How To Ungate Your Amazon Account To Sell in Poland
The world has witnessed unprecedented growth in e-commerce, and Amazon has emerged as a dominant player in the industry.
Poland, with an estimated population of 38 million people, boasts immense digital infrastructure that made a case for Amazon’s expansion. With its thriving economy, Poland has emerged as the largest consumer market in Central Europe.
The Polish e-commerce landscape is as healthy and viable as it can get. The country has widespread internet penetration – a key factor that contributes to the access and convenience of online shopping – and aligns with Amazon’s business model.
Amazon has operated in Poland since 2014, establishing an Amazon Web Services hub in Warsaw and 10 Logistics and Technological Development Centers in Gdansk, Warsaw, and Krakow, among other cities.
Poland’s strong market potential is mainly derived from its growing middle class whose disposable income grants them the appetite for online shopping. This makes it perfect for Amazon’s vast product selection.
On March 2, 2021, the e-commerce giant set up its Polish virtual shelf, Amazon.pl, to cater to growing domestic demand. Seven months later on October 12, 2021, the company launched Amazon Prime service in Poland.
If you are looking to tap into Amazon’s expansion and wondering how to sell on Amazon in Poland’s marketplace, here are all the quirks involved in ungating Amazon in Poland, including the country offers a lucrative online opportunity for retailers.
Is It Profitable to Sell on Amazon in Poland?
Poland is presently the world’s 18th largest e-commerce market, with the 11th highest GDP in Europe.
In 2022, Polish e-commerce recorded an all-time of high of €26 billion. 77% of the Polish population are accustomed to online shopping, with 65% of those using mobile devices to complete online transactions.
Within Poland, Allegro – an eBay-style all-purpose online store – is Amazon’s biggest rival, with over 50% market share. Ceneo may be another competitor, but Amazon – despite only launching its Polish version Amazon.pl – has already jumped ahead of the queue.
When considering selling on Amazon in Poland, the two questions that e-commerce startups often ask are; What are Poles buying online? And how big is Polish e-commerce? Well, data shows that the most popular product categories on the Polish e-commerce marketplace include:
- Sports apparel
- Footwear
- Consumer electronics
- Media (music, films, books)
- Fashion apparel and accessories
- Cosmetics and perfumes.
From the above list, it is clear that apparel is quite popular in Poland, and should be prioritized by brands looking to expand in Amazon Poland. The subject of profitability will depend on your product range and brand, but the rapid growth in Polish e-commerce, as well as Amazon’s strong foothold in Poland, are potential highlights for businesses. Amazon is a massive global e-retail brand that is guaranteed to open many avenues for Polish brands.
Firstly, Amazon offers Polish sellers an expanded reach to the vast domestic and international customer base, thanks to its established reputation and extensive logistics centers.
Secondly, Amazon Poland offers access to a wide range of tools and services that support Polish businesses. These include sponsorship and advertising solutions, customer insights, robust warehousing, as well as its fulfillment services that ensure efficient delivery to Polish customers, considering the country’s diverse geography.
How to Sell on Amazon PL (Poland)
Since 2014, Amazon has invested more than PLN 20 billion to enable SMEs and startups to expand their sales via its wide customer base. The company leads in terms of e-commerce market share too, and that means selling on Amazon in Poland offers express access to the country’s significant online consumer base.
Are you looking to enter the lucrative Polish Amazon marketplace? This section will outline how to sell on Amazon PL, including the strategies and requirements needed to navigate and thrive in the marketplace.
Understand the Polish market:
No matter how prepared a seller is to enter a new market, the prospect of new territories is always daunting. However, one thing can boost your confidence; market research. As with any market, look up to identify the popular product categories, pricing strategies, and Polish shopping behaviors to ensure you cater to diverse consumer preferences.
Familiarize with Polish Tax and Legalities:
If you are looking to enter the Polish Amazon marketplace, ensure your business is registered in compliance with local regulations, especially with respect to tax policies, data privacy, and consumer protection. Regarding the latter, sellers must get approval from Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKIK).
How to Set Up Amazon Seller Account Poland
Once all the due diligence on market research, compliance, and legalities has been done, it is time to create an Amazon Seller Account Poland. Here, you are required to create an account on the Seller Central platform, provide accurate information, and verify your identity. To do so, follow the steps below:
- Visit the Polish version of the Amazon marketplace, Amazon.pl, to create a seller account.
- Choose a selling plan between Individual and Professional. The former charges 4 zł (approx. €0.99) per item sold while the latter charges 165,91 zł (approx. €39) regardless of your sales volume.
