Operator glossary
Section 3 (of the Business Solutions Agreement)
The clause Amazon cites when deactivating accounts and withholding funds — the phrase in the email that means this is a policy-enforcement event, not a metrics dip.
Amazon's Business Solutions Agreement Section 3 covers termination and fund withholding, and 'deactivated per Section 3' emails are how serious enforcement announces itself: fraud findings, related-account linkage, IP repeat offenses, review manipulation, dropshipping-policy breaches. Funds can be held (commonly up to 90 days, longer where investigations run) while inventory sits frozen.
The response is process, not panic: identify the actual root cause the notice implies, write a plan of action that admits it specifically and evidences remediation — generic apologies extend timelines — and escalate methodically. Prevention beats every appeal: the recurring Section 3 causes (account linkage hygiene, review-solicitation gray areas, sourcing documentation gaps) are all auditable in advance.
The numbers
- Section 3 of the BSA governs termination and fund withholding — the citation in deactivation notices.
- Funds holds commonly run up to 90 days pending review; appeals ride on a specific, evidenced plan of action.
- Frequent triggers: related-account policy, review manipulation, repeat IP violations, sourcing documentation failures.
Related terms