Imagine this: you check your Amazon listing, expecting to see the “Add to Cart” button… and it’s gone. Instead, there’s just a subtle “See All Buying Options” link.
That’s Buy Box suppression — and it can seriously damage your sales.
What Is Buy Box Suppression?
The Buy Box is the section on a product page where shoppers can easily click “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now.” When suppressed, those buttons disappear, and customers only see a “See All Buying Options” link that leads to a list of sellers.
This forces people to take more steps to buy — and many won’t bother. Less convenience means fewer sales.
Amazon may suppress the Buy Box when listings violate its Marketplace Fair Pricing Policy, which ensures customers always get a competitive deal.
Why Does Buy Box Suppression Happen?
Here are the most common triggers:
- Your Price Isn’t Competitive
If your product costs more on Amazon than on other marketplaces, the platform might remove the Buy Box to avoid giving customers a worse deal. This happens often when sellers break MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) policies.
To avoid this, review your pricing strategy and make sure you’re not being undercut elsewhere. Learn how to win the Buy Box by staying competitive. - Low Sales or Weak Metrics
Poor reviews, delayed shipping, or high cancellation rates can lead to account health issues — and Amazon won’t promote listings that underperform. - Unoptimized Listings
Listings without proper images, descriptive titles, or complete details may be seen as low-quality and become ineligible to win the Buy Box. - Sudden Price Changes
If your item was selling for $9.99 and suddenly jumps to $12.99, Amazon’s algorithm might detect it as a red flag and suppress the Buy Box. - Not Prime-Eligible
Being part of Amazon Prime is a major plus. Listings that aren’t Prime-eligible (especially if none of the sellers offer Prime) are more likely to experience suppression. Using FBA helps avoid this.
Ask Yourself: Could Your Buy Box Be Suppressed?
Before moving on, ask yourself:
- Are you seeing “See All Buying Options” instead of the “Add to Cart” button?
- Is your Amazon price higher than on other websites?
- Are you not using FBA or not Prime-eligible?
- Does your listing lack high-quality images, keywords, or complete descriptions?
- Has your sales volume dropped unexpectedly?
If you said “yes” to any of these, there’s a good chance your Buy Box is being suppressed — and it could be costing you more than you think.
You can use this Buy Box Calculator to see how much revenue you might be leaving on the table.
Suppressed vs Active Buy Box: What’s the Difference?
How to Prevent and Fix Buy Box Suppression
Recheck Your Pricing
Make sure your product isn’t being sold cheaper on other platforms — even a small difference can trigger suppression.
If unauthorized sellers are affecting your pricing, it might be time to take control of your listings.
Optimize Your Listings
Clean up titles, update your images, write accurate bullet points, and make sure all the fields are filled. Amazon favors complete, high-quality listings.
Improve Your Metrics
Track your order defect rate, cancellation rate, late shipment rate, and response times. Better performance = better Buy Box chances.
Go Prime (via FBA or SFP)
Being Prime-eligible not only boosts customer trust — it can also protect you from losing the Buy Box entirely.
Helpful Tools to Stay Ahead
If you’re trying to avoid Buy Box suppression — or recover from it — staying ahead of pricing shifts and listing issues is key. These tools can make your life much easier:
Want to track pricing across marketplaces?
Use Keepa to monitor price history and see how your product pricing compares to the competition. It’s also great for spotting sudden jumps that could trigger suppression.
Curious how pricing has changed over time on Amazon?
CamelCamelCamel offers easy-to-read charts showing historical prices for ASINs. It’s perfect for understanding if you (or other sellers) made a big move that got Amazon’s attention.
Protect your pricing with MAP enforcement
Our MAP Violation Monitoring & Enforcement tool tracks unauthorized price drops across your reseller network — and helps you take immediate action to protect your margins and Buy Box eligibility.
Stop unauthorized sellers from damaging your listings
Buy Box suppression often happens when unauthorized sellers undercut your price or offer inconsistent customer experiences. Our Unauthorized Seller Removal service helps you regain control of your listings and restore seller trust — fast.
Not sure what Buy Box suppression is costing you?
Try our Buy Box Recovery Calculator. Just enter your ASIN and basic sales data — we’ll show you how much revenue you could be missing and what a recovery might look like.
Final Thoughts
Buy Box suppression can feel like Amazon turned off your sales faucet. But it’s not the end — it’s a signal.
Start by reviewing your pricing, listing quality, and fulfillment method. If you suspect unauthorized sellers are involved, take steps to regain control. And if you’re ready to fix the root issues and recover your lost revenue, explore our Buy Box Recovery Program — it’s built specifically to help sellers like you take back visibility, consistency, and sales.
Because the Buy Box isn’t just a button — it’s the key to consistent sales and long-term growth.
Buy Box Suppression
Below is a list of questions and responses from inquiries we typically receive from our clients. If you have a question about something that isn’t addressed in the topics below, please contact us.
How do I know if my Buy Box is suppressed?
If you see “See All Buying Options” instead of “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now,” the Buy Box is suppressed.
Can I still make sales if it’s suppressed?
Yes, but expect fewer. The extra friction means many customers will drop off.
Does having multiple sellers affect suppression?
It can — especially if some aren’t authorized or price below your MAP. Removing those sellers can stabilize your listing and improve Buy Box eligibility.
What’s the fastest way to recover the Buy Box?
Check pricing first. Then review listing quality and fulfillment eligibility. Suppression is often fixable with the right adjustments.
Take Control of Your Buy Box
Ready to take back your Amazon Buy Box? Let Brand Alignment lead the way. By applying our industry expertise and proven strategies, we will help you drive sales and protect your brand.
Brand Alignment 