Amazon’s Restricted Products & restricted product Policies

RESTRICTED PRODUCTS:-

Restricted Products are the productsRestricted Products are the products that are that are Illegal, Illegaly Marketed, Unsafe, Offensive or Prohibited by Amazon’s policies or the local laws & regulations.        

Restricted products include products whose sale on Amazon is prohibited or restricted in some way due to applicable laws or regulations. These products could include those that are prohibited for sale by Amazon or selling partners, restricted in certain geographies and products that may not be cross listed across countries or regions due to regional regulations and restrictions.

For example, parts or products from federally endangered or threatened species are prohibited for sale by law.

Similarly, products that are recalled by the manufacturer or any government or regulatory agency are prohibited for sale on Amazon.

RESTRICTED PRODUCT POLICIES:-

Restricted products policies are put in place to protect Amazon's customers from products that are illegal, illegally marketed, unsafe, offensive or prohibited by Amazon's policies. These policies also give customers confidence that all products available for purchase on Amazon are compliant with local laws and regulations.

Further within the US itself there could be state-specific guidelines. For example, some products are subject to additional regulation in the state of California.

Make sure to check that your listings comply with all policies for each country where you sell.

Understanding the Important restrictions that Sellers should be aware of with Examples:-

Now, we'll dive deep into two key restricted products areas on pesticides and pesticide devices & offensive and controversial materials, to highlight important restrictions that sellers should be aware of, particularly when creating a new listings.

Example 1, “Pesticides and Pesticide devices”: -

In the US, pesticides and pesticide devices must comply with the environmental protection agency's Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and applicable state & local laws, including Registration and Labeling Requirements.

You may not be aware if you are selling products that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers as pesticides or pesticide devices. As it can be hard to identify which products qualify and why?

The EPA classifies most products as 'pesticides or pesticide devices' that are marketed to disinfect, repel insects, remove allergens, or prevent bacteria. Or that make any other anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, or other pesticide related claims. These claims are sometimes used in marketing a wide variety of products including clothing, home goods, air & water filters, and lawn & garden products.

EPA's guidance, on what is considered a 'pesticide or pesticide devices' can be found on the EPA website. Amazon's permitted listings include 'pesticides and pesticide devices' that comply with FIFRA and all applicable state and local laws including registration and labeling requirements.

The sale of products(of unregistered pesticides), example 'insecticide chalk' or pesticide products not intended for sale in the US, since they do not have an EPA registration number are prohibited to sale on Amazon.

Further pesticide products that make public health claims are also prohibited. For example Amazon prohibits the sale of any product that is marketed to control or mitigate any disease, infection or pathological condition. For more examples on prohibited listings, refer to the Help Page on 'pesticides and pesticide devices' in your Seller Central portal.

Requesting approval to sell Restricted Products on Amazon

If a selling partner wishes to sell 'pesticides and pesticide devices' on Amazon, you must first apply for Approval to sell these products.

Follow these steps listed on the Help Page, to request for approval to sell a pesticide product on Amazon: -

& by taking the pesticide seller e-learning course.

Note that if you are not a US resident you are not permitted to sell pesticide products or pesticide devices on Amazon.com!        

Example 2, "Offensive and Controversial Materials": -

Amazon does not allow the sale of any products that promote incite or glorify hatred or intolerance. For example, the Confederate Flag including product images. These policies apply to all products except books, music, video, and DVD which all have their own policies. Amazon also prohibits the sale of any products that depict child abuse or exploitation.

For more details refer to the help page on Offensive and Controversial Materials in your Seller Central Account. You can refer to the restricted products FAQs on the help pages of your seller central portal for additional information.?

Using Amazon's Help Pages for policy compliance validation: -

Amazon has Help Pages on a range of restricted products. Refer to the main restricted products help page for links that go into each restricted product category.

You can check the category applicable to your listings to understand the policy guidelines and what is restricted and permitted within each listing. There is more information resources and links to applicable federal regulations on these individual help pages so make sure to visit the ones relevant to your products.

This wraps up today's topic on Amazon's restricted product Categories & Policies.

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