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What Cannot Be Sold on Amazon: Introduction to Restricted Products

Be sure that you know what are the banned items on Amazon before developing new products to ride a trend. We’re looking right at you, CBD oil brands.

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Picture this: you’ve identified a brand new product with high demand and low competition. You can pretty much taste the success coming your way.
 
You did everything right. You’ve done all your research, opened up a professional Amazon Seller account, and are ready to list your products and rake in the sales…
 
…but not long after you do, your listing gets taken down. Or worse, your account gets suspended! Not paying attention to what are the banned items on Amazon can even result in civil and criminal penalties.
 
This includes suspending or terminating selling privileges, destruction of inventory in fulfillment centers without reimbursement, returning inventory, and permanent withholding of payments.
 
Simply being aware of prohibited products can save you from sinking time and money into a bad business decision.
 
Amazon’s stance on restricted products and categories isn’t black and white. So, unfortunately, it’s easy to unwittingly list an item that isn’t permitted for sale.
 
To help Amazon Sellers like you, we’ve broken down what are banned items on Amazon. Read on to learn more about restricted products that aren’t always obviously prohibited.

The Difference Between A Restricted Product and Restricted Category

Sounds like a set up for a joke, right? Sorry, no punchlines here. Before we start digging through the technicalities of restricted products, let’s go over semantics.

What’s the difference between a restricted product and a restricted category? You may hear this a lot when reading about are the banned items on Amazon.

Restricted categories require you to get approval from Amazon before listing products in a gated category. Sellers will have to get approval to sell in categories like Jewelry and Topicals to ensure their items are legitimate and safe to sell to the public.
Restricted products are items that cannot be sold at all on Amazon unless they meet specific conditions. Restricted products are listed within restricted categories.
Now that you understand the main difference between the two, we’ll get back into listing restricted products that you can’t sell on Amazon.

What Cannot Be Sold on Amazon FBA?

Certain products can be sold on Amazon, but may not be eligible for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). That’s because FBA products on Amazon must adhere to specific expiration dates and temperature requirements.

Dangerous (Hazmat) Goods Are Banned Items on Amazon

Dangerous goods or Amazon Hazmat products, such as lithium batteries and magnetized materials, can be sold through FBA. Additionally, flammable gasses, flammable solids, oxidizers, and so on can be sold in limited quantities.

The following classes or divisions are prohibited for FBA:

Dangerous (Hazmat) Goods Cannot be Sold on Amazon

What Cannot Be Sold on Amazon At All

So what are the banned items on Amazon at all?
 
The sale of illegal, unsafe, or other restricted products, including products available only by prescription, is strictly prohibited.
 
The items identified below aren’t an all-inclusive list, so use your best judgment if you’re selling something similar.

1. Alcohol

Amazon doesn’t allow alcoholic beverages to be sold on the platform unless it’s wine sold by pre-approved sellers. For example, Amazon Prime customers can get wine delivered if a store that serves their area sells it.

Items marketed for customers over 21 years of age, or any product that encapsulates raw alcohol, is not permitted for sale on Amazon.

Sorry to break it to you, but you can’t sell animal feces on Amazon. Other animal and animal-related items that you can’t list for sale are:
For the extensive and specific list of prohibited animal products, review Amazon’s policy here.

3. Art – Fine Art

Like most high-stakes products, to sell on Amazon, Sellers must get approval from Amazon before listing in this category.
 
On Amazon’s Fine Art store, you can’t sell:
Artwork in a limited edition also must meet very specific qualifications, detailed here.

4. Art – Home Decor

Sellers cannot list unauthorized copies of artwork that violate copyright or trademark laws. Selling plagiarized goods within the Home Decor category is the same as selling a counterfeit item.
 
If you sell authorized exact replicas or reproductions, the word “reproduction” must appear in the title and description.

5. Automotive and Powersports

As a seller, you might have a great idea of selling automotive or powersports-related items on Amazon! Automotive batteries, fuel containers, catalytic converters, and many accessories are all fair game.
 
Automotive and Powersports products that you can’t sell on Amazon are:

6. Composite Wood Products

Selling composite wood Amazon products such as these is strictly prohibited:

7. Cosmetics & Skin/Hair Care

To create listings for cosmetics on Amazon (skin cream, perfume, lipsticks, cleansers, shampoo), Sellers must meet standards for ingredients, packaging, labeling, and language set by federal agencies and Amazon.

