There’s not much more frustrating than finding an awesome product on Amazon, only to find out you can’t sell it.
As I’m sure most of you are aware there are lots of categories and brands that are restricted. Whilst there are some restrictions that you can’t get ungated for, lots of them you can.
To check if you’re restricted you try add the product you your inventory (go to manage inventory – add a product). If you see “listing limitations apply” then click this and you will get more information. If there is a request approval button, click this to see which information Amazon require from you to get ungated.
One way to very quickly check if you are restricted it to use BuyBot Pro which will instantly flag if you’re gated or not when you analyse a deal. You can get it here: https://www.igenentrepreneur.com/BuyBotPro (affiliate link)
At this stage you may be auto-approved to sell in that category, or sell that brand. If so, great. If not, read the information Amazon require from you. Most of the time it will be an invoice from a wholesaler that Amazon approve of.
Amazon don’t have a list of approved wholesalers but when you find one, some seller support staff will confirm if this wholesaler is ok or not. If the staff member isn’t helpful, just create a new case.
What makes a suitable wholesaler? They:
– Only sell to trade. They can’t sell to the public
– Can’t be a cash and carry
– Have a VAT number
– Will supply a Declaration of Conformity (if required)
– Are based in the UK (if you are selling in the UK)
Before you look for a product on a wholesaler’s site, check their minimum order value. Also, check if prices are inclusive or exclusive of VAT
One example of a good wholesaler to use is Harrisons Direct (UK)
Once you have made a purchase and received invoice, you can submit this with your approval application.
Finally, here are a couple tricks to use:
– Amazon staff are inconsistent. If you get declined by one, just create a new approval request. It took me over 20 cases to get ungated for toys!
– Apply in other marketplaces. For example, if you sell in the 5 European marketplaces, you can request approval in each one. I got ungated for toys through the French marketplace!
Still need help? Want to get your applications sorted quickly? Check out the lovely Karen Hutson’s service https://igenentrepreneur.com/GetUngated(affiliate link) to get yourself ungated now!
Hope this helps, drop any questions below 😊