9 Ground Rules of Product Bundling on Amazon

For Amazon sellers who are constantly duking it out on competitive ASINs, product bundles are nothing short of a godsend.

Aside from increasing average order value (AOV), bundles let you list to unique ASINs, own the buy box and compete on factors outside of price.

But there are right and wrong ways to go about creating bundles on Amazon. How you list your bundle matters.

“Failure to adhere to the Bundle Policy, including the following Detailed Bundle Guidelines, may result in the removal without notice of any bundled product listing, account suspension, or both. Amazon reserves the right to modify or revoke this policy at any time.” - Amazon

Make sure you know the A-to-Zs of bundling before launching your own strategy. Keep reading for a closer look at the nine core rules of product bundling on Amazon.

1. Get Authorization and Label the Brand Properly

First and foremost, Amazon makes it very clear that all products in a bundle must comply with Amazon’s selling policies. This means that you must be authorized to sell each and every item in your product; bundling them together doesn’t give you an easy “out.” Some brands may also require approval to sell their products as bundles, or certain categories are restricted to bundles that are originally bundled by the manufacturer.  

Assuming that you’ve got permission (and proof via proper invoicing), you’re now faced with the question of how to list them. Avoid trademark infringement by being careful about how you show the origin of your product.

• If your bundle only features products from one brand, put yourself as the manufacturer (in most cases) and reserve the brand name for “brand.”
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• If your bundle includes items from multiple brands, put yourself as manufacturer and use brand name of the highest priced item. Include brand specifics in your bullet points and description (see tip 5).

2. Don’t Confuse Multipacks with Bundles

Kits, multipacks and bundles are often used interchangeably, but they’re entirely different in Amazon’s eyes. While a multipack includes several of the same product (for example, a “3 pack” of Dove Daily Moisture shampoo or the same shirt in four different colors), a bundle includes several separate but related products.

Amazon is strict about this difference. They will not accept “I didn’t know” as an excuse if, say, you get caught trying to sell a multi-colored pack of the same necktie as a bundle. The goal is to manage customer expectations in the marketplace, where buyers can view bundles next to multipacks or specifically shop for “best sellers in bundles.”

3. Give Bundles a Unique Identifier

To avoid confusion between single-unit listings and bundles, Amazon requires you to give every bundle a standard product identifier (or manufacturer part number). Any listing that uses a UPC from a single product to identify the entire bundle will be removed.

Having separate identifiers will also help you accurately track revenue and inventory. For example, when managing bundles in Zentail, Zentail uses the SKU of the individual items and the bundle itself to update quantities whenever you sell a single unit or a bundle. The listing for your bundle will never show 10 available units if you only have enough inventory to fill five full orders, protecting you from overselling.

In the same way, UPCs act as external identifiers that ensure proper listing, tracking and order management across your bundles.

4. Only List to One Product Category

It may be tempting to list your bundle in every product category possible. However, this is a big no-no, and Amazon will come down hard on you if you try to game the system.

The retailer only permits you to list your bundle to a single category, specifically to the category of the highest priced item. The only exception is if the highest priced item is a BMVD or Video Game* item. In this case, you should list to the category of the second highest priced item that’s not part of either category.

* BMVD and Video Games are Amazon-owned categories. You cannot make them the primary products in your bundle, though they can act as secondary products. You can, for example, bundle a yoga mat with a yoga DVD.

5. Title Your Bundle According to the Highest Priced Item

Similarly, the title of your bundle needs to lead with the highest priced item. Below are the formulas that Amazon recommends:  

For bundles with a few items...

[Main Product title] + “Bundle with” + [Bundle Component Product title(s)]
Example: "Kodak EasyShare C143 12MP Digital Camera Bundle with Rechargeable Batteries & Carrying Case – Blue"

For bundles with many items...

[Main Product title] + “Bundle with” + [Bundle Component Summary] + “(# Items)”
Example: "Yamaha PAC112J Sunburst Guitar Bundle with Bag, Stand and Accessories (11 Items)"

The word “Bundle” and the number of items must be reflected somewhere in your title to ensure that customers know exactly what they’re buying. Also important: do not title your bundles after yourself unless you own the brand to avoid misleading customers or getting into legal trouble.  

6. Include These Details on Your Product Page

Amazon requires your product page to include certain information, ensuring consistency and clarity across all listings for bundles.

• Feature Bullet 1 in the detail page must state that the product is a bundle of "X" number of items and must identify the products in the bundle.
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• The description must state that the product is a bundle and must also identify the products in the bundle (with appropriate designators, such as model number, color, and size).
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• The main image must include the specific products in the bundle (and must not include any items that are excluded from the bundle). Images of representative or similar products are not permitted.

7. Don’t Include Generic Products in a Bundle

Most bundles include one or two popular “branded items.” While you may want to add a few generic items (items that aren’t widely recognized or do not feature a brand on the product or packaging) to beef up the total offering, think twice.  

According to Amazon, this could confuse customers; customer may assume that a generic product is associated with one of the brands featured in your pack. Therefore, all items should be branded—and clearly branded on the package—as well as highly complementary to one another.

8. Create a New Listing if You Modify Your Bundle

As another housekeeping measure, you may not edit any components of your bundle once you’ve listed it. You must create a new bundle with a new UPC (or find an existing bundle listing that’s identical to yours) if you want to add or remove products.  

9. Accept All-Inclusive Returns and Warranties  

Your bundle must be treated as a collection items from start to finish. In other words, you must accept the entire bundle as a return and refund it as a single unit. Similarly, you cannot offer separate warranty products or extended service plans in your bundle.

Conclusion

Bundling on Amazon can mean tricky business if you’re not familiar with Amazon’s Product Bundling Policy. There are many intricacies that you need to know to stay in Amazon’s good graces, in addition to appeasing the brands you sell. Study the guidelines. Know the rules. Don't let your sales get cut short simply by having a non-compliant bundle listing.

If you need help, reach out to Zentail to chat more. Zentail’s commerce operations platform has built-in kitting and bundling tools, letting you create and list bundles properly to Amazon and track inventory as you make sales. Our team of Amazon experts can guide you through the process, ensuring that you make it through unscathed and enjoy the fruits of your labor.