The Ultimate Guide for Selling Hazmat Products on Amazon

Amazon buyers have many options for purchasing their needs from the platform. You might have heard the sentence “you can buy anything from Amazon!”. This is true, but the sellers don’t have it this easy. Some products on Amazon are limited (gated), and you need to be approved as a seller to be able to sell them. Amazon watches over the sales of dangerous products, some gadgets, skincare and health products, etc.

This article will talk about Selling Hazmat Products on Amazon, a category that includes many dangerous items. Some of these items are used daily, and some have particular uses. This is for you if you are a seller looking for Amazon Hazmat Rules.

Which Products Are Count as Hazmat Products on Amazon?

“Hazmat” is an abbreviation for “Hazardous Products” and is referred to dangerous goods that can cause a risk for the people around them. In an online shopping platform like Amazon, these products can pose a risk during storing, handling, or transporting because they contain flammable, pressurized, corrosive, or otherwise harmful substances. Here are some examples:

• Engine and tire care
• Paint care
• Oils and fluids
• Lead-acid batteries
• Lighters

Some gadgets and skin care products can be considered Hazmat, too, things like laptops, cosmetics, spray paints, and even household cleaners.

Generally, Amazon divides the dangerous goods into 8 classes (which include many subcategories):

1. Miscellaneous dangerous substances
2. Flammable gases
3. Non-flammable, non-toxic gases
4. Flammable liquids
5. Flammable solids
6. Oxidizers and Organic peroxides
7. Toxic substances
8. Corrosive substances

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Know More About: Amazon Restricted Categories & Brands

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How to Find Out if a Product is Hazmat or Not?

It is not that hard to identify one specific product as hazardous. Most purchased goods, such as sprays or batteries, include a warning on their packaging. The manufacturers must supply a Safety Data Sheet or SDS, including the risk level.

Check the supplier or manufacturer’s website and read the description of each product. Also, Amazon has provided a guide (Amazon standard identification number or ASIN), so you can search and find out whether an item is Hazmat or not.

If you suspect one of your products is dangerous, and you haven’t been able to find the needed data yet, ask the provider to send you the SDS. After receiving it, you should upload it to your Amazon account (via the “Manage dangerous goods classification” part in the seller central). Once the SDS is uploaded, Amazon will review and classify your product.

What Happens When a Product is Marked as Hazmat?

Let’s say you found out about your chosen product, sent the SDS, and got the classification from Amazon. Since your product is now officially dangerous, it follows Amazon Hazmat Policy, which means you need to provide the platform with further information regarding the product.

After all, Amazon needs to make sure it won’t hurt anyone. For instance, if you have decided to sell batteries, you will need to inform the platform of the number of batteries and their composition, whether or not its flammable or corrosive, and the packaging.

Amazon will review this information, check the product’s details, and determine if it is safe. If this is the case, you may continue selling it. The buyers should now read the description carefully before buying the batteries.

How to Sell Hazmat Products Safely on Amazon?

Selling Hazmat Products on Amazon is not impossible, but it needs approval. After sending the documentation and SDS to Amazon, it will be approved for sale, and you can start listing the product. Amazon’s rules for Hazmat products may limit you, but they ensure they are handled safely while handling, packaging and storing.

Amazon has a dangerous goods team responsible for ensuring all Hazmat products sold on the platform meet the standard. This team usually asks you to send them the title, SDS, detailed description, pictures, and some bullet points.

In two (or fewer) business days, Amazon will classify the product (if the information is complete). After this, you can use FBA to store and ship every Hazmat product. Don’t forget that some items could flag as “possible dangerous goods” when already stocked in the warehouse. In such cases, Amazon gives you 14 business days to send the documentation and product safety compliance requisites. Also, sending incomplete or incorrect documents may result in sales blockages.

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Read More: Why My Amazon Seller Account Suspended & How to Fix It?

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Everything You Need to Know About Amazon Hazmat Review

As we said before, Amazon needs to review some documents and information before allowing you to sell a potentially dangerous good. The dangerous goods team helps the platform ensure that all sold items meet safety standards and won’t harm anyone or anything. Here are some points to know about Hazmat reviews on Amazon:

• Getting catalog information on each product is a must. So, make sure you get it from the website, shop, etc.
• Make sure you have good, high-quality images of the product.
• You might be required to send in an SDS. Think about this beforehand.
• After uploading all the documentation, you can use the “lookup an ASIN” tool in seller central and check the status of your request. Amazon will inform you by email if the ASIN is classified.
• You can upload new SDS exemptions to support your disagreement with the result.

FBA Dangerous Goods Program

FBA, or “Fulfillment by Amazon” helps many sellers on the platform regulate their sales. FBA Dangerous Goods program also helps with Selling Hazardous Materials on Amazon with even more ease and order. This program has a waitlist you will automatically be added to if your product in the fulfillment center becomes reclassified as a dangerous good. Amazon will notify you when it’s your turn. There is also a manual way to enter the waitlist. To do so, you should:

1. Go to Manage Dangerous Goods Classification in seller central.
2. Select FBA Dangerous Goods program.
3. Click Next.
4. Click Apply to the FBA Dangerous Goods program.

Enrolling in the dangerous goods program allows you to sell additional items (of course, following the program’s terms and regulations). The fulfillment center requires you to be eligible for FBA. Also, you should pack the products in limited quantities and follow regional rules regarding legal sales.

FBA Storage of Hazmat Products

Based on Amazon Hazmat Rules, when a product is considered dangerous, it can’t be stored alongside other items in regular depo centers. These are kept in specialized distribution sites specially designed to hold and manage harmful materials.

FBA categorizes hazardous materials into two types: flammable and aerosol. Both of these can be kept in a limited supply for the safety of employees. Sellers should pay a monthly fee for FBA storage.

On the other hand, Amazon gives you the option of customizing your own Hazmat product storage limitations. Using the shipping queue or the inventory performance options, you will also be able to monitor the storage.

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Read More: Amazon FBA Inventory Storage Limits in 2023

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Hazmat Products Seller’s Responsibilities

Selling Hazardous Materials on Amazon has many responsibilities for you as the seller. Any hazardous material supplied to Amazon should follow all the legislation and requirements, both the Amazon Hazmat Policy and other administrative rules. These regulations might differ in every country. Here are some of them in the USA:

• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 
• Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) 
• Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) 
• Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals

As a seller, you are also obligated to give complete, detailed information on the product and How-toss. Also, the product description page should have a safety data sheet and user guide. 

How to Submit an SDS or Exemption Sheet?

Sometimes Amazon classifies one of your products as dangerous, a product you don’t believe to be harming anyone. If you are convinced that the item won’t pose a risk to consumers’ health and safety, you can submit an SDS exemption document. This request should contain the ASIN, product name, complete ingredient list, and warning labels. Amazon will get back to you with the answer. The problem here is that many sellers can’t provide the exact ingredients. There always is the option for material analysis, but it might cost you money and time.

Final Thoughts

Getting Amazon approvals may seem like a bump in the way. After all, the process pauses your sales and money-making efforts, but it sure is worth it. Selling Dangerous Goods on Amazon may get you in trouble you weren’t even considering. In the shipment process, sometimes products move and endure pressures. Dangerous materials can explode or leak and cause the workers or even the customers poisoning and more severe health problems. Your first step in finding out whether your product is hazardous or not should be reading the warning label on it.

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