Amazon’s Recent Ban on Mylar Bags and Other Potentially At Risk Products

Amazon just announced that multicolored and non-transparent Mylar bags must be pulled out from their store effective August 5, 2022. 😲

Affected FBA sellers with leftover stock of these bags in Amazon warehouses are advised to file a request for removal no more than 30 days after the announcement was made in order to have their unsold Mylar bags returned to them.

Mylar Bags Affected By the Ban

Mylar bags – resealable foil pouches commonly used for food storage – come in clear, single color, and multicolor options.

⚠️ The ban only applies to Mylar bags that are non-transparent or multicolored, as these items fall under Amazon’s list of “Products associated with drugs and controlled substances.”

Transparent and single-color Mylar bags are still allowed to be sold in the store.

This can be a big blow to affected sellers as they will also have to shoulder the new (and much higher) removal fees issued by Amazon earlier this year on top of dealing with unsold inventory. 😟

Amazon didn’t share any details on how these types of Mylar bags ended up on their list of prohibited drug-related products, but it probably has to do with the 2017 case of Stashlogix.

These multi-compartment storage bags with odor-proof features and UV-proof jar containers were seized by the federal government after classifying it as drug paraphernalia. Mylar bags are also smell-proof, which make them suitable containers for marijuana and other illegal substances. 🤔

Mixed Reactions From Sellers

The general sentiment among sellers regarding this vague policy is confusion. Amazon didn’t even specify whose “regulatory requirements” they are following in implementing this ban and why. Some sellers believe Amazon is simply looking out for itself and lessening its risk for legal issues arising from the misuse of the product.

Other sellers think the government is to blame for this sudden ban, while some sellers see this policy as illogical, asserting that banning these bags is not the solution to drug abuse and that how people choose to use these bags is completely up to them.

A few sellers have also expressed their concern as to which product will be targeted next by Amazon. 🚨

In 2018, seemingly innocuous products like Safe Cans (for hiding small items like keys), Stash Car Key Safe (with a secret pill box), and boxer shorts (with secret pockets) were removed from Amazon UK, because some buyers reportedly used these items to smuggle illegal drugs into festivals. 😓

With that in mind, if you’re selling products cleverly designed to store small valuables, you may want to evaluate your catalog and perhaps hold off sending too much inventory to FBA to protect yourself from paying hefty removal fees should Amazon suddenly decide to ban them in the future.

Related: Amazon Compliance Reference Tool to Ensure Products Meet Requirements