Amazon Section 3 Video Verification for Established Sellers: Who in Your Company Has to Be on the Call
Amazon's forums team says the owner who registered the account must conduct the video verification call. The ownership map and inventory plan to have ready.
By Bernardo Campelo, Forbes Business Council E-Commerce Leader, Amazon SPN Certified provider, Amazon SP-API authorized partner, and Founder of PrepVia.
As of October 29, 2026, Amazon's public Seller Central help pages on seller verification do not say who in a company has to attend the verification video call. Amazon answered the question in a post by its US Seller Forums team, dated March 20, 2025: the call "must be conducted by the account owner (individual or business owner who registered the account)." That is guidance from Amazon's forums team, not a policy page. The same post says the call can come "at different times during your selling journey," not only at registration.
Sellers call it "Section 3 video verification" because of where the notice points. Section 3 of Amazon's Business Solutions Agreement is its Term and Termination section. Since September 2026, seller-trade coverage has reported a round of these notices ahead of the holiday peak, resolved through a live video identity check, with accounts that had sold for years receiving the same notices as new ones. That is a report, not an Amazon statement, and Amazon has not announced a policy change.
For an established account, the weak point is rarely a missing document. It is records that no longer match how the business runs: an owner who stepped back, a bank account in another entity's name, an inbox nobody reads, an agency that knows the answers better than the owner. This post is for the owner, the CFO and counsel.
The 60-second version
Plan for the business owner to conduct the call: Amazon's Seller Forums team wrote in March 2025 that the account owner conducts it, and in 2024 that a decision after a failed call is typically final. Section 3 lets Amazon suspend an account immediately on suspicion of fraud, and Account Health Assurance does not apply when Amazon believes there was fraud. After a Section 3 deactivation, Amazon may hold the funds; a separate funds appeal opens 60 days later, and Amazon releases money only after reviewing the account for fraud and confirming your identity. FBA storage keeps accruing, and the forums team has said that, depending on the reason, a deactivated seller may not be eligible to request a removal order. Before any notice, match every name on file to how the company runs today, and decide how much stock stays outside FBA.
Every date and name below was checked on October 29, 2026 against Amazon's Business Solutions Agreement, its Seller Central help pages, sell.amazon.com, its Seller Forums announcements and forums team posts, and the text of the INFORM Consumers Act, linked where they first appear. Amazon edits help pages without dating them, and forum posts are guidance rather than policy. This is general information, not legal advice: for ownership, entity or appeal questions, talk to your attorney.
What "Section 3" Is, and Where the Video Call Comes In
Section 3 lets Amazon suspend or terminate an account immediately on five grounds: a material breach not cured within 7 days of a cure notice, a period Amazon can shorten or waive when the breach exposes it to liability toward a third party; an account that "has been, or our controls identify that it may be used for deceptive or fraudulent, or illegal activity"; use of the services that has harmed or might harm other sellers, customers or Amazon; an Account Health Rating below Amazon's published threshold; or a legal requirement. Two of the five can rest on what Amazon's controls identify, without a proven violation.
Amazon commits to give the reason and any options to appeal, except where it believes that would hinder an investigation of deceptive, fraudulent or illegal activity or help the seller "circumvent our safeguards." And a good score is no shield: Amazon's Account Health Rating page says "Regardless of your AHR score, Amazon may deactivate your account immediately if we suspect fraudulent, deceptive, illegal, or otherwise harmful activity."
Verification after registration is in the same agreement. Section 1 says the seller must provide its legal name, address, phone number and email "as part of the application, or at any time during the term of this Agreement," and that the information "must correspond to your business name or to the name of an individual legally authorized to act on behalf of your business." In May 2026, Amazon told sellers that identity verification applies "when you register to sell in our store or changes occur in your account."
The call itself appears in Amazon's US registration guide: the person registering verifies their identity "as the primary contact for your business," uploading a government-issued ID and a proof of address from the last 180 days, then either taking a photo of their face and ID or choosing to "join or schedule a video call with an Amazon associate."
Who Has to Be on the Call
The forums team was direct: "the call must be conducted by the account owner (individual or business owner who registered the account)." If anyone else attends, "they must be introduced at the beginning of the call," and for an employee or business partner, the seller should "be prepared to provide employment information for them and details as to how they are associated with your account." The post says nothing about agencies.
