Product listing unfairly removed
I had a product listing removed because it contains "saw palmetto", which Amazon says needs a medical license to sell. My understanding is that Saw Palmetto has a history of food use so is suitable for food supplements, you can find this on the UK Governments list of herbal products. It is not a medication.
What's more, Amazon closed the listing, so I am unable to respond. I have provided Amazon will all the required documentation in order to sell the product on their platform, however, it seems they are looking for any reason to prevent me for listing my product.
I've noticed hundreds of sellers selling saw palmetto, many without such medical licenses, so I'm at a loss as to why I am being blocked from being able to sell it. It is absolutely legal to see in the UK, and does not require a medical license. It only requires compliance certification from MHRA, and a GMP certificate, both of which I have provided.
Is anyone else having a similar issue to this? I'd love to be able to discuss this with Amazon directly and present my case, but I cannot find a contact email.
Product listing unfairly removed
I had a product listing removed because it contains "saw palmetto", which Amazon says needs a medical license to sell. My understanding is that Saw Palmetto has a history of food use so is suitable for food supplements, you can find this on the UK Governments list of herbal products. It is not a medication.
What's more, Amazon closed the listing, so I am unable to respond. I have provided Amazon will all the required documentation in order to sell the product on their platform, however, it seems they are looking for any reason to prevent me for listing my product.
I've noticed hundreds of sellers selling saw palmetto, many without such medical licenses, so I'm at a loss as to why I am being blocked from being able to sell it. It is absolutely legal to see in the UK, and does not require a medical license. It only requires compliance certification from MHRA, and a GMP certificate, both of which I have provided.
Is anyone else having a similar issue to this? I'd love to be able to discuss this with Amazon directly and present my case, but I cannot find a contact email.
0 replies
Seller_vxeanJigTlOr3
It won't be much of a help but you are not alone. Many Saw palmetto-based items have been and are being removed.
Not sure what triggered this sudden removal though!
Seller_BtujXdRJnGPdf
Indeed, you are not alone. This morning without any prior notification our product which contains a small amount of Saw Palmetto has it's listing restricted and we are forced to remove this to avoid a shutdown of our seller account.
I have a pharma background and Saw Palmetto is not a medicinal product. However, MHRA has long ago classified this under the herbal list of ingredients. So, this may explain confusion from the brain cells operating at Amazon. They may be seeking a traditional herbal license (THR).
I found the following advice from trading standards on herbal products: To meet the terms of the exemptions, products must be solely plant-based, have no written medicinal indications for use and must not have a trade name. Herbal remedies, even if exempt from licensing, still have to be safe and be labelled in accordance with the Medicines Act 1968.
Seller_OVqIu1EqBKEqY
I'm also experiencing this, had a product removed yesterday. Strangely Amazon tried to call me earlier and i've had another email from the account health team, although my account health is still healthy. Should I be concerned?
Seller_Pcs41RNKikfWb
We have been having such issues since 2021. Though our products do not make ANY claims, in any form or shape, either direct or indirect, and even though they are supplied/sold/promoted exclusively as food supplements, MHRA has still allegedly classed them as medicinal products. Amazon has restricted them and no amount of evidence has convinced them to reinstate the affected ASINs. It's a vicious cycle.
Amazon takes what the MHRA says, whether it's correct or not. We've had one product restricted because Amazon said it contained an ingredient that was NOT present in its composition. i.e. it's a vitamin D supplement that they restricted for containing vitamin A (an example for illustrative purposes only).
They don't give you any recourse. The MHRA's say is FINAL. You're not in the wrong, but your products will get restricted anyway, your account will get hit with a policy violation (or multiple violations, depending on # of ASINs/variations) and any FBA inventory will get stranded (forcing you to pay ridiculous fees to Amazon for their removal). All your work, your ASIN performance, reviews, everything gets wiped out.
The worst part is that there are absolutely no laws or restrictions on herbal food supplements (unless they contain herbal ingredients that are banned/restricted in the UK). There are NO rules, except that they be listed as food supplements and that they make no medicinal claims. But even so they'll get classed as medicinal products.
MHRA is not an independent authority and it's funded primarily by companies whose products they are meant to regulate. They favour companies with THRs (who have paid them £££) over companies selling similar products that fall under the legal definition/classification of food supplements.
They generally claim that the products meet the second limb of the definition of a medicinal product (under HMR 2012) because the average consumer is aware of the potential medicinal effects of the herbal ingredient(s) in its composition. This is not the case, but they will argue this time and time again when everything else fails. It doesn't even matter that there are 3-4 times more food supplements containing that same herbal ingredient than there are THR herbal medicines. Or that many consumers take the products as food supplements and not to prevent/cure/treat a medical condition.
A blanket restriction is applied and that's that.
We have food supplements out-performing herbal medicines in many products categories on Amazon. Trust me, neither the companies owning those medicines, nor the MHRA have been happy about it. Though they're sold perfectly legally and are fully compliant with food laws.
I'm afraid that there may not be much you can do about it. Over the past 2 years, we've had little to no success. And believe me, we've tried everything.
But keep on pushing Amazon and sending your evidence/appeals etc. Maybe you'll be luckier than we've been.
