This article is for sellers who have been told they submitted the same or similar documents repeatedly on a selling-approval application, or who received a notification they don't recognize because an application tool or an outside agency was handling submissions for them. We walk through what to stop doing right after you're flagged, how to take stock of your application history, how to check every channel your applications go through (tools, agencies, and in-house users), and how to think about resubmitting correctly and writing your explanation.
Getting oriented: how selling-approval applications work, and where "duplicate" begins
Amazon restricts certain products from being sold, in order to protect buyers and ensure product safety and authenticity, among other reasons. For some restrictions, you can submit a selling-approval application (出品許可の申請) from Seller Central, go through a review, and start selling once approved. However, not every restricted product accepts applications.
This article is based on Help pages and policies published as of September 2026. Amazon's policies and Help content can change, so also check the notification you received and the latest Help content. We could not find any published Help page that specifically prohibits submitting the same or similar documents repeatedly on a selling-approval application, or that shows the wording of a notification for that situation, so we work out a response from the related policies and the application procedure instead.
The basic flow of an application
When you search for a product in Add a Product (商品登録), the label tells you where you stand: "Sell this product" means no approval is needed, "Apply to sell" (出品許可を申請) means approval is required, and "Not eligible" means you can't sell it at all. An application moves through View restrictions (制限を表示) → Apply to sell (出品許可を申請) → filling out the form → uploading documents, in that order. The review typically takes 2 to 7 business days.
Once you open an application, a draft is created automatically on the Selling Applications Dashboard (出品申請ダッシュボード). From there you can submit a draft, check the status of applications you've submitted, and reapply, and you can search your applications by type — ASIN, brand, category, and so on.
"Multiple applications" aren't automatically duplicates
Selling restrictions are applied at the level of an ASIN, a brand, a brand within a specific category, a category, or a subcategory. When restrictions overlap on a single product, you may need more than one application for that one product — for example, approval for both the category and the brand. You don't need to hold back on submitting applications like these.
| Situation | How to think about it |
|---|---|
| Restrictions overlapped on a product, and you applied for the category and the brand separately | A normal, proper procedure |
| You were rejected, then prepared the missing documents and reapplied | The reapplication flow Help describes |
| You resent a rejected document to the same target without changing its content | The reason for rejection is still there — this needs a second look |
| A tool auto-attached the same file to many applications and sent them | You may not have checked each application's requirements — this needs a second look |
| You kept sending to a product that showed "You do not meet the requirements for this application" | This is a determination you cannot appeal; sending again won't change it |
For material related to brand applications, also see how to check your brand information and pre-approvals.
Policies that may underlie a finding like this
None of the following provisions name selling-approval applications specifically, but they can be relevant to a finding about repeated submissions. Confirm the actual reason using the policy name given in your notification.
| Provision | Summary, and how it relates to repeated submissions |
|---|---|
| "Misuse of Amazon Selling Services" under Prohibited Seller Activities and Actions | If there is continuous bulk data uploading or excessive, unreasonable use, Amazon can restrict or suspend access to the feature in question. Large-volume, repeated sending through a tool could fall under this |
| Seller Code of Conduct | Don't register false information about yourself, and don't engage in misleading conduct (including in your dealings with Amazon). Altering documents, or resending them with only the wording changed, could be a problem here |
| Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement (BSA) | The information you provide must always be accurate and complete. This is considered to apply to application documents and explanations as well |
Under Prohibited Seller Activities and Actions, measures such as canceling listings, disabling tool access, or revoking selling privileges are possible. For an overview of warnings under the Code of Conduct, see sorting out warnings under the Seller Terms and Code of Conduct.
Three steps right after you're flagged: stop, preserve, and confirm
Before drafting your explanation, put two things in place first: a state where the same submission can't happen again, and the material you need to confirm the facts.