Amazon's help pages describe the person who registered as the primary contact. Its identity verification page says the person registering is "also known as the primary contact person" and that the name on the ID "must match the name that is entered as the primary contact person in your seller account." Its verification FAQ adds: "Actions taken by the primary contact person are deemed to be taken by the account holder." For a US business, Amazon's requirements page says "The point of contact and business owner must upload identity documents and their business association documents."
When an owner registered the account, the owner and the primary contact are one person. When a manager or an employee registered it under a letter of authorization, they are two, and Amazon's public text does not say which of the two conducts the call. Our reading: plan for the business owner to conduct it, with the primary contact introduced at the start and ready to show how they are associated with the account.
The documents depend on why you were called. The forums team lists four kinds:
| Document | What Amazon's forums team describes |
|---|---|
| Identity document | A government-issued photo ID, such as a passport or national ID |
| Business license | A government-issued document showing the business is valid |
| Proof of address | A bank statement or credit card statement |
| Sourcing documentation | Invoices, supply chain invoices, letters of authorization and licensing agreements from the brands you sell |
The post says "You will be required to have hard copies of your document originals," and that the outcome comes "in the form of a performance notification." A post by Amazon's forums team from October 2024 says you should receive an email before a scheduled call with "all the information and documents you will need to have ready for the call." On statements, Amazon's May 2026 tips ask for ones "dated within the last 90 days," while its US requirements page uses 180 days; a statement from the last 90 days meets both.
Treat the call as one attempt. In September 2024, a seller deactivated under Section 3 after a failed call asked how to book another. The forums team replied that "These are typically final decisions when made," that without more compelling evidence the review team "will not schedule a new video call," and that some calls include "a more in-depth look into your supply chain if this is associated with a concern of authenticity or intellectual properties."
"The call is for the owner who registered the account. If that person can't walk through the supply chain without the agency answering, that is the gap to close before Amazon asks."
Bernardo Campelo, Founder of PrepVia
In practice, the owner should be able to explain, without help, where the inventory comes from and which document backs each supplier, with the originals at hand. If today only the agency or an operations manager can answer, brief the owner and fix the records now.
The Ownership Map Amazon Already Has on File
The ownership map answers, on one page, whose name sits in each field Amazon verifies and whether that person can still act. The September coverage listed where established accounts get caught: a legal representative who does not run the account, a bank account or card pointing to another person or entity, address or phone details never corrected, and agency-prepared documents nobody on the call can explain. Those are reports, not Amazon criteria, but each lines up with a row below.
| Role on the account | What Amazon's pages say | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Primary contact | Registered the account, initiates disbursements and refunds; the ID name must match | Still with the company? If it is not an owner, are the owner and the contact both ready for the call? |
| Business owner | For a US business, uploads identity and business association documents with the point of contact | Whose documents does Amazon hold? |
| Beneficial owners | Any natural person owning more than 25 percent of the shares or voting rights, directly or indirectly, or owning the business by other means; if no one qualifies, a senior manager. The form takes four names, and Amazon asks for the rest later | Does the list name the people at the top of the cap table after the last reorganization, not the parent company? |
| Legal representative | Legally authorized to act for the business; if the contact is not one, Amazon may ask for a dated letter of authorization signed by a legal representative director, beneficial owner or trustee | Is the letter on file, and does the signer still hold the role? |
| Bank account | Must be in your name or the name of your business | Is it in the selling entity's name, not a parent's, a relative's or a vendor's? |
| Registration email | Receives Amazon's verification updates | Does that inbox reach a decision maker today? |
| Emergency contact number | Must be verified to stay in Account Health Assurance | Whose phone is it? |
The credit card, the registration guide adds, "does not need to be under your name or the name of your business." The business address is an identity field too; our post on which address goes where in Seller Central covers it.
Changes can trigger a review. Amazon's seller performance review page says that a seller whose account has been deactivated may need to go through that review after changes such as a new registered address, new bank account details, an outdated or invalid credit card, or a new phone number. Amazon says the list "shows examples only and is not exhaustive." For a holding company or a family office, the Seller Central updates belong in the plan for any reorganization, not in the response to a notice.
A second check runs on its own clock: the INFORM Consumers Act covers sellers with 200 or more discrete sales of new or unused consumer products and $5,000 or more in gross revenues in any continuous 12-month period during the previous 24 months. They must certify their information at least once a year, within 10 days of the notice, or face suspension of future sales. Amazon's INFORM page says the information must be in the business name or that of "an individual legally authorized to act on the seller’s behalf," and that Amazon verifies it "anytime your information changes." It is separate from Section 3 but reads the same records.
