As confirmed in Amazon’s Commercial Liability Insurance Requirements help page, two new commercial liability insurance requirements announced on September 3, 2026 take effect on November 2, 2026, and the more consequential of the two removes the sales volume threshold that has historically protected small sellers from the insurance requirement entirely: starting November 2, any Amazon seller with listings in one of Amazon’s 11 enhanced safety categories must carry at least $1 million in commercial liability coverage regardless of monthly sales volume, with no grace period for existing listings in those categories.
Under the existing rule, insurance kicks in within 30 days of exceeding $10,000 in gross proceeds in any single month. That threshold disappears for enhanced safety category sellers on November 2. A seller doing $500 a month in children’s toys, $800 a month in dietary supplements, or $1,200 a month in lithium-battery products will need a compliant $1 million policy by November 2 whether or not they have ever come close to the $10,000 threshold.
This post covers which 11 categories trigger the new requirement, what a compliant policy must include, the second change affecting Mainland China-based sellers, what Amazon does when it discovers a non-compliant seller, and the 55-day window before November 2 enforcement begins.
Why this change was announced now
Amazon published the September 3 announcement with 60 days of lead time before the November 2 enforcement date. That lead time is intentional. Underwriting for commercial liability policies in safety-sensitive categories takes two to four weeks in normal conditions. Amazon’s timing gives sellers enough runway to obtain coverage if they start immediately. Sellers who wait until October will find the runway has shortened materially.
⏰ November 2, 2026: 55 days away. Amazon announced these insurance changes on September 3, 2026. Sellers in enhanced safety categories who do not have a compliant policy by November 2 risk listing restrictions. Underwriting takes time. Start the Amazon seller insurance process now. Contact DAM Law Firm if your listings have already been restricted for insurance non-compliance.
The November 2, 2026 Amazon insurance changes at a glance:
Change 1 (affects all sellers in 11 categories): The $10,000 monthly sales threshold is removed for sellers with listings in enhanced safety categories. A $1 million commercial liability policy applies from the first sale in those categories, effective November 2. Applies to existing listings, not just new ones.
Change 2 (affects Mainland China-based sellers only): New insurance policies submitted by Mainland China-based sellers must come through Amazon’s Insurance Accelerator program. Policies from other insurers will not be accepted for new submissions. Existing valid policies are honored until expiry.
Unchanged for all other sellers: The existing rule requiring a $1 million policy within 30 days of exceeding $10,000 in gross proceeds in any single month remains in effect for sellers not in enhanced safety categories.
Table of Contents
- The 11 Enhanced Safety Categories That Trigger the New Requirement
- Who Is Affected and Why Small Sellers Are Most at Risk
- What a Compliant Policy Must Include
- The Amazon Insurance Accelerator Requirement for China-Based Sellers
- Existing Listings Are Not Exempt
- What Happens When Amazon Finds a Non-Compliant Seller
- How to Get a Compliant Policy Before November 2
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How DAM Law Firm Can Help
The 11 Enhanced Safety Categories That Trigger the New Requirement
Amazon’s September 3 announcement identifies 11 product categories as carrying enhanced safety listing requirements. Any seller with an active listing in one of these categories needs a compliant $1 million policy by November 2, regardless of sales volume. The categories are confirmed in Amazon’s updated Commercial Liability Insurance Requirements help page as of September 3, 2026.
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Children’s products | Toys, car seats, cribs, baby monitors, children’s clothing |
| Consumable and ingestible products | Dietary supplements, vitamins, protein powders, herbal products |
| Cosmetic products | Skincare, haircare, makeup, personal care products |
| Fire-related products | Candles, fire pits, lighters, fire starters |
| General household devices | Small kitchen appliances, air fryers, pressure cookers, blenders |
| Home medical devices | Blood pressure monitors, glucose meters, CPAP accessories |
| Lithium battery products | E-bikes, power banks, laptops, cordless tools |
| Outdoor power and heating equipment | Generators, space heaters, lawn mowers, chainsaws |
| Personal safety equipment | Helmets, safety harnesses, protective eyewear, respirators |
| Sleep products | Mattresses, pillows, bed frames, sleep aids |
| Transport-related products | Automotive parts, tires, bicycle components, scooters |
The examples column is illustrative, not exhaustive. Amazon’s actual category enforcement applies at the ASIN level through its enhanced safety listing requirement flags. A seller should check each ASIN in their catalog against Amazon’s current enhanced safety listing requirements page in Seller Central, not rely solely on the category names above. An ASIN may trigger the enhanced safety requirement even if its parent category is not on this list, and an ASIN within a listed category may or may not trigger it depending on the specific product type.