STEP 1. Stop automated sending and any in-house application work
Pause the tool's automated processing, and tell the staff member and any outside agency in charge not to submit applications until you've confirmed what happened. If you can't confirm that automation has actually stopped, you can instead remove its access outright. Check Manage Your Service Provider (サービスの管理) (account owner or administrator only) for a vendor you approved as a service provider, and Settings (設定) → User Permissions (ユーザー権限) for anyone you invited as a user. A tool connected through the Selling Partner API (SP-API, the official mechanism external tools use to integrate with Amazon) may manage its authorization on a different screen, so also confirm how to revoke it with the tool's provider.
Removing access in Manage Your Service Provider (サービスの管理) takes effect immediately and can't be undone, and it stops every automated process and integration that provider manages, not just the applications. Also, a contract you signed with that vendor outside Seller Central is not canceled by removing their access. Check what else this affects, such as inventory synchronization.
A browser extension or a tool that automates on-screen actions may not appear in the Manage Your Service Provider (サービスの管理) list if it never went through the formal authorization process. If you're not sure whether it's listed, check with the tool's provider as well, and stop it by disabling or uninstalling it. If you gave a vendor your ID and password, change the password and reissue individual logins through User Permissions (ユーザー権限).
STEP 2. Save the notification and your submission records
The Notification Center (通知管理センター) shows only the notifications you received in the past 30 days. Save any application-related notifications and emails right away, and keep the tool's submission logs, your correspondence with the vendor, and the files you actually attached on hand as well.
STEP 3. Confirm what's being flagged and what response is required
If something appears on the Account Health (アカウント健全性) page, open View all under Product Policy Compliance (商品規約の遵守) to see the details and next steps, and check Performance Notifications (パフォーマンス通知) as well.
Items to write down from the notification
- Date, subject, and policy name
- Target (a specific ASIN, brand, or category, or applications in general)
- Scope of the restriction (just the application feature, or your whole account)
- The response requested, and whether a deadline is stated
What you do next depends on what the notification says. Follow the instructions it gives you first.
| What the notification says | Your next move |
|---|---|
| A warning that doesn't ask for a response | Stop sending and fix your process. Don't repeat the same submission, and don't send your explanation over and over either |
| Your use of the application feature, a tool, or similar was restricted | Follow the notification's instructions, and lay out what you changed — settings you stopped, access you removed, and your new procedure — along with the dates you did each one |
| Your account was suspended | Appeal from Reactivate your selling account (出品用アカウントの再開) on the Account Health (アカウント健全性) page (more on this below) |
Help doesn't state whether a finding of repeated submissions is reflected in your Account Health Rating (AHR). That said, under the AHR, reaching the cap on violations of the same policy within 180 days can lead to immediate suspension, and the policies this applies to include the Seller Terms and Seller Code of Conduct. Make not repeating the same finding your top priority.
Taking stock of your application history: pulling three sources into one table
Pull information from three sources — the Selling Applications Dashboard (出品申請ダッシュボード) (where you can check each application's target and progress), your case history and emails (for rejection notices), and the Notification Center (通知管理センター) (for notifications and their recipients) — into a table with one row per application. What follows is a hypothetical example to show how to build the table; it is not a real case or the actual wording of a notification.
| Application date | Target (type) | Documents attached | Sender / method | Outcome | Gist of the rejection notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Food & Beverage & Alcohol (category) | Invoice A, photos | Self / manual | Rejected | Invoice didn't meet the requirements |
| Day 3 | Food & Beverage & Alcohol (category) | Invoice A, photos | Tool / automatic reapplication | Rejected | Same as above |
| Day 3 | Food & Beverage & Alcohol (category) | Invoice A, photos | Tool / automatic reapplication | Rejected | Same as above |
| Day 6 | Brand B (brand) | Invoice C, letter of authorization | Outside agency | Under review | — |
| Day 6 | Product D (ASIN) | Invoice A (does not list Product D) | Outside agency | Rejected | Missing information |
| Day 6 | Brand E (brand) | Invoice A (does not list Brand E) | Tool / bulk application | Approved | — |
In this example, the two Day 3 entries are cases of "a rejected document resent automatically without any change," and Product D and Brand E are cases of "reusing an invoice that doesn't cover that target" — these are what a review should focus on. Brand B applies to a different target, so on its own it isn't a duplicate. In the documents column, also note the file name and the date each document was issued.