Agencies, Employees and a Change of Owner
Amazon separates two kinds of access. Its Service Provider page covers anyone external, "agencies, consultants, external contractors," authorized for pre-approved roles for 365 days. Employees are added in Manage Employees, with roles the seller assigns and no expiration. Only "the account owner or an account administrator" can authorize a Service Provider, and Amazon's October 5, 2026 announcement says that as of September 1, 2026, "each agency, freelancer, or virtual assistant that helps manage your Amazon business must complete business verification to reauthorize them."
The agreement puts the consequences on the account. Section 16 bars sharing the password beyond third parties "authorized by you to use your account in accordance with this Agreement" and makes the seller "solely responsible for any use of or action taken under your password." Amazon's Seller Code of Conduct lists "Allowing other people to act on your behalf in a way that violates Amazon’s policies or your agreement with Amazon" as unfair activity. Our reading: an agency working from the owner's login, filing documents the owner has not read, leaves the owner answerable for both.
A change of owner is a different question. Amazon's account transfer page says "Seller accounts generally are not transferable," that if ownership changes "the new owner must establish a new seller account," and that if only the managers change, "you can add users to the account." Section 18 of the agreement separately allows assigning it to an affiliate upon notice to Amazon. How those fit a restructuring is a question for your attorney, before the change.
For a group with several accounts, the exposure travels. In February 2026, Amazon told sellers that "If one account is deactivated, you'll need to resolve the issue and reinstate that account before your other accounts can become active again."
What Account Health Assurance Covers, and Where It Stops
Account Health Assurance is Amazon's protection for accounts with a strong record: "we will no longer deactivate your selling account as long as you work with us within 72 hours of contacting you to resolve any issues." It is for professional sellers with an Account Health Rating of 250 or higher for at least 6 months, no more than 10 days below 250, and a valid emergency contact number on file.
The 72 hours start when Amazon reaches out, and Amazon says that contact is "both a phone call and an email." Staying in the program requires a verified emergency contact number, compliance with "all regulatory compliance obligations in the Amazon stores where you operate," and engagement within 72 hours of notification. If the emergency number belongs to someone who left, or the email lands in an agency's inbox, the window can close before a decision maker sees it.
The protection stops at fraud: "Regardless of your AHA eligibility status, Amazon may remove you from the AHA program and deactivate your seller account immediately if we believe you have engaged in fraudulent, deceptive, illegal, or otherwise harmful activity." Those are two of the five grounds Section 3 lists. The program's Seller Challenge does not reach it either: Amazon says it applies to "eligible listing-level enforcements only."
The Inventory Plan If the Account Goes Down
Start with the money. Amazon's funds disbursement policy says that after a Section 3 deactivation, if it determines the seller's actions may create risk, "we may withhold any funds that may be in your account," to cover returns, A-to-z claims, "inventory removal costs," fees or damages. If the appeal reinstates the account, funds are released on the normal disbursement schedule. If it fails, or the seller does not appeal, the seller can appeal separately for the funds "at any point after 60 days from the date when your account was deactivated." Amazon releases what remains only after "evaluating your account for deceptive, fraudulent, or other illegal activity and confirming your identity," and says it may withhold payments permanently if it finds that kind of activity or "cannot confirm your identity."
Storage keeps running. Under section F-9.1 of the FBA Service Terms, storage fees accrue until a customer order or a request to return or dispose of the unit, or until the unit ships out or is disposed of. Nothing in that clause pauses them because an account is deactivated.
Getting the stock out may not be an option. In July 2024, Amazon's forums team told a deactivated seller that "Depending on the reason your account was deactivated, you may not be eligible to request a removal order to receive your inventory back to you." In January 2025, another seller reported that inventory Amazon had released as eligible for removal still could not be removed, because each attempt said the account had to be reactivated first. That is one seller's report, but it shows storage fees running while the removal stays blocked.
When a removal is possible, the timing is Amazon's. Its removal overview says Amazon typically processes removal orders within 10 to 14 business days, and "during the holiday season, processing may take 30 days or more," before the shipment travels. Storage fees stop while a removal is processing, removals ship "only to you, your warehouse, your supplier, or your distributor," and the address cannot be changed once the order is created.
