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Chapter 9: Restrictions in ArbiSource

Restrictions affect every seller, and they're different for every account. ArbiSource can check them against your own connected Amazon account, so you only spend time on products you're allowed to sell. This page covers what each plan checks for you, how to clear restricted products out of the Vault and Price Drops, and how to use the Restriction Tracker. For what restrictions are and how to apply for approval in Seller Central, see Chapter 33.

A restriction check only reads your eligibility. It doesn't change anything in Seller Central.

What gets checked automatically, by plan​

  • On Pro and Premium, your scans check restrictions as they run, so every scan result already knows whether you can sell it. Check Exclude Restricted/Gated in your filters and restricted products are removed from scan results. Wholesale scans have their own Check Restrictions option in step 3 of the upload (Chapter 15).
  • On Essentials, scans don't check restrictions, so Exclude Restricted/Gated has nothing to work with. Check each lead you're interested in with the CHECK button next to Restricted on the result panel.
  • In the Vault and Price Drops, on every plan, results are shared with all users, so they aren't checked against your account until you ask. On Pro and Premium, use the Check Restrictions button (below). On Essentials, use the CHECK button on each result.

Check Restrictions in the Vault and Price Drops​

  1. Set your filters first. The check covers every result that matches your current filters, not just the page you're looking at, so narrowing to the store and categories you care about makes it quicker.
  2. Click CHECK RESTRICTIONS in the top bar. A pop-up shows how many results will be checked and the estimated maximum time.
  3. Switch on Remove results I can't sell if you want restricted products taken out of the list as soon as the check finishes. If you leave it off, the check runs in the background and its progress shows on the button.
  4. Carry on browsing while it runs.

Price Drops can be checked the same way when MATCHED is selected. The Sourcing List has its own CHECK RESTRICTIONS button too, which is worth running before you buy anything you saved a while ago.

Screenshot coming soon

the Check Restrictions pop-up in the Vault (US account), showing the number of results to be checked, the estimated time and the "Remove results I can't sell" switch.

Jasmine (SellerAmp) runs Check Restrictions on a page of ArbiSource results (from 8:41 to about 9:00).

The Restriction Tracker​

The Restriction Tracker (Pro and Premium) works at brand level. It tracks brands ArbiSource has matched to at least one retail product, shows which ones you're ungated and restricted in, and tries to ungate restricted brands for you on every check. Amazon makes the final decision, so ungating can't be guaranteed. After your first run it rechecks restricted and newly matched brands every 7 days and emails you when more brands open up.

Going through it brand by brand is slow. Narrow it down instead:

  1. Click the Currently ungated total at the top to show only brands you can sell.
  2. Use the filters to keep brands that suit your filters: Results (a minimum number of profitable results), Average sellers, Average BSR % and Selected categories.
  3. Sort by Profitable Results so the brands with the most opportunities come first. You can sort by more than one field, and your choices are saved for next time.
  4. Click a brand to open its results in the Vault. Your normal Vault filters still apply, so the count can be lower than the tracker shows.

Repeat with Currently restricted to find brands worth applying for: a restricted brand with plenty of profitable results and a sensible number of sellers is a good candidate for Apply to sell (Chapter 33). And check Ungated by ArbiSource after each email to see what's newly open to you.

Tracker statuses come from a sample of five ASINs per brand. A single product can still be restricted in a brand you're ungated in, so check the specific product before you buy.

Restriction Tracker (ArbiSource): the first check, the four totals, filtering brands and opening them in the Vault.

Screenshot coming soon

the Restriction Tracker in a US account filtered to Currently ungated, sorted by Profitable Results, with the Results, Average sellers and Average BSR % filters set.

Where restriction checks appear elsewhere in this handbook​

  • Your first restriction check: Chapter 4.
  • Clearing restricted results before a sourcing session: Chapter 10.
  • Restricted products and empty pages: Chapter 8.
  • The Safety question in the Lead Check: Chapter 20.
  • Gating, ungating and Apply to sell in Seller Central: Chapter 33.

Checklist​

  • I know what my plan checks automatically
  • I set my filters before running Check Restrictions
  • I use Remove results I can't sell (Pro and Premium) or the CHECK button (Essentials)
  • I've filtered the Restriction Tracker to ungated brands with profitable results