Overview

Amazon's ASIN creation policy governs how sellers add new products to the marketplace catalog. Every product on Amazon is identified by a unique Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN), and sellers must follow specific rules when creating new ones. Understanding these requirements is essential for avoiding listing errors, policy violations, and potential account health issues.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Match existing ASINs first — Before creating a new ASIN, sellers must search Amazon's catalog to determine whether the product already exists. If it does, sellers should create an offer on the existing listing rather than generating a duplicate ASIN.
• New ASINs require justification — Only products that are genuinely absent from Amazon's catalog should receive new ASINs. Creating duplicate ASINs for products that already exist can result in listing suppression or account-level enforcement.
• Brand-specific requirements apply — For products associated with certain brands, Amazon enforces additional ASIN creation rules designed to protect product integrity and brand reputation.
• Selling role authorization matters — Sellers must hold an appropriate selling role within a brand's authorization structure to create ASINs for that brand's products.
• Multipacks and bundles have extra rules — Non-standard multipacks and certain bundle configurations face additional scrutiny and must comply with Amazon's specific bundling policies.

How the ASIN Creation Process Works

When a seller wants to list a product on Amazon, the first step is always to search the existing catalog. Amazon maintains a vast database of ASINs, and in most cases the product a seller wants to offer is already listed. When a match is found, the seller simply creates an offer on that existing ASIN — setting their own price, shipping terms, and fulfillment method. This approach keeps Amazon's catalog clean by preventing duplicate listings for identical products.

If no matching ASIN exists, the seller can create a new one through Amazon's listing tools in Seller Central. The process involves providing product details such as title, description, images, and product identifiers like UPC or EAN codes. However, Amazon reviews new ASIN submissions and may reject those that duplicate existing catalog entries or violate listing policies.