Chapter 22: Gating, ungating and the Restriction Tracker
What you'll learn: why every seller has restrictions, how to see only the products you can sell, how to apply for approval on Amazon.com, and how ArbiSource's Restriction Tracker helps your account open up over time.
Restrictions are normal
Amazon asks for approval before some products can be listed. Sellers call a restricted product gated, and getting approval ungating. Restrictions affect every seller, and they're set account by account, so two sellers can get different answers for the same product.
A restriction can sit at several levels:
- a category or sub-category;
- a brand, or a brand within one category;
- a single product (ASIN).
Some products need more than one approval, and approval for a brand doesn't always cover every product in it. Access usually widens as your account builds a sales history, so it pays to check again from time to time.
Keep restrictions separate in your head from two other things: hazmat (how a product is stored and shipped, Chapter 24) and brand or IP issues (Chapter 23). A product can be fine on one and not on another.
How to check a product
In Seller Central: open Add Products, search for the item and look at its status:
- Sell this product: no approval needed.
- Apply to sell: approval required. Click Show limitations for the details.
- Not available: the product can't be listed on your account.
In ArbiSource: results can show whether your connected Amazon account is restricted for each product. A check only reads your status; it changes nothing in Seller Central.
- One product: use the restriction check on any result.
- Many products: click Check Restrictions at the top of the Vault, Price Drops or scan results, then remove the results you can't sell. Bulk checks come with the Pro plan and above.
- Before a scan: leave 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": single and bulk restriction checks and the Exclude Restricted/Gated filter, recorded on a US account.
Applying for approval
- In Seller Central, open Add Products, find the product and click Apply to sell. (The ArbiSource result panel has a shortcut to the same page.)
- Some approvals come through straight away with nothing to upload, so it's always worth a click.
- If documents are needed, Amazon lists what to prepare. That can include purchase invoices dated within 180 days, clear photos of the product from every side, a brand authorization letter where it applies, safety certifications where required, and, for certain categories, proof of commercial liability insurance. When invoices are asked for, a small order from a wholesale supplier or authorized distributor of that brand is the usual route.
- Fill in the form, upload the documents and wait for the review. Amazon's page gives 2 to 7 business days.
- Follow your applications on the Selling Applications page in Seller Central.
If you see "Your account does not qualify", that product isn't open 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 for you. It comes with the Pro plan and above.
- It follows 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. Each time it checks a restricted brand, ArbiSource also tries to ungate your account, then confirms whether your access changed. Amazon always makes the final call, so this can't be guaranteed.
- It rechecks every 7 days and emails you when new brands open up.
- Four totals sit 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 point you to 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 begin, open Restriction Tracker from the sidebar and run your first check. It can take a while; you can leave the page and you'll get an email when it's finished.
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. One with lots of profitable results may be worth a manual application.
When the tracker and a product check disagree. The tracker works at brand level and a product check at ASIN level, and Amazon can answer the two differently. For the item you're about to buy, go with the product check.
"I'm gated, now what?"
- Start with what you can sell. Run Check Restrictions on the Vault and remove what you can't sell.
- Switch 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, 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