Account Health: How to Protect and Grow your Amazon Business
August, 2025
5 MIN
A practical guide to managing orders, staying compliant, and keeping your selling account in the green.
Imagine waking up, opening Seller Central, and finding your account deactivated. The warnings had come, but they came quickly, or were easy to underestimate. Overnight, your revenue is R0, your support tickets are pending, and you’re left scrambling to work out what went wrong, how to fix it, and how long you’ll be down.
It’s a scenario no seller wants to face — and the good news is that it’s almost always avoidable. The key is understanding your Account Health and treating it as a core part of running your business, not an afterthought. This guide walks you through exactly how Account Health works on Amazon.co.za and the simple habits that keep your account thriving.
Here are some key metrics to keep an eye on:
It’s a scenario no seller wants to face — and the good news is that it’s almost always avoidable. The key is understanding your Account Health and treating it as a core part of running your business, not an afterthought. This guide walks you through exactly how Account Health works on Amazon.co.za and the simple habits that keep your account thriving.
Here are some key metrics to keep an eye on:
Starts at 200
Every selling account begins with an Account Health Rating (AHR) of 200.
Three health zones
Healthy: 200+ (green).
At Risk: 100–200 (yellow).
Unhealthy: Below 100 (red).¹
At Risk: 100–200 (yellow).
Unhealthy: Below 100 (red).¹
Order Defect Rate
Keep your ODR under 1% to stay in good standing with the marketplace.¹
Shipping targets
Late Shipment Rate under 4%.
Pre-fulfilment Cancel Rate under 2.5%.
Pre-fulfilment Cancel Rate under 2.5%.
What is Account Health?
The Account Health Dashboard is a tool in Seller Central that gives you a single, clear view of how well your selling account is meeting Amazon’s performance targets and policies. You’ll find it under Performance → Account Health.
At its centre is the Account Health Rating (AHR) — a colour-coded score from 0 to 1,000 that reflects your adherence to Amazon’s selling policies and the customer experience you deliver. Think of it as a live health check for your business: the higher and greener your score, the more room you have to grow.
At its centre is the Account Health Rating (AHR) — a colour-coded score from 0 to 1,000 that reflects your adherence to Amazon’s selling policies and the customer experience you deliver. Think of it as a live health check for your business: the higher and greener your score, the more room you have to grow.
Amazon’s success depends on trust. Good Account Health helps grow your business while delivering a better experience for customers.
Understanding your Account Health Rating
Every account starts at an AHR of 200, and the score sits in one of three zones:
Healthy: an AHR of 200 or higher, shown in green. Your score may move up and down even with no violations, but it won’t fall below 200 unless a listing violation is incurred. This is where you want to stay.
At Risk: between 100 and 200, shown in yellow, with a banner warning that your account is at risk of deactivation. Address any policy violations as soon as possible to avoid further drops.
Deactivated: below 100, shown in red. At this point your account is eligible for deactivation and violations must be resolved immediately. Once resolved and the score climbs back above 100, the account becomes eligible for reinstatement.
At Risk: between 100 and 200, shown in yellow, with a banner warning that your account is at risk of deactivation. Address any policy violations as soon as possible to avoid further drops.
Deactivated: below 100, shown in red. At this point your account is eligible for deactivation and violations must be resolved immediately. Once resolved and the score climbs back above 100, the account becomes eligible for reinstatement.
The metrics that move your score
Your AHR is driven by a handful of measurable factors. Here are the ones to watch.
Order Defect Rate (ODR)
Your ODR is the percentage of orders that have had a problem, and the target is under 1%.¹ It combines three metrics:
Negative feedback: the share of orders receiving one- or two-star ratings.
A-to-z Guarantee claims: orders with an A-to-z claim where the seller is found at fault.
Chargeback claims: orders that result in a credit-card chargeback.
A-to-z Guarantee claims: orders with an A-to-z claim where the seller is found at fault.
Chargeback claims: orders that result in a credit-card chargeback.
