How Amazon Sellers Can Avoid Accidentally Selling Restricted Products

Sellers certainly don't want to violate any rules, so how can they avoid inadvertently selling restricted products? The list of restricted product categories is extensive, and each category's specifics can be complex. Sellers definitely don't want to inadvertently get into disputes with Amazon (or the law) when they start selling products. To avoid unintentional mistakes, sellers can take the following four prudent steps.

1. Understand the Legal Regulations in Your Product's Field

Sellers don't need to memorize the legal details of every product category listed above, but they definitely need to be familiar with the legal details of those that include the products they are selling. Any Amazon seller listing products in regulated categories, such as food, cosmetics, or dietary supplements, needs to be genuinely familiar with the rules associated with each listed product. Complying with the law is the first step to complying with Amazon's rules.

2. Hire a Legal Advisor

Laws are not always consistent, so if sellers are not up to date with developments, they could find themselves in trouble by not knowing that something allowed now might not be allowed later. This is where a legal advisor comes in. Smart sellers should hire a lawyer to stay current with legal regulations and ensure they can quickly learn when things change.

3. Ensure Product Approval

It's crucial to distinguish illegal products; the products sellers select may only be restricted on Amazon. For many of these product categories, sellers can list restricted products as long as they obtain Amazon's permission first. In these cases, just make sure to clearly understand the steps for applying for approval before listing the items for sale on Amazon.

4. Monitor Product Recalls

If the products sellers are offering are recalled, it is their responsibility to be aware of the recall and remove listings for unsafe versions of the product.

For restricted products that require prior approval from Amazon to be legally sold, the process is quite straightforward. If the product is already in Amazon's database:

▪️Log in to your Seller Central account, select "Catalog" from the homepage, and then choose "Add a Product."

▪️Search for the item you want to sell, then select the "Show limitations" link next to the item.

▪️Click the "Request Approval" button and follow the prompted steps.

Find links to where you can start the approval process based on the product category. If you want to sell a new item not listed on Amazon, you can do so on Amazon's "Categories and Products Requiring Approval" page.