Registered Seller Examination cheat sheet

The seller code of conduct typically requires accurate representation of products, lawful conduct, and no manipulation of ratings, reviews, or search rank.

Prohibited conduct categories usually include: multiple accounts to evade enforcement, circumventing suspensions, and offering incentives for reviews.

Policy violations are usually tiered: warning, listing suppression, selling privilege suspension, then account deactivation.

Sellers are generally responsible for third-party agents they hire (prep centers, agencies, freelancers) acting on their behalf.

Most marketplaces require sellers to respond to policy notices within a stated window; ignoring notices often escalates enforcement.

Dropshipping is typically allowed only when the seller is the recorded seller of record and handles returns and customer service.

Sellers generally may not ask buyers to change or remove negative feedback in exchange for refunds or compensation.

Repeated relisting of suppressed or removed ASINs under new identifiers is treated as evasion and can trigger permanent deactivation.

Standard verification set: legal business name, registered address, tax identification, bank account, chargeable credit card, and government photo ID.

Identity verification commonly requires a document image plus a live selfie or video liveness check; mismatched names cause rejection.

Bank account holder name must generally match the legal entity or an authorized signatory; third-party payment accounts often fail review.

Two-step verification is typically mandatory; disabling it can lock the account until re-verification completes.

A separate tax interview (e.g., W-9 for US persons, W-8BEN/W-8BEN-E for non-US) determines withholding on payouts.

Business addresses on file must be verifiable; virtual mailbox or PO box addresses are frequently rejected for the registered address.

Changes to legal entity, bank account, or tax identity usually trigger a fresh verification cycle and possible payout hold.

Account ownership is not transferable; selling or buying an account violates policy and voids the seller agreement.

A parent-child variation relationship groups sizes or colors under one parent ASIN; each child keeps its own SKU.

Title, bullet points, description, and backend search terms are the main indexed text fields; backend terms are not displayed to buyers.

Category-specific style guides define required attributes (e.g., apparel size, electronics voltage); missing required attributes can block listing.

GTIN/UPC exemption requires brand registry or a documented exemption request; reused or invalid GTINs cause listing errors.

Images must meet platform minimums, typically a pure white background for the main image and product filling most of the frame.

Listing suppression occurs when key attributes are missing or the main image fails requirements, making the ASIN non-buyable in search.

Catalog matching can merge offers onto an existing ASIN; sellers must confirm the ASIN matches the exact product variant.

A SKU is the seller's own identifier; an ASIN/FNSKU is the catalog or fulfillment identifier, and they serve different purposes.

Restricted categories commonly include medical devices, supplements, pesticides, hazardous materials, and children's products with safety rules.

Section 6 of the US Federal Hazardous Substances Act allows the CPSC to order recalls; sellers must act on recall notices.

Intellectual property types: trademark (brand identifiers), copyright (creative works), patent (inventions), and design patent (appearance).

A trademark registration is territorial; a US registration does not protect the brand in the EU or Japan.

Counterfeit is defined as a product bearing an unauthorized identical or substantially indistinguishable trademark.

Safety documentation commonly required: test reports, certificates of analysis, SDS sheets, and children's product certificates.

Batteries and lithium cells are regulated as dangerous goods; air shipment requires state-of-charge and packaging limits.

Sellers must remove recalled or non-compliant inventory and may be required to notify buyers who purchased the affected units.

Referral fee is normally a percentage of the total sales price, including item price plus shipping charged to the buyer.

Minimum referral fees apply per item in many categories, so low-price items can carry a disproportionate fee load.

Fulfillment fees are typically size-tier and weight-tier based, using dimensional weight when it exceeds unit weight.

Monthly professional selling fee is charged regardless of sales volume; individual-per-item plans charge per unit sold instead.

Storage fees are assessed per cubic foot per month, with a higher rate during peak season and a long-term storage surcharge.

Payout cycles are typically every 14 days; funds are held in reserve until the settlement period closes.

