Overview

Amazon announced on March 15, 2024 that any consumable, ingestible, or topical product listed with an electronic security tag will be removed from the catalog. The rule targets grocery, supplement, beauty, and personal‑care items, and sellers must adjust their prep workflows immediately to protect listings and account health.

Key Points

• Tag ban effective immediately — RF, RFID, and acousto‑magnetic stickers are prohibited on all food, vitamin, skincare, and cosmetic ASINs as of the March 15 rollout.
• Retail‑ready condition required — Items must arrive at the customer looking identical to the product images, with no visible anti‑theft devices or packaging damage.
• Safety perception at stake — A tag left on a bottle of multivitamins or a tube of sunscreen suggests the product was sourced from a liquidation lot, raising buyer concerns about contamination or tampering.
• Inspection cost increase — Sellers reported an average 12 % rise in prep time after adding a dedicated tag‑removal check for each unit in the affected categories.
• Enforcement hierarchy — First‑offense triggers listing suppression; a second offense within 30 days can lead to mandatory inventory disposal and a warning on the account health dashboard.
• Manufacturer‑sourced inventory exempt — Products purchased directly from brand owners or authorized distributors rarely carry tags, but Amazon still requires a visual confirmation that no tag remains.
• FBA vs. FBM parity — Both Fulfilled‑by‑Amazon and Fulfilled‑by‑Merchant sellers face the same tag‑removal requirement; FBA shipments flagged during inbound quality checks are returned to the seller for re‑prep.
• Penalty statistics — In Q1 2024, Amazon removed 4,732 ASINs for tag violations, resulting in an estimated $1.9 million in lost sales for non‑compliant sellers.

How the New Policy Works

1. Tag detection during inbound inspection — When a shipment arrives at an Amazon fulfillment center, the inbound quality team scans each unit for electronic tags; a pallet of 500 vitamin bottles with one stray RFID tag will be held for further review.