What Is “Brand Gating” And How Does It Impact You As An Amazon Seller?

The issue of selling counterfeit products has plagued, and even damaged, the once blemish-free reputation of Amazon as an online selling platform. So, in order to save it’s corporate image, and protect its customers, the company resorted to what they believe is the most sensible solution to the problem. And that is Brand Gating.

What is Amazon “Brand Gating”?

Let’s say I am the owner of a highly successful brand of shoes. Now, in order for me to protect my brand from counterfeit sellers, what I do is to register my brand’s logo and intellectual property with Amazon.

This allows my brand, and it’s representatives, to force Amazon to take down any listing, and even seller accounts, that have been flagged as a seller of counterfeit products of my brand.

Seems logical, yeah? I mean, if you were in their shoes, that’s exactly what you would be doing too, right?

As for Amazon, being the largest online marketplace will definitely attract questionable sellers. And with their somewhat relaxed restrictions in the past, selling of counterfeit goods has become a huge problem that it threatened to destroy the foundation of trust between buyers and sellers using the platform.

So if both Amazon and brands using the platform are just protecting their corporate image, what’s all the fuss about?

Impact On Sellers Like You And I

For third “party sellers” – meaning sellers like you and I who employ retail arbitrage to sell products on Amazon – we now need to get “permission” from “gated” brands in order to sell them on Amazon.

What are these permissions you ask?

SellerLift | Amazon Feedback Tool

Direct approval from wholesaler/manufacturer of gated brands

These approvals can come in the form of a purchase invoice, or a letter from an official distributor or manufacturer stating that you are selling an authentic product of a gated brand.

As for some some brands and categories, Amazon will even go as far as to only allow invoices that were issued to sellers in the last 90 days, prior to the presentation of the invoice to Amazon.

Paying fees to sell gated brands

Not all gated brands require this. But for those that do, fees can range between $500 to a whopping $5,000.

And these gated brands range from small ones with cult following to household names in their industry.

Now if you’re already selling big name brands, and think that some of them might be gated, breathe easy as Amazon has stated that they will not require sellers to pay for listings that are now gated, only if……take note of this….. said listing was made prior to the Amazon Brand Gating roll-out.

Impact On Big Sellers

Bigger sellers on Amazon are actually rejoicing if you ask me. I mean think about it, this means that they no longer need to compete with others selling the same product for the fraction of the cost.

Yeah I know, most likely if the product is selling way below retail, chances are it’s a counterfeit. But you would be surprised as to how many people buy those listings. To a certain extent, it is even safe to assume that they know it is fake and just don’t care.

But with Amazon putting a stop to this option, big and established sellers on the ecosystem automatically cements their foothold, and can again corner the market when it comes to said listings.

Impact On Small Sellers

This is the sad part of the Amazon brand gating policy for me.

Even if you source your items directly from gated brand suppliers and manufacturers, and even if you have the invoices to show as proof that what you are about to list is 100% authentic, you still have to pay the application fee. And that’s per brand.

And it gets even worse for small time retail/online arbitrageurs.

With them having almost no way of getting approval for the products that want to sell, proving to Amazon that they are about to list an authentic product can be somewhat of a futile attempt.

You see, Amazon requires proof that you bought from a direct source of a gated brand. And since arbitrageurs source their products from mere retailers, this means that they have no direct access to the brand’s manufacturers, thus not being able to meet the requirements of Amazon to green light their listings.

I’m not saying that this is going to be the end of retail arbitrage, as people can still sell non-gated brands on Amazon. But then again, it limits any chance for the little guy to sell established brands, as most of them are already gated, on the platform.

Impact On “Private Labels”

What are “private labels” you ask? In a nutshell, it’s you selling a “brand” made by you.

So for example, if you have t-shirt brand that you own, you can still sell your shirts on Amazon without having to worry about paying fees or proving the authenticity of your listing.

As a private label, all you need to do is to register your brand with Amazon’s Brand Registry program. If you want to know more, do read our article about Brand Registry.

Read related article: Is It Time To Start Your Own Amazon Private Label?

So where do you stand in all of this?

SellerLift | Amazon Feedback Tool

Are you in favor of this new system, or do you think that it’s somewhat a ploy to push out not just counterfeiters, but small sellers as well?

We want to know your take on this, so do leave a comment below about how Brand Gating is affecting you as an Amazon seller.

And before we end, let me leave you with a list of Gated Brands.

