09 Sep The Ultimate Guide to Amazon-Restricted Products

• There are specific categories and products by Amazon to protect your buyers from potential fraud and maintain their trust.
• Sellers who want to offer restricted products on Amazon should be aware of the requirements they have to meet to get approved.

One of the keys to understanding Amazon’s success is the sheer number and variety of items that can be found on the platform. However, there are certain closed categories that are not so easy for sellers to access. Before they can start selling products that Amazon has restricted, brands must meet a number of requirements and apply for permissions in order to list them.

While Amazon’s approval criteria vary by category, they generally require the seller to provide the UPC (Universal Product Code) and the applicable certificates of authenticity in each case.

What are the products restricted by Amazon?

The e-commerce giant understands that there are very specific products that should only be sold by specialists. These are items that are intended for a niche market or a very specific demographic and are characterized by having more expensive prices, being security-related, being sensitive in nature, or being collectibles.

Industrial and scientific products, automotive and motorsports, collectible coins, sports collectibles, videos, DVDs and Blu-rays, jewelry, fine art, groceries and gourmet food, luggage and travel, shoes, bags and sunglasses, watches, and B2B commercial products belong to closed categories.

Why does Amazon restrict categories?

The goal of the U.S. company with its closed categories is to protect buyers from potential fraud. Amazon monitors its products to avoid potential risks to its customers. You don’t want knock-offs, low-quality products, or fraudulent shopping experiences to take place on your platform.

By exercising greater control over these product categories, it maintains the trust that buyers and sellers have placed in it.

How to Bypass Amazon Restriction?

In general, in order to get approval from Amazon, it is important that the main image of each listing shows only the product with a white background, that the items comply with the laws, and that they are submitted following the guidelines for specific products in closed categories.

Below are the conditions that must be met to get approval from Amazon in certain restricted categories:

- B2B commercial products. Sellers who want to enter this marketplace will need to open a professional seller account on Amazon, create a business profile with all the details of their company, and upload the listings through Amazon Builder.

- Automotive. Amazon will ask for an independent website to review these types of products. Items must comply with all international laws and regulations. They will need to specify whether they are refurbished parts, include the manufacturer’s warranty, and make the UPCs visible in their listing.

-Jewelry. These products must be correctly categorized as fine jewelry or costume jewelry. All jewellery must be new, authentic and offer guarantees. In addition, they will need to meet the quality standards of Amazon jewelry. If they do not have a trademark, the seller will have to explain their origin in detail on a page created by the seller and, if they do, they must include the manufacturer’s UPC code. Images must follow standards that Amazon specifies.

- Shoes, sunglasses, and purses. All products must be authentic, no imitations or counterfeit items may be sold. Amazon will ask for a website to review them and the manufacturer’s UPC in the listing if they are original to the brand.

-Lasers. To sell them, you will need to email the name of the company, the ID of the seller, the email address and the phone number of the company. You will also need to send a list of the ASINs of all the lasers you want to sell, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) access numbers for each ASIN, documentation from a laboratory that proves that the product is tested and safe by any NRTL (Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory).

- Medical devices and accessories. Only certified professional sellers will be able to sell products in this category, as Amazon will need to ensure that they are authentic by requiring all kinds of licenses and certificates. Any type of FDA-approved device can be offered for purchase without a prescription as long as it is properly described and labeled, ionized or ionic wristbands, eyeglass frames, personal sound amplification products, tanning devices, and otoscopes.

- Dangerous goods. Amazon allows the sale of some of these products as long as proper handling and transportation is guaranteed according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). Mercury-free batteries, rechargeable batteries, or EPA-certified portable fuel containers may be sold, but items containing bisphenol a (BPA), carbonate tetrachloride, substances intended solely for commercial, industrial, or professional use, or explosives such as black powder, toy pistol caps, exploding rifle targets, or explosive fuses may not be offered.