All About NPN, DIN & PCP: What Are They And How Can I Get My Items Reinstated?
I’ve been seeing alot of talk recently about people getting hit with NPN claims in Canada and listings getting restricted with people not knowing why and not knowing what to do.
As we see a few times per year, Amazon does a sweep of their catalog for things like missing data and compliance documents which is what we are seeing right now.
First off, what's the fuss all about?
In simple terms, it all comes down to Health Canada’s laws & regulations for certain products like natural health items, drugs, and pest control goodies. In order to legally sell these products in Canada, they are required to be registered with Health Canada and display their corresponding number on their package. Amazon also requires that this number is visible in at least one photo on their listings.
Peek at the labels of items like toothpaste or supplements, and you'll find this magic number. You can look up these numbers on Health Canada’s databases and get all kinds of information about the product.
So, why is Amazon being a stickler about this?
If Amazon detects products in their catalog that may be classified as one of these products and they do not have the Health Canada data in their back end, they will typically remove the product from the catalog and then send all sellers on that listing a notification of the requirements and provide you an opportunity to provide the information that Amazon needs.
If you provide the information they request, typically within a few hours to a few days the listing will then get reinstated. If the information they request is not provided, the listing will stay deactivated and any of your inventory at FBA will be stranded.
It makes sense that Amazon does this as they want to ensure they are following the proper Canadian laws and meeting the regulations of Health Canada.
With that being said, there are some products that will get removed from time to time for these reasons even though they are not required to be registered with Health Canada. I have seen this be the case on many different types of shampoo products. When this happens, it can be very difficult to appeal the restriction and get the listing reinstated (thankfully this is a rare occurrence).
And a note for those importing goods into Canada...
Many of the issues sellers have is when they purchase items from sources outside of Canada, such as the US, which are not registered with Health Canada. If this happens to you, there is very little chance that you will be able to get the listing reinstated.
I would recommend removing this inventory once the listing is deactivated and attempting to either sell it locally or return it to the vendor you purchased it from.
Below I will share some additional information on where to find the corresponding databases from Health Canada, some example items from each category & a template I’ve successfully used multiple times to get listings reinstated (assuming the item was registered with Health Canada and I was able to obtain the report).
NPN (Natural Product Number)/ LNHP (Licensed Natural Health Products)
Health Canada Website/Database: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/natural-non-prescription/applications-submissions/product-licensing/licensed-natural-health-products-database.html
Example items:
-homeopathic medicines
-probiotics
-supplements
-toothpaste
-vitamins
Example NPN on a product:
DIN (Drug Identification Number)
Health Canada Website/Database: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/drug-product-database.html
Example items:
Any over the counter drug products that contains active ingredients.
-advil
-cough syrup
-tylenol
Example DIN on a product:
PCP (Pest Control Product)
Health Canada Website/Database: https://pr-rp.hc-sc.gc.ca/ls-re/index-eng.php
Example items:
-rodent poison
-roundup/weed killer
Example PCP number on a product:
Sample template to appeal restricted products
This example is for a PCP item, adjust it accordingly depending on your type of product:
ASIN: B000XXXXXX
FNSKU: EXAMPLE
Product: EXAMPLE
Health Canada Registration Number: EXAMPLE
Health Canada Link: https://pr-rp.hc-sc.gc.ca/ls-re/lbl_detail-eng.php?p_disp_regn=%EXAMPLE
Date of First Registration: 2005-01-10
Expiry Date of Registration: 2026-12-31
Hello, this item was removed due to being classified a pesticide. It is registered with Health Canada, please find all of the requested information above.
Please review & reinstate this listing.
Thank you.
