Amazon Renewed is the program for selling professionally inspected, tested, and refurbished products, backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee. Approved sellers list refurbished phones, laptops, tools, appliances, and similar goods alongside new items.
One correction before anything else, because the previous version of this article had it wrong. Renewed is frequently described as an easy way for beginners to start selling cheaply. It is not. Amazon requires US and Canadian applicants to show $50,000 of paid, itemized purchase invoices from the 90 days before applying, or 180 days for Home Electronics, Tools, Lawn and Garden and Kitchen, according to its Renewed program overview. Apple products need $2.5 million in 90 days. The shape of the requirement is the point: Renewed is a gated program aimed at established refurbishers, not an on-ramp for new sellers.
If you were reading this hoping to sell a few used items to build capital, Renewed is not the route, and the honest answer is that Amazon’s used condition listings in eligible categories are, subject to their own rules. If you’re comparing the two as a shopper, our guide to Amazon Renewed vs refurbished covers that side.
We handle category approvals for client accounts as an Amazon SPN Verified Partner. Below is what the program actually asks for.
What counts as Renewed
Not simply used. A Renewed product has been through a defined process:
- Diagnostic testing confirming full functionality
- Replacement of defective parts where needed
- Professional cleaning and inspection
- Repackaging, in the original packaging or a new, clean cardboard box
- All relevant accessories included. Amazon’s own pages disagree on whether they must be original (OEM) or merely compatible, so I’d use OEM accessories wherever you can source them
- Data wiped to the NIST SP 800-88 standard on anything that stores data
- Batteries holding more than 80% of original capacity (more than 90% for Renewed Premium)
- Cosmetic standards met for the grade: an Excellent unit shows no visible wear at 12 inches (30 cm), a Premium unit none at 6 inches
The product must have electrical or mechanical components capable of being repaired or replaced. A refurbished blender qualifies in principle. A second-hand cushion does not.
What Amazon Renewed actually requires
Invoices evidencing volume. The barrier. $50,000 of paid, itemized invoices in 90 days (180 days in four categories), and items priced at $15 or less do not count toward the total. Retail receipts, order confirmations, manifests and pro forma invoices are not accepted. Sellers without that trading history are declined regardless of how good their process is.
A Professional selling account in good standing, at $39.99 a month. Renewed itself charges no joining fee.
Performance history. An order defect rate of 0.8% or less over the trailing 60 days, which is stricter than the 1% standard for ordinary selling.
One application, with a permitted-products list. An earlier version of this page said approval runs category by category. It does not: there is a single Renewed Seller Application, and approval comes with a list of products you may sell. To add products later, you contact Renewed Selling Partner Support. A US approval also covers Canada and Mexico.
Product images. At least 10 images of the actual unit: every side, the screen switched on with no protective film, and the packaging. They must be your own photographs, not copied or staged.
The Amazon Renewed Guarantee. You commit to it, and it is the part sellers most often skim. In the US it gives customers a replacement or refund for 90 days on most items, 365 days on Renewed Premium and one year on Renewed Automotive. The seller pays every claim and cannot charge restocking fees or return shipping. FBA sellers are covered for prepaid return labels automatically; merchant-fulfilled sellers must opt in. That is a warranty liability on your books, and it should be priced in before you calculate margin rather than after.
Categories
Renewed covers electronics and mechanical goods where refurbishment is meaningful. The obvious ones are phones, tablets, computers, cameras, headphones, televisions, game consoles, kitchen appliances and power tools. Amazon’s Renewed program policies now list a much broader range: e-bikes and e-scooters, musical instruments, automotive parts, major appliances, networking and office equipment.
Grades decide what you can list. Renewed has four grades: Premium, Excellent, Good and Acceptable. Good and Acceptable are allowed only for phones, tablets, smartwatches, headphones and PCs. An Excellent unit shows as “New” in your own inventory screens but as “Renewed, Excellent” to shoppers, which confuses plenty of new Renewed sellers.
Renewed Premium is a separate application. You apply through Selling Partner Support, a decision takes about 15 business days, a decline means waiting 90 days to reapply, and most categories require brand authorization. The 365-day guarantee is the trade-off, and I’d only take it on with a failure rate you have measured.
Applying
- Confirm you meet the invoice requirement before doing anything else. If you do not, the rest is wasted effort.
- Assemble invoices from your suppliers covering the required period, showing your registered business name and matching quantities.
- Prepare product and packaging images to Amazon’s specification.
- Submit the Renewed Seller Application through Seller Central, listing the products you intend to sell.
- Wait. Amazon aims to decide within 10 days. Read a rejection carefully rather than resubmitting the same file.
Rejections cluster around three things: insufficient invoice volume, documents Amazon does not accept as invoices (receipts, manifests, pro formas), and images that do not demonstrate the refurbishment standard. All three are the same discipline that governs any gated category, as our guide to beauty category approval explains from the other side.
The economics, honestly
Refurbished selling has a different cost structure from new goods, and I’d model it separately from the start rather than borrowing a new-goods spreadsheet.
Acquisition is variable. Returns pallets, trade-ins, and liquidation lots arrive in mixed condition, and your yield rate after testing determines your real cost per sellable unit rather than the price on the invoice.
Refurbishment is labor. Testing, parts, cleaning, and repackaging cost time and money per unit. This is a workshop business rather than a listing business.
The guarantee is a liability. Budget for replacements and refunds within the guarantee period. A refurbisher who has not modeled a failure rate is not modeling the business.
