How to Pause/ Relist/ Close Listing on Amazon?

No doubt, selling on Amazon provides a challenging experience. There is a risk of losing the credibility and ranking that you have gained over months, if not years. However, attempting to solve these problems with insufficient knowledge can be fatal at times.

Amazon’s listing handling system gives you the ability to take care of your listing without compromising your ranking. Yes, you have guessed correctly; we are referring to close listing on Amazon. 

This article will provide all the essential information required to successfully close your listing. We will also discuss what happens when you close a listing on Amazon.

What does close listing mean on Amazon?

It is possible to temporarily remove the listing of your products on Amazon from the storefront when you close your listing on Amazon.

Due to separate listings for each product, sellers may choose between closing or deleting the listings. Please remember that if you close your Amazon listing instead of deleting it, the product you selected will appear as “Not Available” on the site.

Once Amazon has taken down the listing, customers will not be able to order the product. The inactive Amazon listing hinders your ability to receive new orders as you set up the business and build your inventory. 

You become inactive on your inventory page once you close a listing on Amazon. One of the most important advantages of closing the listing is its certainty. You’d still have access to the most important stock-keeping unit (SKU) and your product information and sales history.

You will not have to spend considerable time and effort on the creation of a new listing once your listing has been reactivated.

If one does not want to damage one’s sales and business, one can resume where one stopped without negatively impacting the business. By closing your listing, you will be able to deal with any crisis effectively, as your valuable product information and statistics are protected.

How do I close an Amazon listing?

Once you have understood the entire phenomenon, we will now learn how to close the listing without deleting it permanently.

Step 1. Navigate to the “Inventory” tab on the Seller Central page.

Step 2. The list of active products on your storefront can be accessed by clicking on ‘Manage Inventory.’

Step 3. If you are able to locate the listing of the product you want, select the ‘Action’ button. Multiple items may also be selected simultaneously.

Step 4. When you come across the option of closing a listing, be careful not to select the option of removing the product and listing. By closing the listing, you can better plan your future marketing strategies.

What is the process for re-listing a closed listing on Amazon?

Amazon allows you to re-list a closed listing just as quickly as you can close it.

Step 1. You can find the ” Inactive ” link on your Inventory management page.

Step 2. Click on the ‘Actions’ tab next to each item and carefully select the Relist’ option to relist the items.

Step 3. Enter the selling date and update the quantity. Upon completion of the listing, click “Save and Finish.” After 15-20 minutes, your listing will be visible, and you will begin to receive orders.

What are the reasons for closing an Amazon listing?

A seller can choose to close a listing for a number of reasons.

In the following section, we discuss some of the most common causes of why this happens. However, it is important to note that if one of these explanations has been affecting your business for an extended period of time, it may be time to consider closing the listing.

• When your product is receiving negative reviews on a regular basis

One of the most significant reasons for closing your Amazon listing is that you have received bad reviews. Many sellers sign up with Amazon hoping to succeed.

In their quest for ranking high, however, they often neglect their customers and, perhaps even more so, the quality of their products. It is only through quality products that profit can be realized. As well as providing a good product, a seller must also provide satisfactory packaging, excellent customer service, and a corresponding warranty. Negative reviews can result from a variety of factors.

Late shipping may result in low-star reviews on Amazon, so it might be good to close the listing there and deal with the problems properly. In the event you are successful with the problem, you can

 and watch for the positive reviews to begin pouring in.

• Problems with suppliers

What if your current supplier or manufacturer discontinues production permanently? It is important to allow yourself some flexibility in such circumstances so that you can make an informed decision when a new provider joins your business.

If a supplier issue arises, you want to hang onto your customers, so discontinuing listings on Amazon during such circumstances may be your best option.

• Break/Vacation

It is good to close the Amazon listing before departing on vacation or a break. In particular, listing closure is crucial if you plan to sell your products via FBM.

When you close your listing on Amazon, you may lose a small amount of business, however, your rank will remain intact. Before your break, make sure you close the listing because Amazon usually takes an entire day to eliminate the listing from its system. 

As far as we have seen, Amazon performs this task within a short time frame, but it can take 24 hours. Even though restarting may take some time, a 24-hour period should provide a reasonable level of security.

• Miscalculation of lead time 

When logistics and packaging are not taken into account, it can result in stockouts and inventory delays.

In situations such as these, many sellers keep buffer stocks on hand. You might want to consider closing the listing if you are already running out of buffer stocks until the stocks are sufficiently consistent.

• Insufficient demand forecasting

It is imperative to have plenty of stock available during the holiday season if you are selling high-end appliances. If you did not anticipate increased demand during the holiday or festive season, even a well-stocked inventory could rapidly deplete. Different products have seasonal trends, so sellers need to be aware of these and prepare ahead of time.

Seasonally appropriate products such as umbrellas, cardigans, etc., are also available. A seller must be aware of the latest trends. Whenever a celebrity recommends one of your products, you should ensure you have plenty on hand as people are likely to want to acquire the product as well. Sellers who cannot anticipate such demand normally suspend their listings for a few days to build up inventory.

• Competition is on the rise.

It is possible that you will face increased competition, particularly if you sell products within a specific niche. In a marketplace with many sellers, it is very difficult to capture the attention of customers.

Having no sales results in a loss of revenue as the operating expenses pile up. It is sometimes necessary for sellers to close their listings on Amazon in order to formulate a more effective strategy. Stocks may be released during a sale or festival, or they may offer consumers special discounts. Once the product has been listed, customers will notice that it has been listed everywhere as if the seller had not left.

• Trends

When you feel that a product will not sell in an environment such as this, you may want to close a listing. Some sellers do not sell all their products at a low price but instead, hold on to the supplies until a suitable time has come. If they can identify the right time to relist the product, they will do so at a higher price and sell it at a higher margin.

It is even possible to manipulate trends with a sufficient marketing budget and create a desire for your product. Afterward, you are free to charge exorbitant prices for your item. However, this would be possible only if the listing could be closed.

Where do you draw the line between closing and deleting an Amazon listing?

There is a tendency among many sellers to confuse the close listing versus delete listing Amazon options. By pressing the wrong button, they can ruin their ratings and rankings on Amazon. 

• Amazon listing is closed. The listing will be temporarily deactivated after it has been closed. Therefore, consumers cannot add your product to their shopping cart or place an order. Additionally, after re-listing everything, data, statistics, and historical data will be readily restored. 
• Delete the Amazon listing. When you are certain that you will discontinue a certain item, you may delete the listing. In contrast, the product is removed from the Amazon catalog when a seller deletes an Amazon listing. In addition, historical information, content, and reviews may be lost or deleted.

FAQ’s 

What does close listing mean on Amazon?

In the event that you remove your listing on Amazon, your product will no longer be available for sale on the site, but your sales history will be retained. Your product may be relisted at any time.

What does an Amazon seller close listing mean?

Until the time the item is purchased, it is possible to close the listing on Amazon at any time. The record does not disappear from your inventory when the listing is closed. Information pertaining to the item and its SKU remains intact. Also, you are able to re-list (or reactivate) a listing at any time.

Conclusion

Amazon is a difficult platform to become a seller; even experienced sellers with years of experience have encountered difficulties. The advantage of closing a listing with a feature of this magnitude allows the owner to maintain inventory balance while keeping the business going. This post is intended to provide sufficient insight into the subject.

Rather than leaving your listings and orders unattended, we recommend closing your listings on Amazon.