You need to be ungated in order to sell certain restricted products, and even then you may still require approval from Amazon before those products can hit the marketplace.

However, there are some products that you can sell without having to go through all of that hassle.

In this article we’ll cover what a gated category is, which categories aren’t gated and also how to get ungated on Amazon should you wish to do so.

What is a gated category on Amazon?

Gated categories are those that require approval from Amazon in order to sell. This is usually because they are higher-risk items, such as food or cosmetics, which need extra safety measures in place.

Amazon is a company that has built itself on a reputation of creating a top-tier customer buying experience and as such places restrictions on certain categories to maintain high standards.

To get ungated in a restricted category, you will need to provide Amazon with some additional information about your business, such as your business license.

Once you have been ungated, you will be able to sell products in that category and won’t require approval for each individual item.

Which categories are gated on Amazon?

There are a number of restricted categories on Amazon. The list includes:

1. Postage stamps
2. Collectible Coins
3. Fine Art
4. Holiday Selling Requirements in Toys & Games
5. Jewelry
6. Join Amazon Subscription Boxes
7. Made in Italy
8. Music & DVD
9. Services
10. Sports Collectibles
11. Streaming Media Players
12. Video, DVD, & Blu-ray
13. Watches

If you want to sell in these restricted categories it’s likely you’ll require approval.

We’ll cover more on the ungating process later in this article, but for now, let’s take a look at product categories you can sell in without getting ungated so you can get up and running when selling on Amazon as quickly as possible.

What can I sell on Amazon without approval?

There are a number of product categories that you can sell in that don’t require approval from Amazon.

Of course, there are still rules and regulations in place for these categories. For example, you will need to ensure that your products are safe and comply with any relevant safety regulations.

In some cases, you may still need to be ungated in order to sell certain items within these broader categories.

For example, the beauty category isn’t entirely gated but if you want to sell products like oils, creams and serums on Amazon, you will need to be ungated in the topicals category.

However, there are still plenty of categories on Amazon that you can sell without being ungated.

These include:

• Amazon Kindle: By using Kindle Direct Publishing you can publish your own books, journals, and themed notepads and take advantage of Amazon’s print-on-demand service enabling you to start selling with very little investment.  
• Arts, Crafts & Sewing: Home businesses and crafters can sell a huge variety of products in this category that don’t require approval from Amazon.
• Beauty & Personal Care: You can sell products like beauty accessories without being ungated. However, as we mentioned before, if you want to sell topicals like oils and serums, you will need to get ungated in the topicals category.
• Books: Reselling books is a very popular method of getting started with selling on Amazon as it is not a restricted category and you can get started with a very low budget. Note: in order to sell collectible or rare books you will require approval from Amazon.
• Cell Phones & Accessories: Home businesses and online retailers can take advantage of the growing cell phone market by selling accessories without having to get approval from Amazon.
• Electronics: This is one of the most popular categories to sell in on Amazon. You can sell items like headphones, gadgets or the best cameras for photography and not require approval from Amazon.
• Grocery & Gourmet Foods: Whilst it can be more difficult to source, the Grocery and Gourmet Foods category overall is not one of Amazon’s restricted categories.
• Garden & Outdoor: People all over the world love their gardens and there are a lot of opportunities to sell popular products in this category – another one that doesn’t require approval to sell in.
• Home & Kitchen: Accessories to use in the home and kitchen are among the most popular products on Amazon and thankfully do not fall into Amazon’s gated categories and are perfect for new sellers.  
• Industrial & Scientific: This category includes products like lab equipment, industrial hardware and science education supplies.
• Office Products: A popular category with the rise of working from home culture. Products include desk furniture, accessories and storage for pens, paper and other stationery.
• Pet Supplies: Always a top category, here you’ll find a range of Amazon’s best-selling products including accessories like leads, bowls and toys along with consumables like pet foods and treats.
• Smart Home: The rise in smart home adoption presents a range of opportunities in this category with products like smart bulbs, light switches, and home automation devices that don’t require approval to start selling.
• Sports & Outdoors: Products like gym equipment, running accessories, and fitness gadgets are all up for grabs for new sellers and seasoned sellers alike. Note: selling sports collectibles will require approval.
• Tools & Home Improvement: DIY enthusiasts all over the world buy products like paint brushes, ladders and power tools in this lucrative category that does not have an application process to sell in.

So, if you’ve been asking what can I sell on Amazon without approval? The answer is actually quite a lot!

There are a wide range of Amazon categories that do not require approval to sell in and that present a great opportunity to get your Amazon business up and running in next to no time. Create your own flyer, take advantage of the category’s popularity and create your own win-win situation!

