Unlocking the Vault: How to Get Ungated in the Amazon Grocery Category
The Amazon grocery category will be the cornerstone of your dollar store grocery flipping business. 90% of your selling activity will fall under this category. It is important to note, that you cannot just list a grocery item on Amazon for sale without restriction. Amazon requires prospective sellers to follow certain guidelines to sell items in their Grocery category. In this post, I will discuss those guidelines and also give step-by-step instructions on how to bypass the grocery category restrictions, so you can begin selling.
Understanding Amazon’s Grocery Category Restrictions
Amazon enforces category restrictions for various reasons, primarily to ensure product safety, quality, and regulatory compliance. This restriction is also called “gating”. Grocery, with its inherent concerns about perishability and labeling, falls under this protective umbrella. To get “ungated” in the Grocery category, you must demonstrate your ability to meet Amazon’s stringent standards.
What Is Needed to Get ‘Ungated” in the Grocery Category
- Professional Seller Account – As mentioned in my post A Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up Your Amazon Seller Account, there are two types of seller accounts, professional and individual. You must have a professional seller account to be approved to sell in the Grocery category. I learned this the hard way. When I first started, I kept getting rejected from selling in the category and I didn’t know why. I had all the proper information submitted, but like clockwork, got a rejection notice within an hour of submittal (with no explanation for the rejection). This probably happened 5 times. Frustrated, I started searching online for information and found that the cause of being rejected had to do with me having an individual vs professional seller account. Amazon will only approve you to sell in the Grocery category if you have a professional seller account, with no exceptions.
- Proof of Purchase from an authorized wholesaler – To get ungated in Grocery, Amazon requires evidence that you have access to wholesalers and can submit invoices detailing your purchases. You can find a number of grocery wholesalers online. I used Frontier Co-Op Wholesale for my ungating purpose (not to be confused with Frontier’s resale site). Here are the steps:
- Register an account. You may be asked for an employee identification number (EIN). You can create one for free on the IRS.gov site.
- Once your account is approved, purchase a minimum of 10 items (Amazon’s requirement for ungating). I recommend purchasing low-cost items like spices or tea to keep costs low.
- Save the purchase invoice as you will need to upload it to Amazon as part of the ungating process.
- Once the items arrive, take pictures of the invoice, the external packaging, and all purchased items (from multiple angles, including the items’ seals and expiration dates). You will need to upload those as well.
Submitting your Grocery Category Ungating Request
Now that you have your products, pics and invoices, it is time to submit an ungating request. Follow the below steps:
- Navigate to the “Add a Product” section in your Seller Central account.
- Search for the product you want to list in the gated category.
- Click on the “Apply to Sell” button.
- Carefully review and complete the application form, attaching all required documents.
- Submit your application and wait for Amazon’s response.
Amazon typically takes 1-2 business days to process ungating applications. During this time, stay patient and avoid resubmitting the application unless explicitly requested. You only have to go through this ungating process once for the Grocery category. If your application is denied, carefully review the rejection reason and address any deficiencies before resubmitting. Remember, persistence is key!