When you want to start selling on Amazon, a good idea would be to sell products in best-selling categories.
The Video Games and Consoles category is a best-selling category on Amazon, and many people rush towards selling them on Amazon only to find out that some video games and consoles are restricted.
Yes! For reasons we will discuss later in this article, Amazon has restricted some of the products and brands in the Video Games and Consoles category.
The implication is that unless you are an approved vendor by Amazon, you will not be able to sell these items on Amazon.
This article will look at some of the most popular brands in this category and why they are gated, and at the very end, we will see if there are ways you can sell these products even though they are gated.
Why Would Amazon Restrict Products in The Video Games and Console Category?
There is a lot of conversation online about some products in the Video Games and Console category that are restricted.
Products from big brands like Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all have restrictions placed on their products, and the reason for this is quite simple.
Amazon gates or restricts brands and categories if they start getting issues with customer satisfaction from buyers.
These could result from counterfeiting or sales of fake products on the platform.
Amazon might also gate these products from specific brands if the brands demand that they do so.
The end game is that with these restrictions, Amazon sets a benchmark, and if you want to sell these items on Amazon, you need to meet these benchmarks.
Generally, the restrictions on the Video Games and Console Category on Amazon are quite specific. People who want to sell products in this category must ensure that they meet the general and specific guidelines for video games.
Does this mean that once you meet these guidelines, you can list and sell any product in this category?
Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that.
As we already mentioned, you can meet the requirements placed on a particular category only to find that certain products or brands in that category also have restrictions.
The video game category is the same. There are brands under this category that have their products restricted on Amazon.
Ungating Nintendo
Amazon restricted Nintendo products some time ago.
No specific reason was given for this restriction, but sellers were told that their listing would be removed, and it was done to provide the best possible customer service.
Our best guess is that it was done to prevent the sale of counterfeits which was becoming rampant.
The implication was that if you were selling Nintendo products or plan on selling them in the future, you would have to seek approval from Amazon to list these products.
Ungating X-box
Microsoft Xbox is another brand that has restrictions on Amazon.
You won’t be allowed to sell these products if you do not have the approval.
Once again, Amazon is doing this to boost customer service and provide buyers with the best services.
Microsoft Xbox is a product that is prone to counterfeiting. If Amazon allows these counterfeits to be sold on their platform, it will affect everyone involved. These include the sellers.
The sad thing about this is that there seems to be no clear guideline for people who want to sell these products.
So it is a trial and error process. But of course, we have relevant experience, so be sure to hit the Chat Now Button below or the Orange Button right here!
Ungating Sony Play Station
Let’s start with the brand that has the most restrictions.
Sony effected an Authorized Reseller Program for all its video game products.
This program is unilateral, applied to all retail partners, including Amazon, and became effective from December 1, 2021.
The implication is that from that day, only sellers authorized by Sony were allowed to sell their products.
So if you were selling Sony products before the program, Amazon would have to remove your listing.
But what does this mean for people who want to start selling Sony consoles, games, and accessories?
You have to apply directly to Sony; if approved, they will list you as a Sony Authorized Reseller.
This authorization will let you list and sell Sony products on Amazon.
Ungating Pokemon
Amazon also restricted Pokemon Video Games. The reason they did this is quite obvious. During the time, there was an increase in complaints about counterfeit Pokemon games.
To stop this, Amazon gated most of the Pokemon video game products on the platform.
To be able to sell them, you would have to request approval from the brand through Amazon.
What Options Are Open To Me If I Want To Sell These Gated Products?
A couple of options are open to people who want to sell these products on Amazon.
You have to get your approval directly from companies like Sony with a reseller program.
However, for the other brands listed here, you can request auto-approval.
In this case, Amazon will check to see if you meet the required seller benchmark, and if that is the case, you will be authorized to sell these products.
However, this isn’t always the best option as there is no guarantee that you will get approved.
The other option would be to apply for approval and meet the brands’ requirements.
As we have mentioned, you might not get approved the first time you apply, so you might have to apply again.
The good news is that Amazon tells you what you didn’t do right during the application process, and you can apply for approval again once you have fixed that.
Conclusion
Amazon is always doing its best to ensure that consumers get the best services possible.
This is why, although the Video Games and Console Category isn’t restricted, there are brands and products under the category that face restrictions.
If you intend to sell any of the products we have listed here, conduct thorough research and apply for approval.
We hope that this article will help you and that you will soon be able to list these products on Amazon.
