Amazon’s bundling policy update takes effect January 11, 2027, and requires that most product bundles listed under a single ASIN be packaged by the original manufacturer or brand, not assembled by the seller. Noncompliant bundles will be deactivated on that date and recorded as listing violations on the Account Health dashboard. Sellers who have built revenue around seller-created bundles have 102 days to act: audit their ASINs, secure brand authorization letters where available, sell through noncompliant inventory before the holiday quarter ends, or pivot to compliant bundling structures. This post breaks down what the January 11 policy requires, which bundles are exempt, which categories now open up, how to get a brand authorization letter, and what happens to Account Health if a bundle is flagged after the deadline.
102 days to get compliant
🚨 Deadline: January 11, 2027. Noncompliant bundles will be deactivated and recorded as Account Health listing violations. Start auditing your bundle ASINs now. If your bundling situation involves brand authorization disputes or listing violations, contact DAM Law Firm’s Amazon seller legal team for a same-day assessment. Contact us here.
Amazon bundling policy January 2027: what changes, what’s exempt, and what opens up
| Bundle type | Status after Jan 11, 2027 | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Seller-assembled physical bundle (own brand only) | ✅ Compliant | Nothing, you own the brand |
| Seller-assembled physical bundle (third-party brand) | ⚠️ Requires authorization | Letter of Authorization from brand owner for each brand |
| Original manufacturer bundle | ✅ Compliant | Nothing, packaged by the brand |
| Virtual bundle (brand owner or authorized reseller) | ✅ Exempt, not covered | Brand Registry + FBA for all ASINs |
| Gifting browse node bundle | ✅ Exempt | Listed in gifting browse node |
| Camera product type bundle | ✅ Exempt | Camera category listing |
| Books, Music, Video, DVD, Video Games bundles | ✅ Now permitted (newly opened) | Standard bundling rules apply |
| Multi-brand consumables bundle | ⚠️ Permitted with authorization | Letter of Authorization from each brand owner |
Source: Amazon Product Bundling Policy update, effective January 11, 2027, as reviewed by DAM Law Firm’s Amazon seller legal team.
Table of Contents
- What the January 11, 2027 Policy Actually Requires
- Who Is Affected and Who Is Not
- Exempt Bundle Types
- Categories That Now Open Up
- How to Get a Brand Authorization Letter
- What Happens to Noncompliant Bundles After January 11
- The Five-Step Bundle Audit to Run Right Now
- The Sell-Through Strategy for Noncompliant Inventory
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How DAM Law Firm Can Help
What the January 11, 2027 Policy Actually Requires
Amazon’s updated bundling policy extends a requirement that previously applied mainly to consumable products to most categories on the platform. From January 11, 2027, a bundle listed under a single ASIN must generally arrive in packaging the brand itself produced. A seller who assembles a bundle from products made by third-party brands and lists it under a new ASIN needs written authorization from each brand involved. Without that authorization, the bundle is noncompliant under the new policy regardless of how long it has been live on the platform.
This is an extension, not a new rule
Notably, the January 2027 requirement is not a new construct. Amazon first applied manufacturer-packaging requirements to consumables in October 2024, with enforcement for existing consumable bundles beginning January 1, 2025. The January 2027 update extends that same framework across most of the catalog. Specifically, sellers who were already compliant with the 2024 consumables update are likely compliant with the 2027 extension for those same product types. The risk sits primarily with sellers in non-consumable categories who assembled bundles without brand authorization before the 2024 update.
What “packaged by the original manufacturer” means
Specifically, a bundle packaged by the original manufacturer means the brand itself assembled and packaged the items together before they reached the seller. That bundle arrives from the supplier already packaged as a unit, with the brand’s own packaging, labeling, and configuration. Notably, a seller who buys individual units and shrink-wraps or polybagged them together is creating a seller-assembled bundle, not a manufacturer bundle, regardless of whether all items come from the same brand. The distinction is about who did the packaging, not whose products are in it.
Who Is Affected and Who Is Not
Importantly, not every seller who sells bundles needs to take action before January 11. Understanding which situation applies to your specific ASINs is the first step of the audit.