What to read off the table
- Whether you applied to the same target with the same file even after rejection
- Whether one file has been attached to several applications it isn't really related to
- Among approved applications, whether any went through with a document that doesn't meet the requirements — for example, an invoice that doesn't cover the product in question
- Whether there's a sender or method you weren't aware of
If you find a target that was approved with a document that doesn't meet the requirements, weigh carefully whether it's appropriate to keep selling it, and organize your records so you can show the facts of what happened. If you're unsure, Professional sellers can check with Amazon through Contact Us (お問い合わせ) on the Account Health (アカウント健全性) page.
Checking your submission channels: tool settings, outside agencies, and in-house users
Under the BSA, you as the seller are solely responsible for actions taken using your password, and actions arising from the use of your SP-API credentials are also your responsibility, including actions by third parties such as employees or agents. The Help page "Setting Up and Editing User Permissions" likewise states that the seller is responsible for the actions of any user added to the account. Treat "the tool did it on its own" or "it was the agency's call" as not a valid excuse, and check all three channels.
Channel 1. The settings of any tool involved in applications
Naming varies by tool, but check settings like these in the provider's manual or admin screen.
- Automatic reapplication or retry after a rejection or a failed submission
- Bulk applications across multiple ASINs or brands
- Automatically attaching the same document file, and scheduled execution
- Whether the seller can view the submission log
Note that Amazon's official API (SP-API)'s restrictions functionality is for checking whether a restriction exists and why — it has no operation for sending an application. Separating the two, so a tool checks restrictions while a staff member reads the requirements and handles the actual application, helps prevent over-sending.
Channel 2. Outside agencies and other service providers
Where you check the access you've granted to an outside vendor depends on how you authorized it. Check Manage Your Service Provider (サービスの管理) if you approved them as a service provider, User Permissions (ユーザー権限) if you invited them as a user, and confirm the authorization status with the provider as well if they're connected as a tool. Ask the vendor for their submission records and check whether the scope you authorized matches the applications they actually submitted.
Channel 3. In-house users, such as employees
Check your users and their permissions under Settings (設定) → User Permissions (ユーザー権限) (a Professional seller feature). Help recommends setting up an individual login for each user and periodically revoking access that's no longer needed. If you find a permission change you don't recognize, also check for the possibility of unauthorized access.
A benchmark for choosing a tool or vendor again
The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) for businesses that use the SP-API requires them to confirm that any submission or communication made on the seller's behalf is accurate and complies with policy, not to request or share the seller's username and password, and, when access to Seller Central is needed, to ask for it to be granted through secondary user permissions. When choosing again, check in advance that the tool or vendor works in line with this policy (for example, that it doesn't ask for your username and password), that automatic reapplication after a rejection can be turned off, and that you, the seller, can view the submission log.
If you also sell in the US store
The US has an "Agent Policy," and Section 19, on automated agents, was added to the US/Canada BSA effective March 4, 2026. Its conditions include identifying yourself as an agent, not disguising your identity by imitating human operation, and not bypassing CAPTCHAs. We found no equivalent provision in the Japanese BSA. If you use an automated tool for applications or listing in the US store, confirm with the provider whether it meets these conditions, and keep a record of their answer.
Resubmitting a rejected application: meeting the requirements with new documents
The selling-approval application FAQ explains that if you're rejected, you can check your case history or email to review the requirements again, then upload new documents for review and submit a fresh application. Help doesn't state that reapplying with the same documents is prohibited, but it's natural to read a reapplication as a procedure that presumes you're submitting new documents that fix the reason for rejection.
