Short answer. An inauthentic items notice means Amazon doubts your products are genuine, usually after buyer complaints or a supplier check. The appeal is decided almost entirely by the quality of your supply chain documents, so the invoices and their verifiability matter more than the letter itself.
Why Amazon flags inauthentic items
Complaints from buyers or rights holders, a spike in returns, or a supplier document that fails verification all trigger the flag. Amazon does not test the products in most cases, it weighs the documents you provide.
Because the review is documentary, the appeal fails when invoices are edited, lack detail, come from untraceable sources or do not cover the flagged ASINs and quantities.
What evidence actually passes
Invoices that work are real supplier invoices with the supplier's full contact details, covering the flagged products and quantities within a plausible timeframe, from a supplier Amazon can contact to verify.
Retail receipts, screenshots, bank statements alone or invoices from dissolved companies generally fail. If your supply chain has gaps, the appeal should explain the gap honestly rather than paper over it.
Building the appeal
Confirm exactly which ASINs were flagged and the complaint type, then collect the purchase history for those ASINs only. A focused pack beats a large unordered one.
The written appeal should map each invoice to the flagged ASINs and state where the goods were purchased, how authenticity is maintained, and what changed to prevent a repeat. Attach the invoices in order, not as an undifferentiated stack.
Step by step
- Confirm the flagged ASINsRead the performance notice and list exactly which products and complaint types are cited.
- Collect the real invoicesFull supplier details, covering the flagged ASINs and quantities, within the relevant period.
- Check invoice verifiabilityThe supplier must be reachable and able to confirm the transactions.
- Map evidence to each ASINReference each invoice against each flagged product in the appeal.
- State the preventive changeDescribe the supplier vetting or receiving checks now in place.
FAQs
Do I need invoices for every product I sell?
For an inauthentic complaint, you need invoices covering the specific flagged ASINs and the requested period. A full catalog history is rarely required.
My supplier will not confirm purchases to Amazon. What now?
That supplier cannot support an appeal. Source verifiable documentation or explain the chain of custody with secondary records, and expect a harder review.
Can I appeal without invoices at all?
Rarely successfully. Where genuine gaps exist, the appeal should explain them with whatever records exist, because a fabricated invoice ends the case permanently.
Official sources