- To successfully verify your account setup, you should have an Amazon customer account or a business email address, a chargeable credit card (international credit cards are also allowed), a valid passport or ID card, company registration details (including a VAT number), a bank account, and a telephone number.
- Create a listing and optimize products. Tailor your products to the Polish market using relevant keywords, detailed product descriptions, and high-quality images.
- Ensure your products meet all the regulatory identifiers such as SKU, EAN, UPC, ISBN, price, quantity, bar codes, and fulfillment options.
- Choose between Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) and Poland’s Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).
- Track sales, fulfill orders, and meet all the performance metrics to ensure your account is in good standing.
- As is the case with other non-English Amazon marketplaces, ensure you translate product details into Polish to enhance customer experience.
Can I Sell on Amazon Poland in English?
Prior to the launch of Amazon.pl in 2021, shoppers in Poland typically used the Polish-language version of Amazon Germany. Thanks to Amazon Translate, sellers outside Poland can localize content for the diverse Polish customer base.
Amazon Translate is the company’s service that uses deep learning to analyze large volumes of text to facilitate cross-lingual communication. Thanks to this service, sellers can sell on Amazon Poland in English, Polish, German, or any other mainstream language that targets local customers.
What Are the Features of Amazon Prime in Poland?
Amazon Prime is a popular premium service that continues to draw shoppers and streamers on the platform. The program launched on October 12, 2021, to give Prime members access to a unique combo of the best shopping and entertainment that Amazon has to offer. Some of the most popular features of Amazon Prime in Poland include:
1. Prime Delivery:
Prime members in Poland enjoy fast and free shipping on millions of eligible items. They typically receive their orders within one business day, and at no additional cost, which makes Prime membership an excellent choice for urgent purchases or last-minute shopping.
2. Prime Video:
Prime members have access to Prime Video, a streaming service that offers a wide range of movies, TV shows, and documentaries.
3. Prime Reading:
Prime members have access to a rotating selection of eBooks, magazines, and comics.
4. Amazon Music:
Prime members can stream ad-free music and enjoy access to a vast library of songs, playlists, and stations.
Prime Day Deals:
Prime members get exclusive access to Prime Day, a highly anticipated annual shopping event that offers significant discounts and deals on most products across various categories.
What Are Amazon Restricted Or Gated Categories?
Amazon gated or restricted categories are those with strict selling rules that no seller is allowed to sell freely. These categories, brands, and ASINs have specific approval guidelines, and any seller who meets the standards can enjoy a vast market with less competition.
That means Amazon only has the power to draw the rules and open gates for more sellers to access the categories. The good news, however, is that Amazon does not always restrict the entire category, like in the previous gating practices.
Instead, it gates subcategories, leaving some products open, even though they might be under gated categories. This explains why there is a short list of gated categories and a long list of restricted products or subcategories.
Generally, any seller who wants to sell within a gated category must apply for Amazon to let them in.
Also, enlisting the services of third-party ungating companies is another way how to get ungated in Poland for Amazon.pl.
To get a broader picture of ungating categories and brands, here is a big guide to read.
Why Does Amazon Gate Its Categories?
Most multi-million investments are built on trust, customer satisfaction, and a healthy working environment, and Amazon is no exception. Being a huge marketplace with millions of users globally, Amazon strives to maintain a good relationship with both buyers and sellers by ensuring only high-quality products are in circulation.
It achieves this by gating some categories, brands, and ASINs. Therefore, among others, here are the main reasons why Amazon gates its categories:
To Be Able To Monitor Product Standards
One of the first missions of the company is to ensure buyers are offered both high-quality and safe products. It does this by allowing only sellers whose products have undergone stringent quality assessment steps to access highly-demanded categories.
Since the platform is home to millions of brands and buyers, there are high chances of buyers getting counterfeit products.
Hence, it is Amazon’s responsibility to block such products by setting up strict selling rules. That is why the ungating service for Poland requires sellers to show authorization and necessary documentation from agencies that oversee all safety standards concerning ingredients or raw materials, packaging, product labeling, and expiry dates.
For the Protection of Every Brand’s Reputation
Amazon also works jointly with big brands to ensure that only authorized resellers can list products from certain brands.
Therefore, to protect the brand’s reputation, Amazon asks sellers to provide legit documentation from these brands to show they are allowed to list their products.
Resellers who do not provide proof of authorization are locked out of certain categories. Many large and well-known brands require pre-approval with them directly, before even applying to Amazon.