Negative balances from refunds and fees are recovered from future disbursements or charged to the backup payment method.

Promotional discounts and coupons reduce the referral fee base because the fee is calculated on the actual sales price.

FBA inbound shipments require a shipping plan, box labels, and item labels unless the units are commingled by the platform.

Inventory Performance Index combines sell-through, stranded inventory, excess inventory, and in-stock rate into one score.

Restock limits are generally tied to IPI and past sales velocity rather than storage capacity alone.

Stranded inventory is inventory with no active listing; it accrues storage fees and is not sellable until fixed.

Aging inventory surcharges apply to units stored beyond defined age thresholds, escalating with time in the warehouse.

Removal and disposal orders incur per-unit fees and have processing lead times before units leave the fulfillment center.

FIFO rotation matters for perishable goods; expiration-dated inventory requires date labeling to avoid disposal.

Multi-channel fulfillment lets a seller use marketplace fulfillment inventory to ship orders from other sales channels.

Handling time is the window between order receipt and shipment; it is separate from transit time shown to the buyer.

On-time shipment rate compares orders shipped by the expected ship date against total orders in the period.

Valid tracking must be uploaded with a carrier that the marketplace recognizes; untracked shipments count against metrics.

Late shipment rate above roughly 4% can trigger review; pre-fulfillment cancel rate above roughly 2.5% is a common threshold.

Sellers of record must provide a local return address or a marketplace-approved return option in the destination country.

Messages from buyers should be answered within 24 hours; response time is a tracked customer service metric.

Shipping charges set by the seller must align with the shipping service actually used; inflated shipping is a policy violation.

Order defect rate combines negative feedback, A-to-z claims, and chargebacks over a rolling 60-day window.

Standard return windows are commonly 30 days from delivery, with category-specific exceptions such as 90 days for some items.

A-to-z Guarantee claims are decided by the marketplace; the seller can appeal with delivery proof or a valid return record.

Refund is typically issued after the returned unit is received, unless the marketplace grants an advance refund to the buyer.

Return shipping cost allocation depends on the reason code: seller-fault reasons usually shift cost to the seller.

Restocking fees are restricted and generally not permitted for items that arrive damaged or not as described.

Chargebacks are handled by the card issuer; sellers must submit evidence such as tracking and signature within the deadline.

Selling partner support cases should include order ID, evidence, and a clear requested action to be actionable.

Reimbursement for lost or damaged fulfillment inventory requires a claim within the marketplace's filing window.

Order Defect Rate target is under 1%; it aggregates negative feedback, A-to-z claims, and chargebacks over 60 days.

Pre-fulfillment cancel rate target is under 2.5%; seller-initiated cancellations are the counted events.

Late shipment rate target is under 4%; orders confirmed shipped after the expected ship date count against it.

Valid tracking rate target is typically above 95% for seller-fulfilled orders.

Policy violations appear in Account Health with severity levels and an appeal path; unresolved violations can lead to deactivation.

Metrics are rolling windows, so a single bad week ages out only after the full window passes.

A plan of action typically has root cause, immediate corrective action, and preventive controls, with evidence attached.

Account Health Rating summarizes standing as healthy, at risk, or critical, and low ratings can block new listings.

Sponsored Products ads are keyword- or product-targeted and are billed per click, not per impression.

ACOS = ad spend divided by ad-attributed sales; a lower ACOS means more efficient ad spend.

Break-even ACOS equals the product's pre-ad profit margin; spending above it means ads lose money per sale.

ROAS = ad-attributed sales divided by ad spend; it is the reciprocal of ACOS.

Match types change reach: exact matches the query closely, phrase allows additional words, broad reaches related queries.

Negative keywords block irrelevant queries and reduce wasted spend without lowering bids on converting terms.

Coupons and Lightning Deals typically require a minimum discount and a fee; deal eligibility depends on rating and stock.

Brand Registry unlocks A+ content, Sponsored Brands, and brand protection tools that non-registered sellers cannot use.

