Do you work as a vendor and wonder how to get ungated on Amazon? You should not feel alone in this. In reality, in the early stages of eCommerce, you could essentially sell anything to anyone. As we’ve progressed, online marketplaces like Amazon have implemented measures to safeguard their users.
Whether you’re a brand-new seller or an experienced one venturing into a new category, this guide will throw light on what “gated” status means and how to remove it. So, let’s go right in.
Gated and Ungated: What’s the Difference?
Products in “gated” categories on Amazon cannot be sold without Amazon’s express approval. Currently gated content types include:
- Vehicles and Motorcycles
- Rare and Signed Books
- Sports Memorabilia
- Textbook Rentals
- Wine
…among many others. To become “ungated” is to have been granted permission by Amazon to sell items in one of the aforementioned niches. Sellers that wish to expand their business into new, high-demand categories can do so after the gates are unlocked. We’ll also go into the reasoning behind product gates and the advantages of removing them.
Why do these restrictions exist in the first place?
Products in Amazon’s gated categories tend to be more high-priced, delicate, rare, or important to customers’ health, safety, or security. Amazon has various good reasons to restrict certain items:
- The vast majority of the products there (such as food and groceries) are restricted without the appropriate paperwork.
- Some of the items in the group (such as firearms and ammunition) are potentially lethal if handled improperly.
- Amazon does not permit the sale of certain things for a variety of lawful reasons, including but not limited to certain medications, alcoholic beverages, and gambling products.
- Verifying the legitimacy of the vendor is important since you want to avoid buying fake goods.
- Amazon requires you to promise they will never allow you to sell used items in certain categories (like Beauty and Baby Products).
The majority of the banned items are hot sellers. To gain access to the gated categories, it is beneficial to become ungated.
Amazon Ungated: Follow These Steps to Get There
The truth is that there is no one certain way to unlock Amazon’s ungated categories as a seller on the site. The norms and processes associated with each subtype vary. However, there are certain universal truths that may be applied to the Amazon ungating service application.
Create a Seller Account on Amazon
Creating an Amazon Seller Account is the first step toward removing the gate on Amazon. Since Amazon has worked hard to earn its reputation as a reliable marketplace, the company requires all sellers to have a businesslike demeanor at all times. You should, then, create a business seller account right away if you don’t already have one. In addition, as a business seller on Amazon, you have the option of selling both restricted and unrestricted products. For $39.99 a month, Amazon provides business users with a professional selling account.
The status of your Amazon account
With two million buyers and vendors competing for attention, the market is saturated. You need to prioritize increasing revenue. If your Amazon seller account is in good standing, you have a much better chance of being ungated. That’s why it’s crucial to keep a record of your results. With one look at your “seller central account,” you’ll get a bird’s-eye view of your business in terms of customer reviews and product excellence.
Please abide by the Category Rules
As we discussed before, getting ungated on Amazon requires meeting specific criteria for each category. In the fine arts area, for instance, you need to have been selling your work for at least three years and have a credible website.
Find a trustworthy wholesaler
If you can’t meet your customers’ needs, your Amazon store’s growth will plateau. If you’re trying to succeed as a retail arbitrage on Amazon, having access to a reliable supplier who maintains a steady supply of the required goods is crucial. This makes it critical that you find a dependable source for the restricted goods.
Show Amazon your original receipts
Amazon is a reliable service because of how seriously it treats its documentation. Be as honest as possible when filling out the Amazon application to become unblocked. It’s best practice to scan invoices and store the originals elsewhere. Don’t forget to include the name of your vendor if it isn’t already there. UPC, ASIN, and model numbers should be included on the invoices as well.
Make a formal request
After you’ve double-checked everything and are certain it’s perfect, you may submit your request for approval. However, there are procedures that must be followed to secure the required permissions.
- Select “Inventory” from the available options.
- It’s as simple as clicking the “Add Item” button.
- Find the stuff you want to sell.
- To view the “Listing Restrictions That Apply” page, click here.
- If you’re ready to send in your application, click the “Request Approval” button.
There are other things you can do to give your application a better chance. Below, we have listed some of these things:
- Boost Your Efficiency Metrics: Amazon uses your performance metrics as a predictor of how successful a seller is likely to be on their platform. Pay close attention to the quality of your customer care, the speed and safety of your deliveries, and the small number of returns and refunds you issue. By following these steps, you’ll increase the likelihood that your category approval request will be granted.
- Invest in Wholesalers That Deal in Multiple Categories: Using a wholesaler who sells in numerous gated categories will allow you to make orders for many of them at once, saving you time and effort. You’ll save money on shipping costs and have an easier time reaching the minimum purchase quantity if you do this.
- Find Items to Sell and Stock Up: Finding things that are already being sold on Amazon increases the likelihood that you will be able to sell them and make a profit. Unless, of course, you wish to utilize them in your own house.
