The Truth About Selling CBD on Amazon: Don’t Be Fooled
When working with the CBD market online you may be tempted to sell your cannabidiol for pain on Amazon. After all, that’s where everyone can sell anything, even used items. Well the truth is, you can’t actually sell everything you want on Amazon. As a CBD vendor, find out the truth about selling CBD Amazon so you aren’t fooled into making a big business mistake.
It’s a Load of Hemp
If you go on Amazon right now and search for CBD, you are able to search for the product with ease. In fact, you’ll get tons of search results telling you that, indeed, Amazon sells CBD oil. Here is what you will find:
- CBD oil cannabidiol for pain
- CBD gummies
- CBD oil for dogs
- CBD
- CBD cream for pain relief
- CBD oil for anxiety
- CBD cream
- CBD dog treats
- CBD for dogs
A search for CBD oil in Health, Household & Baby Care brings up over 3,000 products in this niche category alone.
Check out one of the most popular hemp oil products that shows up first, with nearly 2,000 4-star reviews, and you’ll find the source of all problems with selling CBD on Amazon. It is for 1000 MG of Hemp Oil.
The problem? The consumer is not aware they are purchasing hemp oil or hemp extract that contains no cannabidiol or CBD. You see CBD oil in the search results and you assume you’re buying CBD oil. Yet with all of these products, the marketing copy on Amazon doesn’t mention CBD or cannabidiol.
The only way people purchasing CBD on Amazon will even realize they are getting a non-cannabidiol product is by reading the marketing information. And let’s be fair, there is often a lot of excess wording mixed in, which can be confusing in this new marketing area.
The Truth About Amazon and CBD
The truth is, you are not allowed to sell CBD oil for pain – or for anything – on Amazon. This includes CBD cream for pain relief, as well as CBD for dogs. So those CBD dog treats and CBD oil for anxiety you’re seeing on Amazon? Not going to contain CBD.
Amazon Prohibits Selling CBD
According to Amazon Seller Central, under the section of Drugs & drug paraphernalia, and the Compliance Checklist for Drugs & Drug Paraphernalia:
“7. Drug listings must not be for controlled substances or products containing controlled substances, such as:
- Hemp products containing Resin or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
9. i. Listings for products containing cannabidiol (CBD) are prohibited, including but not limited to:
- i. Full spectrum hemp oil
- ii. Rich hemp oil
- iii. Products that have been identified as containing CBD by LegitScript“
For a vendor interested in selling CBD on Amazon, there is no market there. Fortunately for the up and coming CBD market, that means less competition and interference from potential global competitors.
Take Bulgaria, for example, the first country in the EU to approve the sale of CBD. Here, the first Free Sale Certificate for CBD was only just issued by the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry in May 2019, according to Forbes. Yes, this is challenging the way the European Union has classified hemp-derived cannabidiol as a food product since 1997. However, that challenge is slow to take hold.
In the EU, CBD from hemp is considered a ‘novel food,’ while the Cannabis Trades Association and UF Food Standards Agency are in discussion on how to update the terminology for regulatory purposes. In terms of the Central American market, Leafly reported a few years ago that Central European farmers were also struggling due to regulatory issues and the legality of CBD there.
What this will mean for hemp-derived CBD initially is a long, slow process to enter the market according to Will Chu of William Reed’s NutraIngredients. However, you can anticipate the marketplace to upgrade its labeling standards to speed up the process allowing for the EU hemp-derived CBD market to open its flood gates internationally.
Today’s Takeaway on the CBD Industry
Right now is the best time to sell CBD, thanks to zero competition from Amazon and minimal competition internationally.
Send me a message if you’d like to know more and talk about this prime time to sell!
