Additional information and resources for selling partners about our Restricted Products policy

The sale of illegal products, or other products listed as prohibited for sale on our Restricted Products policy page, is strictly prohibited, and it is each selling partner's responsibility to carefully review our policies before listing a product. Selling partners must also understand that they are responsible for ensuring that their products comply with all applicable federal and state laws, even if the product is not specifically described in our policies. Laws change frequently, so selling partners should monitor regulatory changes regularly and take appropriate action.

We are constantly innovating on behalf of our customers to improve the ways we detect illegal products and products that otherwise violate our policies, and we continually make adjustments to the systems we use to detect these products. On occasion, our systems may remove products that are permitted to be sold on our site. This may occur if there is incomplete or inaccurate product information provided to us or if our systems incorrectly identify a product as restricted. For example, if there is a product with both over-the-counter and prescription versions, we may restrict the product if we are unable to determine which version of the product is being offered. Also note that some products that are legal are still prohibited by our policies. Selling partners who believe a product has been removed in error should contact Selling Partner Support, and we will review the product and make any appropriate adjustments to our systems as well as to the selling partner's account status, as applicable. Note that moving a restricted product listing to Out of Stock (OOS) does not make the listing compliant. If you think your product was incorrectly identified as a restricted product on Amazon, close the listing immediately to ensure compliance while you appeal the restriction with Selling Partner Support.

Selling partners who violate our policies or applicable law may be subject to enforcement action, which can vary depending on the type of offense and the selling partner's account history. We consider a variety of factors in the selling partner's overall account when determining what action to take, including the severity and number of violations and other relevant information. Selling partners who have had their selling privileges removed may appeal the decision in most cases. In some situations, we may reinstate a selling partner's account if they have implemented a robust plan of action that effectively addresses the root causes that led to the violations and will prevent recurrence of those and other violations.

Below are some best practices selling partners can follow to aid in compliance with our policies:

• Do not assume that a product is permitted because it is not listed in our "Examples of Prohibited Listings" or has an existing ASIN.
• Assign one or more employees to be responsible for reviewing each product you plan to sell. This employee must have deep and up-to-date knowledge of the products as well as the industry, including laws applicable to those products.
• Carefully review our Restricted Products policy, including the "Examples of Prohibited Listings," and your product catalog on a regular basis. This includes any products that are included in inventory feeds or uploaded using an automated system.
• If buying inventory from a source other than the manufacturer, apply extra diligence to understand the provenance of the products and the legal framework in which they may be sold.
• When in doubt about whether a product may be sold, do not list it.
• If selling drugs or supplements, understand the ingredients in these products and research whether they are permitted. In addition to our Restricted Products policy, there are some resources available online that can help sellers with this research, including those listed below.

• FDA Recalls and Alerts: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm (note: includes a sign up to receive automatic email alerts from the FDA)
• Drugs@FDA: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugsatfda/index.cfm
• FDA National Drug Code Directory: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ndc/dsp_searchresult.cfm
• FDA Orange Book (prescription and OTC drugs): http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/default.cfm
• FDA Green Book (animal drugs): http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/products/approvedanimaldrugproducts/default.htm
• FDA's tips for buying drugs online: http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ProtectYourself/default.htm
• Legit Script product search: http://www.legitscript.com/

What is a plan of action?

A plan of action is an explanation of the issues that led to your product or account deactivation, steps to resolve the violation, and preventative actions that you have implemented to ensure the issue does not happen again.

A viable plan of action must answer the following four questions:

• What was the restricted product violation or which policy was violated by what product?
• What caused the violation?
• What reactive steps have you taken to resolve the violation?
• What proactive steps have you taken to prevent future violation?

Your plan of action should be factual and direct. Focus on the facts and events that led to the issue rather than providing an introduction of your product, business or customers. Avoid attempting to explain every recent policy or performance issue on your account, unless they specifically relate to the current Restricted Products violation you have to address.

Complete the following steps to create, implement, and submit your plan of action.

Step 1: Identify your restricted product violation

Identify and describe your violation in your plan of action. Include the ASIN or specific product type, and the policy that was violated.

To learn more about Amazon’s restricted products policies, refer to Restricted Products.

Avoid oversimplification, which can deny your appeal:

• Generic plans: Apologizing for the violation without providing a specific explanation or identifying the product in any way, and promising to do better.
• Invalid root cause: “I did not create the ASIN, I just listed against a product already on the website.” or “I have listed a restricted product”.

Step 2: Identify the cause of your restricted product violation

Identify and describe the cause of your violation in your plan of action. Be as specific as possible about why the violation occurred.

Step 3: Take reactive steps to resolve your restricted product violation

Take the reactive steps necessary to resolve your violation and describe those steps in your plan of action. These steps might include, (but not be limited to):

• deleting a prohibited listing
• updating the detail page for your listing to remove prohibited claims
• providing information required to demonstrate compliance
• fixing a technical issue

Step 4: Take proactive steps to prevent future restricted product violation

Take proactive steps to prevent future violation and describe the steps in your plan of action. These steps might include, (but not be limited to):

• educating yourself and your employees on one or more Amazon restricted product policies
• revising an internal process or policy to ensure that one or more types of prohibited product are not listed in the future
• completing a comprehensive review of your Amazon listings and deleting any listings that do not comply with applicable laws, and Amazon policies
• consulting a legal expert for advice on laws, regulations, and Amazon policies

Ensure that the steps you take will effectively prevent a future restricted product violation and avoid listing invalid proactive steps. For example:

• “If I am unsure whether a product is permitted, I will contact Selling Partner Support for approval before I list it.” Amazon will not pre-screen listings for compliance, or provide legal advice. Contacting Selling Partner Support to ask if a product is permitted is not an effective mechanism to ensure compliance.
• “I will set questionable listings to Inactive (Out of Stock) to avoid getting additional violations.” Moving a listing to Closed or Inactive (Out of Stock) will not prevent the potential deactivation of your selling account if those products are found to be prohibited.

Step 5: Submit your plan of action

To submit your plan of action, refer to the instructions at the top of your Account Health dashboard in Seller Central.