This is a big subject and there’s a ton of information about it on the web so I’m just going to make a few key points that I wish I had know when I started
Ungating is the process of getting Amazon’s approval to resell a product on their platform. You can’t just purchase something and post in on Amazon like you would on Ebay. Amazon is very cautious about making sure the products being sold on their platform are not counterfeit, which is understandable. But getting them to approve you can be really difficult even when you think you’ve crossed every ‘T’ and dotted every “I”.
My tips:
- Set your expectation properly: Getting approvals will be hard and frustrating in some cases. Some people have to submit their proof of purchase and related documents from a legitimate source/retailer over and over and over before they are approved. I currently have a few products that are 100% legitimate, purchased from major retailers, well documented, but my application to sell them has been declined 20x or more and I have no idea why. Undeterred, I will be submitting request #21 today.
- Declines are common and you generally won’t know the exact reason your application was declined.. I struggle with this concept, but apparently it’s’ true.
- You will probably get approved … eventually. At least that’s what I’m told. However, as I mentioned above I have some products that I have purchased and which are sitting in my office right now that I still can’t get approved to sell.
- Some products are easier to get ungated (approved) than others. I have no idea what the rhyme or reason is, just that it’s true. I am currently approved to sell 29 brands or products so you CAN get approved. Just know that not all applications are treated the same.
That’s about the extent of my knowledge today. If/when I figure out what Amazon’s algorithm is for ungating I’ll share it here, but I’m not optimistic. 😊 LIke Google’s search engine algorithm, it’s a mystery and we just have to follow their guidelines and do our best.