Returns run higher than for new goods in most categories, and Amazon measures them. Its Renewed quality policy sets targets: negative reviews under 0.65% of orders, total returns under 11%, quality-related returns under 3.5%, and an average rating above 4.0, measured over trailing 13-week and 12-month windows. You must also keep IMEI, diagnostic and order records for 180 days. Miss the targets and the program can be withdrawn.
Pricing is squeezed, and Amazon sets part of the squeeze. A Renewed offer must be priced at least 5% below the New price and 5% below the next-higher Renewed grade. Breaking that rule can cost you the Featured Offer or your selling privileges on the ASIN. Amazon offers an optional Renewed repricing rule that keeps the gap automatically, and I’d switch it on.
A fee break runs until October 2027. Amazon is charging a promotional 10% referral fee on Renewed sales from October 19, 2026 to October 18, 2027, against standard rates of 15% in Home and Kitchen, Tools and Home Improvement, Lawn and Garden and Musical Instruments, and 12% for base equipment power tools. It applies automatically. One Amazon page gives October 16 as the start date, so check your own fee report.
Against that, competition is thinner than in new goods, margins on well-run refurbishment can be strong, and demand for cheaper alternatives to new electronics is genuine and durable.
Compliance worth knowing
Refurbished electronics carry the same regulatory obligations as new ones in most respects, and a few extra.
Batteries. Anything with a lithium battery is a dangerous goods shipment, and replacement batteries need proper documentation. Our guide to the Amazon hazmat program covers that process.
Safety compliance travels with the product. Refurbishing does not remove the requirement for the product to meet applicable standards.
Intellectual property. Using a brand’s name to describe genuine refurbished goods is generally acceptable, and misusing logos or implying authorization is not. Our guide to trademark infringement on Amazon covers where that line sits, and brands do enforce it in this category specifically.
Sourcing documentation. Authenticity complaints are common in refurbished categories, and your invoice archive is the entire defense, as our guide to suppressed listings explains.
What a refurbishment operation actually looks like
Worth describing, since the gap between imagining this business and running it is where most people stop.
Intake and triage. Pallets arrive mixed. Somebody opens every unit, tests it, and sorts into sellable, repairable, and parts. Your yield rate from that step is the single number that determines whether the economics work, and it varies enormously by source.
Repair. Parts inventory, tools, and someone who knows the products. This is skilled work and it does not scale by hiring quickly.
Test and grade. A documented process producing a consistent cosmetic and functional standard, because inconsistency shows up directly in returns and reviews.
Repackage. Generic packaging, accessories, and instructions. Presentation matters more here than sellers expect, since a refurbished item arriving in a shabby box reads as suspect regardless of how well it works.
Support the guarantee. Somebody handles the failures, and there will be failures.
That is a workshop with staff, space, and process. I’d want to be running it competently before applying rather than planning to build it after approval.
Should you pursue it?
Yes, if you already refurbish at volume, have supplier invoices to prove it, run an actual workshop process, and can carry the guarantee liability. For that business, Renewed is a strong channel with less competition than new goods.
No, if you are looking for a low-capital way into selling, want to list occasional used items, or do not have a repeatable testing and refurbishment process. In our experience this is the majority of people who search for this topic, and it is better to know now.
Maybe, if you sell new goods in a category where refurbished demand exists and you can build a refurbishment operation deliberately. That is a real strategy and it is a business decision rather than a listing decision.
If you want the category approvals and account side handled while you concentrate on the workshop, that is our account management service.
FAQ
What is Amazon Renewed?
Amazon’s program for professionally inspected, tested, and refurbished products, backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee. Approved sellers list refurbished electronics, appliances, tools, and similar goods alongside new items, subject to defined quality standards.
Can beginners sell on Amazon Renewed?
Generally no. In the US and Canada, Amazon requires $50,000 of paid, itemized purchase invoices from the previous 90 days (180 days in four categories), plus an order defect rate of 0.8% or less. It is a gated program aimed at established refurbishers rather than an entry point for new sellers.
What is the difference between Renewed and used on Amazon?
Renewed products have been through a defined refurbishment process including diagnostic testing, part replacement, cleaning, and repackaging, and carry the Amazon Renewed Guarantee. Used condition listings describe the item’s state without that process or that guarantee.
What is the Amazon Renewed Guarantee?
A customer guarantee of a replacement or refund: in the US, 90 days on most Renewed items, 365 days on Renewed Premium and one year on Renewed Automotive. The seller pays every claim and cannot charge restocking fees or return shipping, so it should be priced into your margin.
What products can I sell on Amazon Renewed?
Goods with electrical or mechanical components that can be repaired or replaced: phones, tablets, computers, cameras, headphones, televisions, consoles, kitchen and major appliances, power tools, e-bikes and e-scooters, musical instruments, automotive parts and office equipment. Approval comes with a list of permitted products.
Why was my Amazon Renewed application rejected?
Most often insufficient invoice volume for the required period, documents that are not itemized purchase invoices (receipts, manifests or pro formas), or product images that do not demonstrate the refurbishment standard. Read the stated reason and fix that specific thing rather than resubmitting.
Last updated: October 25, 2026. Updated with Amazon’s published Renewed requirements, grades, pricing rule, quality targets and the 2026-2027 promotional referral fee. Amazon Renewed eligibility criteria, invoice thresholds, guarantee terms, and category availability change and vary by marketplace. Seller Central carries the current requirements for your account.
