Nothing is worse than stock you bought… and then can't list. Gating (restriction) is one of the biggest risks a reseller faces.
What gating is
Amazon restricts the sale of certain brands, categories or products to approved sellers. Without approval, you cannot create the offer.
Types of restrictions
- Gated brand: approval required (often an invoice from an authorized wholesaler).
- Gated category: Beauty, Supplements, Grocery… depending on the account.
- Hazmat product: dangerous goods (aerosols, batteries) subject to review.
How to check before buying
- Try adding the product to your catalog (status "approval required").
- Check whether Amazon or the brand locks the BuyBox.
- Look for the hazmat label on the listing.
Reducing the risk
Buy from sources that provide invoices you can use for ungating requests. Analyzer+ flags restriction and hazmat alerts as soon as you run the analysis, so you don't tie up cash in a blocked product.