Hello everyone,

We are seeking advice and clarification on a recent issue with Amazon Seller Support regarding our product listings for gas masks. We are a Brand Registered company, and our goal has always been to operate within Amazon’s guidelines and regulations. Our listings were created following the practices commonly used by other sellers in the gas mask and respirator category, aiming to maintain compliance in a market that clearly has similar active listings.

The Situation: Recently, we added four listings for our Elmridge E600 Full-Face Tactical Gas Mask. These products are intended for law enforcement, first responders, and similar uses, offering protection against tear gas, pepper spray, and other potential hazards in specific situations. Here are the ASINs that were impacted:

- B0DLVGC3XF - E600-2 (S/M)

- B0DLVJ6RYN - E600-2 (M/L)

- B0DLV7LJK8 - E600-1 (S/M)

- B0DLVD43NW - E600-1 (M/L)

All of these listings are associated with GTINs registered under our brand. These GTINs are essential to our internal inventory and logistics, and ideally, we’d like to keep these GTINs connected to the corresponding ASINs to avoid unnecessary disruption. However, with these listings now restricted, we’re concerned about what this means for the GTINs themselves and whether we have any alternative to delisting or starting from scratch with new identifiers.

What Happened: Shortly after listing, we received a message from Amazon’s Product Safety Team stating that these items were being removed due to "safety risk" concerns, labeling our gas masks as restricted. We were informed that “Military Style Gas Masks” were prohibited from sale and listing on Amazon, with no option to provide further details or appeal.

Our Response and Amazon’s Reply: After receiving this initial message, we reached out to Amazon’s Product Safety Team at highrisk-lifesafety@amazon.com with a detailed explanation. We pointed out that there are currently hundreds of similar gas masks and respirators actively listed and sold on Amazon, many of which serve the same protective functions and target similar needs. Some specific examples of these active listings included:

- https://www.amazon.com/HANUU-Survival-Respirator-Activated-Chemicals/dp/B0BFBR5WDH

- https://www.amazon.com/LZLLHX-Survival-Chemical-Tactical-Military/dp/B0BZGJLZ9N

- https://www.amazon.com/VITIJY-Full-Face-Gas-Mask/dp/B0CS2T8PPM

- https://www.amazon.com/Gas-Masks-Survival-Nuclear-Chemical/dp/B0C7TZFZKT

In our message to them, we asked why our gas masks are deemed a safety risk when others remain available for sale. We requested specific feedback on what elements of our listing or product presentation might be causing this issue so we could make appropriate changes. Additionally, we asked for clarity on the standards being applied and, most importantly, how to adjust our listing so that it would comply as similar listings are apparently doing.

However, their reply simply repeated the original response verbatim, reiterating that “Military Style Gas Masks” are restricted and prohibited for sale without any further explanation or allowance for additional documentation. No guidance was given regarding what we could adjust in our listings to meet compliance.

Core Issue - Double Standards: The crux of our confusion and frustration is this: there are hundreds of gas masks similar to ours that are clearly active and accessible for sale on Amazon. These listings appear to follow the same categorization and listing practices that we used. If gas masks are truly restricted, how is it that these other listings remain while ours are immediately flagged and removed?

What’s even more puzzling is the presence of dedicated subcategories on Amazon specifically for gas masks and similar equipment. If Amazon has created categories for these items, why are they immediately flagged when we try to use them? And if certain standards must be met, we need to understand what specifically we did wrong.

Given the lack of detailed guidance and the repeated response from the highrisk-lifesafety team, we’re unsure of the best next steps to move forward. We’re looking for insight from anyone who has dealt with similar issues, as well as any advice on how best to approach this. Specifically, we’d appreciate any guidance on:

1. Best Options for Resolving This: Should we try deleting these ASINs with a flat file and attempting a new listing, or is there a separate appeals process we could follow to gain clarity?

2. GTIN Implications: Since these ASINs are connected to our brand’s registered GTINs, would starting over with a new listing result in needing new GTINs, or can these GTINs be reused in case of reinstatement? For internal inventory purposes, keeping these GTINs aligned with these specific products is critical, so any clarity on this point would be invaluable.

3. Potential Compliance Adjustments: Has anyone in the same category received specific feedback on how to list similar products without issues? If so, are there particular keywords, title structures, or descriptions to avoid?

4. Effective Channels for Appeal: We want to align our listings with Amazon's standards, but highrisk-lifesafety@amazon.com has thus far only given us the same copy-paste response. Is there an alternative approach or contact who might better address a case where other listings with identical purposes are unaffected?

Ultimately, our goal is to comply and adjust, but without clarity on why our products were singled out, we’re left in the dark. Any feedback, advice, or suggestions on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for reading and for any help you can provide!