Sellers who need to act
Specifically, the policy change directly affects sellers who assembled bundles themselves using products from brands they do not own, without a written authorization letter from those brands. This is the most common bundle structure among third-party sellers: buy complementary products from different manufacturers, package them together, create a new ASIN, and list them as a bundle. Every seller-assembled bundle containing products from a brand the seller does not own needs either a brand authorization letter or a sell-through plan before January 11.
Sellers who are already compliant
However, sellers who own their brand and bundle only their own products are unaffected. The policy targets unauthorized assembly of other brands’ products. A private label seller who bundles two products from their own brand does not need authorization from anyone. Sellers whose bundles consist entirely of original manufacturer packaging, where the items arrived already bundled from the supplier, are also unaffected. The products they sell are, by definition, manufacturer bundles already.
Exempt Bundle Types
Specifically, three bundle structures fall entirely outside the January 11 requirement. Sellers in these situations do not need to take any compliance action for this policy change specifically.
Virtual bundles
Specifically, virtual bundles created through Amazon’s Virtual Bundles tool in Seller Central are not physical packages. The items in a virtual bundle ship separately from their individual FBA inventory. Because nothing is physically combined into a single package, the manufacturer-packaging requirement does not apply. Virtual bundles require Brand Registry enrollment and all component ASINs must be fulfilled by Amazon FBA. For brand owners and authorized resellers who qualify, virtual bundles are the lowest-friction path to continued bundling.
Gifting browse node listings
Bundles listed within Amazon’s gifting browse nodes are exempt from the manufacturer-packaging requirement. The gifting exemption recognizes that gift basket-style bundles have a legitimate place in the marketplace separate from the authenticity concerns the main policy addresses. Sellers who can list their bundles in gifting browse nodes retain the ability to assemble multi-brand bundles without authorization letters.
Camera product type bundles
Bundles listed in the camera product type are also exempt. Camera bundles have a long history as seller-assembled packages with genuine customer value. Amazon preserved this exemption for the camera category while extending manufacturer-packaging requirements to most of the rest of the catalog.
Categories That Now Open Up
Notably, alongside the restrictions the January 2027 update introduces, it also opens bundling in categories that were previously ineligible. This is an important detail that most coverage of this policy change has not emphasized.
Books, Music, Video, DVD, and Video Games
Specifically, these categories previously sat outside Amazon’s bundling eligibility entirely. From January 11, 2027, sellers can create bundle ASINs in Books, Music, Video, DVD, and Video Games, subject to standard bundling rules. This is a meaningful expansion for sellers in these categories who have been unable to bundle complementary products. A book bundled with a companion workbook, a vinyl record bundled with a cleaning kit, or a video game bundled with a strategy guide all become viable configurations under the updated policy.
Gift cards and service plans inside bundles
Additionally, the updated policy permits gift cards and service plans to be included as components within a bundle. Adding a gift card or a service plan to a physical product bundle is now a permitted configuration. This opens up product protection plan bundling for categories where extended warranty products have commercial value, such as electronics and appliances.
How to Get a Brand Authorization Letter
Specifically, for seller-assembled bundles containing third-party brand products, a letter of authorization from each brand owner is the path to continued compliance after January 11. The letter does not guarantee that Amazon will approve the bundle, but it provides the documented basis for the bundle to remain active.
What the letter must cover
Specifically, an adequate letter of authorization for Amazon bundling purposes identifies the brand owner and the authorizing entity, specifically names the seller being authorized, describes the products covered by the authorization, states that the seller is authorized to bundle those products, and is dated and signed by someone with authority to grant that authorization. The letter must cover every brand in the bundle. A bundle with two third-party brands needs two separate letters, one from each brand owner.
Where to upload the letter
Notably, Amazon’s process for submitting brand authorization letters is currently triggered after a listing is identified as noncompliant, rather than proactively before the deadline. The upload destination is the Account Health dashboard, where a notification will appear if Amazon flags a specific bundle as noncompliant after January 11. Sellers who have authorization letters ready before the deadline are in a better position to respond quickly when a flag appears than sellers who have not yet contacted brand owners.
