How to Get Ungated on Amazon - A Complete Guide

If you’ve ever attempted to list a product only to see a “Request Approval” button or the message “Your Account Does Not Qualify,” you’ve experienced “gating” on Amazon. Learning how to get ungated on Amazon opens the door to selling top brands and competing in profitable categories.

Despite what some gurus might say you do not need to hire an expensive agency or influencer to ungate your account. The process, although it can be frustrating, is actually quite straightforward once you learn how to do it.

In this article, I’ll explain exactly what ungating is, show you how to get ungated on Amazon and share tips to help speed up the ungating process. Let’s start by understanding what ungating means and why it’s important.

What is Ungating on Amazon?

As you may have guessed, “ungating” describes the process of Amazon approving your account to sell specific brands, categories, or products.

This process can take on several forms from a single button click to photo and invoice verification. Each brand or category can be slightly different in its requirements.

In some cases, Amazon may gate entire categories, like pesticide or grocery, or specific brands within that category. For example, the shoe category is technically “ungated” but many of the major brands within that category are restricted for new sellers (Adidas, Nike, etc).

As I mentioned in the intro, each brand or category is unique and in some cases just clicking the “Request Approval” button will automatically ungate you for that product without any of the extra steps. This is called “auto ungating” and we will discuss it in more detail later.

However, in most cases as a new seller, you will need to go through the standard ungating route which involves uploading an invoice and product photos directly to Amazon. This is the method that a lot of newer sellers get frustrated with and the method that many “gurus” charge thousands of dollars for.

In this article, I will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how this process works and how you can drastically improve your chances of being ungated. But first, it’s important to understand why Amazon gates certain categories and brands.

Why Does Amazon Gate Certain Categories?

The number one reason Amazon has restrictions on certain categories or brands is to provide customers with safe and authentic products. In other words, they want to avoid new sellers coming onto their platform and selling counterfeit goods or low-quality products.

It is not uncommon to find counterfeits for brands in fashion or shoes which is why you will always find restrictions when you are trying to sell a new pair of Nikes that just released.

Likewise, categories like grocery and OTC (over-the-counter) are gated for safety reasons. From a liability standpoint, it doesn’t make sense to allow any random seller to have listings for medication and food products.

The good news is for serious Amazon sellers this provides a great opportunity. Putting in the time and effort to ungate yourself on some of these lucrative listings can immediately separate you from someone who is looking for the low-hanging fruit.

Categories like beauty and grocery are some of the most lucrative on Amazon. Learning how to get ungated for these sections can be a huge boost to your business.

Alternative Ungating Methods

When it comes to ungating there are generally three main ways it takes place. In this section, we’ll take a quick look at all three so you can easily understand the difference.

Auto Ungating: The Easiest Method

Sometimes, clicking the “Apply to Sell” button is all you need to get ungated for a product. This quick process, known as “Auto Ungating,” really is as simple as it sounds.

The more time you spend as a reliable Amazon seller, the more products Amazon will automatically ungate for you. Sellers with years of good account health often find that many brands and categories open up automatically.

For new sellers, it is important to check if a product is auto-ungated before going through all the extra steps of manual ungating.

Quiz or Questionaire: 5 Minutes or Less

The second ungating method is the rarest of the three, but also quite straightforward. When clicking “Apply to Sell” for certain products or brands you may be directed to a page with a Youtube video and questionnaire.

The instructions will tell you to simply watch the video and then answer the following multiple-choice questions. Depending on the category or brand, the video will change but it is often related to one of Amazon’s policies that applies to the product you are trying to be ungated for.

To be ungated with this method simply correctly answer the questions and you will immediately be approved.

While the brands and categories that use this ungating method may change, in the past products like pesticides or subcategories like plush toys relied on quiz-based ungating.

Standard Ungating: Invoice & Photo Method

When sellers ask about how to get ungated on Amazon, this is often the method they are referring to. It is by far the most involved method and takes the most time. Categories like beauty or grocery rely on this ungating method, as well as many of the most lucrative brands.

This method involves providing Amazon with proof that you have a valid supplier for the product or category you are trying to sell. This is done by uploading a copy of an invoice along with photos of the product, packaging, tracking info, and more.