What are the best ungated Amazon categories to sell in?

If you want to get started selling on Amazon as quickly as possible, then we recommend choosing a category that you can sell in without needing to be ungated.

The best ungated Amazon categories to sell in are those where there is high demand but low competition. This will give you the best chance of success when starting out.

Some of the best ungated categories on Amazon to sell in include books, home and garden items and office supplies.

These are all categories where there is a lot of demand from buyers and also have lots of sub-category niches to target that may have less competition from other sellers and that don’t require approval to sell in.

This gives you the perfect opportunity to get quickly started selling on Amazon in a particular category and make a success of your business.

How do you get ungated on Amazon?

There comes a time in most Amazon sellers’ journey when you do look to explore options beyond the easy entry points.

Any time there is a restriction in place it raises the barrier to entry and presents a possible opportunity for those who are willing to overcome the associated hurdles.

So, if you have maximized your opportunities in categories that don’t require approval and want to turn to selling in Amazon’s restricted categories, here’s a brief overview of how you can get ungated on Amazon.

Step 1: Access Seller Central

The first step is to create an Amazon Seller Central account, or log into your existing professional seller account and access Seller Central.

Step 2: Add A Product

Next, navigate to the Manage Inventory section and click ‘Add a Product’.

Step 3: Request Approval

Search for the product you want to sell, and if the results show the item is restricted you will require approval. Click ‘Listing Limitations Apply’ and then the ‘Request Approval’ button.

Step 4: Submit Documentation

Depending on the category you are applying for, you may get instant approval, or you may also have to submit additional information such as safety documentation or invoices from your suppliers of similar products.

Pro Tip: if you don’t currently have an invoice that lines up with what Amazon is requesting, simply create an account with a wholesaler in the relevant niche and place an order for at least 10 units of an item that will produce the necessary invoice.

You can then even sell these products on Amazon to make some extra profit for your troubles!

Amazon will check the documentation you’ve provided and along with your account health metrics will make a decision on your application, usually within 48 hours.

If you are approved, you will be able to sell products in that category and won’t require approval for each individual item.

What if my application is rejected by Amazon?

If your application is rejected, you will need to wait 30 days before you can reapply.

When reapplying, it’s important to address any concerns that Amazon may have had with your original application. For example, if your product was considered unsafe, you will need to provide additional safety documentation.

You may also need to provide additional invoices that evidence the sourcing of products that are a closer match to the product type you require approval for.

Are there other gated products that require approval?

Along with gated categories, there are also specific brands that require approval to sell – for example, Nike.

The process to check which brands require approval to sell and which don’t is very similar to categories.

Simply take the ASIN of branded product you’d like to sell and attempt to add the product as shown above.

If Amazon prompts you to apply to sell that product then you know it will require approval and you should ensure you can pass this approval process before investing in large volumes of stock.

In conclusion: gated categories or ungated categories?

When it comes to selling on Amazon, there are two main ways to do it: through gated or ungated categories. Gated or restricted categories are those where you require approval from Amazon in order to sell your product, while ungated categories don’t require approval.

Generally speaking, gated categories offer more opportunity for success as there is less competition. However, it can be more difficult to get approved to sell in these categories. Ungated categories, on the other hand, are easier to get into but have more competition.

So which is better? The answer really depends on what you’re selling and your overall goals for your Amazon business.

If you’re just starting out, we recommend selling in ungated categories on Amazon as it’s easier to get started as you don’t require approval. However, if you’re looking for more opportunities for success, then gated categories may be a better option.

Either way there are an enormous amount of opportunities when looking to sell on Amazon and the key to success is taking action. So, whether you require approval for a category or not – keep taking steps forward, listing products to sell, and build your dream business!

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About the Author:

Ben Donovan is the founder of Brand Builder University and has a passion for helping normal everyday people create financial freedom by building their own businesses. He operates brands selling in 9 different Amazon marketplaces and generating upwards of $2million dollars per year and loves to share what is working from the trenches of eCommerce.

My name is Amy Hunt and I have 20 years of online selling experience and tons of useful insights to help you get off to a successful start. Below you will find my insights on product research for dropshipping and private label. Learning from someone with experience is a great way to see what works while learning and what mistakes to avoid.

How I Got Started With Amazon

Let’s start with a bit on my experience in eCommerce. I started selling online back in 2001. In the beginning, I found extra stuff lying around my house and listed on eBay. In 2003, I branched out into Amazon and began selling products for a friend that needed help learning how to use the platform.

Over time, I was able to find success in the jewelry niche and this was the main type of product I focused on. Today, I sell a mix of dropshipping and branded products on Amazon. I also sell through Shopify and eBay.

