Quick answer. When Amazon replies to your appeal asking for more information, the case is still open. Amazon’s appeal page says to click View Appeal from Account Health and submit the additional documentation and information required in your next submission. Read the request line by line, list exactly what it asks for (invoices, a clearer root cause, verification documents, evidence for specific ASINs), and answer only those points with documents that meet Amazon’s published standards. Keep every fact consistent with your first submission, because the reviewer reads the whole file. If the same request comes back after you have fully answered it, stop resending and work out why before you escalate through Account Health Support.

You sent your plan of action, waited, and the reply was neither a reinstatement nor a denial. It was a request for more. Many sellers read that message as a rejection and respond by rewriting the entire appeal, attaching every document they own, or arguing with the reviewer. Each of those moves makes the file worse. A request for more information is the most useful message Amazon sends, because it tells you in writing what stands between your case and a decision.

Below we cover how to read that request, what each common request means, how to answer only what was asked, how to avoid contradicting your first submission, and how to tell when a case has stopped moving and needs a different approach. If you are still waiting on your first reply, our guide to how long appealing on Amazon takes covers timing, and our plan of action guide covers how the first submission should be built.

What a request for more information means

Amazon’s help page on how to appeal an account deactivation or listing removal describes a short process. You go to Account Health, click Reactivate your account, and follow the instructions. Amazon says you may be asked to submit a questionnaire, acknowledge a violation, complete a quiz or provide supporting documents. After you submit, Amazon tells you to monitor your email for a decision. Then comes the line that matters here. If you have received a response from Amazon for more information, you click View Appeal from Account Health to submit the additional documentation and information required in your next submission.

That wording tells you three things. The appeal is still open, the reply goes back through View Appeal rather than a new case or email, and Amazon’s request defines the scope of your next submission.

Why Amazon asks instead of deciding

A reviewer who asks for more has usually found something missing, unclear or unverifiable, such as an invoice that does not cover every ASIN, a root cause too general to show the problem is understood, or a document that does not match the account. The reviewer cannot approve on what is there, but has not concluded the case fails. Your next submission decides which way it goes.

The file is one record

Everything you send becomes part of a single record that the reviewer reads as a whole. A strong second submission cannot erase a careless first one, and a new document cannot undo a contradiction you introduce now. Every reply is permanent and cumulative, so sequence it deliberately and never send something “to see what happens.”

Read the request before you write anything

The most common failure at this stage is answering a question Amazon did not ask. Take the request apart before you open a document or draft a sentence.

Find the exact message and the exact items

Open Account Health and find the violation or deactivation the request relates to. Open your Performance Notifications, find the matching message and copy its full text into a working document. Then note the following.

• The date you received it (you will need this for invoice date windows).
• Every ASIN, SKU or order ID it names (Amazon’s appeal questionnaire page says the list of products under review sits at the bottom of the original notification).
• Every document type it mentions (invoices, letter of authorization, identity, address, business registration).
• Every question it asks about your explanation (root cause, actions taken, dates, prevention).
• Any reason it gives for not accepting something you already sent.

Turn the message into a numbered request list

Write each requested item as its own line. “Provide invoices for the ASINs listed” becomes one line per ASIN. “Explain the root cause” becomes a line, and so does “Provide documentation of the changes made”. The result is a checklist. Your reply is complete when every line has an answer and a piece of evidence, and nothing in your reply falls outside that list.

Separate what Amazon said from what you assume

Mark each line as one of three things, meaning what the message states, what you infer from it, and what you are guessing. If the message says “invoices could not be verified” but does not say why, the reason is unknown, so do not write your reply as if you know it. Check every invoice against Amazon’s published requirements (covered below) and fix anything that falls short. Where the request is genuinely unclear, Amazon’s Account Health Support FAQ says that if you do not understand why a violation was triggered, you can ask the specialist to explain the policy in detail.

For a closely related case, read Amazon FBA Customer Returns.

When the stakes are high, have our Amazon suspension team review your case before you respond.

The common requests and what each one means

Requests for more information fall into a few families. The wording varies by violation, so always read your own message rather than relying on a pattern, but knowing the families shows you what the reviewer needs.

More invoices, or different invoices

This is the most frequent request on authenticity, condition and supply chain cases. Amazon’s page on invoice requirements for appealing a policy violation sets the standard, and a request for more invoices usually means at least one of these points was not met.