The seller code of conduct typically requires accurate representation of products, lawful conduct, and no manipulation of ratings, reviews, or search rank.

Prohibited conduct categories usually include: multiple accounts to evade enforcement, circumventing suspensions, and offering incentives for reviews.

Policy violations are usually tiered: warning, listing suppression, selling privilege suspension, then account deactivation.

Sellers are generally responsible for third-party agents they hire (prep centers, agencies, freelancers) acting on their behalf.

Most marketplaces require sellers to respond to policy notices within a stated window; ignoring notices often escalates enforcement.

Dropshipping is typically allowed only when the seller is the recorded seller of record and handles returns and customer service.

Sellers generally may not ask buyers to change or remove negative feedback in exchange for refunds or compensation.

Repeated relisting of suppressed or removed ASINs under new identifiers is treated as evasion and can trigger permanent deactivation.

Standard verification set: legal business name, registered address, tax identification, bank account, chargeable credit card, and government photo ID.

Identity verification commonly requires a document image plus a live selfie or video liveness check; mismatched names cause rejection.

Bank account holder name must generally match the legal entity or an authorized signatory; third-party payment accounts often fail review.

Two-step verification is typically mandatory; disabling it can lock the account until re-verification completes.

A separate tax interview (e.g., W-9 for US persons, W-8BEN/W-8BEN-E for non-US) determines withholding on payouts.

Business addresses on file must be verifiable; virtual mailbox or PO box addresses are frequently rejected for the registered address.

Changes to legal entity, bank account, or tax identity usually trigger a fresh verification cycle and possible payout hold.

Account ownership is not transferable; selling or buying an account violates policy and voids the seller agreement.

A parent-child variation relationship groups sizes or colors under one parent ASIN; each child keeps its own SKU.

Title, bullet points, description, and backend search terms are the main indexed text fields; backend terms are not displayed to buyers.

Category-specific style guides define required attributes (e.g., apparel size, electronics voltage); missing required attributes can block listing.

GTIN/UPC exemption requires brand registry or a documented exemption request; reused or invalid GTINs cause listing errors.

Images must meet platform minimums, typically a pure white background for the main image and product filling most of the frame.

Listing suppression occurs when key attributes are missing or the main image fails requirements, making the ASIN non-buyable in search.

Catalog matching can merge offers onto an existing ASIN; sellers must confirm the ASIN matches the exact product variant.

A SKU is the seller's own identifier; an ASIN/FNSKU is the catalog or fulfillment identifier, and they serve different purposes.

Restricted categories commonly include medical devices, supplements, pesticides, hazardous materials, and children's products with safety rules.

Section 6 of the US Federal Hazardous Substances Act allows the CPSC to order recalls; sellers must act on recall notices.

Intellectual property types: trademark (brand identifiers), copyright (creative works), patent (inventions), and design patent (appearance).

A trademark registration is territorial; a US registration does not protect the brand in the EU or Japan.

Counterfeit is defined as a product bearing an unauthorized identical or substantially indistinguishable trademark.

Safety documentation commonly required: test reports, certificates of analysis, SDS sheets, and children's product certificates.

Batteries and lithium cells are regulated as dangerous goods; air shipment requires state-of-charge and packaging limits.

Sellers must remove recalled or non-compliant inventory and may be required to notify buyers who purchased the affected units.

Referral fee is normally a percentage of the total sales price, including item price plus shipping charged to the buyer.

Minimum referral fees apply per item in many categories, so low-price items can carry a disproportionate fee load.

Fulfillment fees are typically size-tier and weight-tier based, using dimensional weight when it exceeds unit weight.

Monthly professional selling fee is charged regardless of sales volume; individual-per-item plans charge per unit sold instead.

Storage fees are assessed per cubic foot per month, with a higher rate during peak season and a long-term storage surcharge.

Payout cycles are typically every 14 days; funds are held in reserve until the settlement period closes.