So while my business has expanded to cover a variety of sales channels and products, Amazon research remains the most important part of my business. Amazon is still the biggest revenue generator and research is key to long-term profitability. With many ups and downs, I’ve learned a great deal about how the marketplace works and I share this knowledge with new sellers through my YouTube channel and guides like this.

What is Amazon Product Research?

Amazon product research is the process of learning about products to determine if you can sell them successfully on Amazon. With it, you can see a particular item’s profitability, how competitive its market is, and whether or not it is easy to sell.

How you perform product research varies depending on your business model. Different products and sourcing methods rely on different criteria to be successful. Common Amazon business models include:

• Private label:You partner with a supplier that creates a unique product for your brand.
• Dropshipping:With dropshipping, you have suppliers ship your products directly to customers after they make an order on Amazon.
• Online and Retail arbitrage: Arbitrage is a selling strategy where you buy products from a physical or online store and resell it for a higher price on Amazon.
• Wholesale:With wholesaling, you buy products in bulk from a supplier or manufacturer and then list them on Amazon.

This guide will show you how to conduct product research for Amazon. It includes real-life examples and tips and techniques from my real experience.

My Product Research Technique

Researching products before selling them helps you understand a potential market and its profit potential. Below, I will share my strategy for Amazon product research so that you can learn to find winning products of your own.

Defining Your Product Criteria

The first step to Amazon product research is to know what to look for in a product. There are certain traits that important for any type of item. This includes:

High demand

You should start your product research by looking for items in high demand. These are products that have a lot of sales and people interested in them. If a product consistently generates a high number of sales, there is a good opportunity for you to turn it into a reliable source of income for your business. I typically look for products with at least 300 monthly sales on Amazon.

Competition

After validating a product’s demand I like to look at its competition. Competition is a big factor in a product’s potential as it directly impacts how much of the market you can gain. An item may have really high sales but if there are a lot of other businesses selling the product, the amount of profit you can make won’t be very high.

There are a couple of ways to analyze the competition. If you use dropshipping its helpful to look at the total number of other sellers for the product. If selling a private label item, you should check the number of competing products in the niche.

Profitability

As income is the main goal for selling any product, it is natural that profitability is a big part of product research. The simplest way to assess a product’s profitability is to check its profit margin. This metric shows what percentage of each sale you keep as profit. I generally like to look for products with margins over 50%.

These are important things to check for any Amazon product. Now, we’ll look at some of the other important traits to search for in a product for dropshipping, arbitrage, or wholesaling.

Product Criteria for Dropshipping, Arbitrage, and Wholesale

Not private label

When looking for good dropshipping products, it is essential to check to see if a product is a private label item. These products belong to specific brands so you can’t sell them unless you get direct permission from the owner. Many private label brands don’t make their products available to resellers and dropshippers.

Ungated products

Amazon has a mix of restricted and open categories. Restricted categories have selling requirements while open categories do not. I recommend new sellers stick exclusively to ungated products. This will help you get up and running faster as you won’t have to jump through extra hoops when getting started.

Non-Hazmat items

Some Amazon products have hazardous materials. For instance, a hairspray with flammable chemicals. Like gated categories, hazmat items have additional approval steps. Because of this, I recommend avoiding these products so as to not have extra complexity.

Prime delivery

Amazon Prime is an important piece of the eCommerce giant’s success. Prime customers can get free, two, and one-day shipping for eligible products. When you dropship products, they’ll take longer than two days to arrive. As such, you want to avoid competing with products with Prime shipping.

My Basic Method for Finding Products

With the key product criteria established, let’s go through a simple yet effective method I like to use for finding good products. When it comes to my Amazon product research, research software is crucial to my process. I have long relied on AMZScout as the tools are easy to use while providing high-quality data and analysis.

This is the process I use to find dropshipping products but it can also be modified to work with different business models. As my business has grown, I’ve adopted a similar methodology to discover great products for private label.

There are several helpful product research tools. The first is the Product Database. I like to use it to discover product ideas and uncover new trends. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to the AMZScout Product Database.
2. Add filters for your product criteria. For example, I like to look for products that have over 300 sales and fewer than 30 reviews.

1. Check the results and save interesting product ideas.

After I find good product ideas, I use the PRO extension to get more insights on a product before deciding to sell it. Here is a quick overview of how I do this.

1. Go to Amazon and find one of the products you saved. Then, open the PRO Extension to review those items.
2. Look at the Niche Score and Product Score to find opportunities with the best profit potential.

