How to Check Product Restrictions on Amazon?

As an Amazon seller, knowing what you can and can't sell is essential. Some products are restricted on Amazon, and that means you can't sell them without Amazon's approval.

However, understanding which product is restricted can be complex and time-consuming. Also, if you list a restricted product, Amazon will deactivate your listing or even suspend your account.

This guide explains what are restricted products and provides you with a straightforward, practical method to identify restricted items.

What Are Product Restrictions on Amazon?

Amazon has certain restrictions for products, categories, and brands that require approval to be listed. 

These restrictions may be due to safety or quality requirements, legal regulations, or intellectual property protection.

For example, certain items, like pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and age-restricted goods (alcohol, tobacco) have specific legal requirements that must be met before they can be sold on Amazon. Other products may be restricted due to safety concerns. For instance, products that contain hazardous materials or chemicals, such as fireworks or certain batteries, may be restricted.

How to Check Product Restrictions on Amazon

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The lists of restricted products on Amazon can vary from country to country due to differences in legislation. Therefore, it's essential to check the restrictions for each marketplace. Additionally, these lists can change occasionally, so it's crucial to keep yourself updated on any changes.

Note. Some products cannot be listed or sold on Amazon at all. These products include things like prescription medication and firearms. More detailed examples of prohibited items from Amazon can be found here. 

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Types of Restrictions on Amazon

Several types of restrictions on Amazon can affect sellers. Amazon has these restrictions to ensure that the products sold on their platform meet their standards. 

Types of Restrictions on Amazon

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Category restrictions

Some categories on Amazon require approval before a seller can list products in them. 

Examples. Automotive, Collectibles, Grocery&Gourmet, Sexual Wellness, and more.

Sub-category restrictions

Within ungated categories, specific sub-categories may have additional restrictions due to stricter regulations.

Example. Within the Health and Personal Care category, which is ungated, the Vitamins and dietary supplements subcategory is restricted due to regulatory requirements.

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Product restrictions

Individual products may be restricted on Amazon based on ingredients, content, or branding, even if the general category is allowed. 

Example. A children's book containing copyrighted illustrations might be restricted due to intellectual property concerns, even though children's books in general are permitted. You can find the list of restricted products here. Examples of restricted products include Alcohol, Food&Beverage, Gambling&Lottery.

Brand restrictions

Some brands on Amazon require approval before a seller can list products of these brands. You can find the list of restricted brands here.

Examples. Nike, Apple, Barbie.

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Brands within a specific category 

These restrictions refer to limitations on selling products under a particular brand name within a specific category. 

Example. A seller may be restricted from selling Nike shoes in the category of Men’s Shoes.

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Why Do Amazon Product Restrictions Matter?

Amazon product restrictions are important for sellers because they help ensure their products meet certain standards set by Amazon. Adhering to Amazon's product restrictions helps avoid listing deactivations due to non-compliance.

Importance of Amazon Product Restrictions

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Preventing product removal

If you sell restricted products, Amazon will deactivate your listings and can suspend or even ban your account if the violation repeats. That can be a major setback for your business, costing you time, money, and your good standing with Amazon. Therefore, you must proactively check products for restrictions to avoid such unwanted consequences.

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Protecting yourself from legal issues

Some restricted products, such as counterfeit goods or dangerous materials, can land you in legal trouble. Amazon's product restrictions help you avoid selling these items and potentially facing fines or even more serious legal problems.

Ensuring product quality and safety

Amazon product restrictions are put in place to protect customers from potentially harmful, hazardous, or low-quality, products. Therefore, if you want to sell restricted products, Amazon will often ask you to provide additional documents, and invoices to prove product authenticity, warranties, performance check results, and other proof of product safety and quality standards.

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How to Check Product Restrictions?

Checking product restrictions on Amazon is challenging and time-consuming because Amazon constantly changes the lists of restricted products. Moreover, some products can have double restriction levels — in a subcategory and brand.

To check restrictions for existing products in your Amazon Seller Central, you must search for each of your products in Add a Product and click Show limitations. That is inconvenient if you research many products and takes a long time.