• Supplier information. The supplier’s name, phone number, address and website. Amazon says it will not share this with its retail team or other sellers.
• Date window. A clearly displayed issue date within the past 365 days before you received the performance notification.
• Quantity. Enough units to cover your sales volumes and in-stock inventory for each ASIN cited in the notification over the past 365 days, along with sales records for each ASIN tied to the violation.
• Product identifiers. Product names, model numbers, or universal identifiers such as UPC, EAN or ISBN, with variation details (version, color, style) that match your listing, and every component listed for bundles.
• Format. PDF, JPG, PNG or GIF, no larger than 10MB.
• Substance. A completed and fulfilled transaction, authentic and unaltered. You may remove pricing as long as everything else stays visible and clear.

Amazon also lists what it will not accept. That covers invoices sent by email or third-party sharing (they must go through Seller Central), sales quotes and pro forma invoices, self-issued invoices or invoices where the supplier appears to be the same entity as the buyer, digitally manipulated invoices or editable formats such as Excel or Word files, and invoices that are illegible, low resolution, inconsistent or missing required details. Amazon says it may contact the supplier to verify the information. If an appeal that included invoices is rejected, Amazon says your Performance Notifications will identify why it could not accept them, so read that message before you resend anything. Our guide to keeping invoices in line with Amazon’s requirements covers the sourcing side.

More detail on the root cause

When the reviewer asks you to explain the root cause further, the first plan of action almost always described the problem in general terms, such as “we made a mistake,” “we did not fully understand the policy” or “an employee error.” Amazon’s appeal questionnaire guidance asks you to look for the root causes that led to the violations, and gives unverifiable suppliers, inventory management issues and quality control issues as examples. It also asks for the specific actions you have taken, with dates of changes or documentation.

The reviewer cannot see the specific failure, so cannot judge your fixes. Name the failure precisely and link each corrective step to it.

Proof of the actions you described

You said you retrained staff, changed suppliers or added a quality check, and attached nothing that shows it. For product condition violations, Amazon’s policy violation appeals FAQ gives examples of acceptable supporting evidence, including images of updated training materials, updated product packaging or updated quality checks. The same principle applies elsewhere. A claim with no proof reads as a promise.

Identity, address or business verification

Some requests are not about a policy violation at all. They ask you to confirm who you are and that your business details are real. Amazon’s page on global seller identity, address, and business verification says business documents must match the information you entered during registration and be issued within the past 180 days. Documents must be valid, high resolution, complete and not cropped, and show the full document front and back where applicable. They must be under 50MB, in TIF, TIFF, PNG, JPG, PDF or JPEG format, with no special characters in the file name, authentic and unaltered, and not password protected. A plan of action is the wrong answer to a verification request. Our guide to business verification suspensions walks through that situation.

Bin checks and condition evidence

For condition complaints where you suspect the problem arose in the FBA network, Amazon’s appeals FAQ says to conduct a bin check before you appeal and include the case ID from the completed bin check, raised on the same ASIN and SKU as the violation. It also lists what it will not accept for those condition violations, which is a plan of action, images of the inventory or order details page as evidence, and a bin check case still under review. If a reply asks for condition evidence, those exclusions apply.

How to answer only what was asked

Lead with a short index

Open the reply with one or two sentences saying what this submission contains and that it responds to the request received on a given date. Then list each requested item and the document that answers it, so a reviewer can match your answer to the request in seconds. Amazon’s questionnaire guidance asks you to be clear, concise, factual and direct. Focus on the facts and events that led to the issue rather than introducing your product, business or customer, remove other questions or references to ongoing support cases, and avoid emotive language.

Answer each item in the order Amazon asked

Follow the sequence of the request. For each item, give a one to three sentence answer and name the attachment that proves it. If Amazon asked about three ASINs, the reply covers those three, by ASIN, in that order.

Highlight what matters in each document

Amazon’s appeal guidance suggests circling or highlighting the most important area of a document, such as the ASIN, the supplier name or supplier terms. The invoice requirements page adds that if an invoice shows multiple items, you may highlight the relevant product. Highlighting draws the reviewer’s eye without changing any information, and it is the only kind of mark you should ever add to a supplier document.

Leave out what was not asked

Do not re-send your whole first appeal, attach your full document library or add new arguments about why the violation was unfair. Extra material dilutes the answer, gives the reviewer more to verify and creates more chances to contradict yourself. If something new and relevant has happened since the first submission, such as a corrective action you have now completed, add it in one clearly labelled, dated line.

Related guides include Amazon “Not as Described” Complaints and Copyright for Amazon Sellers.

A worked example of the invoice gap

This example uses hypothetical figures to show how a request turns into a reply.

