Amazon Sellers are confronted with multiple widgets and alerts upon logging in to Seller Central. The Account Health widget, in particular, uses stoplight colors (red, yellow, and green) to signal to Sellers whether or not their account is healthy. This small widget may be easy to ignore, but it’s one of the most important ratings to watch. Find out why below.
What Is the Amazon Account Health Rating?
The Amazon Account Health Rating (AHR) reflects the likelihood of a Seller’s account being deactivated due to Amazon policy violations. As of this time of writing, 13 of Amazon’s policies impact the AHR, with the possibility of having more policies apply to the AHR in the future. This can be a lot to keep track of, especially since Seller Central’s email notifications may not always reliably inform account holders of compliance issues and policy violations. The AHR simplifies monitoring Seller account health in one easy-to-find dashboard.
Where To Find the Account Health Rating Dashboard
The two easiest ways to find the Account Health Rating dashboard are from the widget space at the top of the Seller Central home page and the main menu.
Click on the Account Health tile to access the dashboard from the widget space.
A dropdown view of the account health in each Amazon marketplace will show up with a button to “Go to Account Health.”
This will lead to the dashboard.
To navigate from the Seller Central main menu, open the menu, scroll down to Performance, and click on “Account Health.”
The dashboard will display the current Account Health Rating, as well as any potential policy violations to investigate.
Understanding the Account Health Rating
Account Health Ratings are on a scale of 0 to 1,000. Seller Central accounts start with an AHR of 200. The lower the score, the more at risk the account is of deactivation due to policy violations. Scores from 0 to 99 are considered unhealthy and mean that the account is deactivated or eligible to be deactivated. Scores from 100 to 199 are at risk of deactivation. Accounts with a score of 200 and above are healthy.
The AHR is usually updated based on the past 180 days of sales activity and policy compliance, so Sellers will see their scores fluctuate over time. This is normal and should only be a cause for concern if the score moves below 200 points or if multiple policy violations have not been addressed. Violations can be found in the dashboard and should be addressed as soon as they appear.
Impacts on the AHR
Accounts that can keep an AHR of 200 and above are accounts that have low incidences of negative feedback (see Shannon O’Connell’s post, Why Amazon Sellers Need to Watch Their Buyer Feedback for more details about the importance of monitoring this feedback), A-to-z Guarantee claims, and chargeback claims. Healthy accounts also have low late shipment rates, low pre-fulfillment cancel rates, and over 95% valid tracking information. Consistent performance in these areas builds the AHR over time.
Negative feedback, A-to-z Guarantee claims, late shipments, pre-fulfillment order cancellations, and invalid tracking information lower the AHR. However, the Policy Compliance tile in the Account Health dashboard should also be closely monitored. Depending on the severity of the policy violation, Amazon can lower the AHR or deactivate the account.
All of these areas can be monitored in the Account Health dashboard, as seen below:
If a Policy Violation appears in the Policy Compliance tile, simply click on the name of the violation.
The specific incidents that count as violations will appear on the next screen, usually with the following format:
Sellers may need to request help from Seller Central Support to address or view these issues.
Account Health Assurance
If this amount of information is overwhelming, or Sellers are particularly concerned about their AHR, fear not. Professional Seller accounts (Seller accounts with a monthly subscription fee) can enroll in Amazon’s Account Health Assurance program. This can help prevent an account from being deactivated. Depending on the policy violation or issue, Sellers enrolled in the program are allowed 72 hours to work with Amazon to resolve the violation before the account is deactivated.
U.S. and Canadian Professional Seller accounts that have maintained consistently high AHRs and have an accurate emergency contact on file with Amazon are automatically enrolled in the program, so there are no additional forms or processes for Sellers to go through. Sellers are notified via email once their accounts are eligible and enrolled.
The Bottom Line
Seller Central accounts should check the Account Health dashboard, monitor their AHR regularly, and address any policy violations or shipping issues quickly. It is normal for the AHR to fluctuate based on recent performance, so this is no cause for concern unless the AHR goes below 200.
A score of 250 or above is considered a high AHR, so Sellers don’t need to worry if their score doesn’t reach 1,000. Monitoring the AHR can have other benefits, as well. While the Account Health dashboard only tracks order defects and shipping issues for a Seller’s Amazon account, a business could gain valuable insights for their overall business!
