Amazon BANS Minority Business Owners & Confederate Flags
Amazon hopped on the anti-Confederate Flag bandwagon banning items with any mention of Confederate Flags. While the world is watching Amazon's sensitivity toward African American consumers Amazon is in the process of black balling minority business owners. I'm a minority business owner. I'm a disabled mother with a monthly income well below the federal poverty level. My little business is my clawing effort to provide my son with the opportunity to advance beyond his station. First, many people have no idea how damning being very low income is. Poverty is like a whirlpool, once you're sucked in it's nearly impossible to break free. Yes, there are programs to assist with buying food and paying electric bills (no programs for water, by the way, which is just astounding to me. We send water to 3rd world countries while your neighbors have to fill buckets or catch rainwater for bathing). The assistance offered is a double edged sword. If your income raises just a few dollars your benefits decrease so that you can NEVER get ahead, you can NEVER save money, you can NEVER break free from the cycle of poverty. I don't want my son to suffer this suffocating sensation, the fear and shame of being trapped by poverty.
In January 2015 I started using my crafting ability to create unique jewelry and my knowledge and love of Little People toys to launch a business on Amazon. I'm not getting "rich" but I'm able to buy my son's clothes, I don't have to go to the Food Bank and I have a real pair of shoes and an outfit without holes for the first time in 3 years. A few hundred dollars isn't significant to most but for my family it's truly life changing. Now my dream is threatened and I'm back inside that whirlpool, nose barely above the water, gasping for breath.
Nearly a week ago I received a performance notification flag in my Amazon seller account saying: "When you registered for your Amazon account, you provided a credit card that Amazon uses to validate Amazon Payments. This credit card is now no longer valid (possibly due to being expiring or being canceled) and Amazon requires a valid credit card to be on file for all accounts. To assist you in updating the credit card associated with your Amazon account, you have been redirected to the credit card update page within Seller Central." I thought this was an error or glitch. I updated my into and was bounced right back to the update credit card page. I contacted seller support and was given the run around for 3 days before I spoke to a live person. The issue wasn't a glitch but an effort to rid Amazon of low level and minority sellers. No credit card- no selling on Amazon.
I have medical bills from years without healthcare coverage. I can't pay on those bills because every dollar of my meager income goes to surviving. I don't have cable or even a converter box, no home phone, my propane tank is empty meaning no heat in the winter and no stove (I cook with a microwave and a hot plate), my cell phone is a safelink phone . . . I only have internet because my proceeds from selling on Amazon pay for it and it's required for the opportunity to advance my family's situation. I don't qualify for credit. I have thousands of dollars in medical bills and no income since I'm unable to work, I can't get credit. I use prepaid credit cards and bank issued debt cards. I used a prepaid card to open my Amazon seller's account and now, 6-7 months later it's being denied and my business and any chance I have to help my family succeed is being wrenched away. I was just starting to pull free of poverty's whirlpool and now, I'm right back in the middle. All my funds are being held by Amazon which means no food this week and I just sent all my inventory into Amazon's warehouse so I can't try to sell some items in any other marketplace and I'm locked out of my selling account so I can't request my inventory be returned.
I think it's laughable that Amazon yanks Confederate Flag merchandise while barring business owners with bad or no credit. Those who truly try to break free of poverty and live independently of government assistance are a minority, one that extends past all race and gender barriers. Amazon publicly placates some minorities while simultaneously smacking down any chance of advancement for anyone of any race who cannot qualify for credit. This would not have been such a hit if Amazon themselves had lowered their own credit criteria, giving established sellers a chance to keep their businesses but they won't extend credit to those with bad credit and they won't allow them to make a living on their platform.
So, what does one poor mom do when her only hope of getting ahead is snatched away? I have no idea where to go from here. Right now I have to focus on feeding my son which mean I'm back to begging at the food bank. Amazon is holding all my money and my merchandise so I have no way at all to provide for my baby. I was hoping I would have enough money to remove the mold, fix the holes in my floors and buy propane for winter but it looks like we're facing yet another winter of piling together for warmth under our one blanket and depending on our very dangerous, badly (unprofessionally) installed fireplace. The devastation wouldn't have been so absolute if I hadn't dared to hope. Maybe that's why so many people just accept their situation, hope can brake you
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