Expiry dates on seller-fulfilled products

Before listing expiry-dated inventory, ensure that you adhere to the policies and requirements below. Failure to comply may result in removal of your listings or deactivation of your Amazon selling account.

Expiry-dated product definition

Amazon considers any product with a shelf life or that loses effectiveness with time to be subject to expiry, even if an expiry date is not indicated on the product packaging.

Products subject to expiry include but are not limited to:

• Any product that has an expiry date printed on the product or its packaging
• Consumable products, such as potato chips, tea leaves and nutritional supplements, for human or animal consumption
• Topical products, such as skin creams, soaps, shampoos, hair sprays and cosmetics, that are intended for human or animal use
• Cleaning products, such as disinfectant wipes, cleaning sprays and solutions and detergents
• Products that include components that can expire, such as a coffee machine that is sold bundled with coffee

Shelf life requirements for expiry-dated products

All expiry-dated products intended for application or consumption must be received by the customer with sufficient time for use. For example, a bottle of supplements with 240 daily servings must be sold to the customer more than 240 days before expiry. This requirement extends to all individual products sold in bulk or as part of a bundle. In addition, food and beverage products – as well as products that ship with food or beverages – must be lot-controlled and received by the customer with sufficient time for use.

The table below lists products that Amazon considers subject to expiry, along with their respective shelf-life guidelines.

Labelling expiry-dated products

Expiry-dated products must follow these labelling requirements.

• All ingestible products (including animal products) must be clearly labelled with an expiry date or manufacturing date. Lot numbers alone are insufficient. Exceptions to consumable products are listed below. Lot numbers alone are insufficient.
• All baby food and baby formula products must have a clearly labelled expiry date.
• Clearly label the expiry date on all baby food and baby formula products.
• Any manufacturing date on the product must be labelled clearly as a manufacturing date. A manufacturing date is the equivalent of a production date.
• Acceptable date formats are: DD/MM/YYYY and MM/YYYY.
• Numeric date formats are preferred. However, dates with an alphabetical abbreviation for the month (for example, DD-JAN-YYYY) are also acceptable.
• All case-packs, multi-packs and display boxes must have the expiry date on the box or bundle, as well as on each individual item inside the box or bundle.
• Do not cover up the original expiry date or other information on the product packaging (such as ingredients, drug facts, net contents or distributor information).

Product exceptions

The following products are not mandated to include an expiry date on the physical product.

• Fresh fruit and vegetables, including potatoes, which have not been peeled, cut or similarly treated. Does not apply to sprouting seeds and similar products, such as legume sprouts
• Wines, liqueur wines, sparkling wines, aromatised wines and similar products obtained from fruit other than grapes, and beverages falling within CN code 2206 00 obtained from grapes or grape musts
• Beverages containing 10% or more by volume of alcohol
• Bakers’ or pastry cooks’ wares that are normally consumed within 24 hours of their manufacture
• Vinegar
• Cooking Salt
• Confectionery products consisting almost entirely of flavoured and/or coloured sugars
• Chewing gums and similar chewing products

Prepping expiry-dated products

Expiry-dated products must be fully enclosed and sealed in packaging suitable for shipping. Expiry-dated products that require additional prep, such as poly-bagging or bubble wrap, must have labels with expiry dates applied to the outside of the product prep or packaging.