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Discovering that a profitable product to sell falls under a restricted category on Amazon can be disheartening—but it doesn't mean you can't sell it on the platform at all. Selling an item under a restricted category is possible if you get Amazon's approval.
Look no further if you need to know how to sell such products on the world's biggest online marketplace. This article will go over Amazon's restricted categories and show how to get approval to sell products under them.
Amazon places restrictions on the following product categories and sub-categories.
Note that the sample products for each category are permitted listings, so you can sell them if you apply for approval and follow Amazon’s policies. If you don’t find your product idea above, visit Amazon’s Product Category page to determine if it’s permitted or prohibited.
Amazon's fulfillment centers have guidelines on what suits their fulfillment processes and what doesn't. Below are the prohibited products in their warehouse and those allowed but with certain restrictions.
A product may be eligible for the Amazon platform but not for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). The following products are considered unsuitable for Amazon's fulfillment processes:
Some products with expiration dates may not be accepted in Amazon's fulfillment centers. The list below shows the products Amazon considers subject to expiration and their respective shelf-life requirements.
“Meltable” refers to heat-sensitive products, like chocolates, gummies, and some wax- or jelly-based products.
These products are only allowed in Amazon’s fulfillment centers from October 16 to April 14. If your products arrive on October 15 or April 15, they’ll be marked unfulfillable and discarded for a fee.
Dangerous goods or hazardous materials (hazmat) are substances or other materials that may pose a risk during storage, handling, and transport. These products are restricted in FBA because they may contain flammable, pressurized, corrosive, or otherwise unsafe substances.
Consumer products like laptops, smartphones, household cleaners, spray paints, and cosmetics may also be considered hazardous.
If you want to sell a potentially restricted product, go to your Seller Central account and click Add a Product. Search for your item to see if it’s already available on Amazon. If you find it, click Show Limitations. It will show all the approvals required to sell that product.
If a product isn’t available on Amazon, search for similar items in Add a Product. If you find restrictions, chances are your product also needs approval.
If you add a product via a feed and receive a listing error, go to Add a Product to see the Amazon Standard Identification Number’s (ASIN) approval requirements.
You must apply to sell a restricted product to be able to list it. Follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to your Seller Central homepage.
Step 2: Click Catalog.
Step 3: Select Add Products.
Step 4: Search for the item you want to sell.
Step 5: Click Show Limitations.
Step 6: Click Apply to Sell.
If you don’t find the Apply to Sell option for your product, it means Amazon isn’t accepting applications to sell that item. In that case, you can’t sell the product on the platform.
Requirements vary by product. You can view the approval requirements for a specific product when you click Apply to Sell and then select Request Approval.
Amazon may ask you to upload documents like purchase invoices, product photos, or compliance documents. If you're prompted to upload these documents, ensure they meet the requirements on the Selling Application page. Your request may be denied if Amazon finds any missing information or unmet requirements from your documents.
For FBA to accept your expiration-dated inventory, the items' expiration (or best-by or sell-by) dates must be clearly shown on the packaging and the product itself. The manufacturing dates must also be included. The accepted date formats for products other than medical devices are MM-DD-YY or MM-YYYY. Dates with an alphabetical abbreviation for the month are also taken.
Do not conceal the expiration dates and other vital information, such as the products’ ingredients, drug facts, net contents, or distributor details.
Before sending expiration-dated inventory to an Amazon fulfillment center, enclose and seal them in packaging suitable for shipping. The products may also require poly-bagging or bubble wrap for extra protection. Remember to put expiration date labels outside of the product prep or packaging. This extra step allows Amazon associates to view your inventory's expiration dates during check-in.
Additionally, all expiration-dated inventory should have an Amazon barcode label.
For FBA to accept your meltable inventory, the products must meet quality standards during summer. This means they shouldn't melt at 75 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit. If your products need refrigeration, air conditioning, or freezing, they are prohibited all year round. Perishable products like fresh meat, vegetables, and fruits are likewise banned throughout the year.
Amazon launched the FBA Dangerous Goods Program to allow sellers to list potentially dangerous items. Follow these steps to join:
Step 1: Go to the Manage Dangerous Goods Classification page.
Step 2: Click FBA Dangerous Goods Program > Next.
Step 3: Click Apply to the FBA Dangerous Goods Program.
