Amazon Hazmat Rules: How to Safely Sell Dangerous Goods

A lot of the everyday items you have around the house are perfectly safe if used and stored correctly. But many of those same items become dangerous when being shipped and stored if they’re mishandled. These items fall under the category of hazmat, a shortening of the phrase "hazardous materials."

All eCommerce businesses need to learn how to identify hazmat products, and to package and ship them safely. For anyone that sells products on the Amazon marketplace, the platform has a process and set of rules in place to help you to do so.

What Counts as an Amazon Hazmat or Dangerous Good?

You don’t sell weapons or explosives, so maybe you’re thinking none of this hazmat talk really applies to you. Many of the items that Amazon classifies as dangerous goods aren’t the kind you’d think of as dangerous in most contexts though.

Electronics that include batteries, anything that includes a flammable liquid, and many cleaning products can be toxic if used, stored, or transported incorrectly.

A few common examples of Amazon hazmat products include:

• Cameras
• Mobile phones
• Chargers
• Speakers
• Some automotive care products, such as airbags and auto oils
• Spray deodorants
• Hairspray
• Hair dyes
• Essential oils
• Insect repellents
• Nail polish
• Foods in pressurized containers (like whipped cream)
• Grills
• Tape, adhesives, and glue
• Markers and highlighters
• Pet flea and tick control products
• Aquarium glass cleaners and water treatment products
• Shoe polish
• Camp stoves
• Battery-operated toys
• Kids’ building kits and chemistry sets
• Bluetooth headsets
• Gaming controllers

That covers a lot of different eCommerce categories! And it’s not a comprehensive list. Amazon sellers with a wide variety of product offerings need to know how to identify hazmat items and follow the platform’s procedures for handling them responsibly.

How to Find Out if Your Product is Hazmat

In most cases, identifying hazmat products is pretty straightforward. You can find out if Amazon has a product listed as hazmat by looking up the product’s Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) in Seller Central.

In addition, the product’s manufacturer should provide a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) that includes the product’s hazard classification. You can usually find the SDS by looking up the product on the manufacturer’s website.

How Does Selling Hazmat Goods via Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) Work?

If you learn that a product you’re planning to sell is classified as hazmat, you can likely still sell it using FBA. You just have to make sure you follow the proper procedures.

To start, confirm that your product can be sold on the Amazon marketplace. Many types of hazmat products fall within the platform’s rules, but a few don’t. For instance, any product that contains explosive substances, toxic gas, or radioactive material is prohibited. Check the ASIN to make sure your product can be sold via FBA.

For any product classified as a dangerous good, you’re required to provide the proper documentation for it. In most cases, that means supplying the product’s SDS. For some batteries or battery-powered products, you may be able to provide an exemption sheet instead.

Not providing the proper documentation could lead to your product being disposed of rather than sold. If Amazon identifies an item as potentially dangerous once it’s already in the fulfillment center, you’ll have 14 days to provide the requested information before they dispose of it. And Amazon won’t fulfill any orders for hazmat products if the documentation isn’t in place, which could lead to delays and unhappy customers. You’re better off identifying hazmat items yourself so you can ensure all the documentation is in place before it comes to that.

Shipping hazmat items without proper packaging and labels can cause safety risks and delivery delays.

The US Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration provides free resources and guidance for shipping dangerous goods through its Check the Box initiative.

All Amazon hazmat products will undergo a review process. As long as you’ve provided all the required information and documentation, this will usually be completed within two business days. Then your products can be stored at Amazon’s fulfillment centers and safely shipped to customers.

Editor's note: Effective April 25, 2022, dangerous goods can no longer be shipped to US island destinations through the Amazon FBA program, even in limited quantities. Third-party companies must be used instead.

Because hazmat products have to be stored in specific conditions, the FBA storage limits and fees for them vary from those of other types of products. FBA facilities have two main categories for storing hazmat items: flammable and aerosol. Depending on which category your products fall into, you’ll need to account for the fees involved in storing the items and stay on top of the storage limits allotted to them.

Sell Hazmat Safely with Amazon

Amazon’s rules for hazmat products simply reflect best practices for handling items in these categories more generally. You want to make sure the way you store, handle, package, and ship items is safe in all circumstances. Following Amazon dangerous goods and hazmat procedures can help you ensure your products are safely delivered to buyers.