Merch by Amazon Compliance Checklist: Pre-Submission Review

What Should You Check Before Submitting an MBA Listing?

Every Merch by Amazon listing goes through a review process. Rejections slow your tier progression and, if they pile up, risk your account standing. This checklist covers the most common reasons Amazon rejects listings so you can catch issues before submitting.

Use this as a pre-submission review. Each section includes the rule, why it matters, and how to verify compliance.

Key takeaway: You don’t need to memorize Amazon’s entire content policy. Checking these items before each submission covers the vast majority of rejection triggers.

Prohibited Content

These rules apply to both your design image and all listing text fields (title, brand, bullets, description).

#	Rule	Why It Matters	How to Check
1	No hate speech, violence, or sexually explicit content	Violates Amazon’s Content Policy; immediate rejection or account action	Review your design and text for anything that could be interpreted as offensive out of context
2	No promotion of illegal activities	Includes drug references, weapons, and illegal services	Check that humor or parody designs don’t cross into promoting illegal acts
3	No misleading health or safety claims	Claims like “cures anxiety” or “medically proven” are prohibited	Remove any health, safety, or medical language from all fields
4	No superlatives or unverifiable claims	”Best quality,” “#1,” “guaranteed” — you can’t verify these for print-on-demand	Search your text for superlatives and guarantees; replace with descriptive language
5	No promotional language	”Sale,” “discount,” “limited time,” “free shipping” are all prohibited	Scan all fields for pricing, shipping, or promotional terms
6	No contact information or external URLs	Amazon doesn’t allow directing buyers off-platform	Check that no email addresses, phone numbers, social handles, or URLs appear in any field

Key takeaway: When in doubt about whether something is “too edgy” or a “gray area,” choose the safer option. One rejected listing can stall your tier progression.

Formatting and Character Limits

Character limit violations are the easiest rejections to prevent — they’re purely mechanical.

Field	Max Characters	Pass Criteria
Title	200	Under 200 characters including spaces; no ALL CAPS; natural language (not keyword lists)
Brand	50	Under 50 characters; consistent across your catalog; not a trademarked name
Bullet 1	256	Under 256 characters; descriptive sentence (not empty)
Bullet 2	256	Under 256 characters; descriptive sentence (not empty)
Description	2000	Under 2000 characters; no HTML tags; no external URLs

See the complete character limits guide for recommended lengths and formatting best practices.

Special Characters to Avoid

Character	Symbol	Status
Angle brackets	< >	Prohibited
Curly braces	{ }	Prohibited
Pipe	|	Prohibited
Tilde	~	Prohibited
Caret	^	Prohibited
Backslash	\	Prohibited
Smart quotes	" " ' '	Risky — use straight quotes instead
Em dash	—	Risky — use a hyphen instead

How to check: Copy your text into a plain text editor to strip hidden formatting. If you’re pasting from Google Docs or Word, smart quotes and em dashes often sneak in.

Capitalization Rules

• Title case is fine: “Funny Camping Shirt for Outdoor Lovers”
• ALL CAPS is risky: “FUNNY CAMPING SHIRT FOR OUTDOOR LOVERS” may be suppressed or rejected
• Random capitalization: “fUnNy CaMpInG sHiRt” will likely be rejected

Image Requirements

Image rejections are less common than text rejections but harder to diagnose because Amazon’s error messages are vague.

#	Rule	Requirement	How to Check
1	Minimum resolution	Varies by product type; typically 300 DPI at print dimensions	Check your export settings before uploading
2	Correct file format	PNG with transparent background (for most product types)	Verify file format and transparency in your image editor
3	Safe zone compliance	Critical design elements must be within the printable area	Use Amazon’s official templates to verify placement
4	No upscaled low-res images	Amazon may reject visibly pixelated or artifacted designs	Zoom to 100% and check for blur, artifacts, or jagged edges
5	No embedded text that violates content policy	Text in the design is reviewed the same as listing metadata	Read all text in your design against the prohibited content rules above
6	No watermarks or third-party branding	Your uploaded design must be clean for production	Remove any mockup watermarks, stock photo marks, or tool branding

Key takeaway: Always use the official Amazon product templates. They define the exact safe zone and dimensions for each product type.

Intellectual Property Awareness

IP violations are the most serious type of rejection. They carry more weight toward account suspension than formatting errors.

#	Check	How to Verify
1	Design doesn’t contain trademarked logos, characters, or symbols	Visual review against known brands; when unsure, search USPTO TESS
2	Listing text doesn’t include trademarked phrases	Search USPTO TESS for phrases you’re unsure about
3	Brand name isn’t trademarked by another entity	Search your brand name in USPTO TESS before first use
4	Design doesn’t copy or closely imitate another seller’s work	Browse Amazon for similar designs before submitting
5	No copyrighted artwork, fonts, or photography	Verify licensing for all assets used in your design

Important: MerchMuse does not perform trademark lookups. Trademark and copyright verification is your responsibility. Always search USPTO TESS before using phrases you’re unsure about.

Quick-Reference Summary

Use this condensed checklist for fast pre-submission review:

Content:

• No offensive, violent, or explicit content
• No misleading claims or superlatives
• No promotional language or pricing mentions
• No contact info or external URLs

Formatting:

• Title under 200 characters, natural language, no ALL CAPS
• Brand under 50 characters
• Both bullets under 256 characters each, non-empty
• Description under 2000 characters, no HTML
• No prohibited special characters

Images:

• Meets resolution requirements for product type
• PNG with transparent background
• Design within safe zone
• No watermarks or third-party branding

IP:

• Searched USPTO TESS for uncertain phrases
• Brand name verified as not trademarked
• Design assets properly licensed

MerchMuse automatically checks for banned phrases, character limits, and formatting issues during listing generation — helping reduce rejection risk before you submit to Amazon. See the compliance checker for details on what gets scanned automatically.

For a walkthrough of the most common rejection mistakes, see How to Avoid MBA Rejections.

FAQ

Does this checklist cover everything Amazon reviews?

No. This checklist covers the most common reasons listings get rejected, but Amazon’s review process includes checks that aren’t publicly documented. Following this checklist significantly reduces your rejection risk but does not guarantee approval.

How often does Amazon update its content policies?

Amazon updates its policies periodically without advance notice. Major changes are sometimes announced in seller forums or Seller Central notifications. It’s good practice to review the Amazon Content Policy page quarterly.

Should I check every listing or just new designs?

Check every listing. Even if you’ve submitted similar designs before, policy enforcement can change, and small text differences can trigger new flags. Running a compliance check takes less time than resubmitting a rejected listing.

Can MerchMuse run this checklist automatically?

MerchMuse scans for banned phrases, character limits, and policy violations during listing generation. It covers the formatting and content sections of this checklist automatically. For IP checks (trademarks, copyrights), you need to verify those yourself using USPTO TESS and your own due diligence.