(Yicai Global) Sept. 17 -- Amazon said its blocking of merchants due to them abusing the e-commerce platform’s review system is not aimed specifically at Chinese vendors and is applied globally, The Paper reported today.

More than 50,000 Chinese sellers were blocked on Amazon from May through July, according to statistics from Shenzhen Cross-border E-commerce Association, causing estimated losses of more than CNY100 billion (USD15.51 billion).

Amazon’s policies are equitable across the world, and have nothing to do with the sellers’ location, according to the US e-tailer’s Global Vice President Cindy Tai. The company cannot predict whether or where review abuses may occur, nor does it target the size of the seller, only their specific behavior, she said.

Amazon did not provide data on global bans for the May to July period.

The Seattle-based company said the accounts that were shut down were guilty of violations on the platform, such as seeking fake reviews from consumers and offering incentives like gift cards for positive reviews.

To get more exposure on the platform and attract users, some new stores pay buyers to fabricate transactions and leave good reviews, Yicai Global reported previously, citing a Chinese seller on Amazon.

Editor: Tom Litting