that would hinder an investigation. The notice is the starting fact. Everything else is inference until verified.

Name the critical functions

Write down the functions that must not stop. Payroll, open orders, customer replies, committed supplier payments, the books and inventory. Give each one to a named person.

Freeze the changes that make things worse

Do not change bank details, business information or account users unless they are wrong. Do not open another selling account. Do not send a quick appeal before you know the root cause. Amazon’s appeal page says to monitor email after you submit and to “expect a reply to your appeal within two days.” A fast reply to a weak appeal is not progress. Our guide on what never to do after a suspension covers the common self-inflicted wounds.

The first three days are for stabilizing, not a rushed appeal. Toggle what your business has done to see how stable it is and what comes next.

Cash flow when Amazon is holding your funds

The SBA’s guidance on managing your finances says someone should own functions such as accounts payable, and that watching money in and money out helps keep a sustainable balance. During a suspension that means one thing, a weekly cash plan that assumes no Amazon money arrives.

Build the runway without the withheld balance

Start with the cash you can spend today, in bank accounts and lines you already have. Add only income that does not depend on Amazon, such as wholesale invoices due, other channel sales and receivables you can rely on. Subtract weekly commitments. Payroll, rent, software, loan payments, supplier balances on goods already ordered, freight, and Amazon charges that may still hit your card. Divide the result by your weekly burn to get your runway in weeks.

Leave the withheld Amazon balance out entirely. The funds policy says withheld funds may offset refunds, A-to-z claims, removal costs, fees and damages, and release depends on reinstatement or the separate appeal.

A worked example

Take a hypothetical seller, figures for illustration only. $42,000 in the bank, $18,000 withheld by Amazon, $6,500 a week in payroll and fixed costs, a $12,000 supplier balance due in three weeks, and $1,500 a week of sales from its own website. Weekly net burn is $5,000 before the supplier payment. Over four weeks that is $20,000, plus the $12,000 supplier balance, leaving $10,000. The runway is roughly six weeks, not the ten it would look like with the withheld balance counted. That gap decides whether the supplier payment is renegotiated now or missed later.

Talk to lenders and landlords early

The SBA’s emergency guidance suggests negotiating to reduce costs, for example by modifying lease agreements or contracts, and points to free help from Small Business Development Center advisers and SCORE. Raise a cash gap before a missed payment, be accurate, and do not promise a reinstatement date you cannot know.

Watch the offsets

Returns and A-to-z claims keep arriving after deactivation, and Amazon can deduct them from what it holds. Log them so you know how much of the withheld balance is already spoken for. An honest record of what you owe also supports any later funds request.

FBA inventory. Leave it, remove it or dispose of it

Inventory is usually the second largest pile of money in a suspension, and it has a clock on it.

What a removal involves

Amazon’s remove inventory overview sets out the facts that shape the choice.

You can request the return or disposal of any amount of inventory at any time, individually, automatically or in bulk by spreadsheet.
A per-item removal fee applies by weight band. Check the current fee page rather than an old figure.
Amazon says it typically processes removal orders within 10 to 14 business days, and that during the holiday season processing may take 30 days or more.
Once a removal order is created, Amazon does not charge storage fees on those units during processing.
Fulfillable inventory is available for customers to buy until it is removed. If you do not want it sold, close the listing.
Returns ship only to you, your warehouse, your supplier or your distributor, never to PO, APO, FPO or DPO boxes, and not to another fulfillment center. Removed inventory cannot be used to ship customer orders, gifts or promotional items.
Large removals ship by freight, which needs a dock and a signature at delivery.
The address on a removal order cannot be changed once the order is created.

How to decide, unit by unit

Sort the inventory into three groups. Leave in place units you expect to sell on Amazon again soon, where the appeal is viable and the stock is not aging badly. Remove to your warehouse or a distributor units you can sell through your own website, another marketplace or wholesale. Dispose of units that are expired, damaged, recalled, or not worth the removal fee and freight. If the deactivation involves the product itself, such as a safety or authenticity concern, do not plan to resell those units anywhere until the concern is resolved.

The walkthrough moves through the fulfillment network group by group. Step through to see the decision for each unit type and what to confirm.

A worked removal example

Hypothetically, 600 units of a kitchen tool worth $9 each wholesale would cost an assumed $840 to remove and ship, against $5,400 from a regional retailer. Removal pays. Eighty units of a $3 accessory near its best-by date cost more to move than they are worth, so disposal is the honest choice. Make both calls in week one. The figures are illustrations. Check current fees in Seller Central.

This record holds the three screens a suspended seller reads first. Open each tab to see which field matters before a money, stock or appeal decision.

