Selling Expired Products on Amazon: Understanding the Policy

The Consequences of Expired Items on Amazon (including FBA)

If you are an Amazon seller, then you know that products beyond their expiration date are not allowed on the site. However, some sellers attempt to list such items anyway. If you are caught listing a product beyond its expiration date, you will receive a warning from Amazon and your account may be suspended. Not only is this bad for business, but it can also damage your future as a seller. In this blog post, we will discuss the consequences of listing products beyond their expiration date on Amazon and how you can ensure the expiration date printed on the product isn’t getting you in trouble.

What Happens When You List a Product Beyond Its Expiration Date?

When you list a product beyond its expiration date on Amazon, you are in violation of their rules and regulations. If you are caught, you will receive a warning from Amazon. They may also suspend your account. In some cases, you may be able to appeal the decision and have your account reinstated, but this is not always the case.

It is important to note that even if you do not get caught by Amazon, there can still be repercussions for listing products beyond their expiration date. First and foremost, it is dishonest. Customers who purchase a product beyond its expiration date are likely to be disappointed and may leave negative reviews as a result. Even if the customer does not leave a negative review, they are unlikely to purchase from you again.

What is the Amazon Policy on Expiration Dates?

Well, it makes a lot of sense. For FBA sellers, the policy says that at the time of check-in at Amazon fulfillment centers, all products must have a remaining shelf life that allows sufficient time for the product to be consumed in full, plus an additional 90 days. For example, a bottle of supplements with 240 daily servings must have a remaining shelf life of 240 days and an additional 90 days, which makes 330 days.

As an Amazon seller, it is important to follow the rules and regulations set by the site. This includes not listing any products beyond their expiration date or where the expiration date labels mean the customer will not have sufficient time to consume the product.. If you are caught listing a product beyond its expiration date, you will receive a warning from Amazon at best and could have your account suspended at worst. In addition to being against the rules, listing products beyond their expiration date can also damage your reputation as a seller and lead to a decline in sales. Therefore, it is in your best interest to avoid listing such items altogether.

Expired Products on Amazon

Products beyond their expiration date on Amazon are a major concern for both the online retail giant and its customers. According to the Amazon expiration date policy, all products sold on the platform must have a clear and accurate expiration date. This date should reflect the shelf life of the product and take into consideration the date of manufacture and any other relevant information. When you are selling on Amazon you should ensure that your products does not have different expiration dates printed, it should have 1 date, clearly displayed on the product, which meets the minimum remaining shelf life requirements, mentioned above.

One of the main issues with products beyond their expiration date on Amazon is the potential harm they could cause to human or animal consumption. To address this concern, Amazon requires that all food and topical or consumable products include an expiration date. This includes nutritional supplements, baby food, and other similar items.

For third-party sellers, it is important to be aware of Amazon’s requirements for expiration dates. The platform requires that all products with expiration dates have only one expiration date, which should be correctly printed on the product label. This is not the same as a manufactured date, which can catch a third party seller out. Any deviation from this could result in the removal of the product from the Amazon marketplace, plus the destruction of inventory.

Expiration Dates Policy

Another important aspect of the policy for items that require expiration dates is that all products must have a suitable packaging that will preserve their shelf life. So ensure your product is suitable packaged to prevent sunlight, vibration or heat from causing the expiration dated products to fail.

It’s important for sellers to be vigilant about the products they list for sale on Amazon. This includes checking the expiration dates of their products and making sure that they are not beyond their expiration date.

How to Track Expiration Dates

To ensure that you are compliant with Amazon’s expiration date policy, it’s important to track the expiration dates of your products. This can be done by:

• Recording the manufactured date or production date of each product when it is received from the manufacturer

• Recording the expiration dates if items require expiration dates

• Keeping track of the shelf life of each product

• Keeping an inventory management system that tracks the expiration date of each product

• Keeping a record of how long the product is intended to last, this is different from expiration date labels, the consumption period should be calculated to ensure you can comply with the policy and do not accidentally sell expired items

• Checking the expiration date of each product before listing it for sale on Amazon. This not only helps ensure compliance with Amazon’s policy, but it also protects the reputation of the seller and their business.

Conclusion

Managing expired products is a crucial aspect of the platform’s commitment to customer safety and satisfaction. All sellers must adhere to this policy, ensuring that the products they list for sale are not expired and are properly labeled with accurate expiration dates. Failure to do so can result in serious consequences for the seller, including account suspension or termination.

To avoid having issues, with topical and consumable products, or other products with expiration dates, you should consider the correct stock to purchase and send to the Amazon fulfillment center to avoid an expired product issue and a removal order of the goods. If you cannot sell the stock within the 90 day window, you will begin to have issues with product quality, especially for food products.