One of the issues that every Amazon seller faces on a daily basis when sourcing items is category and brand restrictions that prevent them from selling certain products on Amazon.
Many sellers are interested in learning how to become ungated and allowed to sell Nike on Amazon because it is a popular brand and many retailers provide big discounts on Nike, therefore resellers would want to resale it online.
Unless you’ve been selling on Amazon for a long time, you’re probably not allowed to sell Nike.
Whether you’ve been selling on Amazon for 4 days or 4 years, restrictions for selling on Amazon are one of the main annoyances for FBA sellers. However, there are procedures you can take to persuade Amazon to allow you to sell restricted products, this article will walk you through them.
What is an Amazon ‘restricted’ category?
The selling of certain categories, subcategories, or brands is prohibited on Amazon. This makes it impossible for new merchants to offer certain items under these categories, unless they have been approved.
Amazon’s seller regulations occasionally put restrictions on such items, and other times they reflect restrictions imposed by state and federal governments. Typically, they are put in place to prevent the sale of counterfeit or illicit goods.
These restricted categories’ products are referred to as ‘gated’ products, and the whole category is referred to as a ‘gated’ category. Being ‘ungated’ on Amazon means you’ve been given permission to sell some of the things that aren’t permitted.
Is it possible for an independent seller to sell Nike on Amazon?
Before we move on to our main topic of discussion, we need to set the record straight. Many people are still unsure what will happen to Nike’s Amazon sales after the garment and footwear giant concluded its two-year agreement with Amazon in 2019.
But the answer is yes, independent/individual/third-party vendors may sell Nike on Amazon. However, if you wish to sell third-party brands, you must adhere to Amazon’s requirements. These needs will be discussed in the next section.
How do you know if you are not allowed to sell nike on amazon?
Fortunately, finding out if you are prohibited from selling Nike on Amazon is simple. You may start on obtaining approved to sell Nike on Amazon after you know for sure that you are prohibited.
You can check if you’re allowed to market the Nike brand in two ways and this works for any other brand too.
Check on the Amazon Seller App
To begin, use the Amazon Seller App to look for a Nike-branded product to see if this brand limitation exists. Because it reads “Requires Approval” and has a blue “Request” button right on the page, you can tell this is limited from the main search results page.
Check using the ASIN of the product
Your seller central account is the second place to go to determine if you require clearance to sell Nike on Amazon.
Log in to your seller central account and go to inventory and then add a product for this process. You’ll enter the ASIN of the Nike product you’d want to sell here. Because there is a blue “Apply to Sell” button instead of a “Sell Yours” button, you’ll know the product is limited from being sold.
You may discover exactly why this product is being limited from your account by clicking the drop-down link directly below that.
How to get approved to sell Nike on Amazon?
All restricted categories and brands have the same requirements for applying for category or brand ungating and it is quite simple. Follow these three simple steps.
Make sure you have an Amazon Professional Seller account.
Only individuals with a Professional Selling Plan can sell restricted categories. This plan costs $39.99 per month, but Amazon takes a reduced percentage of your sales, so if you sell a lot of things each month, this plan will save you money over time.
Check to see whether you have a wholesaler account with the same delivery address as your Amazon account.
Select the category you’d want to ungate.
Go to Amazon Seller Central and select the Inventory option, then ‘Add A Product.’ For the particular goods you wish to offer, you may pick from a variety of categories and subcategories. Look for the product name, brand, or Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN).
Since it is a Nike product you want to sell on Amazon, either you type the ASIN for the specific product or type the Nike brand name to get ungated.
Submit an approval request.
When you’ve found the category you want, select ‘Listing Limitations Apply’ and then ‘Request Approval.’ Here you can find the application form that we previously discussed. Complete the form and submit your request.
Many things will influence whether or not your request is accepted. Specific categories have their own set of rules for sellers who want to sell restricted products on Amazon. The majority of these categories will need further documentation.
You may be asked to provide a copy of your seller’s invoice, a fee, or even a letter of authenticity from the manufacturer.
Some specific guidelines to get a selling approval for Nike
To get a selling approval for Nike on the Amazon platform, you will need to meet any of these requirements:
- At least one purchase invoice from a manufacturer or distributor is required.
- 1 letter from Nike approving your sale of their goods
It’s vital to remember that just ONE of these items is required, not both.
Obtaining a purchase invoice from a distributor will be the simplest approach.
Many people question if they can be ungated in Nike using a retail receipt or order confirmation from a retail outlet, and the answer is no. Even a receipt from Nike won’t get you out of the gate!
It must come from an Amazon-approved distributor.
You’ll see the remainder of the prerequisites for sending your invoice to Amazon when you decide that you have an invoice.
There are three crucial pieces of information that you must pay particular attention to in order for Amazon to accept your invoice and unblock your ability to sell Nike items.
- It is necessary for the invoice to be recent.
- Your name and address must match exactly as they appear in your Amazon account in the “Tax Entity” section of your seller account.
- The product must be represented by at least 10 units on the invoice. You can’t get ungated by buying ten separate Nike products; they all must be the same product, with ten units.
Within 2-3 business days after submitting your invoice to Amazon, you will get a response.
Don’t panic if your application is turned down; the game isn’t over yet. Denial or a request for further information does not rule out the possibility of applying again in the future.
Your seller metrics such as return rate, seller feedback, customer service rating, and other metrics will improve as you sell on Amazon for longer periods of time, allowing you to qualify for approval in new categories and brands. It just takes time for Amazon to recognise you as a reliable FBA seller.
Remember that once you’ve secured Nike, you’ll have access to the whole brand. As a result, you can sell whatever you want, not just shoes. You may offer Nike clothing, as well as Nike accessories such as sports drinks and backpacks.