The situation

A seller receives an inauthentic complaint notice naming three ASINs. The first appeal includes one supplier invoice for 400 units across the three products and a plan of action that says the seller “sources only from reputable suppliers.” Amazon replies asking for more information, specifically invoices for the listed ASINs.

The diagnosis

The seller builds a coverage table. Over the 365 days before the notice, ASIN A sold 620 units with 80 in stock, ASIN B sold 210 with 40 in stock, and ASIN C sold 150 with 50 in stock. That is 1,150 units to cover, and the single invoice covers 400. It also lists ASIN B’s product under a model number that does not match the listing, and ASIN C under a generic description with no identifier. The reviewer was not being difficult. On the documents provided, most of the sold units could not be traced to a purchase.

The reply

The seller asks the supplier for the other genuine invoices from the same period, which exist because the seller bought in several orders. The supplier also provides a product list showing that the model number on the invoice is the manufacturer’s code for the variation sold on ASIN B. ASIN C cannot be fully covered, because 60 units came from a liquidation lot with no proper paperwork. The seller says so plainly, gives the date those units were removed from sale, and confirms that future stock will be bought only from the documented supplier.

The reply opens with an index listing three ASINs, five invoices, one product list and one sales record per ASIN. It then answers ASIN by ASIN, with the relevant lines highlighted. It does not change the original root cause. It narrows it, honestly, to what the records show. The gap is closed where it can be closed, and the part that cannot be closed is disclosed rather than hidden.

How to avoid contradicting your first submission

The reviewer reads your second submission next to your first. Any difference in facts looks like confusion or concealment, and neither helps.

The usual contradictions

The common ones are a new supplier appearing with no explanation, a change in the stated cause, a corrective action date that moves, quantities that shift between submissions without reconciliation, and a submission that acknowledged the violation followed by one insisting it was raised in error.

How to add information without contradicting yourself

Sometimes the first submission was incomplete or wrong. Do not pretend it said something else. Correct the record openly, in one sentence. “Our submission of [date] referred to one supplier. On review of our purchase records, units of ASIN B were also bought from a second supplier, whose invoices are attached.” A correction that is named and explained reads as diligence. A silent change reads as a different story.

Keep a case log, a single document with every submission you have made, its date, its text and its list of attachments. Before you send anything, compare the new draft against the log line by line.

Documents and evidence standards for the follow-up

Evidence is where most follow-up submissions are won or lost. Every document must be genuine, complete, legible and matching.

Genuine and unaltered, always

Amazon’s invoice and verification pages both require documents to be authentic and unaltered. Never create, backdate, edit or “tidy up” a document, and never ask a supplier to issue a document that does not reflect a real transaction. If the genuine document does not exist, your options are honest ones. Obtain the real document from the real source, narrow your claim to what your records prove, remove the affected inventory from sale, and say so. Submitting an altered document turns a fixable case into a far more serious one.

Matching across documents and the account

Names, addresses and identifiers should line up across your invoices, your account details and your listings. For verification requests this is explicit, because business documents must match what you entered at registration. If your business name on the account differs from your registration, resolve the mismatch at the source rather than explaining it away. In the United States, you can check how your business appears in state records through the state business registration and corporate name databases linked from the National Association of Secretaries of State. The IRS page on employer identification numbers explains how to confirm your EIN, including requesting an entity transcript or Letter 147C, which helps when the tax name on file is in question.

Where to verify each part of your reply

Common mistakes after a request for more information

Rewriting the whole appeal

The request is narrow, so the reply should be narrow. Rewriting everything invites new contradictions and buries the answer. Keep the first appeal’s facts and fix only what was asked.

Opening a new case or sending email

Amazon’s appeal page routes the reply through View Appeal, and its invoice page says supplier invoices sent by email or third-party sharing will not be accepted and must be submitted directly through Seller Central. A new thread can also detach your reply from the history the reviewer needs to see.

Arguing about the decision

Tone does not move a review. A reply that disputes the reviewer’s judgment, pleads hardship or blames buyers and competitors uses space that should hold evidence. If you believe the violation was raised in error, say so once, with the evidence that shows it.

Waiting after the follow-up, and what to do meanwhile

Amazon’s appeal page says to expect a reply to your appeal within two days. That is Amazon’s stated expectation, not a guarantee, and complex cases can take longer. Our article on how long appealing on Amazon takes covers the variables.

Use the wait

Check Account Health and your email daily, keep your case log current, and keep running the preventive controls you described so the records show them working, not only promised.

