What products can you sell on Amazon without approval?

Nothing kills momentum faster than discovering your chosen product needs Amazon’s approval before you can list it. Many new sellers hit this frustrating roadblock, unaware that Amazon’s “gating” system restricts who can sell certain items.

But here’s the good news: you can start selling on Amazon today with a wide range of products that require zero approval. Let’s explore these ungated categories, how to verify approval requirements, and strategies to find profitable opportunities without waiting for Amazon’s permission.

How to check if your product needs approval

Amazon’s gating system exists for a reason: to protect customers from counterfeit, unsafe, or non-compliant products. When you understand why these restrictions exist, navigating them becomes much easier.

Before you invest in inventory, take five minutes to verify whether you can actually sell it. This simple check can save you thousands in unsellable merchandise.

Here’s the process:

1. Log in to Seller Central
2. Go to Catalog > Add Products
3. Search your product or enter the ASIN
4. Check the status:
   • “Sell this product” → No approval needed
   • “Apply to sell” → Approval required
   • “Not available” → Cannot be listed by your account
5. Click “Show limitations” for detailed category or brand requirements

Let’s look at a practical example. If you search for “Nike running shoes,” you’ll likely see “Apply to sell” – indicating you need both Shoes category approval and Nike brand approval. But search for “silicone spatula,” and you’ll probably get “Sell this product,” meaning no gating.

Common mistakes include assuming an entire category is ungated just because it’s broadly open, not checking subcategories that might have separate restrictions, and thinking approval is permanent when regulations can change at any time.

10 Amazon categories that don’t require approval

Want to start selling immediately? Focus on these ten ungated categories:

1. Books – New, used, and collectible books allowed; one of the easiest entry points
2. Home & Garden – Includes décor, furniture, and garden tools
3. Industrial & Scientific – Open to most tools, testing equipment, etc.
4. Office Products – Stationery, electronics, and office furniture (some sub-categories require approval)
5. Musical Instruments – Guitars, keyboards, and accessories
6. Personal Computers – Laptops, desktops, and peripherals (some sub-categories require approval)
7. Outdoors – Camping gear, outdoor furniture, sports gear (some sub-categories require approval)
8. Pet Supplies – From dog food to toys (some sub-categories require approval)
9. Tools & Home Improvement – Power tools, lighting, plumbing gear 
10. Cell Phones & Accessories – Unlocked phones, cases, chargers (brand restrictions may still apply)

Among these, several categories stand out as particularly profitable:

Books offer a low entry barrier, easy inventory sourcing, and great arbitrage opportunities. Home & Garden enjoys high year-round demand, especially for seasonal items. Pet Supplies benefits from emotional buying behavior and recurring purchases. Tools & Home Improvement products typically have high average order values.

Watch out for subcategories that might still be restricted. In Pet Supplies, veterinary supplements may require documentation. In Office Products, certain printer brands like HP might be brand-gated. Cell Phones & Accessories can be gated by condition (“Used” may not be allowed for all models).

Benefits of starting with ungated products

Starting with ungated products gives you a significant head start. You can list and start selling immediately after setting up your account, without waiting days or weeks for approval.

This approach eliminates the need for documentation like invoices, brand letters, or certifications. It’s perfect for sellers with limited resources or those without established wholesale relationships.

Ungated categories also provide an excellent learning environment. You’ll gain experience with inventory management, FBA workflows, Amazon SEO, and customer service policies. Mistakes made here are less costly and easier to recover from than in high-stakes gated categories.

Your early sales will help establish crucial seller metrics like order defect rate, late shipment rate, and customer feedback score, too. These metrics significantly boost your eligibility when applying to gated categories later.

Finding profitable products in ungated categories

Just because a category is ungated doesn’t mean it’s not profitable. The key is finding the right products within these categories.

Start by using Amazon’s Best Sellers, Movers & Shakers, and New Releases pages to identify trending items. Tools like CamelCamelCamel can help track price trends and sales history. Look for items with stable demand, few FBA sellers, and above-average selling prices (over $15 for healthy margins).

Tactical Arbitrage takes this research to another level. This powerful tool scans over 1,400 retail websites to match against Amazon listings, filtering results by ROI, sales rank, profit margin, and competition. Its Reverse Search feature lets you upload an Amazon ASIN and find where to source it. Meanwhile, Tactical Edge evaluates competing listings to identify weaknesses in other sellers’ offers.

Another clever strategy involves identifying popular products with gated brands or categories, then selling generic or lesser-known alternatives. If Philips Sonicare toothbrush heads are gated, sell “compatible replacement heads” that aren’t. This approach taps into high demand without facing gating restrictions.

You can also create product variations to stand out. Add bundles (like a “2-pack” or “with free brush”), introduce new sizes or colors, or create multi-packs of existing items. Using Amazon’s variation listings helps you gain traffic from existing parent ASINs and differentiates your product from competitors.

Tools that make selling ungated products easier

The right tools can dramatically increase your success rate when selling ungated products.

Like we mentioned above, Tactical Arbitrage is essential for online arbitrage and low-capital product sourcing.  For book sellers, ScoutIQ is invaluable. It scans ISBNs to determine profitability in real time, showing data like sales rank, eScore (how often a book sells), and FBA versus Merchant Fulfilled comparisons. It works offline and syncs with Amazon, making it perfect for scouting used books.

SmartRepricer handles automatic repricing to keep you competitive and help win the Buy Box. This is crucial in ungated categories where price competition is fierce. You can set it to undercut lowest offers, maintain minimum ROI thresholds, or react to inventory levels and competitor movements.

Building seller reputation is essential as well, and FeedbackWhiz Emails and Alerts excel at this. The former sends post-purchase email requests for feedback and product reviews. The latter monitors feedback and alerts you to negative reviews and happenings to your listings immediately. This helps boost your approval odds for gated categories later.

When to consider moving into gated categories

Eventually, you might want to expand into gated categories. Several signs indicate you’re ready for this step.

Look at your performance metrics: low Order Defect Rate, positive feedback history, and high fulfillment performance all suggest you’re prepared to handle stricter compliance. You might also notice you’ve maximized profit potential in your current niches and gained enough capital and confidence to tackle more regulated categories.

The approval process typically involves going to Catalog > Add Product > Search Product. If approval is required, you’ll see “Apply to Sell.” Required documentation often includes recent invoices (within 180 days), brand authorization letters, product photos showing branding and packaging, and safety or compliance certifications for regulated items. Reviews typically take 2-7 business days.

Ready to start selling without the wait?

Selling ungated products on Amazon gives you the perfect entry point to build your ecommerce business. You can start generating revenue immediately while learning the ropes of Amazon selling. 

And with the right research tools and strategies, these unrestricted categories can be just as profitable as their gated counterparts. With Seller 365, for instance, you can get all the apps we mentioned above and more. For just $69/month, you get 10 apps that will help you succeed in Amazon’s ungated categories from day one.

Ready to find profitable products in Amazon’s ungated categories? Try Seller 365 free for up to 14 days.