This post will cover the compliance topic of the Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) for selling on Amazon. As a seller on Amazon, you have a responsibility to ensure the products you sell have the correct safety and quality certifications. Amazon customers need to feel confident the products they are purchasing are safe to use, especially products intended for children. Amazon requires sellers to keep up-to-date certifications on listings. If you do not keep the documents up to date, Amazon may remove your products from the Amazon store. This post will cover an overview of the Children’s Product Certificate, identifying requirements for Amazon listings, and how to upload CPC documents to Amazon.
Children's Product Certificate CPC Overview
This section will define what the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) considers a children’s product, the components of a CPC, and an example CPC.
Children’s Product Defined
In the US, children’s products are defined as consumer products designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger. The government agency responsible for promoting safety in consumer products is the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC regulates and is subject to a set of rules called children’s product safety rules. As an Amazon seller, you need to know if your product falls within the definition of a children’s product.
Children’s Product Certificate CPC Components
The Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) is a document that outlines important information about a product that certifies that a children’s product meets federal safety standards. Generally speaking, it is to ensure that the product does not pose any hazards to children. This test must be completed by a CPSC-accepted laboratory in English. The components of a CPC must include all of the following:
Identification of the Product - The product must be defined in enough detail to match each product it covers. On CPC documents the ASIN takes precedence over all other product identifiers including SKU, UPC, or product name.
Citation to each CPSC children’s product safety rule - Not every CPC will look the same, there are many types and categories of children’s products that each have individual rules that must be addressed in the certification. It is important before you start selling on Amazon that you understand what specific requirements you need to cover in your CPC testing process.
Identification of the Importer or Domestic Manufacturer - Each CPC test needs at least the name, mailing address, and telephone number of the importer or manufacturer.
Contact Information for Individual Who Maintains Compliance Records - Each CPC test needs at least the name, mailing address, and telephone number of that individual.
Date and Location of Manufacturing - the dates must at least include the month and year. The location needs at least the city, state, and country where the product was manufactured or finally assembled.
Dates and Locations When the Product Was Tested - similar to manufacturing, the dates must at least include the month and year. The location needs at least the city, state, and country where the product was tested.
Identify any third party, CPSC-accepted Laboratory on Whose Testing the Certificate Depends: The CPC requires the name, mailing address, and telephone number of the laboratory. Registered small batch manufacturers who are not required to third-party-test their product to certain children’s product safety requirements must include the registration number provided by the CPSC in this section of the CPC.
Amazon will reject the document if all areas are not covered in the document, so ensure you review your documentation in detail before submitting it.
Example CPC
The CPSC provides an example of what a business would include on its product’s CPC. Your product CPC will likely look different as it is important to review each Citation to each CPSC children’s product safety rule called out in section 2. Here is an example of the components for educational purposes:
Identification of the product covered by this certificate: Baby body suit Model XXX SKU XXX (ASIN: XXXXXXXX)
Citation to each CPSC product safety regulation to which this product is being certified: This section is where you list each citation that needs to be addressed.
Identification of the importer or domestic manufacturer certifying compliance of the product: Baby Screenprinters 123 Goat St., Minneapolis, MN 55416 (555) 555-5555
Contact information for the individual maintaining records of test results: John Smith, Owner 123 Goat St., Minneapolis, MN 55416 (555) 555-5555
Date and place where this product was manufactured: February 2023, Minneapolis, MN 55416
Date and place where this product was tested for compliance with the regulation(s) cited above: February 2023, Minneapolis, MN 55416
Identify the third party, CPSC-accepted where this product was tested by an accredited laboratory (accepted by the CPSC) for compliance with the regulation(s) cited above: ABC Farm Quality Labs - 321 North Street Minneapolis, MN 55416 (333) 333-3333 (this assumes there was only 1 lab)
Again, this is just an example of a fictitious CPC test to outline what the components of a test would include. The important missing component is section 2 which would include each of the specific CPSC product safety components that is different for each product and category. Now that you understand the components of a children’s product certificate (CPC), the next section is to identify if your product requires CPC testing.
Identifying CPC Requirement for Amazon Listing
As a seller of the product, it is your responsibility to know the testing and certification requirements of your product. You should get the CPC prior to selling on Amazon, but there are a few indications from Amazon that you have a compliance document you need to fulfill.
Product Listing Down Amazon Page Not Found for CPC
If your product listing is down or it is showing the Amazon page not found dogs of Amazon page, that is an indication that there is a compliance issue. This would also be paired with an Amazon Notification of Restricted Products Removal, indicating your listing has been removed from the Amazon Store. Within your seller central page, this would show up as “No image available” for impacted items in your Manage Inventory. An Amazon Page Not Found listing does not necessarily mean you need a CPC requirement, as it could be for other compliance issues.
