It’s hard to imagine the world without Amazon. While the e-commerce and tech giant has been around for less than 30 years, it hasn’t taken long for Amazon to skyrocket to the top of the global retail space.
Whether you’re a regular Amazon shopper or seller or new to the e-commerce platform, you may be wondering what is ungated on Amazon? The same question crossed my mind, so I did some research, and here’s what I learned!
What Is Ungated on Amazon In 2024?
Ungated on Amazon refers to sellers who have full approval to sell goods commonly restricted on Amazon in 2024. To protect consumers and Amazon’s reputation, the e-commerce giant places restrictions on select categories and brands for new sellers, who must go through an approval process before they can start selling certain products.
If you’re interested in selling on Amazon, knowing when your account is gated vs ungated is essential. Read the rest of this guide to learn which categories are gated and how to get ungated on Amazon!
What Are Gated Categories on Amazon?
A restricted or gated category needs special approval before Amazon Marketplace sellers can go live with product listings and start generating sales.
Amazon decides which categories merchants can start selling in right away and which ones need special approval.
These decisions are typically based on the possibility of misleading sales or low-quality products.
In cases where safety is concerned (ex medical products), Amazon takes special care to approve sellers and ensure their products meet quality standards before selling in a gated category.
Currently, Amazon’s gated categories include the following:
- Subscription boxes
- Collectible coins
- Automotive and power sports
- Fine art
- Jewelry
- Italian products
- Postage stamps
- DVDs/CDs
- Household products
- Personal safety
- Sports collectibles
- Streaming media players
- Watches
- Services
Toys and games are also considered gated categories during the holidays.
It’s also worth mentioning that Amazon can restrict specific subcategories, even if the parent category is ungated.
For example, health and personal care products are unrestricted, apart from a few gated subcategories like the following:
- Contraceptives
- Feminine hygiene
- Beauty appliances
- Haircare
- Medical devices
- Sports nutrition
- Supplements
Over-the-counter medication and topical treatments also require approval before sellers can launch their listings.
How Can a Category Get Ungated on Amazon?
As an Amazon seller, if you discover your account is gated, there’s no need to worry too much, particularly if you know your listings fall into a gated category.
The key to getting ungated on Amazon is requesting approval from your Professional Seller account.
Here are the steps you should follow to eliminate restrictions on your account and gain access to gated categories.
- Sign up for the $39.99/month Amazon Professional Seller account on sell.amazon.com/.
- Once logged in, click the inventory option in Seller Central and go to add a product.
- Look for a product from the category you want to sell by searching the brand, name, or ASIN. This can be any product from the gated category, even if you don’t plan on selling that particular item once your account is ungated.
- Across from the item results, you will see an option for Listing Limits Apply, followed by Request Approval. Click that button to submit your request, and then follow relevant prompts to finish the approval process.
Amazon requires more information for some categories than others.
Therefore, you should be prepared with documentation such as a letter from the wholesale manufacturer or brand owner or an itemized invoice with supplier contact details.
How Long Does It Take to Be Ungated on Amazon?
Although timeframes to un-gate vary by category, sometimes you can luck out and get automatic approvals with good performance metrics and a clean seller record.
Otherwise, many sellers get a response within several hours, but sometimes it takes up to a few days or even weeks to hear back from Amazon.
It all depends on the category, required documentation, and how many applications Amazon already has in the queue.
Experience matters for some gated categories, too.
For example, the fine arts category requires three years of experience, while in the medical products category, sellers must show proof of FDA approval and adhere to strict guidelines.
Also, remember that Amazon isn’t always accepting new un-gating applications for some subcategories.
This typically applies to refurbished categories, but may sometimes be relevant for collectibles and other products, too.
Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do when Amazon has closed approval applications for certain categories.
In that case, it’s best to focus on easier, less restricted categories until Amazon reopens applications.
To know more, you can also read our posts on what is Amazon Cognito, can you hide orders on Amazon, and how to archive Amazon orders.
Conclusion
If you see or hear the term “ungated” in reference to Amazon, it means without restrictions. Some Amazon categories and subcategories require extra approval before sellers can list products.
Certain brands are also considered gated, so sellers need to go through a special approvals process before they can sell big-name brands like Adidas, Apple, Aquafina, Beats By Dre, Dolce & Gabbana, and New Balance.