Shipping performance
Getting orders to customers on time and as promised is central to a healthy account. Key targets are a Late Shipment Rate under 4%, a Pre-fulfilment Cancel Rate under 2.5%, and a Valid Tracking Rate over 95%.¹ Tip: monitor your Late Shipment Rate over 10 or 30 days — and remember there’s roughly a 10-day reporting delay.
Policy compliance
A range of policy issues feed into your AHR, including intellectual property violations and complaints, product authenticity and product condition complaints, food and product safety issues, listing and restricted-product policy violations, customer product reviews policy violations, and other policy violations. In short: a policy violation is any activity that doesn’t meet the marketplace’s rules or standards.
When something goes wrong: recovering from a violation
Violations happen — what matters is responding quickly and thoroughly. Follow these five steps:
1. Review the violation: read the notification carefully so you know exactly what was flagged.
2. Understand the policy: find the relevant policy on the Seller Central Help pages and make sure you understand it.
3. Take immediate corrective action: fix the issue at its source, and note every action you take.
4. Document preventative measures: identify the changes that will stop it from happening again.
5. Submit a clear Plan of Action: pull it together into a clear Plan of Action (POA).
2. Understand the policy: find the relevant policy on the Seller Central Help pages and make sure you understand it.
3. Take immediate corrective action: fix the issue at its source, and note every action you take.
4. Document preventative measures: identify the changes that will stop it from happening again.
5. Submit a clear Plan of Action: pull it together into a clear Plan of Action (POA).
Writing a strong Plan of Action
A good POA has three parts:
The root cause: state exactly what led to the enforcement, referencing the specific policy and any affected ASINs.
Immediate actions: describe at least three concrete, reactive actions you took to resolve it.
Preventative measures: detail at least three changes you’ve made to your processes to prevent a recurrence.
Immediate actions: describe at least three concrete, reactive actions you took to resolve it.
Preventative measures: detail at least three changes you’ve made to your processes to prevent a recurrence.
You don’t have to do it alone: Account Health Assurance
Account Health Assurance (AHA) is a benefit for sellers who have maintained an Account Health Rating above 250 for at least six months and have a verified emergency contact number on their account. AHA provides sellers with:
1. A dedicated Account Health Specialist.
2. Proactive guidance on policy compliance.
3. Support to resolve violations.
4. Faster protection from unexpected deactivation
5. Clear visibility of your Account Health Rating.
2. Proactive guidance on policy compliance.
3. Support to resolve violations.
4. Faster protection from unexpected deactivation
5. Clear visibility of your Account Health Rating.
If you have questions at any time, you can speak to an Account Health Specialist directly from the dashboard using the “Contact Us” option.
Why it all matters
Strong Account Health isn’t just about avoiding penalties. When customers trust the marketplace, they shop more often — and that creates more opportunity for every seller. A healthy account keeps your listings live, your business growing, and your customers coming back. It’s one of the most valuable assets you have.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions Sellers ask most about Account Health on Amazon.co.za.
Where do I find my Account Health Rating?
In Seller Central, go to Performance → Account Health. Your AHR is displayed in the Policy Compliance section of the dashboard.
What AHR score should I aim for?
Stay in the Healthy range — an AHR of 200 or above. Accounts begin at 200, and keeping violations at zero is the surest way to stay there.
My score dropped even though I had no violations. Why?
The AHR can fluctuate naturally within the Healthy range. As long as you have no listing or policy violations, it won’t fall below 200.
How quickly should I respond to a violation?
As soon as possible. Prompt action helps prevent further score drops and, if your account is At Risk or eligible for deactivation, is essential to protecting your ability to sell.
What is Account Health Assurance and how do I qualify?
AHA is a benefit for sellers who consistently maintain a high AHR. Eligible sellers see an enrolment option on their Account Health Dashboard. Check your dashboard to see whether you qualify.
Ready to take control of your Account Health?
Open your Account Health Dashboard in Seller Central today, check which zone you’re in, and make reviewing it a weekly habit. To keep learning, start with the Seller University landing page in Seller Central.
¹ Amazon internal data
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