Operator glossary
Category and brand gating (ungating)
Approval walls around restricted categories and brands — invoices, sometimes fees, occasionally impossibility — the first checkpoint before sourcing anything you cannot yet list.
Amazon gates categories (topicals, certain grocery, watches, fine jewelry, collectibles and more) and individual brands, requiring application: typically recent invoices from authorized distributors showing meaningful quantity, sometimes brand authorization letters or compliance documentation, occasionally a fee.
The operator rule is sequencing: verify listing eligibility (Add a Product shows restrictions per ASIN) before purchase orders, not after — warehouses full of unlistable inventory are a classic new-seller wound. Gating shifts with policy and account maturity; a denial today is not always a denial in six months.
The numbers
- Standard ask: 1+ invoices (often 10+ units) from authorized distributors, dated within ~180 days, matching your business details.
- Check per-ASIN eligibility in Add a Product before sourcing — restrictions are ASIN- and account-specific.
Related terms