As an Amazon seller, you may have run into a few problems in the past regarding the selling of products in gated or restricted categories. A restricted category refers to a product that requires special permission for sellers to offer on Amazon.
Whether you're a seasoned veteran of selling on Amazon or you have only just set up your Amazon seller account, the gated categories on Amazon can be pretty confusing. Why does Amazon gate certain products, and how do you get ungated on Amazon?
This article seeks to answer questions, including what gated categories are, how to get ungated on Amazon, and why Amazon gates specific product categories in the first place.
What Are Amazon Gated Categories? Why Does Amazon Gate Certain Product Categories?
Amazon gated categories are product categories and sub-categories that sellers need to be approved to sell. Special permission is required, and as a seller, you will need to go through an approval process with Amazon before you may sell these items within the marketplace.
Generally, these items are more expensive or require additional documentation to prove that they are authentic, i.e., products in the fine arts category will require proof of authenticity due to much higher prices and the nature of the product.
Amazon's restricted categories also protect Amazon from lengthy legal disputes and litigation. By restricting categories that include dangerous, hazardous, or regulated items (like alcohol, drug paraphernalia, and explosives), Amazon can cover its own back.
If you have an Amazon selling account, it is in your best interests to follow the steps to get ungated. Restricted categories exist so that Amazon customers can continue to trust the products offered by Amazon. If customers no longer trust the marketplace to provide authentic, safe, and legal products, then you, as an Amazon FBA seller, will also suffer.
How Can I Find Out if a Product is Gated?
The easiest way to find out if a product you want to list is within the restricted categories is to try and add the item. When you try to add the item, if it is restricted, you will see a 'Show Limitations' button in the product information, where you can click through to begin the application process to get approved to sell it.
Amazon gates products for a number of reasons, including their category or sub-category and the brand. For this reason, you may find that your product requires multiple sets of permissions before it can be listed.
Gated Categories on Amazon
- Alcohol
- Animals & animal-related products
- Art - fine art
- Art - home decor
- Automotive and Powersports
- Composite and wood products
- Cosmetics and skin and hair care
- CPAP cleaning and disinfection devices
- Currency, coins, cash equivalents, and gift cards
- Dietary supplements
- Drugs and drug paraphernalia
- Electronics
- Explosives, weapons, and related items
- Export controls
- Food and beverage (inc. grocery and gourmet foods)
- Gambling and lottery
- Hazardous and prohibited items
- Human parts and burial artifacts
- Jewelry and precious gems
- Laser products
- Lighting
- Lock-picking and theft devices
- Medical devices and accessories
- Offensive and controversial materials
- Other restricted products
- Pest control products and pesticides
- Plant and seed products
- Postage meters and stamps
- Recalled products
- Recycling electronics
- Refrigerants (inc. ozone-depleting substances and substitutes)
- Strike anywhere matches
- Surveillance equipment
- Tobacco and tobacco-related products
- Warranties, service plans, contracts, and guarantees
- Upholstered furniture, bedding, and other quilted products
- Federal emissions (products requiring EPA Certificate or COnformityy)
- Children's footwear
- Children's apparel
- Automotive tires, wheels, and rims
Further Information on Restricted Categories on Amazon
Some categories require pre-approval from Amazon, and some products will require additional information or supplemental guarantees before you can list them.
For FBA sellers, there is a separate FBA Product Restrictions page for products that are not eligible specifically for the FBA programs.
In California, there are additional regulations that apply to some products. If you are planning to sell overseas, then it is your responsibility to ensure that all the items you list comply with regulations and laws in overseas regions.
Any product that is FDA-approved/Cleared or that includes the FDA logo is required to meet additional requirements before you may sell it on Amazon.
Due to the nature of Amazon's restricted categories, you may have already been selling a product in a particular category that suddenly becomes a restricted item. If this happens to you, you must seek approval and get ungated on Amazon as soon as you become aware the product will become restricted.
How to Get Ungated on Amazon: A Simple Case
Due to the nature of the restricted category list on Amazon, there are some easy categories to get ungated on Amazon for and some that are much harder. As long as your Amazon Seller Central account is in good condition and has healthy metrics, then the simple method of getting ungated on Amazon is likely to work. The steps are as follows.
Sign into your Amazon seller account.
Source: sellercentral.amazon.co.uk
- Click the Catalog button, then select Add Products from the drop-down.
- Search for the product you want to sell, and in the results, look for the Show Limitations button next to the relevant item.
- Click on Apply to Sell to request approval and begin the application process.
For many of the restricted category products on Amazon, this process will be straightforward. However, if this doesn't work, you may need the next section.
How to Get Ungated on Amazon: A More Complex Case
Sometimes, Amazon sellers are looking to get ungated for products that are more difficult to sell. If this sounds like you, and you've run into issues when trying to get ungated, then the steps below are the next steps you should take to achieve your goals.
- Open an account with a wholesale distributor: You will need to find a supplier that offers the products you would like to sell within the restricted category and open an account. Be sure to put in the exact same details as your Amazon business when you open the account, too!