Additionally, there are a few specified brand items and ingredients that are banned items on Amazon at all, including:

8. CPAP Cleaning and Disinfecting Devices

Medical devices are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that they’re safe and effective to use.
 
A disinfecting medical device product, that either claims to use ozone gas or UV light to clean CPAPs, is not approved by the FDA. And thus, cannot be listed for sale on Amazon.

9. Currency, Coins, Cash Equivalents, and Gift Cards

Selling collectible coins, precious metals, stones, or jewels is an Amazon restricted category. To sell on Amazon with these products, you must be ungated or approved by Amazon.

If you’re thinking of listing gift cards, or anything else that may be connected to or traded for currency, these are banned items on Amazon:

10. Dietary Supplements

If you would like to sell items like supplements in tablet, capsule, gelcap, or liquid forms, be careful that your product’s packaging, labeling, and language are compliant with FDA, FTC, and Amazon policies.

Although CBD is a rapidly growing category of products, Amazon prohibits the sale of controlled substances detailed in Schedules I, II, III, IV or V.

Also, you’ll want to ensure that your supplements do not contain ingredients prohibited by the FDA, including:

For a complete list of prohibited products, check out Amazon’s specific list of prohibited supplements here.

11. Drugs & drug paraphernalia

There are two definitions of drugs. The first is a substance used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent diseases in people or animals.
 
It goes without saying that prescription drugs are banned items on Amazon. Things like antibiotics, vaccines, and so on are not eligible for sale.
Pro tip: Be careful if you’re selling a beauty product and making “drug” claims. For example, a cleanser that treats acne qualifies as a drug claim because it treats a skincare ailment.
The second definition of a drug is a “controlled substance,” such as cocaine, hallucinogenic mushrooms, or heroin. Products used to make, prepare, or use controlled substances are drug paraphernalia, and are banned items on Amazon.
 
Getting creative with how you market your product will not save your listing if it is a prohibited drug or drug-related Amazon product. Incorporating synonyms like “full-spectrum hemp oil” or “unwashed poppy seeds” is a violation.
 
Prohibited products also include:

12. Electronics

You are generally permitted to sell electronics products that are:
(1) are legal for sale,
(2) follow applicable industry standards,
(3) do not interfere with other electronics, and
(4) do not circumvent other technical controls, such as copyright protection.
 
But, not all electronic devices are allowed, especially if it infringes on protected content. Examples of prohibited electronics that you can’t sell on Amazon include:

Amazon prohibits the listing or sale of firearm ammunition and ammunition components for assault weapons, black powder guns, handguns, muzzleloaders, pistols, shotguns, and rifles. This includes:

For the entire list of prohibited items in this category, review Amazon’s extensive index here.

14. Food & Beverage

Generally, as long as you’re not selling alcohol, drugs, or products that do not meet federal food inspection or import requirements, you can probably sell most food/beverage items.

However, if your product is organic, claims to contain organic ingredients, or uses the USDA organic seal, it must meet all USDA organic regulations.

Here is a general list of prohibited food and beverage items that are banned items on Amazon:

15. Gambling & Lottery

Gambling and lottery items are banned items on Amazon unless the items are nonfunctional, created as a display, or is a toy. That means that the items listed below are prohibited:

16. Hazardous and Dangerous Items

As mentioned above, hazardous and dangerous items may sometimes be listed as Amazon products but may not be able to be fulfilled by Amazon.

These items are classified as hazardous and dangerous items that can never be listed for sale:

17. Human Parts & Burial Artifacts

The general rule of thumb here is that if it’s a biohazard, coveted black market item, or belongs in a museum, you probably can’t use Amazon to sell it.

These human parts and burial artifacts are not permitted for sale:

18. Jewelry & Precious Gems

In order to protect its customers from counterfeit items, Amazon has some pretty strict requirements in order to sell within the jewelry and precious gems category.

Examples of prohibited listings include:

19. Laser products

Laser pointers are generally not allowed on Amazon. There are, of course, exceptions. Here’s the breakdown of prohibited laser products that are banned items on Amazon:

20. Lighting

To sell lighting on Amazon, your products have to comply with all federal, state, and local laws. Items that don’t meet these standards are restricted products on Amazon:

21. Lock Picking & Theft Devices

You may have heard the internet’s “hack” of purchasing a master key for your apartment’s washing/dryer machines to avoid paying with quarters.

