Do you sell DVDs on Amazon.com?
If so, keep reading to find out about some new changes from Amazon that might affect your business.
Approval Required to Sell DVDs with MSRP of $25 of more
Here’s an excerpt from an email about Amazon policy that was sent out to Amazon.com sellers earlier this week.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to provide a great shopping experience, beginning November 17, 2014, only approved sellers will be eligible to list DVDs with Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) of $25 or greater.”
Depending on your current account performance, you may or may not be eligible to apply for approval to sell these higher-end DVDs.
Important Note: This applies to both new and used DVDs.
To apply, contact Amazon Seller Support and be prepared to provide this information:
- Your primary source(s) of inventory.
- A minimum of three (3) invoices or purchase orders for inventory with MSRP greater than $25 that you plan to sell.
- A written summary of processes you have in place to prevent inauthentic goods from entering your inventory.
You’ll also need to become a Pro Merchant within 30 days of approval if you’re not one already. And you know why it’s so important to be a Pro Merchant, right?
There’s one important thing to remember here
“Your eligibility to list DVDs with MSRPs of less than $25 or Blu-rays is not affected by this restriction.”
This means that you can continue to list Blu-rays with MSRP of $25 or greater. This means that this restriction is only for more expensive DVDs, mostly box sets and collectors’ editions.
What Can You Do About Counterfeit Goods?
The hardest part about getting approval will likely be explaining how you’ll be preventing inauthentic items from entering your inventory. Here’s what I’d recommend you highlight:
- Your experience as a seller. Explain how you know what counterfeit DVDs look like and will prevent them from entering your inventory.
- Your sourcing methods. Highlight the fact that your business is built on new in packaging DVDs from reputable sources.
I’d be curious to know what your letter includes if you get approved. Leave a comment on this post and let me know!
Not Interested in Approval?
If you don’t want to continue selling these items, and are an FBA seller, Amazon is actually offering you a deal:
“If you use Fulfillment by Amazon, you will need to create a removal or disposal order for any DVD products you have not been approved to sell after November 17. We will waive fees for any removal or disposal order for these products starting now through January 16, 2015.”
So make sure you don’t miss out on that deadline and request your free removal or disposal soon!
Why the Change?
This looks pretty simple. Counterfeit DVDs are a huge issue for Amazon sellers, Amazon customers and Amazon themselves. Personally, as a buyer I’ve definitely received counterfeit DVDs from 3rd-party merchants on Amazon, albeit not for a few years.
And similar to how currency counterfeiters prefer to make phony $100 bills, DVD counterfeiters are focusing on higher-end, DVDs because there’s more profit there than in faking a $5 bargain bin DVD.