What’s Up With Amazon Restricted Categories?

The reason for preventing the sale of certain items may be because they violate Amazon’s policies, are dangerous, or because the category contains controversial items.

Other times, Amazon may restrict specific categories because they believe that the products within those categories pose a risk to its customers. For instance, Amazon does not allow sellers to sell any type of firearm.

However, Amazon doesn’t just ban certain products. Instead, it excludes entire categories of products. That way, it can control exactly which products sell on its website.

Amazon restricted products are products within several categories that Amazon defines as “risky.” These include goods in the following categories:

• Firearms
• Tobacco
• Alcoholic Beverages
• Adult Products
• Gambling & Lottery
• Jewelry & Precious Gems
• Cosmetics & Skincare Products
• Electronics
• Food & Beverage
• Medical Devices
• Hazardous & Dangerous Items
• Lighting
• Medical Devices & Accessories
• Offensive & Controversial Materials
• Lock Picking & Theft Devices
• Postage Meters & Stamps
• Surveillance Equipment
• Plant & Seed Products
• Explosives, Weapons, and Related Items

It doesn’t matter whether you have a physical storefront or not. If you list dangerous products on Amazon, they have the right to restrict your account.

There are two primary reasons Amazon will suppress your account:

1. Amazon wants to ensure that all of its customers are safe when purchasing products.
2. Amazon is trying to prevent the spread of false information regarding its products.

Both have pros and cons, so consider selling products in categories that Amazon gates or restricts on your site or other marketplaces to increase business revenues. After having your account ungated, then you can rely more on your Amazon income.

If you’re new to Amazon, you might think that all you need to do is create a product page and list it. That’s true, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Using Amazon-restricted words or needing acceptance to a gated category can complicate the process of selling products.

There are many different ways to get your product listed on Amazon, even if several categories require approval. Some categories are much more profitable than others. So before you start the approval process for selling within Amazon Seller Central restricted categories, you’ll want to learn which ones are worth your time.

Amazon has become one of the most popular online shopping destinations in the world. This popularity comes with many benefits, but it also brings challenges. One challenge is dealing with restricted categories and preventing the sale of dangerous products to customers.

While some sellers choose not to sell their products in gated categories, other sellers’ success depends on getting ungated. With that in mind, let’s talk about the categories that restrict sellers pending approval from Amazon.

When you create your product listings, make sure to check that your products don’t break any rules, including:

• State Restrictions
• Federal Restrictions
• Do Not Sell To Minors
• Do Not Sell To Residents Of Your State
• Do Not Ship To Any State Where It May Be Illegal

There are also product labeling rules to know, which include:

• Keep in mind that product labels must be accurate, clear, and concise.
• Labels must be written in English and be legible.
• Sellers must place labels on the outside of the packaging.

As a seller in a gated category, Amazon may impose additional shipping requirements on your business. Amazon requires sellers to provide shipping information for their products. Therefore, you might need to provide information on the carrier’s name, tracking number, and delivery date.

Certain gated products require special labeling or shipping processes and a warning about the material. Sellers who fail to provide this information risk losing sales. That’s why business owners need to understand compliance regulations within their area and wherever they have customers.

Compliance Regulations

Before we dive deeper into the process of selling on Amazon, let’s talk about compliance regulations. Many countries have laws that govern the sale of products within their borders. Some of these laws require you to collect taxes on behalf of the government.

Other countries may require you to comply with local safety standards. All of these rules apply to both physical and digital goods. As such, you must familiarize yourself with the relevant laws in your area. Sometimes Amazon doesn’t set Amazon restricted categories for products within specific categories if they only break local rules.

Thus, it’s your job as a business owner to understand the laws and regulations of the products you sell online.

One of the biggest concerns of online shoppers is product safety. Product safety is a big concern for buyers who shop online for food, cosmetics, household appliances, and medical devices.

Amazon requires all sellers to follow strict guidelines regarding product safety. Specifically, Amazon mandates that you must provide detailed information about each product you sell.

This information includes data like ingredients, warnings, and instructions. In addition, you must also disclose any known health risks associated with the product. Its best practice for Amazon restricted categories and other products is a specific risk of using the product.

Safety Regulations

What happens when sellers list hazardous items? Sometimes, customers complain about problems or file suits against manufacturers, producers, and other parties.

Amazon has a set of guidelines that sellers can follow when dealing with safety regulation complaints.

If you’re not sure whether or not a complaint falls under one of these categories, you should contact Amazon support. They will be able to help you determine if you need to take action.

Amazon’s policies are pretty straightforward. You simply need to respond to a safety regulation complaint within 24 hours. If you fail to do so, you risk losing your seller rating and might be unable to continue selling in gated categories.

1. Sell Only Products In Ungated Categories (Or Within Gated Categories After Approval)
2. Don’t Violate Amazon’s Prohibited Claims Policy

Let’s look at each option.

Option 1: Sell Only Items in Ungated Categories (or Within Gated Categories After Approval)

This strategy is the best way to avoid banned listings, as long as you only sell items that are not in any Amazon restricted categories. Fortunately, there are several categories that any seller can create listings for, including:

• Baby Products
• Beauty Items
• Books
• Camera & Photo Equipment
• Consumer Electronics
• Home & Garden Goods
• Luggage & Travel Accessories
• Personal Computers
• And a lot more!

Although there are some regulations over the holiday season, sellers can create listings and promote items from those categories for most of the year.

Therefore, you’ll want to start your seller’s account by creating product listings that meet all regulations in ungated categories. Only after receiving approval to sell in gated categories should you begin creating those listings.

Option 2: Don’t Violate Amazon’s Prohibited Claims Policy

Now let’s talk about option number two.

Here, we will focus on the second half of our discussion – avoiding violating Amazon’s prohibited claims policy.

To do this, you need to make sure that you don’t make product claims that misrepresent each item. Before listing on the eCommerce site, make sure that you accurately describe the product and its features.

If you’re unsure about a specific product claim, it’s always best to contact Amazon first. That way, you can be sure that your products won’t get removed from the site, and you can avoid any penalties.

Amazon also provides some helpful tips for avoiding prohibited claims. They include:

• Never lie about the age of your products.
• Do not misrepresent the condition or benefits of your products.

Of course, it’s important to note that Amazon doesn’t just ban you from making false statements.

The company actually removes your listings, pauses sales of your entire inventory, and even destroys illegal products when it finds evidence of such violations.

So, if you plan on selling on Amazon, you should read through their prohibited claims policy before starting.

In short, here are the consequences:

• You will lose access to your customer database.
• Your sales rank will drop.
• You’ll no longer be able to sell any new products.
• You’ll have to lower your prices or stop offering free shipping.

As you can see, selling on Amazon is much more than simply uploading pictures of your products onto the site. Instead, you must follow a set of rules and regulations. These restrictions help protect both Amazon and its users.

However, if you choose to ignore these policies, you risk losing access to Amazon’s marketplace altogether. And that would mean that you’d no longer be able to earn money from your product listings.

So, if you ever plan on selling items on Amazon, make sure that you’re complying with all of their policies. Doing so will help protect your business from getting shut down or banned for no reason at all.