NASP (North American Selection Policy)

Amazon & D2C glossary · Harpy Media

NASP (North American Selection Policy) is the rulebook for which products can be listed and sold across Amazon’s North American marketplaces — the US, Canada, and Mexico. It decides whether an ASIN that lives comfortably on Amazon.com can also be listed on Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.mx.

What is NASP?

NASP (North American Selection Policy) is the rulebook for which products can be listed and sold across Amazon’s North American marketplaces — the US, Canada, and Mexico. It decides whether an ASIN that lives comfortably on Amazon.com can also be listed on Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.mx.

It matters most to sellers using the cross-border programmes, because those programmes auto-extend listings between marketplaces — and the selection policy is what governs which listings extend and which are held back. A product that is entirely legal and ordinary in one country may be restricted, regulated, or simply not permitted in another.

What NASP covers

Product eligibility across borders: size, weight, and category restrictions that differ by country. Compliance with local regulation — language requirements, safety standards, labelling rules. Import and export limitations, with hazardous materials, batteries, and supplements among the categories that attract the most attention. And the mechanics of localised listings: currency, language, and units.

It also handles the reverse case: ASINs that are available in the US but restricted in Canada or Mexico. Those do not auto-list, and there is no amount of content polishing that changes it — the restriction sits at the product level.

Why it matters before launch, not after

Discovering a selection restriction after a launch is expensive: inventory ordered, listings built, advertising planned — and a marketplace that will not carry the product. Reading the policy for your category before sourcing is how brands avoid stocking a SKU for a market it cannot enter.

For cross-border sellers it also explains the listings that quietly fail to appear. When an ASIN does not auto-list in Canada or Mexico, the usual cause is not a technical fault: it is NASP declining the product for that marketplace. Knowing the distinction saves days of support tickets.

In practice

A US seller lists a topical cream that complies fully with FDA rules and sells well domestically. Through the cross-border programme, the listing does not appear on Amazon.ca — because Canadian health-product restrictions place it outside the selection policy for that marketplace. The seller reads the rules, accepts the market boundary, and instead ships a different product in their range that clears both countries’ requirements. Two marketplaces served, no rules bent.

How Harpy Media helps

Cross-border eligibility screening is part of our marketplace expansion work: checking each SKU against destination-market rules before inventory is committed, so launches land on listings that will actually go live.

NASP FAQ

Does NASP apply to all sellers?

It governs the North American cross-border programmes specifically — the rules and eligibility criteria for listing across Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.com.mx. Sellers staying within a single marketplace meet each marketplace’s own product rules rather than the cross-border policy.

Why did my product not auto-list in Canada?

The most common reason is the selection policy: the product may be restricted by Canadian regulation, category rules, import limitations, or local labelling requirements. It is a product-level decision, not a listing defect — check the category requirements for the destination market.

What product categories attract the most restrictions?

Health and personal care, supplements, hazardous materials, and battery-containing products travel under the most rules, with requirements differing by country. Category restrictions also apply to size, weight, and certain regulated goods. Always verify per SKU before sourcing for cross-border markets.