- Provide Your Contact Information: If you provide Amazon with your contact information when you’re getting approved, they’ll be able to reach you much more easily. In addition, you are required to offer the contact information for your supplier in order to lend credibility, reliability, and trustworthiness to your business. You might, for instance, offer the email address, the anime, and the business cell number.
- Paying attention to the address is another key element to keep in mind. If you want to increase the likelihood that your order will be ungraded on Amazon, your billing address and shipping address should be the same. Once more, the addresses must coincide with those associated with your Amazon seller account. You absolutely must possess addresses that are correct as well as up-to-date.
- Avoid using formatted invoices if possible: Amazon has very stringent policies in place to differentiate between honest and dishonest persons who want to make sales on their platform. Because of this, they require you to send the invoice in its current unformatted state. As a result of this, it is recommended that the invoice be sent in PDF format.
How Long Does It Take?
The time it takes to become ungated is not set in stone. How quickly Amazon approves your application will determine this. In certain cases, you may be ungated in a matter of days, while in others, it may take many weeks.
We recommend the following strategies to expedite your approval:
- Apply only during standard US business hours. If you submit your application late at night, it may get lost in the shuffle.
- Please send a completed PDF invoice that is accurate. A regular invoice should not have any changes made to it.
- Make sure your application includes a way to reach you. Because of this, I have more faith in you.
- Don’t let your performance stats dip. Those who are selling with solid numbers will be accepted more quickly.
- Please list the ASINs of the products you wish to have ungated. More specifics are always welcome.
See Also:
Rejection and How to Deal With It
Even if you meet all of the requirements, your application may still be denied. The most frequent explanations are:
- Making use of an extremely fresh account devoid of any prior activity
- Lacking a Business Account Prevents You from Selling
- Pre-fulfillment cancel rate and other low-performance metrics
- Attempting to sell a thing with an invoice that doesn’t reflect its true value
- Mismatching company information between the invoice and your Amazon seller account
If this happens to you, don’t worry. This is not the end. If Amazon’s decision to ungate your account is not final, you can submit a new application. If you want to increase the likelihood of being accepted on your next try, it’s important to look into the specifics of why your application was turned down.
Resubmit your application after you’ve double-verified it and fixed any problems. It’s possible that this time a different Amazon service agent will see your new application and approve it. It may be time to seek out professional help if you find yourself continually struggling and being turned down.
Should You Consider Getting Ungated?
In most cases, the Amazon ungating service will assist you throughout the application process and make sure you have all the required paperwork. It operates similarly to how FBA does.
Costs might vary from $200 to $900, depending on the provider and the type of insurance for which you are applying.
Many Amazon ungating providers claim to have a 100% approval record, so this may be your best bet if you need quick approval. These services aren’t cheap, but they can help you save time and effort in the long run by speeding up the approval process for your categories.
What Are the Benefits of Getting Ungated?
Becoming an unrestricted Amazon seller comes with a number of advantages, the most notable of which is that doing so throws open a broad variety of doors to new business opportunities.
Availability of More Items
You will be able to sell things in previously off-limits categories, such as fine arts and groceries, once you have been ungated. This means that, with the appropriate approach to advertising, your sales might potentially skyrocket.
Reduced Rivalry
Because not all Amazon sellers will be able to sell products in these categories, gaining ungating in them gives you a competitive advantage. This means there is less competition and a greater possibility for increased sales and increased profits.
More Money Made
Since there is less competition, prices can rise less rapidly. In many cases, you can increase your profit margins and set higher pricing by selling in gated or restricted categories.
Ready to Get Started?
As a vendor, you should try to appeal to as many of Amazon’s 310 million monthly purchasers as possible by providing a wide range of products. Your ultimate objective must be to boost sales while decreasing rivalry. To accomplish this, you will need to become unblocked on Amazon, which is doable if you put in the time and effort. In addition, you can get a head start on the competition by taking advantage of Amazon FBA’s ungated categories.
You should now know that Amazon doesn’t intend any harm toward its vendors when it imposes restrictions. There are good reasons for the company’s long-standing habit of installing these gates across several product lines. If you want to make it big on Amazon, you have to do something that your rivals are too chicken to try. Following the simple steps explained above, you will soon be a successful Amazon seller in one of the gated categories.
Once you ungate yourself and expand your business, you will need some capital to sustain your expansion. That is what we at PIRS Capital provide! For all your entrepreneurial needs, we have a solution. Our terms are easy and we have years of experience in the field, so contact us today and tell us how we can help.
I work with companies that sell products on platforms such as Amazon, Shopify, Walmart, Ebay, Etsy, etc. I understand that every business is unique and thats why I form genuine relationships with owners so I can help them reach their goals and find success through our working capital solutions.