Who Is Affected and Why Small Sellers Are Most at Risk
The November 2 change is specifically designed to capture the long tail of low-volume sellers in safety-sensitive categories who have historically been below the $10,000 monthly threshold. Amazon’s announcement makes clear that the policy applies from the first sale in an affected category. This means a seller who has never come close to $10,000 in monthly sales is now subject to the same insurance requirement as a seven-figure seller in the same category.
The sellers most likely to be unaware
Specifically, three seller profiles are most likely to be caught off guard by the November 2 change. First, hobbyist and part-time sellers who list a small number of items in affected categories and have never triggered the $10,000 threshold. These sellers have had no prior reason to investigate Amazon’s insurance requirements. Second, multi-category sellers who have a compliant policy for their main category but whose catalog includes a few ASINs in an enhanced safety category they did not realize was subject to the requirement. Third, sellers who obtained a policy years ago when their sales were above $10,000 a month but have since seen volume decline. Their existing policy may still be valid, but they may not realize that November 2 changes the basis on which they need to maintain it going forward.
What “from the first sale” means in practice
Under the new rule, a seller who creates a new listing in an enhanced safety category on November 3 must already have a compliant policy in place before that listing generates its first sale. The 30-day grace period that applied under the old rule (triggered by exceeding $10,000) does not apply to the new enhanced safety category requirement. Without an existing compliant policy, a new listing in an affected category is immediately non-compliant from the moment the first sale occurs after November 2.
What a Compliant Policy Must Include
Amazon’s policy specifications have not changed under the November 2 update. What changed is who must have a policy, not what that policy must contain. A compliant policy must meet all of the following requirements, confirmed in Amazon’s Commercial Liability Insurance Requirements help page.
Policy type and coverage minimum
The policy must be commercial general liability, umbrella, or excess liability insurance. It must be written on an occurrence basis. Minimum coverage is $1 million per occurrence and $1 million in aggregate, with a maximum $10,000 deductible. The policy must cover all products the seller lists on Amazon, not only the products in the enhanced safety category that triggered the requirement. A seller with children’s toys in an enhanced safety category and electronics in a non-affected category needs a policy covering both, not just the toys.
Named insured and additional insured requirements
Specifically, the name on the policy must match the legal entity name registered on the Amazon selling account exactly. “Amazon.com Services LLC and its affiliates and assignees” must be named as additional insureds on the policy. The insurance provider must have global claim handling capability. Amazon will verify the certificate of insurance against the selling account’s legal entity name and reject certificates where the names do not match precisely, including differences as minor as “Inc.” versus “Incorporated” or a missing comma in the entity name.
Claims-made policies: limited exceptions
Importantly, Amazon requires occurrence-based policies for most product categories. Claims-made policies work for a narrow set of categories including pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements, ingestible products, chemicals, critical automotive parts, and children’s consumable products that are not insurable under an occurrence policy form. Sellers in these specific categories who use a claims-made policy must obtain a three-year tail coverage provision. All other sellers must use occurrence-based policies, and a claims-made policy submitted for a category where occurrence-based coverage is required will be rejected.
The Amazon Insurance Accelerator Requirement for China-Based Sellers
The second November 2 change applies only to sellers based in Mainland China. Starting November 2, new insurance policies submitted by Mainland China-based sellers must come through Amazon’s Insurance Accelerator program. Policies from insurers outside the Amazon Insurance Accelerator network will not be accepted for new policy submissions from China-based sellers after that date.
What the Amazon Insurance Accelerator is
The Amazon Insurance Accelerator is Amazon’s network of vetted insurance providers who offer policies specifically designed to meet Amazon’s requirements. Sellers enrolled in the program can purchase qualifying policies directly through Seller Central. The Accelerator was introduced specifically to address the difficulty China-based sellers have faced obtaining occurrence-based policies from insurers with global claim handling capability. For US-based and other non-China sellers, the Amazon Insurance Accelerator remains optional. Any insurer meeting Amazon’s specifications can provide a qualifying policy for sellers outside Mainland China.
