Short answer: Amazon rejects A+ Content for a small, predictable set of reasons. The most common are pricing or promotional language, contact details or external links, unsubstantiated claims such as “best” or “number one”, references to shipping or guarantees, poor image quality or text embedded in images, trademark and copyright symbols used incorrectly, and reviews or testimonials quoted inside modules. Almost every rejection traces back to one of these. Fixing the offending element and resubmitting usually clears review within a few business days, but the faster route is to design against the guidelines from the start.
If you have already read our guide to what Amazon A+ Content is and how it increases sales, you know the upside. Basic A+ Content has been linked to sales uplifts of up to 8 percent, and Premium up to 20 percent. What that guide does not cover is the part that quietly costs UK sellers the most time: getting the content through Amazon’s moderation queue.
This post is the compliance companion. It lists what Amazon actually rejects, why, and the fix for each.
Why A+ Content Rejection Matters More Than It Sounds
A rejection is not just an inconvenience. It has a compounding cost.
Every rejection cycle adds days to your launch. If you designed twelve ASINs around a template that breaks a policy, you are not fixing one module, you are reworking twelve. Meanwhile the listings sit with plain text descriptions, converting at the lower rate that A+ Content was meant to lift. For a product you have already committed inventory and ad spend to, that gap is expensive.
The pattern we see most often with new clients is not one dramatic mistake. It is a design that was signed off by a marketing team who applied normal advertising instincts, phrases like “unbeatable value” or “free UK delivery”, without knowing that Amazon treats those as policy violations inside A+ modules.
The Complete List of A+ Content Rejection Triggers
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| Rejection trigger | What it looks like in practice | The fix |
| Pricing or promotional language | “Only £19.99”, “50% off”, “Sale now on”, “Best price” | Remove all prices and discount language. Price lives in the buy box, not the content. |
| Shipping or delivery claims | “Free UK delivery”, “Next day dispatch”, “Ships from London” | Remove entirely. Delivery terms are set by the fulfilment method, not your copy. |
| Contact details or external links | Email addresses, phone numbers, your own website URL, social handles | Strip all of them. Brand storytelling can name the brand, but cannot route traffic off Amazon. |
| Unsubstantiated superlatives | “Best”, “Number one”, “Top rated”, “Leading brand” | Replace with specific, verifiable statements. “Made from 316 stainless steel” instead of “the best steel”. |
| Reviews, ratings or testimonials | Star graphics, quoted customer feedback, “rated 4.8 by our customers” | Remove. Amazon reserves the review area for genuine reviews. |
| Guarantee or warranty claims | “Money back guarantee”, “Lifetime warranty”, “Satisfaction guaranteed” | Remove from A+ modules. Warranty information belongs in the product detail fields where Amazon permits it. |
| Time-sensitive or urgency language | “Limited time”, “While stocks last”, “Order now” | Remove. Content is evergreen and Amazon will not approve copy that dates. |
| Poor image quality | Blurry, pixelated, low resolution, wrong aspect ratio, watermarked | Supply images at the exact module dimensions, sharp, unwatermarked. |
| Excessive text inside images | Long paragraphs baked into a JPEG rather than in the text field | Move copy into the text fields. Amazon wants readable, accessible text, not text as pixels. |
| Trademark and copyright misuse | Using ®, ™ or © on a mark you do not own, or third-party logos without rights | Only mark trademarks you actually hold. Remove third-party logos unless you have documented permission. |
| Referencing competitors | Naming another brand in a comparison chart | Compare only your own products against each other. |
| Health, medical or safety claims | “Cures”, “Treats”, “Clinically proven”, “FDA approved” | Remove unless you hold documented regulatory approval, and even then check category rules. |
| Grammar, spelling and formatting errors | Typos, ALL CAPS headlines, excessive punctuation, emoji | Proofread. Amazon rejects for quality, not just policy. |
| Mismatched or irrelevant content | Modules describing a different product or variant | Content must match the ASIN it is attached to. |
The Six Mistakes That Cause the Most Rejections in the UK
Working through UK seller accounts, these are the ones that recur most often and cost the most rework.
- Baking a full sales pitch into an image. Designers used to web banners naturally put headlines and paragraphs into the artwork. Amazon wants text in text fields. It is an accessibility requirement as much as a policy one, because screen readers cannot read pixels.
- Carrying over website copy wholesale. Your website says “free delivery over £50” and “rated best in class”. Both are fine on your own site and both will fail A+ review.
- Adding the ® symbol to an unregistered mark. Sellers often add it because it looks professional. If the trademark is not registered in the relevant territory, it is a rejection.
- Comparison charts that name rivals. A chart comparing your product to a named competitor feels persuasive and is not permitted. Compare your own range instead, which is also better for cross-selling.
- Reusing US content in a UK listing without a pass for spelling and units. “Color”, imperial-only measurements, and US-specific certifications look careless to a UK reviewer and to a UK buyer.
- Submitting all ASINs at once with an untested template. Test one listing through review before rolling a template across the catalogue.
What Happens After a Rejection
Amazon does not always explain a rejection clearly. The notification often gives a generic reason and leaves you to find the offending element yourself. A workable process:
- Read the rejection reason, then ignore how vague it is. Treat it as a category hint rather than a precise location.
- Audit against the table above, module by module. In most cases the violation is obvious once you know what you are looking for.
- Check the images specifically. Text inside images is the single most missed cause, because the copy reads fine in the text fields.
- Fix and resubmit. Do not appeal first. Appeals are slower than a clean resubmission when the violation is real.
- If you resubmit twice and still get rejected, open a case with Seller Support and ask them to identify the specific module and element at fault. Reference your previous submission IDs.