Seller Central Manage Your Compliance
For Amazon third-party sellers on Seller Central, the Manage Your Compliance dashboard lists your required documents. This can be navigated within Seller Central by clicking the menu > Performance > Account Health. On the bottom right of the Account Health Page, you will see “Manage your compliance” with a link “Product Compliance Requests” and the total number of ASINs that require a compliance document is displayed. On the Manage Your Compliance page you will see the list of impacted ASINs, the specific compliance requirement, estimated at-risk sales, the compliance status, and the action button to submit a document or appeal the compliance requirement.
Vendor Central Compliance Document Requirements
For 1st-Party Vendor Central sellers, compliance document notifications are handled through the Compliance Document Requirements page. This can be navigated to on Vendor Central by clicking Items > Product Certificates. This page is split up between pending actions for vendors (indicating ASINs that need documents submitted, rejected documents, expired documents, and expiring soon documents) and a summary of active compliance documents. Vendors can see CPC-required ASINs if the document type states: “Product images, product instructions or manuals, Children's Product Certificate, and test reports from a CPSC-accepted lab”.
Children’s Product Certificate Testing
This section will review the process for getting your product tested by a CPSC-accepted testing lab. Once you have established your testing requirements, you can visit the List of CPSC-Accepted Testing Laboratories to find a lab that fits your testing needs and requirements. Amazon offers the Compliance Reference tool to assist sellers in understanding certain requirements of products based on categories. Simply, input where you want to sell your product and search by product type or HS Code in order to dig into product compliance, dangerous goods information, and import/export compliance requirements. Amazon shares a list of potential service provider contact information with a feedback rating system for you to engage directly. Each service provider will have directions for how to ship your products and the documentation required.
Upload CPC to Amazon
Once you have the CPC for the product that requires certification, you need to upload the documents to Amazon.
Upload CPC to Seller Central
Uploading Children’s Product Certificate to Seller Central requires you to navigate back to the Manage Your Compliance page to upload:
In Seller Central, click Menu > Performance > Account Health
Click on the Product Compliance Requests link
Identify the ASIN that requires the CPC, click Add or Appeal Compliance
Provide all of the required information generally including: Product Images, CPC, Test Reports, Additional Comments
For Bulk Submission, Navigate to Upload file for Compliance
Download the Template that contains all ASINs with active requests for compliance documentation
Fill out the form
Upload compliance documents and your completed template
Wait for Amazon to review the documents to approve
Upload CPC to Vendor Central
For Vendors, the Product Certificates page is the location to upload CPC. Here are the steps to upload the documents:
In Vendor Central, Click Items > Product Certificates
If this is a new requirement, click the Compliance Documents Not Yet Submitted View Button
Identify the ASIN that requires the CPC, click Add
Click Choose Files and upload all of the required documents requested
Wait for Amazon to review the documents or view the status under the Pending Processing page
Once Amazon has reviewed and approved the documents, it is important to check your listing on the Amazon store to ensure that it has been reinstated and has an active offer.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) on Amazon
What is CPC?
The CPC (Children’s Product Certificate) is a document that outlines important information about a product that certifies that a children’s product meets federal safety standards
What products require CPC documents?
Products that are intended for or marketed toward children 12 years of age or younger. It applies to everything sold to this entire age group and it could be toys, furniture, clothes, strollers, lunch bags, and more. Reach out to an expert or the CPSC for guidance on your specific requirements.
How do I know if I need CPC for Amazon?
Every product is different, but if your product is a child’s product as defined by the CPSC, then you need CPC documentation.
How can I get my product tested by a CPSC-accepted testing lab?
You can get your products tested by visiting the list of CPSC-Accepted Testing Laboratories list or the Amazon compliance reference tool.
How do I reinstate my ASIN with the CPC requirement on Seller Central?
To reinstate your ASIN with CPC requirement on Seller Central, navigate to the Product Compliance Requests link, Identify the ASIN that requires the CPC, click Add or Appeal Compliance, upload the required information, and then wait for Amazon to review the documents to approve.
How do I reinstate my ASIN with the CPC requirement on Vendor Central?
You can reinstate your ASIN with CPC requirement on Vendor Central by getting your CPC, navigating to Product Certificates on Vendor Central, adding all requested documents, and waiting for Amazon to review and accept the documents.
Conclusion
Ensuring that your products are safe and have the correct certifications and documentation is crucial to your success on Amazon. If your product listing goes down from a failure to have the correct Children’s Product Certification and testing, then you are missing out on sales. You can build trust with your customers on Amazon by ensuring you are complying with applicable rules and laws that were meant to protect those customers. Each product can look a little different when it comes to CPC requirements, so we recommend you reach out to CPC/CPSC experts if you have any questions about certification requirements for your products. If you are struggling with how the Amazon system works to ensure you have those documents submitted, Goat Consulting is happy to help you understand how to upload those documents and reinstate your Amazon listings. Click the Contact Us button below to start that conversation:
About the Author - Mike Gray
This post was written by Mike Gray. Mike is an Account Manager at Goat Consulting who helps brands and manufacturers sell on Amazon. Mike has extensive experience reviewing and uploading CPC documents for clients. This has helped clients mitigate risk on the Amazon platform and build trust between clients and Amazon customers.
Additional Resources
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