Existing policies for China-based sellers
A valid policy submitted by a Mainland China-based seller before November 2, 2026, is honored until it expires. The Accelerator requirement applies to new policy submissions, not to existing valid policies. China-based sellers who currently have a compliant policy should check its expiration date. If the policy expires after November 2, renewal must go through the Amazon Insurance Accelerator when that renewal is submitted.
Existing Listings Are Not Exempt
One of the most commercially significant details in the November 2 change is that it applies to existing listings, not only new ones created after that date. A seller who has had a children’s product ASIN listed for three years without needing a policy because their monthly sales never exceeded $10,000 must have a compliant policy in place by November 2, 2026, regardless of that ASIN’s sales history.
Dormant and low-volume listings carry the same requirement
Under the new rule, a listing that generated two sales in the past six months in a children’s products category carries the same insurance requirement as an active listing with 500 monthly sales. Amazon’s enhanced safety category requirement applies at the ASIN level, not at the sales volume level. Accordingly, sellers who have dormant ASINs in affected categories should either obtain compliant coverage or remove the listings before November 2 if they do not intend to actively sell those products. Leaving a dormant enhanced safety category ASIN listed without coverage after November 2 creates a non-compliance risk even if no sales occur.
The catalog audit that November 2 requires
The correct preparation step is a full catalog audit. Every Amazon seller insurance requirement starts with knowing which ASINs trigger it. This audit identifies every ASIN that triggers the requirement, distinguishes those ASINs from the broader catalog, and determines whether the seller’s current policy (if any) covers all triggered ASINs. Sellers who have never checked whether individual ASINs in their catalog carry enhanced safety listing flags may find the audit surfaces more affected products than the category names alone would suggest.
What Happens When Amazon Finds a Non-Compliant Seller
Notably, Amazon’s enforcement mechanism for commercial liability insurance non-compliance is listing restriction rather than account suspension in the first instance. Affected listings are restricted until a compliant certificate of insurance is uploaded to Seller Central. However, repeated non-compliance or failure to respond to Amazon’s insurance verification requests can escalate to broader account consequences.
How Amazon identifies non-compliant sellers
Amazon uses two channels to spot non-compliance. Proactive verification cross-references enhanced safety listing flags against the insurance certificate on file. Event-triggered review is the second path: a product liability claim, customer safety complaint, or policy notice involving an enhanced safety category product triggers an insurance verification review. Accordingly, sellers who are non-compliant at the time of a product liability event face both the enforcement consequence from Amazon and potential uninsured liability exposure for the underlying claim.
The 30-day response window for insurance requests
When Amazon sends an insurance verification request, sellers have 30 days to upload a compliant certificate. However, the restrictions are lifted only when a compliant certificate is uploaded. Failure to upload within that window results in listing restrictions on the affected ASINs, and the enforcement event is recorded in the account’s history. Multiple insurance non-compliance events can contribute to Account Health concerns beyond the listing restriction itself. Sellers who receive an insurance verification request should treat it as urgent regardless of whether the November 2 deadline is imminent.
How to Get a Compliant Policy Before November 2
Fortunately, fifty-five days is enough time to obtain a compliant policy. However, it is not enough time to be casual about starting the process. Commercial liability insurance underwriting for Amazon sellers with affected product categories can take two to four weeks from initial application to policy issuance, and quotes vary significantly across insurers. Starting the process in September is materially better than starting in October.
Step 1: Audit your catalog for enhanced safety category ASINs
First, in Seller Central, navigate to the Inventory section and check each ASIN for enhanced safety listing requirement flags. Amazon’s Commercial Liability Insurance Requirements help page lists the current set of enhanced safety categories. Cross-reference every ASIN in the catalog against those categories. Document every ASIN that triggers the requirement. This list becomes the scope of coverage the policy must address.
Step 2: Determine whether an existing policy already covers you
Sellers who already have a commercial liability policy should review it against the November 2 requirements before assuming compliance. Key questions to ask: Does the policy cover all products listed on Amazon, including the enhanced safety category ASINs? Is the policy occurrence-based (or claims-made with appropriate tail coverage for the specific categories where claims-made is accepted)? Does the certificate name “Amazon.com Services LLC and its affiliates and assignees” as additional insureds? Also, does the insured name match the legal entity name on the Amazon account exactly? A policy that fails any of these tests is non-compliant regardless of its coverage limit.