- Log what was rejected and why. Build an internal do-not-use list so the same mistake does not repeat across future launches.
Pre-Submission Checklist
Run this before every A+ Content submission. It takes ten minutes and saves days.
- [ ] No prices, discounts, or promotional language anywhere
- [ ] No shipping, delivery or dispatch claims
- [ ] No email, phone, website URL or social handles
- [ ] No “best”, “number one”, “leading” or similar unsupported superlatives
- [ ] No customer reviews, star graphics or testimonials
- [ ] No guarantee or warranty wording
- [ ] No urgency or time-limited phrasing
- [ ] All images at correct module dimensions, sharp, unwatermarked
- [ ] Copy sits in text fields, not embedded in images
- [ ] ® and ™ used only on marks you actually hold
- [ ] No third-party logos without documented permission
- [ ] Comparison charts feature only your own products
- [ ] No medical, health or safety claims without documented approval
- [ ] UK spelling, UK units, proofread by a second person
- [ ] Content matches the exact ASIN and variant it is attached to
- [ ] Checked on mobile as well as desktop
- [ ] Brand Registry active and in good standing
Brand Registry: The Prerequisite People Forget
A+ Content requires an active Amazon Brand Registry enrolment, which requires a registered trademark. If your Brand Registry lapses, or the trademark is still pending, your content cannot publish regardless of how compliant it is. Confirm registry status before commissioning design work rather than after. Any Amazon A+ Content agency worth hiring will check this in the first conversation.
Designing to Pass, Not Designing to Fix
The efficient approach inverts the usual order. Instead of designing freely and then editing for compliance, brief the designer with the constraints upfront.
| Stage | Compliance action |
| Brief | Share the prohibited list with the designer and copywriter before work starts |
| Copywriting | Write claims as specifics, not superlatives. Every claim should be evidenceable. |
| Design | Keep text in text fields. Images carry the visual, not the argument. |
| Internal review | Second person runs the pre-submission checklist |
| Pilot | Submit one ASIN, confirm approval, then roll the template out |
| Rollout | Apply across the catalogue with variant-specific copy where relevant |
This is the process we run as part of our Amazon A+ Content Service in London, and it is why compliance rework is the exception rather than the norm on our builds.
How A+ Content Fits the Wider Content Picture
A+ Content is one component of Amazon content services. It works hardest when the surrounding assets are pulling in the same direction:
- Product listing copy carries the keywords that get you found in the first place
- Storefront design gives Sponsored Brands traffic somewhere better to land than a cold product page
- Product photography supplies the compliant, correctly sized assets your A+ modules need
- Amazon PPC sends the traffic that your improved conversion rate then monetises
Optimised A+ Content on a listing that nobody finds changes very little. The reverse is also true. Browse the full range of Amazon services to see how the pieces connect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was my Amazon A+ Content rejected?
The most common causes are pricing or promotional language, shipping claims, contact details or external links, unsubstantiated superlatives such as “best” or “number one”, customer reviews or testimonials inside modules, guarantee or warranty wording, poor image quality, and text embedded inside images rather than placed in text fields. Audit your submission against each of these before resubmitting.
How long does Amazon take to review A+ Content?
Amazon typically reviews A+ Content submissions within a few business days, though timing varies with queue volume and account standing. A rejection and resubmission cycle effectively doubles that, which is why passing on the first submission matters.
Can I appeal an A+ Content rejection?
You can, but a clean resubmission is usually faster when the violation is genuine. Appeals are better reserved for cases where you have already corrected the content twice and still cannot identify the flagged element. At that point, open a case with Seller Support and ask them to name the specific module at fault.
Do I need Brand Registry to publish A+ Content?
Yes. A+ Content is available only to sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, which requires an active registered trademark. If registry has lapsed or the trademark is still pending, content cannot publish regardless of compliance.
Can I mention free delivery or a money back guarantee in A+ Content?
No. Shipping claims and guarantee or warranty wording are both standard rejection triggers inside A+ modules. Delivery terms are governed by your fulfilment method and warranty information belongs in the product detail fields where Amazon permits it.
Is it against Amazon policy to compare my product to a competitor?
Naming a competitor brand in an A+ comparison chart is not permitted. You can and should build comparison charts across your own product range, which also encourages cross-selling within your catalogue.
Why does Amazon reject text inside images?
Amazon requires copy to sit in text fields rather than baked into artwork, partly for quality consistency and partly for accessibility, since screen readers cannot read text rendered as pixels. Images should carry the visual, and the text fields should carry the argument.
Does a rejection harm my account health?
A standard A+ Content rejection is a content moderation decision and does not carry the same weight as a policy violation on your seller account. Repeated submissions of clearly non-compliant content are best avoided all the same.
Get Your A+ Content Reviewed Before You Submit
If you have content designed and want a compliance pass before it enters the queue, or you have already been rejected and cannot find the cause, our team will review it against Amazon’s guidelines and tell you exactly what to change.
Speak to our London A+ Content team or explore our Amazon A+ Content Service London.
About the author: Written by the Amazon team at The Creative Circuit, a London-based Amazon growth agency delivering A+ Content, product listing optimisation, storefront design, PPC management and seller account setup for UK sellers. Read more about the team or browse the Amazon Seller Blog.
Contact: he***@****************co.uk | WhatsApp | 128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX, United Kingdom
References: Amazon Seller Central A+ Content guidelines and content policy documentation, Amazon Brand Registry eligibility requirements, Amazon A+ Content module specifications.
Related reading: Amazon A+ Content Service London: What It Is and How It Increases Sales | Amazon Product Listing Optimization UK | Amazon PPC Service London