Did Amazon Ban Seller Communication with Customers? News #85 My Amazon Guy

Full policy update here: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/G/01/rainier/help/legal/Communication_Guidelines_English_US_090820.pdf

Watch the CNBC story on fake reviews https://www.cnbc.com/video/2020/09/06/fake-reviews-are-all-over-amazon-and-its-getting-harder-to-spot-them.html

Communication Guidelines As part of selling on the Amazon store, sellers communicate with buyers both directly and indirectly. Amazon requires that sellers follow the guidelines below for any communication with buyers. The Communication Guidelines policy is meant to protect buyers from fraud and abuse, and to protect you from unscrupulous actions from your competitors. Raising the bar for all communications to buyers benefits all our selling partners, resulting in a stronger Marketplace. Direct communication Order status messages 1. Problem with Order messages: Sellers must communicate with buyers if the product ordered is not available to be shipped. First, adjust the full order amount using the Manage Orders feature in Seller Central or via an Order Adjustment feed. Sellers must use NoInventory or CouldNotShip as the reason codes for the adjustment as necessary. Second, use these directions and select the “Problem with Order” option to communicate with the buyer about your inability to fulfill the order. The message must contain a confirmation that the order amount was adjusted with the appropriate reason for the unavailability of the items. If you think you can fulfill the order but the shipment will be delayed beyond the advertised availability, you must notify the buyer about the delay. If the buyer decides to cancel the order, you should then start the refund process. Note: Do not contact the buyer and request that they submit a cancellation request. 2. Return-related messages: Sellers must process refunds for the order amount (minus any charges) using either the Manage Orders feature in Seller Central or via an Order Adjustment feed. You may communicate with the buyer about their return only when you need additional information to complete the return or you are offering a partial refund, following these directions and selecting the “Follow-up on return request” option. Buyer-Seller messages You may only send Permitted Messages to customers who have contacted you about purchasing a product or who have already purchased a product from you on the Amazon store. We define Permitted Messages as those communications necessary to complete an order or to respond to a customer service inquiry. Proactive Permitted Messages are those messages that you initiate that are not responses to a buyer’s question. Proactive Permitted Messages can be sent via email, using Amazon’s templates via the Contact Buyer or Request a Review page in Seller Central, third-party applications in the Application Store, or via Application Programmer Interface (API). You may send proactive Permitted Messages for the following reasons: resolving an issue with order fulfillment, requesting additional information required to complete the order, asking a return-related question, sending an invoice, requesting product review and/or seller feedback, scheduling the delivery of a heavy or bulky item, scheduling a Home Services appointment, verifying a custom design, or any other reason where the contact is required for the buyer to receive their purchase. Proactive Permitted Messages must be sent within 30 days of order completion. All proactive Permitted Messages must include the 17-digit order ID and be in the buyer’s Language of Preference. Sending proactive Permitted Messages to your buyer using Amazon’s templates, third-party applications, or via API automates the inclusion of order ID, Language of Preference translations, and critical message guidelines. Permitted Messages do not include any of the following message types (in many cases we are already emailing customers w
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