What to review for each document
The typically required documents are a purchase invoice dated within the past 180 days, clear photos showing every side of the product, a brand's letter of authorization (where applicable), and a safety certificate (where required). Requirements vary by product.
| Document | What to review |
|---|---|
| Invoice | Is it dated within the past 180 days? Does it include the details and quantity the application page requires? |
| Photos | Are all sides shown clearly? Are you reusing a photo of a different product? |
| Letters of authorization / certificates | Where one is required, does it actually apply to that brand or product? |
| Document type | Is it a type that isn't accepted for this category? |
For example, the Food & Beverage & Alcohol category requires an invoice or order confirmation listing an order of 10 or more units of the product, and receipts, quotes, and the like are stated as not accepted. This is a category-specific condition, so check the requirement on the application page for your product.
Cases where resubmitting documents won't change anything
- "You do not meet the requirements for this application" is displayed: This product can't be sold, and there is no appeal. Stop applying for it.
- The "Apply to sell" button doesn't appear: Applications aren't being accepted at this time. Since this can sometimes be a temporary restriction, check again after some time has passed.
If you've also received a restricted-product warning, see responding to a restricted-product warning for how to identify the affected product.
An invoice you submit in an appeal over a suspension, and so on, has different requirements (for example, issued within 365 days before you received the Performance Notification, and not editable or self-issued). Don't confuse this with the "within 180 days" requirement for a selling-approval application.
How to think about it when you're asked for an explanation or an appeal
If your account is suspended, appeal from Reactivate your selling account (出品用アカウントの再開) at the top of the Account Health (アカウント健全性) page. Submit any additional information from View Account Health Requests (アカウント健全性の要請を見る). A response can take up to about 2 days as a rough guide. The full process is laid out in an overview of the path from account suspension to filing for reinstatement.
Four elements to include in your explanation
Help's guidelines call for being factual, specific, and concise, avoiding emotional language, and conveying the root cause and the actions you took, along with the dates and any related documents. For a repeated-submission finding, organize it into the following four parts.
- What happened (the application affected, how many times, and the channel used to send it)
- Root cause (why the same document was sent)
- Corrective action taken (the setting you stopped, the access you removed, the new document you prepared, and the dates)
- Prevention (the check you'll run before applying, who is responsible, and how you'll keep records)
Below is a hypothetical example for when the cause was a tool's automatic reapplication; it is not a real case. Rewrite it to match the facts you've confirmed.
When we reviewed our application history, we found that after a manual application on [Month] [Day] was rejected, our application-support tool's automatic reapplication resent the same invoice and photos twice (three submissions in total). The reason for rejection was that we did not meet the Food & Beverage & Alcohol category requirement of "an invoice listing an order of 10 or more units of the product" — our invoice listed fewer than 10 units (this quantity requirement is specific to that category). The repeated resending happened because we had not assigned anyone to review the tool's settings when it was set up.
On [Month] [Day] we stopped the tool's automatic reapplication and automatic document attachment, and on [Month] [Day] we disconnected (revoked access for) that tool. On [Month] [Day] we obtained an invoice from our supplier for a transaction in which we had actually purchased 10 or more units, checked it against the application page's requirements, and submitted a single application on [Month] [Day].
Going forward, a staff member will confirm the requirements and submit manually, and we will only reapply after rejection once we have prepared a new document that meets the requirements. The person in charge will review the list of applications once a week.
The specifics of how to write each element are covered in detail in how to put together a plan of action.
Don't create "duplicates" in your inquiries, either
Technical Support's guidelines call for one case per issue, not opening a new one while a case is still under review, and using the reopen function to ask about a case that has already been closed, and state that a case may be closed if you don't follow this. For help organizing what to communicate, see how to organize a consultation with Technical Support.
Responses you should avoid
- Resending with only the wording or file name changed: If the content is the same, it still doesn't meet the requirements. Changing only the appearance to avoid detection during review can be a problem as misleading conduct.
