From what I understand, Amazon accepts only invoices, not receipts, for ungating brands or categories, or in case any issues arise with your account in the future. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Now, my question is: how do we differentiate between receipts and invoices? What are the key differences? Also, is it true that we only find out after the purchase whether a retailer or brand provides an invoice or just a receipt?
Is there any way to confirm this beforehand? Because let’s say I’m trying to get ungated and I purchase stock from a retailer, but after the purchase, I find out they don’t issue invoices, then that inventory goes to waste.
Please help me understand this better. I’d really appreciate your insights.
Looking forward to your replies.
You’re absolutely right that Amazon typically requires invoices and not receipts for ungating purposes or resolving account issues, and the two have distinct differences—an invoice usually includes the seller’s full business details (name, address, contact), the buyer’s name, a clear invoice number, date, itemized product list with quantities and unit prices, and often payment terms, whereas a receipt is more like a simple proof of payment with minimal information and is often missing buyer details or proper formatting. It’s true that some retailers only issue receipts unless you request an invoice, so the best way to confirm beforehand is to contact the supplier’s customer service before making a purchase and ask if they can provide a proper invoice suitable for Amazon, and ideally get a sample format.
Invoice: This is a document from the seller requesting payment. It includes item details, pricing, and terms. Amazon usually requires this for Online Arbitrage and ungating.
Receipt: This serves as proof of payment but doesn’t include the detailed product information Amazon typically requires.
About 7 out of 10 stores will provide invoices, but it’s not always clear which ones do. To find out, simply email the store and ask:
“Can you provide an invoice with my purchase that includes item details, pricing, and the seller’s information? I need it for verification purposes.”
Or try:
“I have different billing and shipping addresses. Will you list them separately on the invoice?” If they can accommodate this (even if they only include one address), they’ll most likely provide you with an invoice.
Thanks all, I got my answer. To be very honest, I didn’t do any research on it this time, but the same question came to my mind a few months ago, so I did look into it back then.
But this time, a second question came up along with the first one, how to know before making a purchase, so that’s why I asked both here.