The return address matters even if you do nothing. Under section F-7.2, if the designated shipping address Amazon has for returning units is "outdated or incorrect," the units "will be deemed abandoned" and Amazon may dispose of them. Under section F-13, after a termination of the agreement, a seller who gives no direction within fourteen days lets Amazon return or dispose of the units; that clock runs from termination, not from a suspension. Amazon's unsuitable inventory investigations policy can also hold suspected counterfeit or restricted inventory.
How much stock to keep outside FBA is a CFO decision, and Amazon does not set it. Our way to frame it:
- Cash first. Amazon's policy opens the separate funds appeal only after 60 days from a deactivation. Plan supplier, freight and advertising payments for at least that window without Amazon payouts.
- Weeks, not units. Decide how many weeks of sales sit outside FBA, and on which other channels that stock could sell.
- Whose name. Keep that stock in the selling entity's name, with records that match the entity Amazon has on file.
- The return address. Keep it current and able to receive freight.
Where a Prep Center Fits
A prep center does not take the call, write the appeal or move inventory out of a deactivated account. Units already in Amazon's fulfillment centers follow Amazon's FBA terms, and nothing a 3PL does changes what happens to them in a deactivation. When a removal is possible, PrepVia offers removal order receiving for those units.
What a prep center can hold is the part of the plan that is not at Amazon. PrepVia receives, inspects, counts, FNSKU-labels, poly-bags, bundles, boxes and palletizes seller inventory, then creates and ships the inbound to Amazon. Receiving and inspection are included, discrepancies are reported within 24 hours of arrival, with photos, and storage is billed daily, on the space used. The same stock can be prepped for Amazon FBA, Walmart WFS or TikTok Shop.
Questions for any 3PL holding that stock:
- Whose name is on the account? The storage agreement and inventory records should name the selling entity Amazon has on file.
- Who can release stock? Keep the list of people authorized to move your inventory as current as your Seller Central users.
- How is storage billed? At PrepVia, daily, on the space used. Pricing is quoted per account on a free 15-minute call.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to be on an Amazon Section 3 video verification call?
Amazon's public help pages on verification do not say. Its US Seller Forums team wrote on March 20, 2025 that the call "must be conducted by the account owner (individual or business owner who registered the account)," and that anyone else attending must be introduced at the start. If a manager registered the account, plan for the business owner to conduct the call, with that manager introduced.
Can our agency take the call for us?
Amazon's forums team wrote in March 2025 that the account owner conducts the call, and its text covers employees and business partners, not agencies. Agencies reach the account through their own Service Provider authorization. Keep the owner on the call and the agency on that authorization.
Does Account Health Assurance protect us from a Section 3 deactivation?
Not when Amazon believes there was fraud. AHA keeps an enrolled account active if you engage within 72 hours of Amazon's contact, but Amazon may remove a seller from AHA and deactivate immediately for fraudulent, deceptive, illegal or otherwise harmful activity.
What happens to our money after a Section 3 deactivation?
Amazon may withhold the funds and use them for returns, claims, removal costs, fees or damages. A separate funds appeal can be sent at any point after 60 days from the deactivation date. Amazon releases what remains only after it reviews the account for fraud and confirms your identity, and it may keep the funds permanently if it finds deceptive, fraudulent or illegal activity, or cannot confirm who you are.
What happens to our FBA inventory?
Storage fees keep accruing until a removal or disposal request or until the units leave. Amazon's forums team has said that, depending on the reason, a deactivated seller may not be eligible to request a removal order. When removal is possible, Amazon says it typically processes the order within 10 to 14 business days, longer in the holiday season, before the shipment travels.
Can we move the account to a new holding company?
Amazon says seller accounts generally are not transferable and that a new owner must establish a new seller account, while the agreement allows assignment to an affiliate upon notice. Take that question to your attorney before the restructuring.
Final Take
Amazon has not announced a rule change, and its public help pages on verification do not say who goes on the call. Its forums team has written enough to plan with: the account owner conducts the call, anyone else is introduced, and a failed call is typically final. The work is to make each name on file match the company as it runs today.
Once an account is down, Amazon's terms decide what happens to the stock inside FBA, and storage keeps accruing. What the owner controls is the cash plan for the weeks without payouts and the stock that never went in.
Get a quote →
PrepVia is Amazon SPN Certified, prep window 24-36 hours, Net-30 available.
Stop managing prep. Start shipping.
We prep in 24 to 36 hours and guarantee 35 hours end to end, or the prep is free. No minimums, up to full truckloads, and you pay Net-30.