Step 3: Obtain quotes from multiple insurers
Notably, Amazon does not require sellers to use the Amazon Insurance Accelerator unless they are Mainland China-based. US-based sellers can use any insurer meeting Amazon’s specifications. Obtaining two or three quotes before committing gives sellers options and a pricing benchmark. Underwriting takes time, so starting early matters. Annual premiums for Amazon seller commercial liability policies vary widely depending on product category, sales volume, and coverage history. Starting with insurers who specialize in e-commerce seller policies speeds the underwriting process, as they are familiar with Amazon’s specific requirements and can issue certificates in the correct format.
Step 4: Upload the certificate to Seller Central before November 2
Once a compliant policy is issued, upload the certificate of insurance to Seller Central through the Insurance Manager tool under Account Info. The certificate must show the policy effective date, coverage limits, named insureds, and the insurer’s information in a format Amazon’s system can verify. Allow processing time after upload. Amazon’s verification is not instantaneous, and a certificate uploaded on November 1 may not be processed before November 2 enforcement begins. Uploading at least two weeks before the deadline provides margin for any verification issues.
Frequently Asked Questions About the November 2 Insurance Changes
I sell a small number of items in a children’s products category and have never hit $10,000 a month. Do I really need to get insurance?
Yes, after November 2, 2026. After November 2, the $10,000 monthly threshold no longer applies to sellers with listings in enhanced safety categories. Coverage applies from the first sale in those categories. If you have an active listing in children’s products on November 2 and no compliant policy, you are non-compliant. The size of your sales volume does not change the requirement.
I already have a commercial liability policy. Am I compliant?
Only if your existing policy meets all of Amazon’s requirements: $1 million per occurrence and in aggregate, max $10,000 deductible, occurrence-based, covers all Amazon-listed products, names Amazon as additional insured, and the insured name matches your legal entity on the account exactly. Many sellers have policies that meet the coverage limit but fail on the named insured, entity name match, or occurrence-based requirements. Review your current certificate against all five requirements before assuming compliance.
What is the difference between occurrence-based and claims-made insurance?
An occurrence-based policy covers incidents that happen during the policy period, regardless of when the claim is filed. A claims-made policy covers claims filed during the policy period, regardless of when the incident occurred. Amazon requires occurrence-based policies for most categories because they provide coverage for incidents that may not surface as claims until after the policy expires. Claims-made policies are only accepted for the specific categories listed in Amazon’s requirements (pharmaceuticals, ingestible products, chemicals, and a few others), and then only with a three-year tail coverage provision.
Amazon is asking me to upload proof of insurance but my listing is not in an enhanced safety category. What triggers this?
Amazon can request proof of insurance from any seller at any time under the existing BSA Section 9 requirement, regardless of category or sales volume. The November 2 changes expand the categories that require insurance proactively, but Amazon has always had the right to request a certificate from any seller it deems appropriate. If Amazon has requested proof of insurance and you do not have a compliant policy, the 30-day response window is already running. Contact our Amazon listing suspensions team if your listings have already been restricted pending insurance verification.
How DAM Law Firm Can Help
DAM Law Firm handles the enforcement consequences when Amazon’s insurance requirements produce listing restrictions or account actions, and advises sellers on the compliance steps required to restore listings and avoid recurrence.
Listing reinstatement after insurance-related restrictions
When Amazon has restricted listings pending insurance verification and a seller has uploaded a compliant certificate without the restrictions being lifted, our Amazon listing suspensions team escalates the reinstatement request through Seller Central case escalation with the insurance documentation as evidence of compliance. For sellers whose insurance non-compliance has escalated to broader account consequences beyond listing restriction, our Amazon account suspensions team handles the account-level response while the listing reinstatement proceeds in parallel.
Compliance review for the November 2 deadline
For sellers who want a legal review of whether their current insurance arrangement meets Amazon’s November 2 requirements before the deadline, our Amazon product compliance team reviews the certificate of insurance against Amazon’s current requirements and identifies any gaps. A compliance review conducted now, with 55 days before the deadline, allows time to obtain a compliant policy before enforcement begins. Waiting until late October may not leave enough time to address identified gaps.
Related DAM Law Firm services:
- Amazon Listing Suspensions: reinstatement after insurance-related listing restrictions
- Amazon Account Suspensions: account-level response when insurance non-compliance escalates beyond listing restriction
- Amazon Product Compliance: pre-November 2 compliance review of existing insurance arrangements
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Amazon’s insurance requirements are subject to change. Contact DAM Law Firm for legal advice tailored to your situation.
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