Your brand has finally gained traction on Amazon. Sales are climbing, reviews are glowing, and all seems well — until unauthorized sellers start listing your products at suspiciously low prices. Even worse, counterfeit versions begin to appear and damage your hard-earned reputation. Then comes Amazon brand gating to the rescue. This protective measure prevents unauthorized resellers from using your brand’s name and selling counterfeit goods.

To grow your business, you must understand how gating safeguards your name. So, let’s explore how it works, why it’s vital for your business, and how to ungate your brand in restricted categories.

What is Amazon brand gating?

Amazon’s brand gating program helps businesses protect their brands by preventing unauthorized sellers from listing or selling their products on the marketplace. Amazon imposes these restrictions to ensure only approved sellers or those with proven track records can sell products under certain brand names.

The policy aims to:

• Protect brands from counterfeit products
• Ensure the quality of listings
• Maintain the integrity of your brand on the platform
• Strengthen trust among customers

Gated categories on Amazon

Amazon restricts or “gates” certain product categories to support product quality, safety, and compliance with legal regulations. Here’s a look at some commonly gated categories and the reasons behind their restrictions:

Category	Reason for restriction
Grocery and gourmet food	Ensures all food products meet health and safety standards, especially for perishable goods
Health and personal care products	Prevents the sale of unsafe and counterfeit products
Beauty products	High risk of counterfeiting, which can pose health risks
Baby products	Protects the safety of items used for infants, which is especially crucial
Jewelry	Requires strict quality and authenticity checks to prevent fraud
Watches	Requires strict monitoring since counterfeiters frequently target these products
Automotive and powersports products	Ensures only high-quality, authentic parts are sold
Collectible coins	High value and potential for fraud
Entertainment collectibles	Protects buyers from counterfeit memorabilia, such as autographed items or rare collectibles
DVD and Blu-ray	Prevents the sale of counterfeit or pirated media products

How brand gating works

Brand gating on Amazon allows businesses to control who can sell their products on the platform. When a seller tries to list an item from a gated brand, Amazon will require them to submit documentation before approving the listing. This way, only sellers with proper authorization or evidence of legitimate sourcing can sell those products.

Each product on the marketplace is assigned a unique identifier called an Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN). When a brand is gated, Amazon restricts the sale of specific ASINs tied to that brand. Only sellers who receive pre-approval from the brand or Amazon can list and sell these products.

Why to use brand gating on Amazon

From boosting sales to enhancing brand credibility, there are many convincing reasons to gate your brand on Amazon.

It increases sales

Gating your brand guarantees only authorized sellers can list your products. By preventing unauthorized resellers from undercutting prices, you maintain better control of your listings and profitability.

Plus, by eliminating the extra competition from unauthorized sellers, you’re more likely to win the Featured Offer — the coveted Buy Now button that most customers use to make their purchases. All of this adds up to more sales and greater supervision of your revenue.

It prevents counterfeit sellers

One of the primary reasons to adopt brand gating is to stop counterfeit or unauthorized sellers from listing knockoffs of your products. If a customer buys what they think is your product but is actually a low-quality fake, that not only hurts your profits but also damages the trust you’ve worked so hard to build with your buyers.

Brand gating helps keep the marketplace clean by blocking sellers who don’t meet your standards or who can’t provide proof of legitimate sourcing. This reduces counterfeit products that harm your brand.

It protects brand value

When unauthorized sellers list items at lower prices, it devalues your brand, which weakens your relationships with authorized distributors. By gating your ASINs, you can maintain control over your pricing and protect your brand image.

It enhances brand credibility

When customers buy from you, they expect a certain level of quality; they trust they’re getting the real thing and not a subpar imitation. Brand gating ensures buyers receive genuine, high-quality products, which boosts their confidence in your brand. That credibility translates to more positive reviews, customer loyalty, and a stronger brand presence on the platform.

How to gate your brand on Amazon

To secure control over who sells your products, follow these steps for gating your brand on Amazon.

Step 1: Enroll in Brand Registry

Securing acceptance into Brand Registry is an important first step. Amazon’s Brand Registry verifies that you’re the rightful owner of your brand and provides tools to protect your intellectual property.

To enroll, head over to Amazon’s Brand Registry page and fill in your:

• Trademark details
• Brand logo
• Product categories
• Images

Step 2: File for intellectual property protection

Amazon takes intellectual property seriously, especially for brands with trademarks, copyrights, or patents. This extra legal protection strengthens your case if you need to report or remove unauthorized sellers.

When applying to Brand Registry, have your registered trademarks or any other relevant intellectual property ready. If you don’t have these protections, you should file for them before gating.

Step 3: Compile your list of ASINs

Amazon needs to know which specific products you want to gate. Every product on Amazon has a unique ASIN, so compiling these will tell Amazon exactly what you want to protect and ensure unauthorized sellers can’t list or sell them. So, make a list of the ASINs for your branded products. You can find the numbers on your product listings in Seller Central.

Step 4: Prepare your application to Amazon

Once you’re in Brand Registry and have your ASIN list ready, you can make the official gating request. Amazon will then review it and implement gating.

Open a support ticket through Amazon Seller Central or use Brand Registry support to initiate the request. You may need to submit proof of authorized distribution, such as invoices or contracts, to bolster your request.

Verify your brand is gated

After submitting the necessary documentation, you can check that your brand is gated through Amazon Seller Central:

1. Log in to your account.
2. Go to your product listings and review the relevant ASINs.
3. Click the Sell on Amazon button.

If you receive a message saying you need approval to list the product, it means Amazon has gated it.

Another way to verify your product is gated is to add your ASIN from a different, unauthorized Amazon seller account. To do this, go to your product page as if you were a new seller and try listing the item.

If the brand is appropriately gated, you’ll see a message requiring approval to sell the product, which shows Amazon is enforcing the restrictions. If you spot unauthorized listings, contact Amazon Seller Support immediately to report the issue and have the listing removed.

How to ungate your brand

Sometimes, you may also want access to sell products in restricted or high-demand categories, which Amazon gates for quality and compliance reasons. That’s when you need to apply for ungating. When you’re ungated, you can sell in certain restricted categories, brands, or products, giving you a unique edge in those categories. Follow these steps to loosen those selling restrictions:

1. Register for an Amazon seller account: If you don’t already have one, register for a Professional seller account. This shows Amazon you’re committed to selling on the platform and builds your credibility to increase your chances of being ungated.
2. Find the product you want to sell: Each gated category, brand, or product has unique ungating requirements. These include certain documents, quality standards, and sometimes category-specific regulations. You can look up the requirements for the category you’re interested in via Seller Central.
3. Follow category guidelines: Amazon typically requires you to submit product invoices from a reputable supplier to verify authenticity and quality. You may also need to show compliance certificates or safety test results.
4. Fill out the application and request approval: In Seller Central, go to the category or product page you want to sell and click Request Approval. Follow the steps to upload and submit your documents. Amazon will review your application and get back to you, usually within a few days. If additional information is needed, Amazon will notify you.

Wrapping up — Maximize your brand’s potential with Amazon gating

Amazon gating is a powerful avenue to help you protect your brand, build trust, and control how your products are sold. It sets up a strong defense against unauthorized sellers and counterfeits, keeping your brand’s reputation safe and sales strong. For restricted categories, becoming ungated enables you to expand your product line and reach new customers.If you’re ready to take control of your brand’s future on Amazon or need guidance on how to get started with the marketplace’s gating and ungating programs, MyFBAPrep is here to help. Drop a message on our Contact Us page, and let’s talk about how you can make the most of these strategies to protect and grow your Amazon business.