- Order 10 units of a relevant product you would like to sell: Once you have an account, order 10 units of the relevant product from the restricted categories of choice. This is going to cost you a small sum of money, but if you're a new seller, it can help you to understand better the process of buying goods to resell on Amazon!
- Get an invoice from the company: As with any order, once your goods have been dispatched, you will receive an invoice. The invoice has to show how many units you ordered and the total cost of the order, and need to include your business details as they appear on your Amazon seller account. Make sure to save this invoice!
- Submit this invoice to Amazon: Sign in to your Amazon Seller account and find the gated category or gated brand page. Click on the Apply to Sell icon and follow the instructions while uploading your invoice, too. Amazon will then review this document and decide whether to approve you to sell the items.
Note: Uploading your file in a non-editable file format, like PDF, is a good way of making sure Amazon knows that the invoice is original.
Be aware that this is not a foolproof method of getting ungated on Amazon, and though you can do things to make it more likely, Amazon may still reject you.
- Click the Catalog button, then select Add Products from the drop-down.
- Search for the product you want to sell, and in the results, look for the Show Limitations button next to the relevant item.
- Click on Apply to Sell to request approval and begin the application process.
For many of the restricted category products on Amazon, this process will be straightforward. However, if this doesn't work, you may need the next section.
How to Get Ungated on Amazon: A More Complex Case
Sometimes, Amazon sellers are looking to get ungated for products that are more difficult to sell. If this sounds like you, and you've run into issues when trying to get ungated, then the steps below are the next steps you should take to achieve your goals.
- Open an account with a wholesale distributor: You will need to find a supplier that offers the products you would like to sell within the restricted category and open an account. Be sure to put in the exact same details as your Amazon business when you open the account, too!
- Order 10 units of a relevant product you would like to sell: Once you have an account, order 10 units of the relevant product from the restricted categories of choice. This is going to cost you a small sum of money, but if you're a new seller, it can help you to understand better the process of buying goods to resell on Amazon!
- Get an invoice from the company: As with any order, once your goods have been dispatched, you will receive an invoice. The invoice has to show how many units you ordered and the total cost of the order, and need to include your business details as they appear on your Amazon seller account. Make sure to save this invoice!
- Submit this invoice to Amazon: Sign in to your Amazon Seller account and find the gated category or gated brand page. Click on the Apply to Sell icon and follow the instructions while uploading your invoice, too. Amazon will then review this document and decide whether to approve you to sell the items.
Note: Uploading your file in a non-editable file format, like PDF, is a good way of making sure Amazon knows that the invoice is original.
Be aware that this is not a foolproof method of getting ungated on Amazon, and though you can do things to make it more likely, Amazon may still reject you.
Source: amazon.com/Sports-Collectibles
Other profitable categories that you need to request approval to get ungated for include the automotive and Powersports category, electronics, and fine art. If you're able to get ungated to sell these, you're likely to see a considerable increase in your profits.
Lower Competition
As you have to go through a long process to get ungated, not all Amazon sellers can sell all products. So, if you have approval to sell a number of gated products, you will have less competition and, therefore, are likely to make higher profits than you would in ungated products.
Tips for Getting Ungated
While there is no one way that you can get ungated on Amazon, there are ways that make it more likely an Amazon service agent will approve you. These include the following.
Apply in US Business Hours
If you apply for approval during Amazon's US business hours, you might be more likely to get ungated. You will definitely get a faster response and can deal with any issues or discrepancies as quickly as possible. This can make getting ungated quicker in the long run.
Use Recent Invoices
When you submit an invoice, make sure it is as recent as possible. While there is no hard and fast rule for what you should submit, it appears that a more recent invoice could make it more likely that you get ungated by Amazon.
Source Correctly Categorized Products
Amazon assigns numbers known as ASINs to products. To make sure that the products you're sourcing are in the correct product categories, check that the ASIN is active on Amazon. This will ensure that the product is in the right category, so you're less likely to get your approval application rejected.
Source: Product details
Improve Seller Metrics
One of the most significant issues people face when trying to get ungated on Amazon is that they don't have good enough seller metrics. There isn't really a simple way to get better seller metrics than to simply sell, and sell well. However, there are ways and means of making sure you're sourcing products that are in demand.
At OA Cheddar, we cultivate product lead lists for Amazon FBA sellers to ensure that all of our clients can meet their profit goals. Our innovative research methods mean that when you subscribe to one of our mailing lists, you will have access to daily product lead lists that help you generate income.
Our team scours our data to find the best product leads in a range of categories (including both gated and ungated categories) through the night to send out lists in the morning with the most up-to-date information on them.
We pride ourselves on offering profitable leads to all of our clients, and we use the data ourselves to prove just how lucrative FBA selling with these product leads can be.
Final Thoughts
Getting ungated on Amazon can take a lot of time, but it is entirely worth it. In most cases, the ungating process requires you to fill out an application and await results, but you may have to provide additional information in some cases to ensure that you get the approval you need to sell.
Gated products tend to offer higher profit margins with lower competition, making it an incredibly lucrative endeavor.
For more information on becoming a successful FBA seller on Amazon, don't forget to check out our YouTube channel.