Listing anything that could help commit crimes is prohibited. Here are a few examples of lock picking and theft devices that you cannot sell on Amazon:

22. Medical devices and accessories

Medical devices and accessories are generally permitted. These are the items that are prohibited for all sellers:

23. Offensive and Controversial Materials

Amazon does not allow products that graphically portray, promote, incite or glorify hatred, violence, victims of violence, racial, sexual or religious intolerance or promote organizations with such views. Amazon’s Offensive Products policies apply to all products except books, music, video and DVD.

Listings that are deemed offensive are prohibited and can be removed without warning at any time in addition to suspending seller privileges, destroying inventory in fulfillment centers, and withholding of payments.

Examples of prohibited offensive products include:

Violence, Intolerance, and Hate

Intolerance

Human Tragedies and Disasters

Child Abuse and Exploitation

Other Restricted Products

Most of these “other restricted products” overlap with other restricted categories. These include:

1. Pesticides and Pesticide Devices

Pesticides, in our experience, have been a difficult category to list in because of its requirements. That’s because products that make any antimicrobial, antifungal, antibacterial, or other pesticidal claims (for example, products marketed to disinfect, repel insects, remove allergens, or prevent bacteria), may be considered pesticides or pesticide devices under EPA regulations, even if the products would not otherwise be considered pesticides or pesticide devices under the EPA’s definition of a pesticide.

With that in mind, here are a few examples of prohibited pesticide products:

2. Plant and Seed Products

Plants, plant products, and seeds with the characteristics detailed below are banned items on Amazon:

3. Postage Meters and Stamps

Current postage stamps, collectible stamps, and supplies related to postage meters can be sold on Amazon. Prohibited listings that are banned items on Amazon include:

4. Recalled Products

In addition to Amazon’s list of prohibited products, any item recalled by the manufacturer or any government agency (CPSC, NHTSA, FDA, USDA-FSIS, EPA) is prohibited.

5. Refrigerants: Ozone-Depleting Substances and Substitutes

Refrigerants that harm the earth’s ozone layer (commonly called “ozone-depleting substances” or ODS) are regulated by the EPA. Except for a few exceptions, Class I, Class II, and Substitutes can only be sold, distributed, or offered for sale or distribution to buyers who have been certified as technicians through EPA-approved certification programs.

Therefore, these products are not permitted for sale on Amazon:

6. Subscriptions and Periodicals

Any subscription or periodical listings that offer physical and/or digital subscriptions to a product or service are prohibited.

Only single copies of back issues of a publication can be sold on Amazon.

7. Surveillance Equipment

Hidden video surveillance equipment and communication-hindering devices are also banned items on Amazon. Here is a closer look at the types of products that are prohibited:

Certain tobacco-related products are permitted, as long as they do not contain tobacco and are approved for OTC use.

Examples of prohibited listings include:

9. Warranties, Service Plans, Contracts, and Guarantees

Listings for the sale of services, warranties, and related offers on Amazon are restricted to sellers that are pre-approved by Amazon.

If you are not a pre-approved seller, listings for services, warranties, and other similar offers, such as the following, are prohibited:

The Takeaway

It’s not always clear what can and are banned items on Amazon. Things like home decor, beauty, and supplements are common things you wouldn’t think would be so regulated on Amazon!

If you’re in the middle of product research, taking notes on what can and what are banned items on Amazon is an important step. It’ll save you the time and inevitable headache that comes with needing to reinstate your Seller account or get your listings back up.

For the most part, if you’re a brand that sells consumer products that:

  1. Can’t be used to commit illegal activities
  2. Aren’t dangerous to the general public
  3. Can’t be used to create/use/distribute controlled substances
  4. Aren’t a collectible item that requires expert opinion
  5. Aren’t regulated by a government agency

Chances are you won’t have any problems selling new products on Amazon.

We hope that this list has helped you dodge a tanked product, figure out what steps you need to take, and has helped you determine what your next best-seller is!

If you’ve gotten the go-ahead from Amazon to sell in any of these restricted categories, check out how to best optimize your listings for conversions.

Happy Optimizing!

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