Back to Blog
Amazon Seller Basics

How to Get Ungated on Amazon Without Paying an Ungating Service

Ungating is a big issue for new sellers. The good news is Amazon has made ungating easier recently. You just need to be persistent.

Published September 12, 2026
Woman organizing records while working on Amazon ungating

Do You Need an Ungating Service?

You do not need to use an ungating service. Sketchy practices by these services can lead to your account being suspended permanently. You also do not need to pay for an ungating course.

1. Give Your Account Time

For the first few months, you don’t have to apply to ungate anything. Just sell what you are allowed to and a lot of gates will open automatically. It’s perfectly fine to go slow at the beginning while you learn.

2. Test Stores and Keep Good Records

Retail receipts are fine. As well, sometimes packing slips or pick-up slips look like invoices and can be used. I’ve been selling for over four years and that’s all I’ve ever used for ungating. The receipt must have all required information and ideally have the word INVOICE on it.

A lot of sellers don’t want to share the stores they use for ungating. That’s fine. Just order one cheap item from a store to see what the receipt looks like. Do it systematically and keep good records. For some stores, I just order personal items I know I can use.

Work Systematically

Test one inexpensive order, inspect the paperwork, and record what you learn.

3. Ungate Gradually

Don’t feel you have to get ungated in everything all at once. Start with one category, get ungated, then do more categories, then add brands. Focus on brands you have a lot of leads for.

4. Expect to Submit More Than Once

Amazon almost always will reject your first submission. If you have to submit 10 or even 20 times, that’s not unheard of.

5. Photograph Everything Clearly

Take photos of the item from all sides, including close-ups of any relevant details like barcodes and model numbers. Also print out the receipt and take a photo of all 10 units with the receipt sitting next to them. Put the photos in a Word document and save it as a PDF.

6. Keep Using the Same Case

Amazon may warn you not to open a new case each time. You can reply to the same case with each submission.

7. Combine Your Supporting Documents

You can combine PDFs with iLovePDF. Having everything in one PDF helps the reviewer. Emails and webpages with tracking information can all be printed to PDFs.

8. Vary Each Submission

  1. Submit just the invoice.
  2. Submit the invoice and photos.
  3. Submit the invoice, photos, and credit-card statement.
  4. Add order emails.
  5. Add tracking information.
  6. After including all information, keep varying the order of the files.

9. It Can Still Be Worth Trying

Even if you don’t have a great-looking receipt—maybe all you’ve got is emails—it’s still worth trying as long as all the required information is there.

Persistence Matters

Don’t try to ungate everything at once. Work systematically, document your purchases carefully, and keep going.

Amazon policies and review procedures can change. Always review the current requirements shown in your application and follow the instructions Amazon provides.