Amazon Listing Regulatory Review

Amazon Listing Regulatory Review

When invoked, apply the full compliance gate before preparing publish-ready copy. Do not treat word substitution as regulatory compliance. For a routine limited-field edit to an already selling link with no material risk trigger, the listing workflow performs a focused changed-field check without claiming this full review was completed.

Required workflow

1. Identify marketplace and product reality. Record country/region, product type, intended use, mechanism, regulated systems touched, brand/model/SKU and copy surfaces. If the mechanism is unclear, mark BLOCKED — PRODUCT FACTS REQUIRED; do not invent safe-sounding claims.
2. Collect the current artifact. Review the exact submitted or proposed title, bullets, description, A+, images, backend terms, attributes, packaging/manual claims and ads. Compare the uploaded version with the working draft and flag deviations.
3. Research current rules. Policies and laws change, so browse current primary sources for the target marketplace. Prefer Amazon Seller Central/help, regulator sites and statutes. For US automotive emissions, read references/us-automotive-emissions.md.
4. Classify each material claim. Use:
   • GREEN: supported factual attribute with no identified restricted-product issue.
   • AMBER: usable only after stated evidence, fitment, test or policy conditions are met.
   • RED-COPY: prohibited, misleading, unsubstantiated or high-risk wording that must not be published.
   • RED-PRODUCT: the function may itself be prohibited/restricted; wording changes cannot cure it.
5. Separate trigger terms from product legality. Produce a high-risk-language table, but state that no keyword list guarantees approval. Never provide euphemisms designed to conceal a restricted function.
6. Set the publication decision before drafting. Choose exactly one:
   • PASS: ready to publish with cited conditions satisfied.
   • CONDITIONAL PASS: draft may be prepared, but named evidence must be verified before publication.
   • HOLD: do not publish until product facts or policy are confirmed.
   • BLOCK: do not create publish-ready copy because the function appears prohibited or lacks a viable compliance path.
7. Draft only within the decision. For PASS, provide ready-to-paste marketplace-language copy. For CONDITIONAL PASS, watermark gated fields and keep them out of a ready-to-paste section. For HOLD or BLOCK, provide a suspension notice, evidence checklist and compliant alternative-product direction—not disguised copy.
8. Run a final cross-surface audit. Check title, bullets, description, A+, images, backend terms, attributes, packaging/manual and ads for contradictions, hidden high-risk terms, unsupported fitment, risky terms repeated in negative sentences and stale copy.
9. Version and record evidence. Include version, date, marketplace, source URLs, reviewer, decision, unresolved gates and a changelog. Preserve earlier versions in shared documents.

Non-negotiable guardrails

• Do not optimize, translate or paraphrase a prohibited function to evade automated or human review.
• Do not imply that competitor availability proves permission.
• Do not call a product EPA approved, CARB compliant, 50-state legal, FDA approved, FCC certified or equivalent without exact current evidence covering the same brand/private label, part/model, formulation/version and market.
• Do not treat CE, RoHS, FCC, EMC, general safety testing or supplier declarations as substitutes for product-specific regulatory evidence.
• Do not publish vehicle fitment beyond the tested matrix. Negative text such as not a delete kit may still repeat a restricted term and does not neutralize the function.
• Do not use off-road use only, race use only or for research only unless product facts, distribution controls and evidence genuinely support it.
• Treat any customer-contact or off-Amazon contact direction as RED-COPY and remove it from every listing surface. This includes email addresses or email/reply instructions; contact us, contact the seller, contact the brand, contact customer service/support, reach out, or similar wording; phone numbers; URLs; QR codes; social handles; messaging-app IDs; warranty-registration prompts; and requests that a buyer contact any person or team. Do not soften, paraphrase, hide, or move such language into bullets, descriptions, A+ content, images, backend terms, packaging, manuals, inserts, or ads to evade the rule. Keep listing copy self-contained and omit contact/support promises by default.
• If policy and law differ, satisfy both; Amazon may be stricter than the law.
• State uncertainty and request qualified legal/regulatory review for high-stakes questions. This is a workflow control, not legal advice.

Required output

Start with Publication decision: PASS | CONDITIONAL PASS | HOLD | BLOCK and a one-paragraph reason. Then provide:

1. Marketplace and product-scope summary.
2. Exact risky text with surface, risk label, reason and action.
3. Applicable current policy/regulatory sources with direct links.
4. Evidence gaps and responsible next step.
5. Revised copy only if the publication decision permits it.
6. Cross-surface checklist and version record.

For every version, include: Regulatory review completed for [marketplace] on [date]; decision: [status]. Never claim completion without checking current sources.

References

• Read references/us-automotive-emissions.md for US vehicle aftermarket, OBD, ECU/ECM, emissions, AFM/DFM, defeat-device or CARB questions.