Wondering how to get to the other (and obviously more lucrative) side of Amazon in 2022? Read on to know more about how to sell products that are ‘gated’ or restricted to Amazon sellers.
What is ungated mean on Amazon?
Amazon has earned the trust of customers all across the world by tightly controlling what third-party vendors are permitted to sell on each marketplace.
Amazon prohibits specific categories, subcategories, or brands from being sold. This stops new merchants from selling certain items before they have been authorised. fake and harmful products are prohibited under these regulations. Regulatory laws covering such items are sometimes part of Amazon’s seller policies, and other times they reflect limits set by governing authorities on a state and national level.
Being ‘ungated’ on Amazon means you have been allowed to sell some of these restricted products.
Many sellers feel disheartened when they aren’t allowed to sell items from brands or categories that they are passionate about. Most sellers don’t want to effort time and energy into the complex ungating process on Amazon. To be fair, with a little effort even the most challenging categories can end up being ungated for you to sell on Amazon.
Why Does Amazon Have Gated And Ungated Categories?
Amazon is a company that cares deeply about its users. So by having a clear demarcation between gated and ungated communities, it prohibits sellers from misusing their ability to sell products that possess a serious capacity to affect the consumer’s safety. This is also to protect both sellers and consumers from any kind of legal liability, in case something undesirable occurs.
This practice is also done for prohibiting mischievous sellers from overpricing products under extraordinary circumstances. For example, since toys are in high demand during the holiday season, the Toys & Games category is restricted only during that time.
Quality control and maintaining the brand’s authenticity also plays a major factor in creating the distinction between gated and ungated categories on Amazon.
Following are some performance criteria demanded by the website:
your pre-fulfilment cancel rate must be less than 2.5 percent,
Your order defect rate must be not more than 1%, and
your late shipping rate must be less than 4%.
Amazon’s success is predicated on its reputation for providing shoppers with an unrivalled shopping experience, thus this is their approach of reducing risk by ensuring that only the top sellers have access to certain popular categories of products.
You must establish that you are a legitimate, competent, and trustworthy vendor in order to sell these things. This is why Amazon distinguishes between gated and ungated categories.
How much does it cost to get ungated on Amazon?
Different categories have different rates as their payment fee to get ungated access as an Amazon seller. For example, the jewellery category requires an entry fee of $5000 since it is highly lucrative.
Obviously, you will need to have an Amazon Professional Seller Account first, which costs about $39.99 monthly.
How do you request to be ungated on Amazon?
Once you decide on the gated category you want to sell in, you will find a selling application for it in the category itself. Fill in the application and send in your request to be ungated in that category. Make sure you send the application out on a normal working day to get a quicker response. Expect to receive a reply within a few hours or days.
Click the “Listing Limitations May Apply” link next to the item you wish to sell, then click “Request Approval.” This will send you to the application form that you’ll need to sell that item.
Every application is unique in its own way. You may be required to supply invoices or photographs of the goods in certain circumstances, so be sure you have all of the necessary information before beginning to fill out the form.
If your application is rejected by a service agent, you may always withdraw it, wait a few days, and then reapply in the hopes of getting a different agent.
How to Get Ungated in Amazon Restricted Categories
There is no one simple answer to this. Different categories have different requirements in order to fulfil their ungated criteria. But here are some steps that are most common for all:
Make sure you have a Professional Seller account on Amazon
Restricted categories can only be sold by those who have a Professional Selling Plan. This plan costs $39.99 per month, but Amazon gets a smaller part of your sales, so if you sell a lot of goods every month, this plan will save you money in the long run.
Make sure you also have a wholesaler account with the same shipping address as that mentioned in your Amazon account.
Choose the category that you want to ungate
Go to Amazon Seller Central, and then go to ‘Add A Product’ from the Inventory option. Here you can choose from various categories and subcategories for the restricted product that you want to sell. You may do so by looking up the product name, brand, or Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN).
Send in a request for approval
After reaching your preferred category, click on ‘Listing Limitations Apply’ and then on ‘Request Approval’. Here you will come across the application form that we have talked about before. Fill out the form and send in your request.
Whether your request will get accepted or not shall depend on a lot of factors. Specific categories have their unique requirements for a seller to list restricted items in those on Amazon. Most of these categories will require additional paperwork. You might be required to produce an invoice from your seller, some additional fee, or even a letter of authenticity from the manufacturer.
How long does it take to get ungated on Amazon?
There is no fixed timeline, but it usually takes up to a few hours for your ungating request to get approved. Sometimes the process might even drag up to a few days if gaining approval turns out to be complex, or if you have a series of document verifications pending at hand.
What items are ungated on Amazon?
On Amazon, restricted categories often feature things that are extensively controlled or might be fake or notorious.
Below listed are the categories which are gated on Amazon, as of 2022:
- Amazon Watch Warranty FAQs
- Video, DVD and Blu-ray
- Collectible Coins
- Automotive and Powersports
- Textbook Rentals
- Clothing, Accessories, Shoes and Luggage
- Entertainment Collectibles
- Major Appliances
- Gift Cards
- Collectible Books
- Grocery and Gourmet Foods
- Sports Collectibles
- Kindle Accessories
- Fine Art
- Sexual Wellness
- Streaming Media Players
- Toys and Games (Holiday Selling Guidelines)
- Fine Jewellery
Are video games gated on Amazon?
Amazon expressly restricts the sale of any kind of video media as it falls under the Video, DVD and Blue-ray category in the gated list.
However, if your video game falls under the Toys & Games category, it is only restricted during the holiday season.
There is no specific category called video games that falls under the list of gated products on Amazon, but surely if this is a product from a brand that specializes in video games, it is most likely to get gated for the sake of authenticity. Take the example of Nintendo.
Ungated Amazon sellers not only have more product alternatives, but they also have less competition. Restricted categories have fewer suppliers since so many individuals are unwilling to go through the approval process. Sure, it takes a bit longer than selling in one of the open categories, but selling in the unrestricted domain does open a lot of doors for you in terms of expanding your business.
Now that you have a basic idea about how to go about the entire process of selling gated items on Amazon, hurry up and make use of it for unmissable opportunities.