When authorization will not be available
However, some brand owners will not grant authorization. Large consumer brands, brands that sell directly on Amazon, and brands with selective distribution policies routinely decline to authorize third-party sellers to bundle their products. For these situations, the correct action is to sell through the noncompliant inventory before January 11 rather than waiting for a deactivation notice after the deadline. Contact our Amazon listing suspensions team if a bundle deactivation has already occurred and you need to assess your options.
What Happens to Noncompliant Bundles After January 11
Specifically, the enforcement mechanism for noncompliant bundles under the January 2027 update is direct and creates compounding problems if bundles are not addressed before the deadline.
Listing deactivation
Noncompliant bundle ASINs will be deactivated starting January 11, 2027. The listing goes dark, the Buy Box disappears, and sales stop. Unlike some Amazon listing suspensions where the path to reinstatement is clear, noncompliant bundles under this policy face a structural compliance problem: the listing cannot be reinstated without either demonstrating that the bundle is exempt, providing valid authorization letters, or restructuring the bundle entirely.
Account Health recording
Additionally, each deactivated bundle counts as a listing violation on the Account Health dashboard. This is the compounding element that makes the January 2027 deadline significant beyond individual bundle revenue. A seller with fifteen noncompliant bundle ASINs who does nothing before January 11 receives fifteen listing violations on their Account Health record on or shortly after that date. Accumulated listing violations affect the Account Health Rating score, which Amazon uses to determine eligibility for programs including Account Health Assurance. Sellers who let multiple bundles go noncompliant simultaneously face a more complex account health remediation problem alongside the individual listing issues.
The Five-Step Bundle Audit to Run Right Now
Specifically, the audit process is straightforward but time-sensitive. Running it now, rather than in December, leaves enough time to obtain authorization letters, restructure listings, or sell through inventory before the deadline creates an enforcement problem.
Step 1: Pull your complete bundle ASIN list
Specifically, in Seller Central, filter your active listings by product type and identify every ASIN that is a bundle, kit, or multipack. Download the list. If you are unsure which ASINs are bundles, check product detail pages for listings that combine multiple units under a single ASIN at a price above any individual component.
Step 2: Identify the brand ownership situation for each bundle
Specifically, for each bundle ASIN, identify whether you own the brand for all products in the bundle, whether some products are from brands you do not own, and whether the bundle arrived pre-packaged from your supplier or you assembled it. Own-brand and manufacturer-packaged bundles are compliant. Third-party brand bundles assembled by the seller need authorization or a sell-through plan.
Step 3: Check each bundle for exemptions
Specifically, before deciding how to handle a noncompliant bundle, check whether it qualifies for an exemption: is it listed in a gifting browse node, is it in the camera product type, or is it created through Amazon’s Virtual Bundles tool? Any bundle that qualifies for an exemption requires no action under this policy change.
Step 4: Contact brand owners for authorization letters
Additionally, for bundles that are not exempt and contain third-party brand products, contact the brand owner’s authorized representative and request a letter of authorization specifically for Amazon bundling. Describe the specific products and ASINs covered, explain the January 11 deadline, and request a signed letter on company letterhead. Start this outreach now. Brand owners may take weeks to respond, and some will decline entirely.
Step 5: Build a sell-through plan for bundles without authorization
Finally, for any bundle where authorization is declined or unavailable, the correct action is removing the listing before January 11 and selling through or removing the associated FBA inventory. Bundles that are proactively delisted before the deadline do not generate Account Health listing violations. Any bundle that remains active past January 11 without authorization generates violations automatically.
The Sell-Through Strategy for Noncompliant Inventory
Specifically, sellers who need to sell through noncompliant bundle inventory before January 11 have a commercial opportunity to generate revenue from that inventory rather than simply writing it off or requesting removal orders.