Open orders and customer messages

Customers who bought before the deactivation are owed what they were promised.

Merchant-fulfilled orders

List every open order with its expected ship date, ship in order and upload tracking. If you cannot ship, cancel and refund through Amazon rather than letting the order go late. The BSA requires customer payments to route through Amazon. Late orders after a deactivation become part of the record.

FBA orders and returns

For FBA units, Amazon handles customer service for packaging, shipping, returns and refunds, and decides whether a customer receives a refund, adjustment or replacement. Where it decides you are responsible, it can require reimbursement, and the FBA terms let you appeal that finding within 30 days of the notification. Keep checking for these notices.

What not to do with customer data

The BSA says you must keep customer personal data confidential at all times and use it only as reasonably necessary for your participation in Amazon’s services. Do not export Amazon customer names and addresses to announce your own website, start an email list, or move buyers off Amazon. During a suspension, answer customer messages about their orders through Amazon’s messaging, and nothing else.

Staff, suppliers and the people who depend on you

Staff

Tell your team plainly what has happened, what you know and do not know, and who owns which function. The SBA’s continuity guidance recommends organizing a continuity team and practicing the plan with staff. In a small company that team may be two people. Give each person a written task list for the next two weeks.

If you are considering reducing hours or roles, get advice first. Wage, notice and final pay rules depend on federal and state law and your contracts.

Suppliers

Contact suppliers with open purchase orders early. The SBA’s advice on supply chain disruption is to minimize interruptions and identify alternative sources to meet customer demand. During a suspension the problem runs the other way, so slow inflow to match what you can sell. Pause production that has not started, hold new shipments to fulfillment centers, and pay for goods already made or agree revised terms in writing.

Your supplier may also be part of the appeal, through invoices or contact details. Never ask a supplier to create, back-date or change a document.

Selling through other channels within Amazon’s rules

Other channels keep cash coming in, but some ways of keeping sales going make the Amazon case much worse.

What does not work

Opening a new Amazon account, or selling through a friend’s or relative’s account, to keep your products on Amazon while deactivated is the most damaging move a seller can make. Amazon’s funds policy lists “attempting to circumvent or manipulate our systems” among the activities that can lead it to permanently withhold payments. A second account rarely stays hidden, and once it is linked to the first, the seller has two problems and a weaker appeal. Read our explanation of Amazon’s rules on multiple seller accounts before doing anything that touches another account.

What can work

The route shows where sales can go while the Amazon case runs. Tap a station to see what each channel requires and where it goes wrong.

If you sell from your own website, the Federal Trade Commission’s Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule applies. You must have a reasonable basis for any shipping time you state, or for shipping within 30 days if you state none. If you cannot ship on time, you must seek the customer’s consent to the delay and offer cancellation. Refunds for cancelled orders must be prompt, which means within seven working days for most payment methods, or within one billing cycle where you extend the credit yourself.

Money, stock and an appeal all pulling at once?

Send us the case and we will help you sort the order of work and build the appeal on real evidence.

Submit Case →Book a call

How to verify where things stand, every week

Base decisions on what Seller Central and your own records show this week, not on what someone remembers. Use this table as a weekly review.

Question	Where to check	What to look for
What is the account status and the stated reason?	Account Health. The deactivation notice. Email	The exact policy named, ASINs listed, any request for information
Has Amazon replied to the appeal?	Account Health, View Appeal. Email	Requests for more documents and what each one asks for
How much is held, and why?	Payments report, Statement View, Account level reserve section	Reserve amount, open claims, chargebacks, offsets taken
When does the 60-day funds appeal open?	Your saved deactivation notice and its date	The date 60 days after deactivation
What inventory is still in FBA?	Inventory reports. Manage Inventory	Quantity, condition, aging, listing status
Where are removal orders?	Removal order reports. Fulfillment reports	Units shipped versus received, cancelled removals
Are open orders being met?	Manage Orders	Unshipped orders against expected ship dates
Is the return address valid?	Seller Central return and removal address settings	A current address that can receive parcels and pallets
Are other channels compliant?	Your website terms. Each marketplace’s seller terms	Shipping promises you can keep, refund process

A first-weeks operating timeline. Stabilize first, decide on inventory early, run the business and the appeal in parallel, and know when the separate funds path opens.

Running the appeal alongside the business

The operating plan buys time. The appeal ends the suspension. Give the appeal an owner and a deadline set by readiness, not panic.

Diagnose before you write

Read the notice twice for the actual concern, meaning the policy named, the ASINs listed and the documents requested. Then find the root cause in your own operation, such as an unverifiable supplier, an unsupported listing claim or a shipping process that let orders go late. An unverified cause is a guess.

