Amazon’s “Meltable Product Policy”
If you’re an Amazon FBA seller with a heat-sensitive product, you may receive this message from Amazon-
“We are writing to remind you that meltable inventory in Amazon fulfillment centers will be removed and disposed of for a fee starting April 15, 2023″. To avoid removal fees, submit removal orders for meltable inventory before April 15. For more information, go to “Remove inventory from a fulfillment center”:
Amazon’s FBA program will not keep meltable products during the warmer summer months. Therefore, meltable SKUs cannot be stored/received into FBA from Apr 15 to Oct 15.
Why Does Amazon Have A Meltable Product Policy?
Products that Amazon fulfills are subject to constant temperature fluctuations during the shipping process. Additionally, Amazon delivers to the customers’ addresses, including hotter parts of the country. Therefore, meltable products are especially susceptible to damage during storage and shipping in the warmer summer months. Amazon has rules for listing meltable ASINs in the FBA Program to prevent damage to heat-sensitive products. These products must withstand summer temperatures ranging from 75 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit. This policy is to protect product integrity during storage and shipping. As a brand owner (or distributor) selling a “meltable product”, you must comply with Amazon’s policies. It will help ensure your customers receive their purchased product intact and in good condition.
What Does Amazon Consider A “Melatable Product”?
Perishable products and meltable products are two different things. Perishable products (that require refrigeration, air conditioning, or freezing) are prohibited from Amazon’s FBA program.
“Meltable products”, however, are different and only prohibited from FBA during summer months. According to Amazon, “Meltable” refers to all heat-sensitive products, including but not limited to chocolate, gummies, and select jelly- and wax-based products”. For more information on what’s considered meltable, visit the Meltable FBA inventory page here.
Amazon has recently flagged other heat-sensitive products, such as makeup, as meltable. To see a list of meltable ASINs, download this excel sheet provided by Amazon: Meltable ASINs (Excel).
What To Do If You’re An Amazon FBA Seller With Meltable Inventory
If you wish to remove your products, you must submit a removal order for your meltable inventory before April 15 of each year. For more information, visit Remove inventory from a fulfillment center.
Amazon Sellers that have advanced fulfillment operations can still offer their heat-sensitive products on Amazon during the summer months, as long as they can prove their packaging design can protect the meltable items from quality damage caused by excessively hot or cold temperatures. Unfortunately, the packaging required to provide this additional protection can come at a higher cost. However, no customer wants a melted product. Sellers need to ensure their products can withstand the temperature fluctuations during shipping whether using FBA or FBM (fulfilled by merchant).
What To Do If Your ASIN Is Incorrectly Classified As Meltable
Did Amazon wrongly flag your product as meltable? First, read Amazon’s Meltable Product Policy. Then, contact the product’s manufacturer when you believe it does not fall under the classification. Amazon explains that if you think your product should be exempt from the meltable category, you should get a letter from the manufacturer. First, they must confirm it is okay to store the ASIN at a maximum temperature of 155 degrees Fahrenheit for extended periods. Then send the letter to Selling Support.
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