What should I ask about a marketplace seller’s account health history?

Request screenshots taken with you present, or live access to the seller dashboard. The key reports show order defects, late shipments, cancellations, buyer feedback and any notices from the marketplace. Read these for trends rather than a single good day. A recent decline matters more than an older problem that was fixed.

Ask about every past warning. What triggered it, what did the seller change and did the marketplace accept the fix? Find out whether any listings were removed, whether certain product categories are restricted and whether the account ever lost the ability to sell. Ask about open cases and pending appeals, since a new owner may inherit them.

Then ask the hard question: can the account change hands? Marketplace rules vary and can change, so ask the seller to point to the current terms and ask your lawyer to review them. Some buyers instead take the products, brand and supplier relationships and open a fresh account. Ask how the seller’s records of sales would support that approach, and what the marketplace would expect to see. Ask finally who has been handling the account day to day. If it is a contractor, find out how they manage warnings and whether they would stay, since that knowledge is part of what keeps the account healthy.

Key takeaways

• Review the health dashboard live, not only screenshots.
• Look for trends in defects, late shipments and complaints.
• Ask what caused each past warning and how it was resolved.
• Ask your lawyer whether the account itself can be transferred.