In the next section, we will go over a step-by-step guide on how to get ungated using this method as well as tips to improve your chances of success.

How To Get Ungated on Amazon (with Detailed Instructions)

Step 1: Have A Professional Seller Account

While the rest of these steps apply specifically to verification-based ungating, having a professional seller account applies to all three ungating methods.

A Professional Seller Account is currently $39.99 / month and includes many additional benefits besides the ability to sell restricted products. Unfortunately, there is no way around this, so if you are serious about getting ungated on Amazon you will have to upgrade to a professional account.

Step 2: Find a Product, Category, or Brand You Want To Sell

If you already have a Professional Seller Account, the next step is to identify restricted products or brands you want to sell. Are you looking at getting into the grocery category? Do you want to sell Nike shoes? Are you interested in selling Marvel products?

For specific brands generally ungating one product will ungate the entire brand for your account. For example, ungating a Nike brand sock will ungate your seller account to sell all Nike products. Likewise ungating a single Marvel figurine will unlock the entire Marvel brand for your account.

For product categories, it works a little differently. Ungating one grocery item, for example, will typically allow you to sell several additional products in that category. It will not, however, unlock the entire category.

In other categories, like beauty, ungating often works similarly to brands. Ungating one brand of face cream may result in you ungating that specific brand, but it will not ungate the entire beauty category.

While you technically could pick any product on the platform for ungating here are a couple of tips for choosing what product to use:

Choose a Cheap SKU: For example, if you were looking to ungate Nike as a brand you would most likely want to choose a pair of Nike socks as opposed to an expensive pair of shoes.
Find a Product that You Will Be Able to Source Easily: For the next step, you will need to find a supplier and purchase ten of the products you choose. For this reason, it is best to choose an easy-to-find, popular product

For New Sellers: Does Your Account Qualify?

If you are still a relatively new seller it is important to double-check that it is even possible for you to be ungated in the first place.

For some products or brands, there are seller account health restrictions you need to qualify for before you can even apply to be ungated. In these cases, you will see the text “Your Account Does Not Qualify” when clicking on the “Request Approval” button.

Amazon Your Account Does Not Qualify Message

In these cases, you will have to wait until you have a better seller account health score before you can apply.

Step 3: Find A Reputable Supplier

After you’ve chosen a product or brand your next step is to find a supplier. There are two very important points to remember for this section:

1: The Supplier Must Be Able To Provide An Invoice: This is critical. A receipt or packing slip will be rejected. It must be an invoice
2: The Product From Your Supplier Must Match the Amazon Listing: Double check the product name, model number, or UPC matches the Amazon listing you are applying under

While there is no exact list of acceptable suppliers here are a few common suppliers that have worked in the past.

Frontier Coop – used to ungate the grocery or beauty categories, you must have an LLC to purchase from here
ASOS – used to ungate beauty if you don’t have an LLC
Target – order online, not in-store, as you need an invoice. Invoices can be printed from the Target website. Currently, it works well for ungating several categories
Kohls – commonly used to ungate the pet category
GNC – used to ungate the vitamin category

If you want a more in-depth guide that covers a huge selection of suppliers you can use to get ungated on Amazon I strongly recommend watching this YouTube video by the Daily Hernan channel

Step 4: Purchase at Least 10 Units of the Same ASIN

Once you’ve found a supplier that sells the exact product you want to be ungated for on Amazon, the next step is to purchase it. Amazon requires an invoice that shows a minimum purchase of 10 units. For this reason, we recommend purchasing exactly 10.

Also for stores with both physical locations and online storefronts make sure to buy online. This is because you will want to photograph and upload the shipment when it arrives, along with the shipping label that shows your address and the supplier’s information.

For suppliers, like Target, for example, purchasing online allows you to easily print your invoice. Compare this to purchasing in-store where you will be handed a receipt, which Amazon does not accept.

Step 5: Collect the Required Photos and Invoice

After you’ve purchased your products and waited for the shipment to arrive, the next step is taking verification photos to upload to Amazon. You will want to take photos of the unopened shipment, the products themselves, the shipping label, a photo with both the box and the products in view, as well as a screenshot of the tracking information for the shipment.