Sell bundles normally through the holiday quarter
Amazon confirmed that noncompliant bundles can continue selling before January 11. Notably, peak season is entirely unaffected. A seller with noncompliant bundle inventory can run those listings through Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday shopping period normally, extracting the full commercial value of the inventory before the enforcement date. The key operational step is setting a reminder to delist the specific ASINs by January 10, 2027, before enforcement triggers violations.
Price to move what will not sell naturally
Additionally, for noncompliant bundle inventory that is unlikely to sell through at current pricing by January 11, consider price reductions in December to accelerate sell-through. Generating some margin from discounted inventory before a forced removal is a better outcome than a removal order plus Account Health violations for listings left active past the deadline.
FBA inventory removal for what will not sell
Additionally, for noncompliant bundle inventory that is unlikely to sell through even with price reductions, submit removal orders for FBA inventory before January 11. A removal order prevents the listing from generating sales past the deadline and removes the inventory from Amazon’s network before enforcement begins. Contact our Amazon listing suspensions team if you need guidance on coordinating listing removal with inventory removal for multiple noncompliant ASINs.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Amazon Bundling Policy Update
Do I need to do anything if I only bundle my own brand’s products?
No. The January 2027 policy targets seller-assembled bundles that combine products from brands the seller does not own without authorization. If all products in your bundle belong to your own brand, you are the brand owner and no authorization is required. Private label sellers and brand owners who bundle their own products are unaffected by this change and do not need to take any action for existing or future bundle ASINs.
My supplier sent the products already bundled. Is that compliant?
Yes, if the bundle arrived pre-packaged from the original manufacturer or brand. A bundle that the brand assembled and packaged before it reached the seller is exactly what the updated policy is designed to protect. Your documentation for a question about these bundles would be your supplier invoices showing the products were purchased as a bundled unit, and any brand packaging or labeling that confirms the bundle configuration came from the manufacturer rather than from you.
What if the brand owner refuses to give me an authorization letter?
A brand owner is not required to authorize third-party sellers to bundle their products, and many will decline. If authorization is unavailable, the correct action before January 11 is to sell through or remove the noncompliant bundle inventory and delist the ASIN before the enforcement date. A proactively delisted bundle does not generate Account Health violations. Contact our Amazon listing suspensions team if a bundle deactivation has already occurred before you completed the sell-through, or if you need help navigating the authorization letter process with a brand owner.
Will Amazon notify me if a specific bundle is flagged as noncompliant?
Yes. Amazon has stated that noncompliant bundles will generate an email notification and an Account Health dashboard entry when they are deactivated. That notification will appear in the Account Health section, where the letter of authorization upload option will also be available for bundles where you have authorization ready to submit. Practically, sellers who have done the audit and have authorization letters prepared before January 11 are positioned to respond to deactivation notices immediately, rather than scrambling to contact brand owners after the fact.
How DAM Law Firm Can Help
DAM Law Firm handles Amazon listing suspensions and Account Health violations including those arising from bundling policy enforcement, with same-day assessment of the compliance situation and the options available.
Bundle deactivation and Account Health violation response
If bundles are deactivated after January 11 and Account Health violations accumulate, our Amazon listing suspensions team assesses which deactivations can be reversed through authorization letter submission, which require listing restructuring, and which represent a broader Account Health issue requiring a coordinated response across multiple ASINs.
Brand authorization disputes
When a brand owner disputes a seller’s right to bundle their products, or when a brand’s complaint about unauthorized bundling has triggered enforcement action beyond the January 11 deactivation, our Amazon intellectual property complaints team handles the IP dimension alongside the listing compliance issue. Unauthorized bundling can generate IP complaints in addition to bundling policy violations. Both tracks require attention simultaneously.
Related DAM Law Firm services:
- Amazon Listing Suspensions: bundle deactivation response and Account Health violation remediation
- Amazon Intellectual Property Complaints: IP complaints arising from unauthorized bundling of branded products
- Amazon Account Suspensions: account-level action when multiple bundle violations affect Account Health Rating
- Amazon Brand Protection: brand owners who want to enforce against unauthorized bundling of their products
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Amazon’s policies are subject to change. Contact DAM Law Firm for legal advice tailored to your situation.
