Amazon "hard gating" brands?
I wanted to get the forums and mods opinion on something that I noticed today. There are a TON of brands that were "hard gated" or placed as "not available" when you go to apply for them to sell on Amazon. Often times, with 0 notice to sellers causing them to have tons of stranded inventory. What causes Amazon to do this? There are brands like Matel, Lego, Revlon, Funko, and multiple others. Curious to hear the forums and mods opinions on what triggers this as well as if the brands will ever be available for application again in the future.
Amazon "hard gating" brands?
I wanted to get the forums and mods opinion on something that I noticed today. There are a TON of brands that were "hard gated" or placed as "not available" when you go to apply for them to sell on Amazon. Often times, with 0 notice to sellers causing them to have tons of stranded inventory. What causes Amazon to do this? There are brands like Matel, Lego, Revlon, Funko, and multiple others. Curious to hear the forums and mods opinions on what triggers this as well as if the brands will ever be available for application again in the future.
29 replies
Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrw
You've not read the forums much, have you?
Most of the brands you mention do NOT want 3Psellers on Amazon, or want to limit it to a select few , and will aggressively pursue any seller attempting to list their products.
No, it's unlikely that most of these will be ungated in the future.
Your best bet is to get authorized BY THE BRAND for a product before you even start to list it on Amazon. There can be many cases where Amazon will let you list a product, assuming that you are authorized, only to require more detailed documentation once there is a complaint. You might want to read some of the many Nike threads.
Seller_kIukTwdhvntAp
"Curious to hear the forums and mods opinions on what triggers this as well as if the brands will ever be available for application again in the future."
It's VERY doubtful that any sellers will be able to sell those brands any time in the future UNLESS the companies are bought out and new management changes the brand policies.
As @Seller_nRFmxiQg4EGrwstated, you must not have been paying much attention to the dozens upon dozens of posts about brands getting gated over the past couple YEARS!
You've been around for at least three years according to the history on your name but somehow missed all the changes. Spend more time on the Forum so you don't get blindsided!
"What causes Amazon to do this?"
The BRANDS are taking control of their distribution and are tired of sellers buying gray market and counterfeit items and passing them off as NEW on websites. More and more brands have provided a "whitelist" of their approved sellers and if YOU are NOT on the list you will be stopped in your tracks and probably hit with an IP violation.
Here is a PARTIAL list of toxic (asking for a suspension if you sell them) brands.
FORBIDDEN BRANDS LIST
NIKE
ADIDAS
CRAYOLA
DISNEY
LEGO
MARVEL
and, according to at least some reports from one source ,
Too Faced
Clinique
Smashbox
Versace
Armani
Yves Saint Laurent
and, Oral-B
have been added to the list and are or will be gated in the next few days/weeks.
Maybelline has been added as well!
CeraVe has now been added.
It is reported that Costa brand is officially restricted also.
Additional partial list from @Seller_AXC06kcsKI1qG :
A&D
Adore
Aim
Andis
Arm & Hammer
Arrid
Babyliss Pro
Ban
Batiste
Bio-Oil
Biore
Braun
Burt’s Bees
Clairol
Curel
Dr. Bronners
Everpro
Gigi
Godefroy
Goody
Gum
Hask-Placenta
Jergens
Jhirmack
John Frieda
L’oreal (added note – they are selling on here now themselves and seem to be removing all other sellers)
Magic
Manic Panic
Nair
Norelco
Not Your Mothers
One N Only
Opi
Orajel
Pepto Bismol
Philips
Schick
Shea Moisture
Spinbrush
Straight Arrow
Toppik
Vicks
Wakati
Wella
The Wet Brush
Wild Will (ies) -- I had to “modify” this one since the AMAZON FORUM thinks that is a dirty name even though it is sold on here!
Additional items provided by @Seller_Vd3fzE8t2WKbN --
Oakley
RayBan
Burberry
Versace
Dior
Tom Ford
Coach
Diesel
Kate Spade
Hugo Boss
Jimmy Choo
Calvin Klein
YSL
Arnette
Armani
Estee Lauder (ELC)
From posts in the Forum NIVEA is now on the list as well.
A LONG list from one post where a seller got notice on all of these ---
Lysol
Australian Gold
Sun In
Nature's Bounty
Ansell
Microflex
Lavazza
Batiste
Duracell
NIVEA
Sameriver
Theraband
Jobst
Birchwood
New Life Spectrum
Purell
Conair
Halyard
Ozium
Welch Allyn
Arm & Hammer
Titebond
Rawz
Makita
Leviton
Nema Globe
Ferti-Lome
Oregon
Speed Stick
Smith
Fromm
The list grows everyday
There are entire websites dedicated to tracking these lists. Even a LITTLE research or reading the Forum might save you from destroying your account.
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
RA is no longer allowed on Amazon and will get your account suspended and funds confiscated. Might want to update your knowledge base and put "sourcing guidelines" into the search bar.
Seller_Cxhg8nqYX0Hww
In order to sell these brands, you must have the brand add you to their brand registry. LOA's do not work anymore for most brands Amazon has gated or for brands that Amazon is not accepting applications for.
Glenn_Amazon
Hi there @Seller_S8C5pwae9GxqM,
In general the reasons of why some categories, brands, and products that require approval aren't accepting applications is internal to Amazon and won't be shared. However the common reason for this event is to ensure that the products sold in our store are safe, authentic, or meet local and regional regulations. If your account does not qualify or if Amazon is not accepting applications it is possible that you might have the opportunity to apply in the future, however that cannot be guaranteed. As mentioned I would recommend you review the Sourcing Guidelines to identify opportunities for products you may be eligible to sell. Thank you for your understanding.
-Glenn
Glenn_Amazon
Hello @Seller_S8C5pwae9GxqM,
Thanks for your questions regarding this process. In general Amazon won't share the reason why a product requires approval so I won't be able to provide further explanation. In general if there is no option to apply or appeal the best course is to connect with the Brand Owner to determine if they have recommendations or can provide any insight but because there are many different reasons a seller might not be able to sell a product there isn't a single best solution to solve this issue. The best course is to work with the specific Brand directly to see what options exist as mentioned by @Seller_kIukTwdhvntAp. You may be able to get a Reseller Role with via Brand Registry to be able to sell a product.
@Seller_tzb0Adb4whsRu,
In general Amazon makes the final decision if a product, brand, or category requires approval. Amazon makes the decision to require approval on many factors but often it is based on the history of the brand. If the brand has a history of authenticity concerns or reports, Amazon may take actions to restrict the brand. Due to this it is important you continue to report correctly using Brand Registry so there is a record of these events. Please note however, Amazon considers a brand's enforcement of distribution policies and rules to be a matter between the sellers and the brand. You may want to check out the Amazon Transparency Program to protect the authenticity of your products.
Thank you for your understanding.
-Glenn
Seller_4zBzdtgCyS9EI
The proof is in the pudding
Try a help search for "sourcing guidelines"
A forum search for RA
A forum search for Nike
A forum search for authenticity violation
.........................