Photo Verification Tips:

When taking your verification photos keep in mind:

Photos cannot be blurry or difficult to read
Make sure there is adequate lighting
All shipping labels should be visible (ingredients, product name, etc)
The supplier name and contact info should be visible
The label should be appropriate for the region you are selling in

When printing or downloading your invoice make sure that you wait until after your shipment has arrived. Your invoice must show that your order was completed and delivered in order for Amazon to ungate you.

Invoice Verification Tips:

When preparing your invoice make sure to:

It shows a purchase of at least 10 units
It is in a non-editable format (PDF or JPG)
It is in the correct orientation
It has the correct business name and address that match your Amazon seller account info
It displays the supplier’s full business name and contact info
It contains product identifiers (model number, product name, UPC)
It is dated within 180 days of the upload date
It is not an order confirmation, receipt, or packing slip
It was issued after your purchase (it cannot be a quote or contain the words “Pro Forma”)
The product on the invoice directly matches the product you are applying to sell

While you are allowed to hide the product pricing information all other details must be clearly visible.

Step 6: Upload the Required Information

Once you have collected all of the required photos and invoice it is time to send in your ungating request.

To begin you will need to click the “Request Approval” button listed under the product you are attempting to be ungated to sell.

Next, you will be taken to a page that lists the required documents followed by a section where you can upload your photos and invoice.

After you have uploaded all of your files there is a section for comments. We recommend including a short note stating that you are applying to be ungated for this specific ASIN and state the proof and verification you have provided.

After this, all you have to do is click submit and you are done. At this point, you just have to wait for Amazon’s response. In most cases, you will be notified within 1-2 days, with 3 days typically being the longest you will have to wait. At this point, you will be notified if Amazon has ungated your account or you will need to reapply.

If you would like to check on your ungating requests please go to the Seller Central main menu. From here click “Catalog” and then click “View Selling Applications.” This will show a complete list of all of your ungating requests along with whether Amazon ungated you for that product, denied your request, or you are still waiting for a response.

What to Do If Your Ungating Application is Denied

Unfortunately, being denied an ungating request is not uncommon. There are many reasons this can happen ranging from mistakes made in your application to poor seller account health.

The important thing to understand is although being denied your application can be discouraging, it is not the end of the world. You are always able to apply again. It is not uncommon for a seller to be denied their ungating request, reapply with the same information, and be ungated by Amazon the second time.

Troubleshooting Tips for Ungating Requests:

Here are some quick things to look out for if your ungating request was denied:

Were your photos clear and easy to read? Was the shipping label visible and did it display all of the required information?
Was your invoice in the correct format? Was it either in jpg or pdf format? Did it display all of the required information (supplier info, your address, product info, etc)?
Did your invoice include the words “quote”, “receipt”, or “Pro Forma”? Including any of these words often results in your application being denied
Does the product you purchased match the Amazon listing exactly? Does the model number, name, or UPC match?
Does the information on your Amazon seller account match the information on your invoice? Is the shipping address the same as the address Amazon has on file?
Is your seller account in good standing? The better your account health the more likely you are to be ungated

If you have answered correctly to all of these questions then it is possible that your rejection was either a fluke or a more significant issue like an issue with the supplier you chose. Either way, we recommend reapplying again before making any significant changes.

If your ungating request is continually denied you may need to try using a different supplier. Alternatively, you could try applying with a different product to unlock the same brand or category you are trying to sell.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I hope this guide helped clear up the often confusing topic of how to get ungated on Amazon.

While it certainly can be frustrating at times, it is important to remember to be patient. Ungating takes time. As a new seller, you will be denied sometimes and that’s ok. Nothing is stopping you from reapplying in the future.

Despite what online gurus may say you do not need to spend thousands of dollars on their “ungating services.” By following the steps in this post you will be able to ungate yourself to sell in any category or brand that Amazon allows.

A last tip I can give you is to focus on sales first and ungating second. If you can grow your sales numbers and maintain good account health the number of products that you will be auto-ungated to sell will skyrocket.

This will save you the time and money of purchasing products and uploading the information to Amazon.

Just remember to keep moving forward and eventually, you will be able to sell in whatever category or brand you see fit.