In the quiet of the night, the smartphone in your hand suddenly shakes.
What appears on the screen is a list of inorganic English sentences.
At that moment, you feel as if the daily routine you have built up is crumbling away with a crash.
We modern businesspeople may be merely allowed to play in the garden of the “giant other” without even knowing it.
In this edition of Private Wisdom, I will take a short break from the usual tales of hideaway restaurants and hotels to bring you a bitter but important “record of introspection” that I gained through the “Amazon seller account suspension” that befell me one night.
This is not only a record of troubleshooting, but also a story of the quiet struggle of how we, who live on the shoulders of the giant that is the digital platform, should regain our peace of mind and initiative.
Midnight notice and the coming “17 hours of silence”.
It all started with an email I received last night from Amazon.
It was a “Product Authenticity Complaint ” for a specific ASIN (item) I was listing, i.e., “Is what you are selling authentic?” The email was a “Product Authenticity Complaint” for a specific ASIN (item) I was selling.
Doubts about “legitimate” products that we thought were perfect
I immediately opened my computer and checked the item in question.
It was definitely an item that I had purchased through legitimate channels and had previously passed the listing process. I also have all the receipts to prove its legitimacy.
There must be some mistake.”
I told myself so, and suppressing my trembling fingers, I uploaded the PDF data of the receipt to Amazon’s system in the middle of the night.
As long as I submitted this, my suspicions would soon be cleared. I believed so.
But that was where the real ordeal began.
Replies not received, thoughts not connected
Morning comes, noon passes, the sun begins to set again, and still no reply from Amazon.
The elapsed time is about 17 hours.
Seventeen hours in the digital world is the length of an eternity. During that time, sales opportunities continue to be lost, and anxiety about the liquidity of funds accumulates in the depths of our hearts like a lees.
Unable to stay put, I called the support desk.
However, all I heard from the other end of the line was a curt and curt response: “The department in charge is currently reviewing your application, please wait.
The cold logic of the “castle” of platforms
After hanging up the phone, I was enveloped in a deep sense of helplessness.
What I was confronted with was the fact that we sellers (exhibitors) have only “limited authority.
Changing Rules and Inventory Left Behind
The products in question in this case should have caused no problems at the time of registration.
However, when we later conducted a calm investigation (by checking Google search and seller forums, etc.), we found that “stricter permission criteria” and“algorithm changes in intellectual property rights protection programs” were frequently being made for certain brands.
Yesterday’s “white” is suddenly judged as “gray” or “black” today.
With a single brand’s intention, or even a subtle change in Amazon’s AI criteria, our inventory can be transformed into “problem assets” in an instant.
There is no room for our naive sense of justice: “It’s legitimate, so it’s okay.
There is only an absolute code set by the platform and a cold system to enforce it.
What is “Quiet Luxury” in business?
In the midst of this almost unreasonable situation, I went beyond anger and came to a deep realization that bordered on a kind of resignation.
Private Wisdom’s theme of “Quiet Luxury” is not simply the consumption of expensive things. It refers to “ being in control of one’s time” and “spiritual independence from external noise.
By that definition, I cannot say that I am in a “luxurious” state, as I am now unable to sleep at night because of a single e-mail from a giant platform that has the power of life and death in its hands.
1. aesthetics of “triviality
What I keenly felt as a lesson learned this time was the weight of the saying, “God is in the details.
It is the kind of naivete that leads to the collapse of a business. Such complacency can lead to business breakdowns.
Even if it is a hassle, keep an eye on changes in regulations, follow the trends of brands, and manage each and every receipt perfectly.
It is this “persistence in the smallest details” that provides armor to protect you and, in turn, builds your business dignity.
2. break free from dependence and diversify the mind
And one more thing.
The danger of depending solely on “the giant garden of others called Amazon.”
True peace of mind comes from not depending on one place. Diversify your sales channels, or have your own business channels that do not rely on a platform.
This is not only a risk hedge, but also a mental defense measure to have “your own sanctuary where no one can disturb you.
Private Wisdom-like Summary: “Quiet Preparedness” for Surviving in an Uncertain World
The fact that my account was suspended is certainly shocking and frustrating.
However, the silence of the past 17 hours has raised an important question for me.
Are you really taking control of that business yourself?”
We are giving up part of our freedom to the platform in exchange for convenience.
Therefore, we must behave more perceptively, more wisely, and more autonomously.
Perhaps this trouble was a bit of a rough “Zen talk” to correct my attitude toward business.
Close the PC and make yourself a hot cup of coffee.
To savor the quiet time here and now, without letting the algorithms on the other side of the screen dominate my mind.
And tomorrow, to build a stronger, more sensitive business.
Lost sales can be regained. However, the only way to regain the peace of mind you have lost is to change your inner self.
I hope that this bitter experience will be a small lighthouse for someone else who is also struggling with the waves of the platform.
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