Chapter 22: Gating, ungating and the Restriction Tracker
What you'll learn: what restrictions are and why every seller has them, how to see only the products you can sell, how to apply for approval, and how ArbiSource's Restriction Tracker helps your account open up over time.
Restrictions are normal
Amazon requires approval before some products can be listed. Sellers call this being gated, and getting approval ungating. Restrictions affect every seller, and they're set account by account: two sellers can see different answers for the same product.
Restrictions can apply at several levels:
- a category or sub-category;
- a brand, or a brand within a particular category;
- an individual product (ASIN).
Some products need more than one approval. And being approved for a brand doesn't always mean every one of its products: a particular ASIN or category can still be restricted. Your access usually widens the longer you sell and the more sales history you have, so it's worth checking again from time to time.
How to check a product
In Seller Central: go to Add Products, search for the product and look at the status:
- Sell this product: no approval needed.
- Apply to sell: approval is required. Click Show limitations to see what's needed.
- Not available: the product can't be listed on your account.
In ArbiSource: every result can show whether your connected Amazon account is restricted for it. Checking only reads your status; it doesn't change anything in Seller Central.
- One at a time: use the restriction check on any result.
- In bulk: use Check Restrictions at the top of the Vault, Price Drops or scan results, then choose to remove the results you can't sell. Bulk checks are included from the Pro plan.
- Before a scan: keep restriction checks switched on when you create a scan, and tick Exclude Restricted/Gated in your filters' Exclusions section (Chapter 13).
"How to see only products you can sell", using single and bulk restriction checks and the Exclude Restricted/Gated filter, recorded on the UK version.
Applying for approval
- In Seller Central, go to Add Products, find the product and click Apply to sell. (In ArbiSource, the result panel has a shortcut to the same page.)
- Some approvals are granted straight away, with nothing to upload. It's always worth a click.
- If documents are needed, Amazon's help page lists what to prepare. This can include purchase invoices dated within 180 days, clear photos of the product from all sides, a brand authorisation letter where applicable, and safety certificates where required. If an application asks for invoices, a small order from a wholesale supplier or authorised distributor of that brand is the usual way to get them.
- Complete the form, upload the documents and wait for the review. Amazon's page says this takes 2 to 7 business days.
- Track your applications from the selling applications page in Seller Central.
If you see "Your account does not qualify", that product isn't available to your account and the decision can't be appealed. Move on to the next lead.
Read Amazon's guide: Categories and products that require approval.
The Restriction Tracker
The Restriction Tracker shows which brands your Amazon account is ungated and restricted in, and tries to open more of them up for you. It's included from the Pro plan.
- It tracks brands that matter for arbitrage. ArbiSource only tracks brands it has matched to at least one retail product, which leaves out most private-label brands.
- It tries to ungate you automatically. Whenever it checks a restricted brand, ArbiSource also attempts to ungate your account, then confirms whether your access changed. Amazon always makes the final decision, so this can't be guaranteed.
- It rechecks every 7 days, and emails you when new brands become available.
- Four totals at the top: Brands tracked, Currently ungated, Currently restricted and Ungated by ArbiSource. Click one to filter the list. Beside them, Recent check and Next check show when the tracker last ran and will run next, and DOWNLOAD ALL downloads the brand list.
- Filters and sorting: Search brands, Sort By (for example Profitable Results), Results, Average sellers, Average BSR % and Selected categories help you find the brands worth your time. The list starts with brands Ungated on previous run.
- Click a brand to open its results in the Vault.
- Statuses are based on a sample of five ASINs per brand, so always check the specific product before you buy.
To start, open Restriction Tracker from the sidebar and run your first check. It can take a while, but you can leave the page and you'll get an email when it's done.
Two good ways to use it:
- Newly ungated brands with opportunities. Filter for brands with plenty of profitable results, several sellers and a strong average BSR %. These are fresh places to source.
- Restricted brands worth applying for. Use the same filters on your restricted brands. If one has lots of profitable results, it may be worth applying for manually.
If the tracker and a product check disagree. The tracker works at brand level and a product check at ASIN level, and Amazon can give different answers for the two. Go with the product check for the item you're about to buy.
"I'm gated, now what?"
- Start with what you can sell. Run Check Restrictions on the Vault and remove what you can't sell.
- Turn on the Restriction Tracker and let it work in the background.
- Click Apply to sell on brands you'd like, especially ones the tracker shows have lots of opportunities. Some approvals are instant.
- Keep selling. As your account builds a history of sales, more brands typically open up.
- Consider a wholesale order for a brand or category you really want, if invoices are needed (Chapter 17).
Checklist
- I know restrictions affect every seller and vary by account
- I can check a product in Seller Central and in ArbiSource
- I remove restricted results before checking leads
- I've tried Apply to sell on a brand I'd like
- I've run my first Restriction Tracker check