Negative balances from refunds and fees are recovered from future disbursements or charged to the backup payment method.

Promotional discounts and coupons reduce the referral fee base because the fee is calculated on the actual sales price.

FBA inbound shipments require a shipping plan, box labels, and item labels unless the units are commingled by the platform.

Inventory Performance Index combines sell-through, stranded inventory, excess inventory, and in-stock rate into one score.

Restock limits are generally tied to IPI and past sales velocity rather than storage capacity alone.

Stranded inventory is inventory with no active listing; it accrues storage fees and is not sellable until fixed.

Aging inventory surcharges apply to units stored beyond defined age thresholds, escalating with time in the warehouse.

Removal and disposal orders incur per-unit fees and have processing lead times before units leave the fulfillment center.

FIFO rotation matters for perishable goods; expiration-dated inventory requires date labeling to avoid disposal.

Multi-channel fulfillment lets a seller use marketplace fulfillment inventory to ship orders from other sales channels.

Handling time is the window between order receipt and shipment; it is separate from transit time shown to the buyer.

On-time shipment rate compares orders shipped by the expected ship date against total orders in the period.

Valid tracking must be uploaded with a carrier that the marketplace recognizes; untracked shipments count against metrics.

Late shipment rate above roughly 4% can trigger review; pre-fulfillment cancel rate above roughly 2.5% is a common threshold.

Sellers of record must provide a local return address or a marketplace-approved return option in the destination country.

Messages from buyers should be answered within 24 hours; response time is a tracked customer service metric.

Shipping charges set by the seller must align with the shipping service actually used; inflated shipping is a policy violation.

Order defect rate combines negative feedback, A-to-z claims, and chargebacks over a rolling 60-day window.

Standard return windows are commonly 30 days from delivery, with category-specific exceptions such as 90 days for some items.

A-to-z Guarantee claims are decided by the marketplace; the seller can appeal with delivery proof or a valid return record.

Refund is typically issued after the returned unit is received, unless the marketplace grants an advance refund to the buyer.

Return shipping cost allocation depends on the reason code: seller-fault reasons usually shift cost to the seller.

Restocking fees are restricted and generally not permitted for items that arrive damaged or not as described.

Chargebacks are handled by the card issuer; sellers must submit evidence such as tracking and signature within the deadline.

Selling partner support cases should include order ID, evidence, and a clear requested action to be actionable.

Reimbursement for lost or damaged fulfillment inventory requires a claim within the marketplace's filing window.

Order Defect Rate target is under 1%; it aggregates negative feedback, A-to-z claims, and chargebacks over 60 days.

Pre-fulfillment cancel rate target is under 2.5%; seller-initiated cancellations are the counted events.

Late shipment rate target is under 4%; orders confirmed shipped after the expected ship date count against it.

Valid tracking rate target is typically above 95% for seller-fulfilled orders.

Policy violations appear in Account Health with severity levels and an appeal path; unresolved violations can lead to deactivation.

Metrics are rolling windows, so a single bad week ages out only after the full window passes.

A plan of action typically has root cause, immediate corrective action, and preventive controls, with evidence attached.

Account Health Rating summarizes standing as healthy, at risk, or critical, and low ratings can block new listings.

Sponsored Products ads are keyword- or product-targeted and are billed per click, not per impression.

ACOS = ad spend divided by ad-attributed sales; a lower ACOS means more efficient ad spend.

Break-even ACOS equals the product's pre-ad profit margin; spending above it means ads lose money per sale.

ROAS = ad-attributed sales divided by ad spend; it is the reciprocal of ACOS.

Match types change reach: exact matches the query closely, phrase allows additional words, broad reaches related queries.

Negative keywords block irrelevant queries and reduce wasted spend without lowering bids on converting terms.

Coupons and Lightning Deals typically require a minimum discount and a fee; deal eligibility depends on rating and stock.

Brand Registry unlocks A+ content, Sponsored Brands, and brand protection tools that non-registered sellers cannot use.