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expand_moreAmazon is one of the largest online marketplaces globally, making it an ideal platform for selling health and wellness products, including supplements.
The convenience of reaching a vast audience and the built-in trust that comes with the Amazon brand can significantly benefit supplement sellers.
However, navigating the complexities of selling supplements on Amazon requires understanding specific regulations not just from Amazon but from the FDA.
In this article, we’ll go over what those regulations are, how to navigate them, and other topics such as optimizing your product listings from supplements and employing strategic marketing techniques for selling supplements on Amazon.
Rules and regulations for selling supplements on Amazon
Before listing supplements for sale on Amazon, your brand must comply with all applicable laws, regulations, standards, and Amazon’s policies regarding dietary supplements.
These laws and regulations regarding supplements are put in place because it is a product that a person consumes. Amazon and the FDA want to ensure that the product is safe and free of any harmful ingredients.
Amazon’s policy for dietary supplements
Amazon’s new dietary supplement policy requires sellers to verify that dietary supplement products meet their policy via third-party testing on an annual basis to ensure products offered on Amazon meet the following criteria:
- Products are manufactured in a facility compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices set forth by the FDA (cGMPs, 21 CFR 111/117 or equivalent)
- Products do not contain contaminants that may pose a human health or regulatory concern
- Products contain the ingredients claimed on the product label
- Products do not contain undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients
- Products are labeled according to guidelines set forth by the FDA and do not contain illegal or disease claims
If you sell supplements, be sure to check the ‘Manage Your Compliance’ dashboard in Seller Central. This allows you see what documents and testing results you need to provide to Amazon.
In this dashboard, you can also view a list of approved third-party testing, inspection, and certification verifiers to verify that your products meet Amazon’s dietary supplements policy.
If you don’t follow this policy, Amazon can and will shut down your listing or even remove your Amazon selling privileges.
What types of supplements are covered by this policy?
Amazon must go by what the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) says when it comes to dietary supplements. The FDA regulates the manufacturing, packaging, storing, and labeling of dietary supplements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
“The FDA defines a dietary ingredient as a vitamin, mineral, herb or other botanical, amino acid, or dietary substance for use to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake, or a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract, or combination of the preceding substances intended for human consumption.
Dietary supplements come in different forms such as powders, pills, capsules, liquid drops, and oral sprays.
They include but are not limited to categories such as vitamins and minerals and herbs and botanicals; and can be marketed for functions such as sexual enhancement, weight management, bodybuilding and sports nutrition.
Dietary supplements must not make disease claims or contain undeclared drug ingredients or articles that are approved as new drugs.”
Before thinking about selling a supplement on Amazon, be sure you are fully familiar with Amazon’s supplement policy and their overall terms and conditions. Also, when finding a supplier for your supplement brand, be sure they’re also aware of Amazon’s policies and ensure they’re following all applicable federal laws and regulations.
How to find supplements to sell on Amazon
Now that you understand the laws and regulations about selling supplements on Amazon, how do you find an in-demand supplement to sell?
If you’re like thousands of other Amazon sellers, you’ll use Jungle Scout’s advanced product and keyword research tools to find a high-demand, low-competition product to sell on Amazon.
Use Jungle Scout to find profitable health products on Amazon.
Your first step would be to use our Product Database or Opportunity Finder tool and search in the ‘Health & Household’ category.
Search through the results and add products you’re interested in the Product Tracker tool.
To learn more about doing proper product research for Amazon, check out our full guide: Product Research Guide: How to Find Profitable Products on Amazon in 2024
How to find a reputable supplement manufacturer
Supplements are a tricky type of product to source, especially when you need to comply with many laws and regulations. This is not the type of product you should source from a site such as Alibaba.
A good place to start would simply be Google. Search for something like “cGMP certified supplement manufacturer.” Do your research on each company you come across to ensure they’re a facility compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices set forth by the FDA.
Another way of finding supplement manufacturers is by using Jungle Scout’s Supplier Database tool. Search for an ASIN of a similar product you’d like to sell and see if Supplier Database can find their supplier.
This is a good way to search for a supplement supplier because you’ll know that whichever product is already selling on Amazon is compliant with the FDA and Amazon.
Do you sell supplements on Amazon?
We hope this article gives you a better understanding of what Amazon’s rules are when it comes to selling supplements on their marketplace. Selling supplements can be a very lucrative business model, but you need to be sure you are always 100% compliant with the FDA and Amazon.
If you have other questions about selling supplements on Amazon, please let us know!
Learn how you can use Jungle Scout to start, run, and grow your Amazon business.
Brian Connolly is an Amazon seller, ecommerce expert, and writer for Jungle Scout. He lives in the New Jersey Shore area with his wife and cat. When he isn’t writing advice online for aspiring and experienced Amazon sellers for Jungle Scout, he spends his free time boating, fishing, and selling boating-themed items on his Amazon business.
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