Amazon seller glossary
The terms that show up when Amazon's rules change — in plain English.
- ASIN
- Amazon Standard Identification Number — the unique ID for a product listing on Amazon.
- Account Health
- Amazon's scoring of your selling account (policy compliance, defect rate, late shipments). A poor score can lead to suspension.
- Brand Registry
- Amazon's program for registered brand owners, unlocking extra protections and content tools. Some policies apply only to registered brands.
- Buy Box
- The 'Add to Cart' offer that wins the sale when multiple sellers list the same product. Eligibility depends on account health and pricing rules.
- Dropshipping
- Fulfilling orders by buying from a third party who ships directly to the customer. Amazon's dropshipping policy has specific requirements.
- FBA
- Fulfilled by Amazon — you send inventory to Amazon and they store, pack, and ship it. Has its own fee schedule and prep policies.
- FBM
- Fulfilled by Merchant — you store and ship orders yourself. Subject to shipping-performance policies.
- Gated category
- A product category or brand that requires approval before you can list in it (also called 'restricted' or 'ungating').
- Referral fee
- The percentage Amazon takes on each sale, varying by category. Referral-fee changes directly affect your margins.
- Restricted products
- Items Amazon limits or bans (e.g. certain supplements, electronics, hazmat). The list changes and is a common suspension cause.
- Section 3 / Section 4
- Parts of Amazon's Business Solutions Agreement covering account suspension and funds withholding — the clauses sellers most fear.
- Suspension
- Amazon disabling your ability to sell, usually for a policy violation or account-health issue. Often preventable with early warning.
Kamiflavr provides informational monitoring, not legal or professional advice. Summaries are original paraphrases generated by an AI model and may be incomplete or mistaken. Always verify against the official source before acting.