Secrets of Getting Approval Selling on Amazon

Users always expect to shop on Amazon with maximum security. For this reason, the platform has implemented some restrictions that all sellers must consider when listing their products.

Products in categories that require approval can only be listed after acquiring specific permissions from Amazon. So, if you are considering starting to sell in this great marketplace, you must know all the platform’s laws, regulations and approval policies.

Before you start listing your products on Amazon, we recommend you carefully review Amazon’s Restrictions Policy and ensure that your product meets all the requirements. Next, we will explain the approval process and which categories need Amazon’s approval.

Which Categories Are Restricted on Amazon?

All products, listings and categories must comply with Amazon legislation. Suppose the platform determines that a product’s detail page has content classified as prohibited, inappropriate or compromising for legal purposes. In that case, the marketplace will have the right to remove or modify it without prior notice.

On the other hand, if you offer a product that violates the law or any of Amazon’s policies, the platform can immediately cancel the listing, withdraw or suspend your selling privileges, eliminate the inventory that you have in Amazon fulfillment centers without refund, return inventory and end the business relationship.

Also, selling illegal or dangerous products can result in civil and criminal penalties. Since you are responsible for your actions and transactions for legal purposes, you must inform yourself about the relevant legal parameters regarding the products that you put up for sale on Amazon.

There are many restricted categories, subcategories and brands on Amazon. Here are the most important restricted categories you need approval for:

Automotive & Powersports
Video, DVD, & Blu-ray
Personal Safety and Household products
Entertainment Collectibles
Watches
Sports Collectibles
Made in Italy
Fine Art
Holiday Selling Requirements in Toys & Games
Jewelry
Collectible Coins
Join Amazon Handmade
Join Amazon Subscription Boxes
Music & DVD
Streaming Media Players

To see the complete list of restricted categories on Amazon and find out more about them, you can read the ungating on Amazon article on the OABeans website.

How to Get Approval to Sell on Amazon?

After long hours of researching and sourcing products, you find out the product you want to sell on Amazon is restricted. Should you give up and look for another profitable product? Absolutely not! There are two ways you can get approval to sell restricted products on Amazon, which we’ll explain below in detail:

1) Free Way

The first method is completely free, and you can do it yourself, but you’ll need patience and perseverance. Here’s how it’s done:

Check if you are restricted

Before putting an item up for sale, first, check if you are restricted or allowed to sell it. You can skip this step if you already know your product is restricted.

Use the Amazon Seller app to scan the item’s barcode or enter the barcode in “Add a product.” If it is restricted, you’ll see the item “Requires Approval.”

Request approval to sell the item on Amazon

Once you know that you are restricted from selling an item, you can request approval within the Amazon Seller Central website.

Sometimes the approval process is quick and easy: click “Request Approval,” and you will be automatically approved based on your current seller metrics, for example, sales, reviews, prices, etc. Other times, Amazon will not automatically approve you but will ask you to attach more information or documentation as part of the approval process.

This information may include one or more of the following documents:

Purchase/wholesale invoices
A letter from the manufacturer/authorized distributor/brand owner
A monetary fee.
Other types of documentation

Some documents are easier to obtain. In general, you don’t want to pay a lot of money for a brand approval unless you have an ongoing relationship with a particular supplier that is both reputable and you are sure that you’ll have a good source of inventory in the long term.

If you apply for approval but are denied, don’t worry: the story doesn’t end there. The denial or request for more information does not mean that you will not be able to request it again in the future. As you sell more and more on Amazon, your seller metrics will improve to the point where you will be eligible for approval in more categories, subcategories, and brands. It just takes time for Amazon to see that you are a solid and reliable FBA seller.

3. If you are denied, request again later

If Amazon denies you approval, be sure to reapply in the next 3-6 months.

Get into the habit of regularly going into Amazon’s Seller Center and checking your active requests to see if you can reapply and get quick approval. We recommend that you set a reminder on your calendar every 3-6 months to go and check the status of your applications and reapply if needed.

2) Paid Ways

While the first method explained above is free, it requires a lot of time and effort to gather the documents, get invoices, and keep your seller metrics above a certain level so that Amazon sees you as a reliable seller. Still, after doing all of that, you might get denied and find yourself in a loop, reapplying to get Amazon’s approval to sell restricted products month after month.

So, you might be interested to know some companies offer ungating services in exchange for a reasonable amount of money! These companies usually have expert teams that are familiar with the whole process and can get you approved and ready to sell restricted products in no time.

Remember to choose a reliable company whom you can trust with your information. OABeans is one of the best companies offering ungating services in several marketplaces. If you’re interested, head to their website and choose your ungating package, provide them with some basic info and relax while you get ungated in your desired categories!

How Long Does It Take to Get Approval on Amazon?

It takes time to approve when you fulfill the requirements and submit your ungated application. There is no defined time for the process, and it depends totally on Amazon. The application review process for some categories can last two weeks. But there are other categories that this process will take up as long as 12 weeks for them. By experience, getting ungated in some categories, such as Sexual Wellness, is faster and easier. In comparison, other categories such as Fine Jewelry have a long process.

Final Thoughts

Now, if you follow these general steps, you should be able to start the application process for most restricted categories on Amazon.

Getting ungated on Amazon requires patience over several months, consistency in building your sales metrics and developing a good track record on Amazon, and the discipline to check your applications regularly. But if you stick with it, you should be able to get more and more products approved to sell on Amazon, and you’ll see increased sales and profits as your inventory expands.

Even if you don’t want to go through the process yourself, there are other options. You can find reliable companies offering ungating services and leave everything to them while you focus on more important things, such as advertising. Whichever way you choose, it will lead to increased sales and profits in a short amount of time, so why not start today?