- Altering an invoice or photo: This can amount to submitting false information. For a document you're missing, obtain a legitimate document (including a reissue) that your supplier issues based on an actual transaction. Having a document issued with a date or quantity that doesn't match the actual transaction can also amount to a false document. Also see responding to a finding of invoice forgery or alteration.
- Applying again from a different account: As a rule, you may hold only one account per region you sell in, and a second one is permitted only where there is a legitimate business reason and every account is operating without issues. Using a separate account to avoid a rejection or a finding does not qualify as such a reason, and doing so can result in every one of your accounts being suspended as a policy violation.
- Giving a vendor your ID and password: You, the seller, are responsible for anything done using your password.
- Submitting your explanation without first stopping automated sending: This creates a mismatch between what you say you've corrected and the actual facts.
Operating rules for applications, to prevent this from recurring
After taking corrective action, document your application procedure as an internal rule.
Rules for applying and handling rejections
- Read the application page's requirements before applying, and make a list of the documents you need
- If an application for the same target is still under review, don't submit a new one
- Record what a rejection said, and don't reapply until you have a document that fixes the cause
What to review periodically
- Whether User Permissions (ユーザー権限) and Manage Your Service Provider (サービスの管理) have any access you no longer need
- Whether a tool's automatic reapplication, bulk-application, or automatic-attachment settings have changed
- Whether anything new has appeared in Performance Notifications (パフォーマンス通知) or Account Health (アカウント健全性)
Frequently asked questions
Q. Is using a tool to submit selling-approval applications a violation in itself?
A. Japan's published Help pages and policies don't contain a blanket prohibition on applying through a tool. At the same time, there's no basis for assuming "it's fine as long as it's a tool," either. Keep track of the content and frequency, and build a process where you confirm the requirements before sending.
Q. Can I keep selling a brand that was approved through a tool?
A. Use your inventory table to confirm whether the document used for the approval actually met that target's requirements, and think carefully about whether to keep selling anything that may not have met them. If you're unsure, Professional sellers can check with Amazon through Contact Us (お問い合わせ) on the Account Health (アカウント健全性) page (this option is a Professional-seller feature).
Q. How many days do I need to wait after a rejection before reapplying?
A. Published Help doesn't set a waiting period or a cap on how many times you can apply. Rather than counting days, use whether you've prepared a new document that fixes the reason for rejection as your standard.
Q. An outside agency was sending these, and I wasn't aware of it.
A. Use the submission records to confirm the channel and the content, and explain the action you took in line with the facts. For how this is handled under your contract with the agency, check with a professional such as a lawyer as needed.
Q. I can't tell which application the notification is referring to.
A. Match the policy name and target in the notification against your inventory table. If you still can't tell, Professional sellers can consult Amazon through Contact Us (お問い合わせ) on the Account Health (アカウント健全性) page.
Summary
If you're told you submitted duplicate documents, move in this order — stop, preserve, confirm — and then fix your documents and your process.
- Confirm the policy name, the target, and the response requested in the notification, and decide your next move
- Stop automated sending first, and save the notification and your submission records early
- Build a table with one row per application, and check the tool, agency, and in-house-user channels
- Only reapply after you've prepared a new document that fixes the reason for rejection
What matters is returning to a process where you confirm the requirements for each application before sending it.
Need help with selling approval application policy violations?
We'll assess your prospects for reinstatement at no cost. Consultations are free, as often as you need.
Free consultation, 24/7 *This article provides a general explanation. The appropriate response in individual cases depends on the circumstances.
Further reading
When Amazon flags a forged or altered invoice: verifying facts and using genuine documents Read article → 
Amazon Seller Agreement and Code of Conduct warnings: identifying conduct deemed a policy violation and corrective steps Read article → 
Amazon product safety warnings: identifying products and checking supporting documents Read article →