Can the same invoice be used to ungate multiple brands?
I’m just getting started with this ungating of brands process. As most distributors have a minimum spend I plan to order as many brands/catagories as possible and then submit that invoice for ungating across all areas. Will this work?
Can the same invoice be used to ungate multiple brands?
I’m just getting started with this ungating of brands process. As most distributors have a minimum spend I plan to order as many brands/catagories as possible and then submit that invoice for ungating across all areas. Will this work?
12 replies
Seller_waD5es6ha7259
Yes, and no.
Yes, Amazon would allow you to ungate those brands on the invoice.
No, because you don’t have direct permission from the manufacturer in the form of an LOA.
Your first question to the distributor should be “Am I allowed to sell this on Amazon? And if so, what are the steps I need to follow?”
Here is an example. I buy licensed product A from the distributor. Its on Amazon, but its also only allowed to be sold by manufacturer “approved vendors”. The manufacturer sees it and says this guy isn’t on my list its counterfeit product. Amazon asks for the invoices. They aren’t from the manufacturer, the bots say “Yea, its fake. Destroy it!” and you have to jump through hoops to prove its real and get your money.
Next comes the licensing part. Does the manufacturer have a licensing agreement to make that specific character? (not just the general license). I had to jump through hoops to show that the manufacturer had the license to produce “Spider-Man " items not just " Marvel” items in general. I put in the info pointed to the words “Spider-Man” and was still rejected with the message I needed permission from Spider-Man himself.
Bots are strange.
Seller_hA060q8nqygew
This statement suggests you aren’t using a proper “distributor”. Companies that call themselves distributors, suppliers, or wholesalers but offer you many different brands are not the real kinds of distributors, suppliers, and wholesalers Amazon means when they use those terms.
To add a bit to the information that’s already been provided -
There are two levels of permission you may need to sell something on Amazon.
- Permission from Amazon (ie gating)
- Permission from the brand owner (ie avoid IP infringement)
If you sell a branded product, say a Keurig coffee maker, then you’d need Keurig’s permission to sell their products on Amazon and you’d need to be an authorized dealer with Keurig and have a wholesale account directly with Keurig, otherwise Keurig could (and will) report you to Amazon as someone selling their merchandise without permission. This can get your Amazon account suspended.
Listing coffee makers that you bought somewhere other than from Keurig’s distribution chain makes them unauthorized and counterfeit, and you would be infringing on Keurig’s IP rights and they could have Amazon take you down.
When Amazon gives you permission to sell something, it only means that it’s ok with Amazon if you sell the item, as long as it’s ok with the brand owner too.
It’s a common misunderstanding. Newbies often think that just because Amazon said they could, that means no one else will object, and that’s not true. The brand can object, and if you aren’t sourcing your products from within their authorized distribution chain, you won’t have the documents Amazon will ask for to prove authenticity.
You could compare it to stores that sell alcohol. Just because you meet the store’s requirements to buy it (the proper age, with valid id) doesn’t mean that you won’t get in trouble with someone else for buying it. If your family, or religion, or probation agreement, or whatever else prohibits you from buying alcohol, then you’ll get in trouble for it, and the fact that you met the store’s requirements doesn’t matter at all.
To stay completely out of trouble, you have to make sure you’re not doing anything that anyone would object to. When selling on Amazon, you have to make sure that neither Amazon nor the brand owner will object.
Third party distributors, as you described, do not own the brands they are selling to you, so they have no authority to speak on behalf of those brands. Somewhere in their terms of use, you’ll usually find something like ‘it’s up to you to only sell this product where you’re authorized to’.
That makes it your fault if you list it on Amazon and get in trouble.
Most of us source our branded inventory directly from the brands themselves. Contact them, say you’re interested in carrying their products, tell them you want to sell it on Amazon, if they say that’s ok, you can fill out an application to become one of their resellers. If you qualify, they’ll open a wholesale account for you and you can order directly from them.
Seller_3N7yVnTXPzLkL
Without intending to contradict any other advice on this thread, the requirements for authorization to sell on Amazon are inconsistent, and the advice provided to sellers is not going to work all of the time.
Contracting manufacturers for LOAs yields permission from some, is ignored by others, and sometimes even tells you to contact a distributor.
A few manufacturers will send you a letter. Some will tell you their requirements to go direct with them (often beyond the pocketbooks of new online sellers). Some might send you a list of distributors. Some might send your name to their IP protection contractor to watch for.
From my point of view, you start with an Authorized Wholesale Distributor and work with them to get you authorized by Amazon. But if they judge you to be a smaller customer than they want to have, you will get nowhere.
Seller_cu1Lr54OxusWw
I’ll state what I’ve seen and know to be true based on my own experiences and after helping hundreds of sellers.
It will work … IF the distributor is authorized by each brand/rights holder, and I know of many that are. One example would be some sources I know of for DVD’s; another deals in Grocery items; yet another deals in tools.
Determining if your source is authorized for each brand is on you.
Sourcing from a manufacturer does not guarantee authorization! I’ve actually seen a seller suspended for “stolen” property once because of it.
There are distributors who are authorized by the brand to convey to you resell rights. They will likely have an LOA from the brand and sometimes will provide you a copy upon request.
- Sometimes that specifically Excludes Amazon
- They can not issue you an LOA unlesss they are the rights holder/brand
LOA’s are not required for every brand.
LOA’s are not given by every brand, nor required by Amazon, even though they do allow resales through their authorized distributors.
