Amazon is the largest online market for dietary supplements. Many brands, supplement manufacturing companies, and independent sellers now sell a large variety of vitamins, food pills, and other dietary supplements. The online supplements market in the US alone is worth more than $30 billion, with an annual growth potential of higher than 12%. The worldwide scope of this category is even more significant as China, South Korea, Japan, India, and the Middle East are some of the consumer markets that sellers can target apart from the United States. Amazon’s marketplace provides an excellent opportunity to tap into this market through easy access to customers already looking to buy dietary supplements.
While the supplement market offers an excellent opportunity, Amazon requires strict adherence to seller policies and guidelines for this category. The dietary supplements category on Amazon is considered a gated category, which you can enter only if you follow Amazon’s seller policies. This article contains all the information a seller may need to enter this category. Let’s get started:
What are Dietary Supplements?
Amazon defines dietary supplements as:
Dietary supplements are vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other substances, such as amino acids or fatty acids eaten to supplement the diet. They often come in forms like tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, powders, and liquids.
Dietary supplements contain different nutrients that our bodies need. Some of these nutrients are natural and are made up of extracts from plants and animals, while others are synthetic and are prepared using specific methods. These supplements have health benefits.
There used to be a $3000 fee for getting approval to sell a dietary supplement, but that is no longer the case. Now, you just need to fulfill Amazon’s Dietary Supplement Policy requirement, and once approved, you are all set to list your product and start selling.
What are the requirements for selling dietary supplements on Amazon?
For selling dietary supplements, Amazon requires that products are manufactured in a facility compliant with Good Manufacturing Practices set forth by the FDA, they do not contain any contaminants that may pose a human health or regulatory concern, and Products contain the ingredients claimed on the product label. Furthermore, the seller has a ‘Professional Seller Account’ in good standing, documents proving that the product adheres to Amazon policies, and a product that adheres to all federal, state, and local laws and Amazon policies.
Amazon Seller Account in Good Standing
Whenever a seller applies to sell in any gated category, Amazon requires the seller account to be subscribed as Professional (costs $39.99 per Month) and must have a good standing in terms of ratings, on-time order delivery, no late shipment as well as other seller health performance parameters in acceptable ranges. Let’s head over to the detailed list of documents that Amazon may ask for when you apply to sell dietary supplements on Amazon.
Required Documentation to Sell Dietary Supplements on Amazon
Amazon requires the following documents to allow a seller to sell dietary supplements:-
- Certificate of Analysis (COA) by ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab.
- Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) Certificate issued by an accredited third-party certification body in compliance with 21 CFR 111, 21 CFR 117. The certificate proves adherence to current Good Manufacturing Practices in manufacturing, packaging, labeling, or holding operations for dietary supplements
- Invoice of purchase from Manufacturer (Invoice dated within the last 180 days and product quantity must be above ten units).
- Actual Product Photos depicting compliance with labeling requirements.
Dietary supplements are a highly regulated niche, and Amazon will ensure compliance with the requirements before allowing any new seller to sell them. Learn more about Amazon’s requirements by visiting How to Meet the Requirements for Selling Dietary Supplements on Amazon.
3rd Party Testing by TIC Organization
Since April 2, 2024, dietary supplement products need to be verified through a third-party Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) organization. NSF International provides the testing service, and a test request form (TRF) can be initiated from within Amazon Seller Central.
How to list a dietary supplement on Amazon?
Getting product approval for selling dietary supplements is simple and easy if you have all the required documents. Once you have the documents, proceed through the following steps to list and sell dietary supplements on Amazon:-
- Get a Professional Seller Account. If you are not a seller, the first step is to create an Amazon Seller Account. Subscribe to the “Professional’ account, not Individual.
- Apply for Category Ungating. Once you initiate the product listing process, Amazon will ask you to apply for selling in this category. Clicking on the ‘Apply to Sell’ button will begin the category ungating process. They will ask you for documents, including COA, a valid cGMP certificate, a qualified invoice, and product photos.
- Submit Invoice From Manufacturer / Distributor. Provide Amazon with a valid copy of your invoice, which must be less than 180 days old. The invoice should also depict that you have purchased more than ten units. Your name and address on the invoice should be the same as your Amazon Seller Account details.
- Upload Product Photos. Amazon requires sellers to upload product photos before approval. The pictures must be original, unedited photos of the Product and its original packaging.
- Create Product Listing. After you are approved to sell the dietary supplements, the next step is to list your product. Remember, this is a highly competitive category and will require a well-researched and highly optimized product listing that abides by Amazon’s product detail page requirements for dietary supplements.
Selling dietary Supplements on Amazon requires knowledge and a clear understanding of policies to avoid wasting time and resources. The above lines provide a detailed overview of Amazon’s requirements for selling dietary supplements; next, we shall discuss if this category is worth all the effort.
Is it Profitable to Sell Dietary Supplements on Amazon?
Yes, it is profitable to sell dietary supplements on Amazon if the store and product listing launch is executed after proper market research and while following good copywriting techniques.
The Dietary Supplement Niche has high customer demand but is also highly competitive with well-established sellers. The opportunity lies in sub-niches, which require thorough market research during the planning phase. A few examples are supplements extracted from a particular mushroom or supplements for dogs’ joints, etc.
Overview of the Dietary Supplement Market
The dietary market on Amazon is worth more than $10 billion in annual sales, which is more than any other retailer or online seller website. It is one of the categories that have a lot of growth potential. However, over the past few years, this category in Amazon has become saturated, and the competition is constantly increasing.
If you are planning to enter this category, you should do it without delay but after proper market research, which must cover the following data points:
- Competitors Analysis (who are best sellers, how many sellers are selling)
- Product Packaging, Labeling, and Designs used by existing sellers of dietary supplements
- Product Marketing Media
- How many sales are they getting, and what is the distribution?
- What do customers love/hate about the existing products?
- Niche Pricing Report
- Niche Keyword Analysis
The dietary supplement niche also has sellers with professionally designed stores and very well-designed product pages. But if you can execute a well-strategized launch, this niche offers a constant influx of sales through regular customers who have subscribed to get their supplements from you regularly.
Every year, the sales of Dietary Supplements record impressive growth, it certainly has high demand, but the niche also has a very competitive ecosystem. To succeed while selling dietary supplements on Amazon, you must know and follow Amazon’s requirements & policies, perform detailed market research, and have a professionally executed marketing & advertising plan. Good luck listing and growing your dietary supplement product on Amazon!