Gather genuine evidence

Collect the documents that prove what you say. Invoices, supplier details, corrected listings, new process records, training records. Amazon’s appeal page says you may be asked for a questionnaire, an acknowledgement, a quiz or supporting documents, and that additional information Amazon requests goes in through View Appeal on Account Health. Use only genuine, unaltered documents. If a document cannot be obtained, say so plainly rather than filling the gap.

Write the plan

A strong plan of action states the root cause, the corrective actions already taken with proof, and the preventive controls going forward, each with an owner and a date. Our guide to writing a plan of action that gets read walks through the structure, and our article on how long an Amazon appeal takes sets realistic expectations for the wait.

Judge viability honestly

Some accounts can be reinstated with a clear root cause and real evidence. Some cannot, and the goal becomes recovering inventory and funds. The funds policy gives a separate path to withheld money even without reinstatement. Our guide to getting held funds back after a suspension covers that path.

Two dates on this ruler come from Amazon’s terms and the rest is your plan. Tap a day to see what happens then and what should be done.

Common mistakes that make a suspension more expensive

Budgeting on the withheld balance. Held money has no date and is subject to offsets. Plan without it.
Letting inventory decide for you. Storage fees run until you act, and after a termination Amazon can decide for you.
An invalid return address. Units can be deemed abandoned where the address is outdated or incorrect.
Abandoning open orders. They remain your obligation under the BSA and become part of the record.
A second or borrowed account. This turns a recoverable case into a much harder one.
Rushing the appeal to fix cash. A denied appeal rarely shortens the wait. The cash plan exists so the appeal can be done properly.

A repeatable weekly routine until the account is resolved

After week one, run the same review on the same day each week and write the results down. The SBA recommends backing up critical financial records regularly.

Status. Check Account Health and email for appeal replies or requests, and log anything new with its date.
Money. Update the cash runway, the Payments report figures, and the offset log.
Inventory. Review removal orders shipped against units received, and any remaining FBA stock and its aging.
Orders. Confirm no merchant-fulfilled order is late and answer customer messages about existing orders.
People. A short update to staff and key suppliers, with what changed and what did not.
Channels. Review sales, shipping times and refunds on other channels against their rules and the FTC Mail Order Rule.
Appeal. Track the evidence gathered, the gaps still open, and whether the plan is ready to submit.
Backup. Save the week’s reports and records outside Seller Central.

Reinstatement does not end the routine overnight. The preventive controls in your plan of action become your operating procedures, and the other channels stay in place. Our team can review the case through our Amazon suspension service page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Amazon keep my money when my account is suspended?

Amazon may withhold funds while it determines a risk persists, and can use them to offset refunds, A-to-z claims, removal costs, fees and damages. If the account is reinstated, Amazon says funds are released on your normal disbursement schedule.

Can I get my money back if my appeal fails?

Amazon’s funds disbursement eligibility policy allows a separate appeal for withheld funds by contacting disbursement-appeals@amazon.com any time after 60 days from the deactivation date. Amazon reviews the account, confirms your identity and releases remaining funds less offsets, unless it finds deceptive, fraudulent or illegal activity.

Do I still have to ship orders after a deactivation?

Yes. The BSA says you remain responsible for obligations connected with transactions entered into before termination, and merchant-fulfilled products must ship on or before their expected ship date.

What happens to my FBA inventory if my account is suspended?

You can request removal or disposal at any time, and storage fees run until you do. After a termination, if you do not direct Amazon within 14 days, Amazon may return or dispose of the units itself.

Can I sell on my own website while my Amazon account is suspended?

Yes. A separate channel in your own name is legitimate, but it must follow its own rules, including the FTC Mail Order Rule on shipping times and refunds. Do not use Amazon customer data to promote it.

Should I open a new Amazon account to keep selling?

No. Amazon’s funds policy treats attempts to circumvent its systems as grounds to permanently withhold payments, and a second account usually makes the original case harder to win.

Get Help With Running Your Business Through an Amazon Suspension

If your account is deactivated and the money, inventory and appeal are all pulling at once, we can help you sort the order of work and build an appeal on real evidence. Submit your case for review, or book a consultation to talk through the plan.

This article is general educational information about Amazon’s published terms and U.S. government guidance as read at the time of writing. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and it does not guarantee any outcome, timeline or amount. Amazon’s terms and help pages change. Confirm the current versions in Seller Central before acting.

You can also see all our marketplace suspension services.

Amazon Account Suspended? How to Keep Your Business Running in the First Weeks