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Compliance

Selling on Amazon US: The Rules That Get You Delisted

Amazon's compliance enforcement works differently from government regulation. The FCC does not scan Amazon listings for missing FCC IDs. The CPSC does not crawl Seller Central for missing CPCs. But Amazon does. Its automated compliance systems flag listings, request documentation, and suppress ASINs — and the seller gets a notification with a deadline.

The most common reason a product listing gets removed on Amazon is not a safety violation. It is that the seller could not produce the required compliance documents within the deadline Amazon gave them. The compliance existed, or could have existed — but it was not structured, not accessible, and not upload-ready when Amazon asked.

This guide covers the compliance documentation Amazon requires by product category and how to have it ready before the enforcement notice arrives.

On the Sustalium platform, the sellers who survive Amazon's compliance sweeps without listing disruptions are not the ones with the best compliance programs — they are the ones who can produce every required document for every ASIN within the 72-hour window Amazon gives them. Compliance that exists but cannot be found might as well not exist.

Not sure which documents your Amazon category requires? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select your product type and the US, and see every certificate, test report, and warning Amazon's system expects for that category.

US PFAS Laws: Maine, Minnesota & Multi-State Rules

There is no comprehensive federal PFAS ban in the United States — yet. Instead, a rapidly growing patchwork of state laws is creating one of the most administratively complex compliance landscapes in the country. Maine and Minnesota have passed the most sweeping PFAS restrictions. California, New York, Vermont, Washington, Colorado, and more than a dozen other states have enacted product-specific PFAS bans covering food packaging, cosmetics, textiles, carpets, firefighting foam, and children's products. For a manufacturer selling into multiple US states, the question is no longer "does my product contain PFAS?" but "which state's threshold applies to which product category?"

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) — often called "forever chemicals" — are a class of approximately 12,000 synthetic chemicals used for their water, grease, and stain-resistant properties. The EPA has designated PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under CERCLA, and the agency has set enforceable drinking water standards for six PFAS compounds. But for product manufacturers, the compliance obligation today comes primarily from state laws — and the two most sweeping are Maine's LD 1503 and Minnesota's Amara's Law.

US Cosmetics Brand: What Most Founders Overlook

The gap between making a great lipstick in your kitchen and selling it legally in the United States is wider than most founders expect. Since MoCRA was signed into law in 2022, cosmetic regulation in the US changed fundamentally — facility registration is now mandatory, product listing is mandatory, safety substantiation is mandatory, and adverse event reporting is mandatory. And if you also sell in Europe, you need a separate EU Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR) before your product reaches the market.

This guide walks through launching a cosmetics brand with the regulatory steps at each stage — so you are not discovering MoCRA requirements the week your product is supposed to ship.

On the Sustalium platform, the pattern we see with cosmetics brands is consistent: the founder handles formulation, packaging, branding, and website — then discovers MoCRA product listing and safety substantiation exist when Amazon requests the documentation. The compliance obligation has been in place for two years. The brand simply did not know it applied to them.

Not sure which regulations govern your cosmetics brand? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select Cosmetics and your target market, and see every framework from FDA MoCRA to the EU CPSR and UK SCPN notification.

NY Fashion Act: Supply Chain Due Diligence Law

New York is the fashion capital of the United States, and the New York Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act (originally introduced in 2021 as Senate Bill S7428 / Assembly Bill A8352 and reintroduced in 2023) is the most aggressive state-level fashion regulation proposed in the country. If passed, it would require fashion brands and retailers doing business in New York with more than $100 million in global revenue to map their supply chains, disclose environmental and social impacts, and set binding targets for improvement.

The NY Fashion Act is modeled in part on the French Duty of Vigilance Law (LdV) and the EU's CSDDD — but specifically tailored to the fashion, footwear, and apparel industry. On the Sustalium platform, we are already seeing fashion brands begin to structure their supply chain data in anticipation of the legislation, because the mapping and disclosure requirements mirror what their European operations are already doing under CSRD and CSDDD.

FDA MoCRA: Cosmetic Compliance & Registration

Before the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA) was signed into law in December 2022, cosmetic manufacturers could legally sell products in the US without ever registering with the FDA or listing a single product ingredient. The FDA had no authority to recall unsafe cosmetics, no mandatory adverse event reporting system for cosmetics, and no requirement that manufacturers substantiate product safety. MoCRA changed all of that in a single legislative package the most significant overhaul of US cosmetic regulation since the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938.

MoCRA imposes mandatory facility registration, product listing, safety substantiation, adverse event reporting, and for the first time gives the FDA mandatory recall authority over cosmetics. On the Sustalium platform, the MoCRA-related compliance activity we see most is cosmetic brands and contract manufacturers reconciling their ingredient lists with the FDA's product listing format because the FDA's electronic submission portal requires structured ingredient data, and most brands' internal records are not yet structured to match.