*This list will be constantly updated to ensure that everyone is in the loop. So if you know of a brand that is gated and is not on our list, please inform other readers about it by posting the brand on the comment section.

List Of Gated Brands

A

A World Of Deals
Aden & Anais
Adidas
Adobe
Aerobie
Agfa Photo
Agfaphoto
Ahava
Air
Akai
Akai Professional
Alpha
American Girl
Amope
Anastasia Beverly Hills
Andoer Legal action
Angels Fancy Dress
Angelsounds
Ansr
Apple
Aquapix
Art Of Shaving
Asics Gated
Audio Technica
Audiotech
Avon

B

Babybjorn
Babyliss Legal action
Babyplus
Babyplus Company
Balm Cosmetics
Bare Essentials Cosmetics
Bargain Max Decals
Bassbuds
Beaba
Beach Body/P90X
Beachbody
Beats By Dre
Beauty Pet
Belkin
Bella
Benchmade
Benefiber
Besdata
Bic
Bic Sport
Big Mouth
Billy Jealousy
Biolite Legal action
Black Diamond
Bliss
Blue Microphones
Bodum
Borghese
Bose Legal action
Boston Legal action
Boston Acoustics
Bpro Legal action
Bracoo Legal action
Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar
Braun
Britannia
Britannia Games
Britax
Brooks
Brookstone
Brother
Buck
Burberry
Butter London
Buxom Buxom

C

Cable Matters
Cane & Austin
Canon
Canon Cameras
Cargo
Carter’S
Casio
Caudalie
Cel-Fi
Chanel
Chi
Chico
Chinkyboo
Chloe
Christian Dior
Citizen
Cloud B
Coach
Coleman
Columbia
Comfylife
Comic Concept
Comic Images
Comic Maker
Comic-Concept
Comtrex
Crabtree & Evelyn
Crayola
Crosley
Cross Legal action
Cult Cosmetics

D

Davey
Davidoff
Ddf
Dead Sea
Deborah Lippman
DecoBros
Deejo
Dell
Deuter
Dewalt
Dickies
Diesel
Discovery Kids
Disney
Disney Frozen
Dkny
Dockers
Dog & Bone
Dolce & Gabbana
Doterra
Dr. Brandt
Dr. Denese
Dr. Dennis Gross Skin Care
Dunkin Donuts

E

Earth’s Best
Easypix
Eco Defense
Elizabeth Arden
Enfamil
Epilady
Ergobaby
Escada
Essie
Estroven
Excedrin Sinus Headache
Eyeko

F

Farberware
Felina
Ferragamo
Finnlo
Firstcom
Fissler
Fissler Gmbh
Fitbit
Fizz Creations
Fizz Creations Ltd
Fossil
Franklin Electronics
Fremantle
Fremantle Home Entertainment
Fremantlemedia
Fremantlemedia International
Frozen (Disney)
Frye
Funko
Furminator
Future Play

G

Garnier
Gatco
GEFU Spirelli Spiral Slicer
Georgio Armani
Gerber Baby Food
Gigamic
Gillette
Ginna Rose Atelelier
Gn Netcom
Go Extreme
Godefroy Eyebrow Tint
Goextreme
Goldfaden MD
Google Chromecast
Graco
Green Mountain Coffee
Griffin
Grill Daddy
Gucci
Guess
Guess How Much I Love You

H

Hallmark
Hamilton Beach
Hammer
Hape
Hape International
Hape International Inc.
Hauptstadtkoffer
Hbo
Helle
Honest Baby
Hoover
Hot Wheels
Hydro Flask

I

Icebreaker
Inkrite
Inkwrite
Inova
Instyler
Ion
Ion Audio
Ion Cameras
It Works
Italkonline
Ito Professional

J

Jabra
Jabra/Gn Netcom
Jack Black
Jane Iredale
Japonesque
Jennifer Lopez
Jezebel And Paramour
Jil Sander
Jo Malone
Jockey
John Frieda
Jordan – shoes
Jouer
Juice Beauty
Juicy Couture

K

Kaarvie
Kaavie
Kate Spade Watches
Kera Therapy
Keter
Keter Ltd
Kidsbo
Kiehl’S
Kilner
Kind Bars
Kitchenaid
Kitsound
Klean Kanteen
Klipsch
Koolatron
Koolertron
Korres