If the submit button is unavailable

Amazon’s Account Health Support FAQ covers this. If you cannot submit an appeal because of a technical problem, it suggests trying a different browser or clearing your cache, submitting through the Amazon Seller app, contacting Account Health Support using the Contact us button, or using general Seller Central support if Contact us is unavailable. If you believe a violation was triggered by an Amazon system error, it says to mention this specifically and provide evidence of the error.

When to escalate, and when to change approach

Escalation is a legitimate move when a sound case has stalled. It is not a reaction to impatience or a substitute for answering the request.

Diagnose before you escalate

When a reply does not match the strength of what you sent, work out why before you do anything else. There are six usual causes.

1. Wording. The case was sound but the language was general, overstated or contradictory.
2. Routing. The reply went through the wrong channel and did not reach the reviewer handling the case.
3. Evidence. A decisive document was missing, weak or unverifiable.
4. Exposure. Something the account data shows was left unaddressed.
5. Framing. The case was argued as the wrong kind of case.
6. Viability. The facts do not support the outcome you are asking for.

Change the real cause, never only the wording. A cosmetic resubmission adds another entry to the file and tells the reviewer the account still does not understand its problem.

The legitimate escalation path

Start with Account Health Support. Amazon describes it as a dedicated channel for professional sellers, reached through the Contact us button on the Account Health page, where a specialist calls you back. Amazon says specialists can help you address violations and submit requested information to reinstate a deactivated account, and the team is available seven days a week. Ask the specialist what the reviewer still needs, and log the answer and the date. Our guide on how to contact Amazon Seller Performance and our article on escalations go further into sequencing.

Reading viability honestly

Some cases cannot be won as filed. A decisive document may not exist, the honest facts may not support the claim, or the appeals may be exhausted. More submissions then spend time and credibility without changing the outcome. Change the goal or the approach instead, for example by narrowing the appeal to the products you can document or focusing on releasing funds or inventory, and seek professional or legal advice where the money or legal risk is large. This article is educational information, not legal advice.

A repeatable routine for every request

The same routine works whether the request is for invoices, a root cause, proof or verification documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a request for more information mean my appeal was denied?

No. Amazon’s appeal page treats it as a step before a decision and tells you to click View Appeal on Account Health to submit the additional information required in your next submission.

Should I rewrite my whole plan of action?

No. Answer only the items Amazon asked about, keep the facts from your first submission, and correct any earlier error openly in one sentence rather than replacing the story.

How old can my invoices be?

Amazon’s invoice requirements ask for an issue date within the past 365 days before you received the performance notification, with quantities that cover your sales and in-stock inventory for each cited ASIN over that period.

Can I remove prices from my invoices?

Yes. Amazon says you can remove pricing information as long as all other information stays visible and clear. You can also highlight the relevant product, but you must not alter anything else.

What if I cannot get the invoices Amazon wants?

Never create or alter a substitute. Ask the real supplier for genuine copies. If they do not exist, narrow your appeal to what your records prove, remove the undocumented inventory from sale, and say so plainly.

How long will Amazon take to reply to my follow-up?

Amazon’s appeal page says to expect a reply within two days. That is Amazon’s stated expectation, not a guarantee, and complex cases can take longer.

What if Amazon keeps asking for the same thing?

Stop resending. Diagnose whether the gap is evidence, wording, routing, exposure, framing or viability, fix the real cause, and contact Account Health Support through the Contact us button to ask what is still missing.

Get Help With an Amazon Request for More Information

A request for more information is a narrow window, and the next submission matters more than the first. If the request is unclear, the same request keeps returning, or your documents do not fully cover what Amazon asked for, we can review the whole file, find the real gap and help you answer it. See our Amazon suspension and appeal service, submit your case for review, or book a consultation.

This is educational information, not legal advice. Amazon’s policies, forms and timelines change, so check the current Seller Central help pages and the message on your own Account Health page before you act. No outcome or timeline is guaranteed.

You can also see all our marketplace suspension services.

Sources

• Amazon Seller Central: Appeal an account deactivation or listing removal
• Amazon Seller Central: Complete an appeal questionnaire to reinstate selling privileges
• Amazon Seller Central: Invoice requirements for appealing a policy violation
• Amazon Seller Central: Policy violation appeals FAQ
• Amazon Seller Central: Account health support FAQ
• Amazon Seller Central: Global seller identity, address, and business verification
• Internal Revenue Service: Employer identification number
• National Association of Secretaries of State: Corporate registration