If you've received an email from Amazon's Handmade Integrity Team asking you to verify your production process, don't panic. This is routine — here's exactly what it means and how to respond.

Every so often, Amazon's Handmade Integrity Team reaches out to sellers in the Handmade category to verify that their items genuinely meet the handmade standards. If you've just received one of these emails, your first instinct might be to worry. Resist that. This is a normal part of selling in a juried category, and sellers who respond clearly and completely almost always have their selling privileges confirmed without issue.

I've received this email myself. Plenty of established, legitimate handmade sellers have. Amazon is doing their job — keeping the Handmade category clean — and if your items are genuinely handmade, the process is very workable. This post walks you through what the email is asking, how to respond well, and what to expect at each step.

From Dana's Story: Even as a large-scale seller, I've received this email. My reaction the first time was a flash of "wait, what?" — and then I read it carefully and realized exactly what they needed. A thorough, specific response about how my items are made. I provided it, they reviewed it, and I was confirmed to continue selling. The sellers who run into trouble are usually the ones who respond vaguely or panic and don't respond at all. Give them what they're asking for and you'll be fine.

What the Email Is Asking For

The re-verification email comes from Amazon's Handmade Integrity Team and typically asks you to send the following information to [email protected] within 5 days:

• A detailed description of your production process — how your items are designed and made, step by step
• Where your items are crafted — your home studio, workspace, etc.
• Who is involved in making them — whether you work alone or with a team, and if a team, what their roles are and whether they're employees, contractors, or unpaid family members
• How long it takes to complete one item after it's designed
• How many items you can produce in a week
• 3 to 5 photos or videos showing your production process — each must clearly display your business name, logo, or business card. Digital watermarks do not count.
• Any additional context that helps Amazon understand your craft and business

The email will also list specific ASINs they want you to address — make sure your photos and process description are for items you currently have listed under those ASINs.

How to Write a Strong Production Description

This is the most important part of your response. Amazon needs to understand exactly how your items are made — not in general terms, but specifically. Vague answers like "made with care and attention to detail" don't give them what they need. Specificity is what builds credibility here.

Walk them through your actual process. Here's the kind of detail they're looking for:

• How you select your materials and why
• What tools or equipment you use
• The step-by-step process of creating the item from start to finish
• How you check quality before packaging
• How you package and prepare items for shipment
• Where all of this takes place — your home studio, dedicated workshop, etc.

Write this as if you're explaining your process to someone who has never seen your product being made. The goal is for the reader to come away with a clear, believable picture of a real human being making things by hand in a real space.

Here's an example of the level of detail that works well — adapt this to your own products and process:

We specialize in handmade ceramic mugs, each one made from start to finish in our home studio. The process begins with wedging raw clay to remove air bubbles, then throwing each piece on the pottery wheel by hand. Once thrown, pieces are allowed to dry slowly to leather-hard stage before we trim the bottoms and attach handles, which are pulled and shaped by hand individually. After a second drying period, pieces go through a bisque firing in our kiln at around 1800°F. We then glaze each piece by hand using food-safe glazes we mix ourselves, and fire again to cone 6. Every piece is inspected before packaging — any piece that doesn't meet our standards doesn't ship. From wedging clay to completed piece, each mug takes approximately 3 to 4 hours of hands-on time spread across 10 to 14 days of drying and firing cycles. We can produce approximately 20 to 30 mugs per week depending on the design.

Your Production Photos

Amazon requires 3 to 5 photos or short videos showing your actual production process. A few important rules:

• Each image must clearly show your business name, logo, or a business card — in the background, on an envelope, or somewhere visible in the frame. Digital watermarks or logos overlaid digitally do not count.
• Photos must show items that correspond to the ASINs listed in the email.
• No links to Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive — attach the files directly to the email.
• Accepted formats: JPEG or PNG for images, MP4 for video.
• Keep your total email size under 20MB. If you have a video, it may need to be removed or compressed to stay under that limit.

Good photos to include: raw materials before production, work in progress, your hands making the item, your workspace with your business name visible, completed items before packaging. The goal is to show a real, active production environment — not just finished product shots.

What Happens After You Submit

Once you send your response, Amazon will review it. There are three possible outcomes:

Approval — You receive confirmation that you may continue selling in the Handmade category. If your listings were deactivated during the review, you'll need to reactivate them manually. Your Maker Profile may also need to be rebuilt if it was reset.

Request for more information — Amazon may come back asking specifically for photos or additional documentation. If this happens, resubmit with exactly what they requested. Do not include video in a second submission if it's causing size issues — submit only photos that clearly show your process.

No response / missed deadline — If you don't respond within the stated timeframe, your Handmade listings become inactive, your Maker Profile is deleted, and the monthly fee waiver is removed. If this happens, you'll need to appeal and resubmit. It's a solvable situation but an avoidable one — respond promptly.

What Happens to Your Account While Under Review

Your general Amazon selling account remains active throughout this process — this review only affects your status in the Handmade category. Non-Handmade listings are not affected. The review specifically determines whether your products comply with Amazon Handmade's definition of handmade and whether you can continue selling in that category.

A Template to Get You Started

Here's a starting template for your response email. Customize every section with your specific details — the more specific, the better:

Hello Amazon Handmade Integrity Team,

Thank you for reaching out. I'm happy to provide information about my handmade production process for the ASINs listed.

Production Process: [Describe your process in detail — materials, steps, tools, quality check, packaging. Be specific.]

Location: All items are made in [your home studio / workshop / location].

Team: [I make all items myself / I work with X people who assist with Y tasks — describe their roles and status.]

Production Time: Each item takes approximately [X hours/days] to complete after design.

Weekly Capacity: I can produce approximately [X] items per week.

Please find attached [X] photos showing my production process for the listed ASINs. My business name/card is visible in each image.

[Any additional context about your craft or business that would be helpful.]

Thank you for your time and for maintaining the integrity of the Handmade category.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

The Bigger Picture

It can feel unsettling to receive a message suggesting Amazon is questioning whether your items are really handmade. But the intent behind this process is something that should actually benefit legitimate sellers. The Handmade category is supposed to be for makers — and these reviews exist to protect that. Every factory-produced item that gets removed from Handmade is one less thing your genuine handmade products have to compete against.

Respond thoroughly, attach clear photos, be specific about your process, and you'll be fine.

Ready to Build a Stronger Amazon Handmade Business?

Navigating Amazon's policies and processes is one part of running a successful handmade shop on this platform. Inside The Growth Thread, the Amazon content covers everything from account setup and listing optimization to FBA, advertising, and account health — all built around how the platform actually works for handmade sellers.

Enrollment isn't always open, but you can get on the waitlist and be first to know when doors open:

Join the Waitlist at TheGrowthThread.com

Not ready for that yet? A good next read is the guide to what to do if you receive an Amazon identity verification request — another routine process that sellers sometimes find confusing the first time they see it.