1. I also like to check the Product sales history to ensure an item has steady sales.

When I perform this analysis, I tend to look for products with a rating of 7 or higher. The tool is quite handy as it provides unique scores for different selling methods. No matter how I plan to source an item, it’s also important that a product has good sales volume throughout the year. It’s harder to build a solid business around a seasonal item, so I look to avoid such in my research.

My Fastest Way to Find Products to Sell

When I want to get a fast understanding of a product I’m considering, I have this process to quickly assess products for reselling. Below, are the steps that I use:

1. Go to Amazon and find a potential product.
2. Open the AMZScout Amazon Dropshipping, Arbitrage, and Wholesale
3. Check the results page and review the following metrics: margins, seller types, and FBA fees. Below we can see what this looks like on the results page.

1. When you find a good product, click on the product page and analyze it further. Check to see if it is private label, ungated and if it has Prime shipping.

1. Analyze the product’s Price and Buy Box histories. This will help you determine the best pricing strategy.

1. Use the calculator to forecast your potential margins. The tool automatically populates the FBA fees and sales price to calculate Net profit per unit. This will show you how profitable an item is.

This process will give you a fast way to find products that will work well for dropshipping, online arbitrage or wholesale on Amazon. When I discover good ideas, I also like using the AMZScout Keyword Search tool to find the best keywords to use for optimizing my product listings.

Real Product Examples

Now that you know what to look for in products and how to find them, let’s check out some real-life products to see these concepts in practice. In this comparison, we’ll look at both good and bad products. All these were items that I considered selling at one point. On the surface, they all looked great. But then I used the AMZScout tools to see which ones had good potential and which did not.

Example of a Bad Product to Sell on Amazon

Below, you can see an image of the Amazon listing for an S.T. Dupont duffle bag. The product is a water-resistant bag that is used for carrying luggage for travel. It is an example of an item that you don’t want to sell on Amazon.

You want to avoid this product because Amazon also sells it. It’s very difficult to compete with Amazon as a seller. As a result, it would be hard to win the Buy Box for this listing, ultimately leading to a low number of sales.

Example of a Good Product to Sell on Amazon

Below we can see an example of a good Amazon product. The hidden camera connects to wifi to allow you to monitor your home from your smartphone or computer.

There are several reasons that this item would make a good product to dropship on Amazon:

• Only a few other sellers:This product only has two other FBA sellers so you won’t face much competition.
• Good profit margins:This product has a 75% profit margin, well over the 50% target I normally look for.
• Ungated product:This product is in an unrestricted category so you can sell it without approval.
• No hazmat:there aren’t any hazardous materials so you won’t face extra requirements.
• No private label:You can resell this product because it’s not private label.

Tips for Amazon Product Research

Below are some extra tips that have been key to my personal experience of finding great products to sell on Amazon:

Spy on Competitors’ New ideas and Follow Trends

An easy way to come up with new product ideas is to spy on your competitors. You still want to do your own research, but looking to see what the competition is doing can be a great starting point for finding new products.

Another simple way to get fresh ideas is to stay on top of the latest Amazon and eCommerce trends. The AMZScout Product Database can help with this as there is a filter for Trending Products. By enabling it in your research, you can quickly find items that are seeing positive trends in sales growth over recent months.

Track Price Changes and Forecast Potential Profits

Low prices is one of the biggest reasons consumers love to shop on Amazon. Because many buyers are looking for the best deal, it is common for sellers to try to price their products as low as possible. This leads to frequent shifts in price across the market.

When you’re considering selling an item, you want to be aware of price fluctuations. Doing so will help you predict future profits more accurately. For example, if you notice that prices across a niche decrease during the holiday season, you’ll know to forecast less revenue per sale during this time of the year.

Conclusion

The importance of product research can’t be overstated. Without it, you run the risk of selling something with low chances of success. By thoroughly researching many different products, I’ve been able to find unique ideas that I can sell for a profit. The process has become the foundation for the success of my business.

There’s a lot to consider when researching Amazon products. However, once you know what to look for, you can set up systemized processes to make finding new product ideas simple. Following the tips and methods laid out above will help you to also discover great products for your business.

Product research is vital to eCommerce success. Businesses that thoroughly research products are more likely to sell something that customers want and that can generate profit. When it comes to selling on Amazon, there are several important things to review before deciding to sell a product.

My name is Amy Hunt and I have 20 years of online selling experience and tons of useful insights to help you get off to a successful start. Below you will find my insights on product research for dropshipping and private label. Learning from someone with experience is a great way to see what works while learning and what mistakes to avoid.

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About the Author:

Amy Hunt is a home business expert with 20 years of online selling experience. She started selling on Amazon to be able to stay at home with her newborn. As a home business expert, she has many valuable insights that can help you transition from 9-5 jobs to earning income selling from home.