Checking restrictions for existing products in Amazon Seller Central

How to Check Product Restrictions with Seller Assistant App?

If you want to check restrictions fast and reliably, the ultimate solution is Seller Assistant App, one of the most popular product sourcing extensions. 

If Seller Assistant App alerts you with a red closed lock icon, the product is restricted. If you see the green open lock, the product is ungated.

It shows you all the issues a product can have. That includes not only product restrictions, but also if you can sell a product on your account, product flags, and IP alerts.

Restrictions

Seller Assistant App’s Restrictions Checker shows you directly on the Amazon product and search pages all product restrictions. If Seller Assistant App alerts you with a red closed lock icon, the product is restricted. If you see the green open lock, the product is ungated.

Bulk restrictions

Seller Assistant App allows you to check the restrictions of multiple products at a time. You can upload your file with a list of up to 1000 ASINs. The app will generate a report indicating which products are restricted and which are not.

Selling eligibility

On Amazon, you must check if you can sell a product on your account. That is because Amazon may have requirements to sell specific products that vary depending on the account type (individual or professional), seller performance, and other criteria. If Seller Assistant App displays the green open lock, that means you can sell a product on your Amazon account.

Product flags

Seller Assistant App alerts you if a product has any sales limitations, such as being oversize or fragile. These alerts help avoid unnecessary costs and shipping delays. You will see a corresponding icon if a product has the following flags.

Seller Assistant App’s product alerts

• Intellectual property (IP) complaints; 
• Hazmat;
• Oversize;
• Fragile;
• Meltable;
• Adult product;
• Amazon is a seller;
• Generic brand.

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Seller Assistant App's product flags

Checking a product for restrictions step-by-step

To check a product for restrictions with Seller Assistant App, you must download the extension and connect Seller Assistant App to your Amazon Seller Account.

• Step 1. Log in to your Seller Assistant App.
• Step 2. See product restrictions, your sales eligibility, and product flags on the Amazon search pages or Amazon product pages. 

Tip. Seller Assistant App offers sellers a secure way to check Amazon product restrictions without giving direct access to their seller accounts if their employees or virtual assistants do product research for them. 

Generally, if your employees or virtual assistants do product research for you, they need to access your Amazon Seller Central to check product restrictions and whether you can sell a product. That means disclosing your Seller Central login and password to third parties, which is not recommended. With Seller Assistant App, you can invite the employees to the team and they will identify product restrictions and eligibility without logging into the seller account. 

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FAQ

How do I know if my Amazon brand is restricted?

To know if your Amazon brand is restricted, use Seller Assistant App. Your brand is restricted if it shows a red closed lock icon on the Amazon search or product page.

How do I know if my Amazon product is gated or ungated?

To know whether your Amazon product is gated or ungated, use Seller Assistant App. If it shows a red closed lock icon on the Amazon search or product page, your product is gated. If it shows a green open lock icon, your product is ungated.

How can you tell if an item is age-restricted on Amazon?

Look for age verification warnings on product pages or during checkout, or check the Restricted Products list in Seller Central for your item's category. Both will reveal age restrictions, if any.

What is an Amazon-restricted product?

An Amazon-restricted product is an item that needs special approval to be listed due to safety, legal, or platform concerns. Examples are jewelry, dietary supplements, and batteries.

What is a restricted category in Amazon?

Restricted categories on Amazon are entire product lines where selling needs approval, often due to safety, legal, or policy reasons. examples are Automotive, Grocery&Gourmet, Sexual Wellness

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, understanding which Amazon products are restricted and which are not is crucial. That helps prevent product listing deactivation due to non-compliance and avoid losing money.

Seller Assistant App is the best tool to help you detect restricted products. It is an ultimate product sourcing solution for Amazon FBA sellers that displays product restrictions directly on Amazon search and product pages.

With its FBM&FBA Profit Calculator, Quick View, Stock Checker, Restrictions Checker, and other comprehensive product research features, you can get insights into product restrictions, alerts, demand, competition, and profitability to make informed decisions about which products to sell.