Overview

Amazon maintains a comprehensive restricted products policy that governs what sellers can and cannot list on its marketplace. This policy exists to protect customers and ensure that every product sold through Amazon complies with applicable laws, regulations, and Amazon's own internal standards. Understanding these restrictions is essential for every seller, as violations can result in severe consequences including permanent account suspension.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Full compliance is mandatory — Every product listed on Amazon must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, as well as Amazon's internal policies. Ignorance of the rules is not considered a valid defense.
• Consequences are severe — Selling restricted or prohibited products can result in immediate suspension of selling privileges, destruction of FBA inventory without reimbursement, permanent withholding of payments, and even civil or criminal legal action.
• Restricted does not always mean prohibited — Many product categories are restricted rather than outright banned, meaning sellers may list products after obtaining pre-approval or meeting specific requirements.
• Accurate listings are required — Products must be correctly categorized and described. Deliberately miscategorizing items to circumvent restrictions is a serious policy violation that can lead to immediate account termination.
• FBA has additional restrictions — Products enrolled in Fulfillment by Amazon are subject to additional eligibility requirements beyond general marketplace rules. Sellers should review the FBA product restrictions page separately.

How Restricted Products Work on Amazon

Amazon organizes product restrictions into several tiers. Some products are completely prohibited from sale on the platform, such as illegal items, unsafe goods, and products available only by prescription. Other categories are classified as restricted, meaning sellers need to obtain pre-approval before they can create listings. This approval process typically requires sellers to provide documentation such as invoices, certifications, or compliance letters. Certain categories may also require a supplemental guarantee or additional information before Amazon grants listing access. The examples Amazon provides in its help pages are not exhaustive, so sellers should treat them as guidelines rather than a complete list.