Electronics in the US: What Most Sellers Overlook

Starting an electronics brand costs more than most founders expect and not because of manufacturing. It is the testing and certification. Every electronic product sold in the US requires FCC compliance as a matter of federal law. UL certification is commercially mandatory even where it is not legally required. And if you sell on Amazon, you need both plus a General Certificate of Conformity before your listing goes live.

This guide walks through launching an electronics product with the compliance planned and budgeted from the start.

On the Sustalium platform, the gap we see between electronics brands that launch on time and electronics brands that delay their launch by months is pre-compliance testing. The brands that send a prototype to the lab for a pre-scan before the formal FCC test identify emissions problems while they can still fix them at the PCB stage. The brands that go straight to formal testing discover the problem when the test report says "fail" and they have already cut tooling.

Not sure which regulations apply to your electronics product? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map select Electronics and your target market, and see every framework from FCC and UL to e-waste and Prop 65.

CA TPPA: Toxics in Packaging Compliance Guide

The Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse (TPCH) — a coalition of 19 US states — regularly screens packaging for restricted heavy metals and publishes its findings. In its most recent screening report, the TPCH found that packaging from several major brands and retailers contained cadmium and lead above the 100 ppm threshold, with the highest concentrations appearing in inks, pigments, and plastic colorants rather than the base packaging material itself. This matters because the enforcement target is shifting: it is no longer enough to certify the substrate. Every component layer — inks, coatings, adhesives — must independently comply.

The California Toxics in Packaging Prevention Act (TPPA) — codified at Health and Safety Code §§ 25214.11–25214.26 — prohibits the intentional use of cadmium, lead, mercury, and hexavalent chromium in any packaging or packaging component sold or distributed in California. Nineteen other states have adopted identical legislation through the TPCH model. On the Sustalium platform, we see TPPA compliance appearing most frequently in packaging declarations for consumer goods, cosmetics, and food products — sectors where California distribution is essentially guaranteed and the multi-state nature of the requirement means companies must comply across a patchwork of state laws with a single, consistent Certificate of Compliance.

Importing Toys Into the US: What Nobody Tells You

Toys are the most regulated consumer product category in the United States — and the compliance cost is not optional. Unlike adult furniture or general apparel, where you can issue a GCC based on a reasonable testing program, every toy sold in the US requires third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted laboratory, a Children's Product Certificate (CPC), and a tracking label permanently affixed to the product.

If you are importing toys for the first time — whether you designed them yourself or are sourcing from a manufacturer — the compliance path is the same. On the Sustalium platform, the single most common CPC rejection we see is a mismatch between the manufacturer name on the certificate and the importer name on the seller account. The testing is fine. The paperwork is wrong. Here is what you need before your toys reach a US port.

Not sure which CPSC standards apply to your toy? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — select Toys and the US, and see every applicable framework from ASTM F963 to state packaging rules.

US Clothing Brand: The Rules Most Founders Miss

Starting a clothing brand looks simple: design some pieces, find a manufacturer, launch a website. What catches most first-time apparel founders off guard is the compliance — not the design. Your fabric choice affects which flammability standard applies. Your trim supplier determines whether you need a Prop 65 warning. Your packaging can make your product illegal in California if it fails a heavy metal test.

This guide walks through launching a clothing brand with the compliance steps built in at each stage — so you are not reworking labels and repackaging inventory the week before launch.

On the Sustalium platform, the apparel compliance issue we see most often is not missing flammability tests — it is missing Prop 65 assessments. A brand launches a clothing line with a valid GCC, correct FTC labels, and compliant packaging. Six months later, a Prop 65 enforcement notice arrives because a metal zipper or a screen-printed design contained a listed chemical above the safe harbor level. The testing costs $300. The settlement costs 100 times that.

Not sure which rules apply to your clothing brand? Use the Sustalium Global Compliance Map — pick your market and product type, and see every framework from CPSC flammability to state PFAS restrictions.

US Lacey Act: Import Declaration for Plant Products

In 2023 and 2024, US Customs and Border Protection stepped up seizures of imported wood products with incomplete or inaccurate Lacey Act declarations — including multiple container-loads of hardwood flooring and furniture from Southeast Asia. CBP's enforcement focus has shifted from high-profile criminal prosecutions to routine port-level verification: if the species, country of harvest, or quantity on your PPQ 505 form does not match the shipment, the goods are detained, and the importer of record bears the cost of storage, re-export, or destruction.

The US Lacey Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 3371–3378) was originally enacted in 1900 to combat wildlife trafficking. The 2008 amendment extended it to plants and plant products, creating a mandatory import declaration regime that covers an enormous range of goods — from raw timber to finished furniture, paper, and musical instruments. On the Sustalium platform, we see Lacey Act declarations becoming a more frequent request in the furniture and construction materials supply chains, as US retailers strengthen their import compliance programs.