L

L’Occitane
La Bella Donna
La Roche Posay
Lamaze
Lancome
Leatherman
Leatherman Tool
Lego
Leicke
Leicke Gmbh
Leicke Sharon
Levi’S
Lifeproof
Lil Woodzeez
Linxor
Little Tykes
Lodge
Logitech
Lokai
Lorac
Louis Vuitton
Luga
Lush
Lynksys

M

Mac Cosmetics
Macoon
Magformers
Majestic
Marantz
Marc Anthony
Marc By Marc Jacobs
Mario Badescu
Mario Cosmetics
Mary Kay
Matrix Biolage
M-Digita
Meaningful Beauty
Mega Legal action
Megagear
Melissa & Doug
Menaji Cosmetics
Michael Kors
Michele
Microsoft
Mizuno
Mlb
Molton Brown
Monsieur Bebe
Monster Headphones
Moulin Roty
Mrs. Anderson’S
Msi
Munchkin
Mustela

N

Nars
Native Union
Nature Made
Nature’S Sunshine
Neewer
Nerf
Neuragen Pn
New Balance
NextBase
Nikon
Nikon Cameras
Ninja Blenders
Nintendo
Nite Ize
No More Excess
Norelco
North Face
NuBrilliance Skin Care & Skin Care Systems
Numark
Nuxe

O

Olympus
Onkyo
Opinel
Opinet
Oral-B
Orlane
Oscar Blandi
Otter Box
Oxo

P

Pabobo
Panasonic
Panasonic Accessories
Panasonic Consumer
Panasonic Electronic Components
Pandora
Pecute Legal action
Perfume Samples
Perfume Testers
Perricone Md
Peter Thomas Roth
Philips Accessories
Philips Avent
Philips Consumer
Philips Consumer Electronics
Philips Fidelio
Philips Lighting
Philips Norelco
Philipsc
Phillip Mercier
Phillips
Phyto
Picci
Pioneer
Pirelli
Pjxj
Playmobil
Presonus
Price Pfister
Prince Lionheart
Princeton Tec
Proctor-Silex
Protrack
Pure Inventions

R

Rainbow Loom
Ralph Lauren Perfume
Rayban
Rayware
Razer
Razor
Red Castle
Redkin
Reebok
Relic
Ripple Junction
Rode
Rodial
Roger & Gallet
Rosetta Stone
Rubie’S

S

Sachajuan
Safety 1St
Samsonite
Samsung
Sandisk
Sandisk Enterprise
Satechi
Savfy
Savfyâ®
Sennheiser
Sensa
Sheffield
Showtime Season Dvds
Silvertrade
Sk Ii
Skagen
Skip Hop Zoo
Skull Candy
Skullcandy
Skyn Iceland
Slendertone
Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine
Sodial
Sol Republic
Solar Brite
Solio
Somme Institute
Sony Cameras
Spark Cafe Cups
Speck
Sperry
Spigen
St. Tropez
Star Wars Episode Vii
Steel Glo
Step2
Steripen
Stila
Strivectin
Stuff 4 Multiples
Stuff4 Legal action
Sultra
Sunwise
Sylvanian Families

T

Taotronics
Tascam
Teac
The Art Of Shaving
Theraflu Caplets
Thinkfun
Thirsty Milo
Thomas & Friends (Fisher Price)
Timberland
Time2
Tinosorb
T-Mobile Prepaid Phones
Tommy Hilfiger
Toms
Toys Of Wood Oxford
Training Mask
Transformers
Trendy Kid
Trendykid
Tribe
True Religion Brand Jeans
TRX
Tummy Tucker
Tumtum
Typhoon

U

Uggs
Under Armour
Urban Decay
Ust

V

Vcube
V-Cube
Vichy
Victoria Secret
Vinvent Longo
Vtt
Vulli

W

Wacom
Walkfit Platinum Orthotics
Warner Brothers
Wedderspoon
Wen
Western Digital
Whitby Legal action
Williams-Sonoma
Wilson Sporting Goods
Wilton
Wolf Garden
Wolf Garten
Wolf-Garten
WubbaNub

Y

Yiman
Yongnuo
Yookidoo
Younique

Z

Zazu
Zing Anything
Zippo
Zirh
Zoku
Zoom
Zoom Chefware Ltd
Zoom Entertainments
Zoom Technologies, Inc.
Zoomworks Stuffies

Other Brands

1Com
3Ns
3Ns Kinesiology