You will be added to the program’s waitlist after applying. The same thing happens if you sell a product that becomes classified as a hazmat. Once you’re added to the waitlist, you will be notified when you can participate in the program.
A warning label or phrase on the product's packaging will indicate that it might be a dangerous good. In some cases, potentially hazardous items, like speakers with magnetized materials or certain cosmetics, don’t require warning labels or phrases, but it doesn't mean they are entirely safe.
If you suspect the product you want to sell may be dangerous, consult its supplier or manufacturer. They should provide a safety data sheet (SDS) for all regulated products. Upload the SDS on the Manage Dangerous Goods Classification page.
Amazon will review the uploaded SDS and classify your product accordingly if the provided information is complete and accurate.
Before sending dangerous goods to an Amazon fulfillment center, ensure that the items comply with all applicable regulations. Your inventory must be handled, stored, transported, and labeled without risks. Non-compliance puts the health and safety of Amazon’s employees, carriers, and customers at risk.
Do the following before selling dangerous goods on Amazon.
Once you send dangerous goods to Amazon, you confirm that they adhere to any legal requirements and the information you provide is complete, factual, and updated.
Providing incomplete or inaccurate information may prompt Amazon to block your products on their platform. You may also be subject to corrective actions, like losing your seller privileges. If FBA identifies your dangerous goods as unfulfillable upon receipt at the fulfillment center, they may be discarded at your expense.
Amazon restricts some products to protect their customers and maintain their trust. The restrictions ensure that every product sold on the platform complies with laws, regulations, and Amazon's policies. The items must be safe, authentic, and legal.
You can visit Amazon’s Help pages to check if your product or category is restricted. However, the examples in the Help pages aren't exhaustive, so it's best to consult legal counsel before listing a potentially restricted or prohibited item.
It’s also crucial to note that even if a product is considered an example of a permitted listing, it must still comply with applicable laws. Any product you sell on Amazon must be legal in your state.
Bypassing approval requests gives Amazon the authority to take corrective actions, such as suspending or terminating your seller privileges, destroying your inventory without reimbursement, returning merchandise, terminating your business relationship, and withholding your payments permanently. In extreme cases, you could be subject to legal action, including civil and criminal penalties.
If you provided the requirements but still got your request denied, review Amazon's correspondence on your case log or email. Your documents may have failed to pass the review because they lacked certain information, causing some requirements to be unmet. You can submit a new application if you submit new documents for Amazon's consideration.
Sometimes, Amazon denies an approval request because the requesting account doesn't qualify. If you get this message, it means Amazon has determined that you are not eligible to sell the product you applied for approval for.
Amazon continuously updates its platform's policies on which products should be restricted. Even if a product is already sold on Amazon, it can still be restricted for various reasons, such as:
You can sell restricted products again as long as you follow the process.
You can also do research using an eCommerce management platform to avoid sourcing a restricted product, only to find out later that it's restricted on Amazon. Although not all platforms can show if a product is restricted, they’ll still give you profitability and return on investment (ROI) insights that may be related to a product’s safety.
Here are the top eCommerce management platforms to consider.
Threecolts offers diverse solutions for managing your Amazon, eBay, and Walmart stores. You can use TacticalArbitrage, Threecolts' product sourcing and comparison tool, to research Amazon products.
TacticalArbitrage lets you search thousands of stores passively since new stores are frequently added to the platform. You can filter search data to focus on results that meet your ideal profit and ROI. If you want to sell wholesale products, TacticalArbitrage can quickly analyze your wholesale manifest to identify profitable deals.
Jungle Scout provides various solutions for Amazon sellers. It offers an extensive product database, which shows a product's demand, competition, prices, revenue, reviews, and more. It’s a great tool for determining a product’s potential and the Amazon seller fees it may incur. The tool also offers filters to help narrow down your search and save time.
Helium 10 is another trusted Amazon seller platform with a product research tool. You can install it as a Chrome extension to quickly find profitable products and niches on Amazon. The extension calculates a product's profitability and inventory levels as well as shows review insights. As a result, you can dodge saturated markets, determine consumer demand, and stay ahead of the competition.
Dealing with restrictions on Amazon can be stressful. You can avoid them if you want to sell on the platform faster and easier, but if you believe in your product idea despite its risks, use this guide to prepare for your approval request. Remember to also cover all your bases by seeking legal counsel since Amazon's Help pages don’t show an exhaustive list of products you may or may not sell.
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