This is true for both seasoned sellers, and individuals new to the platform.
To Enhance Customer Satisfaction
Besides ensuring buyers can get high-quality products, Amazon also restricts some categories to prevent sellers from exploiting buyers. That means only sellers with a positive track record can access the categories and reach buyers.
This enhances customer satisfaction and a positive rating. The company may also limit or dictate maximum pricing to ensure buyers are not being fleeced.
Adherence to GIF Regulations
Many items require the approval of the Main Pharmaceutical Inspectorate of Poland (GIF). This is Poland’s main agency (and equivalent to the US’s FDA) that is based in Warsaw and is tasked with the supervision, scientific evaluation, and safety standards of drugs and consumer goods within the country.
No retail platform, website, or other selling venue is permitted to offer any product that is not previously rubber-stamped by GIF. The obvious reason for this is safety because specific laws exist to ensure that end users are not harmed.
Categories And Products That Require Amazon Approval in Poland
As stated earlier, Amazon has a long list of gated products and a short list of restricted categories. That is because one category can have more subcategories, which can add up to tens of products.
Therefore, when applying for approval, sellers need to consider three ungating levels; category, brand, and product ungating. They should also differentiate between category and product unlocking.
General Guidelines to Get Ungated on Amazon Poland
Whether you are a new reseller or an established FBA seller, utilizing the vast market space offered by Amazon should never be a challenge again. Amazon’s mission is to see its users grow, and thus, increase sales and profitability.
And this does not matter if you are listing your products in a locked or unrestricted category. As a result, if you want to expand your selling portfolio by accessing restricted categories in Poland, here are the general guidelines to get ungated on Amazon:
Sign Up for A Professional Amazon Seller Account
Professional Amazon Seller Account is the backbone of any seller as it records all the activities conducted by the seller on the platform. It is through this account that Amazon can tell your business position and determine whether you meet all the quality standards or not.
Analyze And Verify Your Account Health
Creating a professional Seller Account is not enough. You still need to maintain its health to maximize your chances of getting approved. Maintaining a healthy account includes meeting your customers’ expectations and adhering to Amazon’s business code. That means you should have a timely shipping record, good customer relations, competitive pricing, and avoid violating Amazon’s policies. To check your account health, go to the Account Health section on the Seller Central Account and click on the Performance menu.
Check Specific Category Ungating Guidelines
Each category has specific ungating instructions, and you need to check them before requesting approval. Some categories are complicated, while others have simple instructions that even new sellers can unlock easily. For example, some categories like CA Grocery & Gourmet ungating service may require sellers to have at least three years of selling experience and running websites.
Choose A Reputable Supplier
Getting a reliable supplier is also a vital step, especially as your demand curve grows. Amazon will also ask you to provide legitimate invoices from trusted suppliers whose products fall under gated categories. After choosing a supplier, you need to place at least three orders, with each order having at least ten pieces of the restricted product. Retailers are not considered suppliers. You cannot go down to your local store and purchase a bunch of items for resale. The products need to come from verified wholesalers and distributors.
Prepare All Documents
Before submitting your approval request, you need to prepare your documents, which include recent purchase invoices from reputable wholesalers. These scanned copies of individual invoices should have all the ASINs written next to the product name. Price and other confidential information should be locked for wholesaler privacy.
Request Approval
With all the documents and other requirements ready, you can proceed to request approval from Amazon.
Guidelines To Ungate Specific Categories on Amazon Poland
Selling specific categories goes a long way in understanding what each category entails and how to ungate it on Amazon. For instance, the Grocery and Gourmet Food category requires sellers to have authorization from regulatory bodies like the GIF and UOKIK.
On the other hand, some categories require sellers to have more years of selling experience and a good online presence. Therefore, if you intend to sell in any gated category, you need to consider the following best tips to maximize your chances of getting ungated:
- Get a Pro-Merchant Status
- Maintain your order defect rate below 1%
- Maintain your pre-fulfillment cancel rate below 2.5%
- Lower your late shipment rate to below 4%
Final Thoughts on Ungating Service for Poland
Poland is a rapidly growing economy in the Eurozone, and its strategic location in Central Europe makes it an enclave in regional commerce. That, coupled with its immense digital infrastructure and favorable e-retail consumer trends makes Poland’s Amazon marketplace a goldmine of e-commerce business.
By understanding the local market dynamics as well as consumer preferences, sellers looking to ungate into Amazon’s restricted categories can unlock great revenue potential by offering a wide range of products to Poland’s diverse population.
