Everything for Amazon Sellers—in One Base.

Two federal flammability standards apply to mattresses sold in the US. 16 CFR part 1632 is a cigarette test: each cigarette location passes only if the char is no more than 2 inches (5.1 cm) from the nearest point of the cigarette. 16 CFR part 1633 is a 30-minute open-flame test: peak heat release must stay at or under 200 kW and total heat release in the first 10 minutes at or under 15 MJ. CPSC’s business guidance says mattresses “are subject to both” parts, while mattress pads are subject to part 1632 only (CPSC, data checked 2026-10-13). ...

The CPSC window covering cord rule is a Section 15(j) determination: blinds, shades and other window coverings that fail the applicable sections of ANSI/WCMA A100.1-2018 are a substantial product hazard because of the strangulation risk cords pose to young children. Stock window coverings must have operating cords that are cordless (motorized counts), 8 inches or shorter, or inaccessible; stock and custom products alike need inner cords that cannot form a hazardous loop and a permanent manufacturer label in or on the headrail or roller tube. The rule took effect December 28, 2022 for products distributed in commerce or imported on or after that date (CPSC and Federal Register, data checked 2026-10-13). ...

A CPSC tracking label is the set of permanent marks that every children’s product and its packaging must carry, to the extent practicable, under section 103 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). The marks must make four things ascertainable: the manufacturer, importer or private labeler; the location and date of production; batch, run or other cohort information; and any other information that helps pin down the product’s specific source (CPSC, data checked 2026-10-13). The information may be coded, the marks need not sit on one label, and the tracking label is not cited on your Children’s Product Certificate. ...

The CPSC phthalates rule, 16 CFR part 1307, prohibits making for sale, selling, distributing or importing any children’s toy or child care article that contains more than 0.1 percent (1,000 ppm) of any of eight phthalates: DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIBP, DPENP, DHEXP and DCHP. The limit applies to each accessible plasticized component part. Covered products need third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted lab unless the material is on a CPSC exempt list, and a Children’s Product Certificate citing “16 C.F.R. part 1307 – Phthalates” (CPSC and 16 CFR, data checked 2026-10-13). ...

The CPSC lead limit for children’s products is 100 parts per million (ppm) of total lead content in every accessible part of a product designed or intended primarily for children 12 and younger. Paint and similar surface coatings on children’s products face a separate, tighter limit of 0.009 percent, or 90 ppm. Both apply to children’s products made in or imported into the United States, both require testing at a CPSC-accepted laboratory, and a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC) is required even when every part is inaccessible or made of a material CPSC has determined does not exceed the limit (CPSC, data checked 2026-10-13). ...

A self-employed Amazon seller with no employees can open either a SEP-IRA or a one-participant (solo) 401(k); both cap the employer-side contribution at 25% of compensation, which for a sole proprietor works out to 20% of net earnings after the deduction for one-half of self-employment tax. The difference is that a solo 401(k) adds employee elective deferrals on top, up to $24,500 for 2026, while a SEP allows no elective deferrals and no catch-up contributions (IRS, data checked 2026-10-12). For 2026 the IRS overall defined contribution limit for either plan is $72,000. ...

The CPSC magnet rule, codified at 16 CFR part 1262, is the mandatory federal Safety Standard for Magnets. It covers consumer products designed, marketed or intended for entertainment, jewelry (including children’s jewelry), mental stimulation or stress relief that contain one or more loose or separable magnets. Every such magnet that fits entirely within the small parts cylinder must have a flux index of less than 50 kG² mm², and the rule applies to products manufactured after October 21, 2022 (CPSC, data checked 2026-10-12). ...

CPSC infant sleep product rules are six mandatory federal standards, one per product type: bassinets and cradles (16 CFR part 1218), full-size cribs (part 1219), non-full-size cribs (part 1220), play yards (part 1221), bedside sleepers (part 1222), and a catch-all for every other infant sleep product (part 1236). Part 1236 covers products “marketed or intended to provide a sleeping accommodation for an infant up to 5 months of age” that no other part covers, and it caps the seat back or sleep surface angle at 10 degrees. On top of the product standard, every one of these products is a durable infant or toddler product, so it needs a permanent manufacturer marking and a consumer registration card under 16 CFR part 1130 (CPSC and eCFR, data checked 2026-10-12). ...

The CPSC drawstring rule for children’s clothing comes down to two size bands. On children’s upper outerwear such as hoodies, sweatshirts and jackets in sizes 2T to 12 or the equivalent, hood and neck drawstrings are not allowed. In sizes 2T to 16 or the equivalent, waist and bottom drawstrings may extend no more than 3 inches outside the drawstring channel when the garment is expanded to its fullest width, with no toggles, knots or other attachments at the free ends, and a continuous string must be bar tacked (CPSC, data checked 2026-10-12). ...

The CPSC bicycle helmet standard, codified at 16 CFR part 1203, is the mandatory federal safety standard for every bicycle helmet sold in the United States, including helmets sold on Amazon. It applies to any headgear marketed as, or implied by its marketing to be, protection from head injury while riding a bicycle. The importer or U.S. manufacturer must certify each helmet on a reasonable testing program, which CPSC’s guidance describes as at least 8 helmets of each size for each model; keep test records for at least 3 years after the last helmet in a tested lot is certified; and put specific warning, instruction and certification labels on the helmet (CPSC and eCFR, data checked 2026-10-12). ...

A toy needs a choking hazard warning on its package, and in any ad that lets a shopper buy it, when it falls into one of four groups: toys for ages 3 to under 6 that include a small part, latex balloons, small balls for ages 3 and up, and marbles for ages 3 and up (plus toys for ages 3 to under 8 that contain a small ball or marble). The package rule is 16 CFR 1500.19. The ad rule is Section 24(c) of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA), 15 U.S.C. 1278(c), which names “advertisements on Internet websites” directly, and CPSC’s rule at 16 CFR 1500.20 counts a website where a consumer can buy online as a “direct means of purchase or order.” ...

An Amazon seller that qualifies as a small business taxpayer does not have to keep a formal tax inventory under section 471(a). IRS Publication 538 says such a taxpayer “can choose not to keep an inventory, but you must still use a method of accounting for inventory that clearly reflects income” — either by treating inventory as non-incidental materials and supplies (NIMS) or by following its applicable financial statement or, without one, its books and records. For tax years beginning in 2026, the gross receipts limit is $32,000,000 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 3.30). Switching methods is done on Form 3115, normally as an automatic change. Everything below is quoted from IRS publications, revenue procedures, and the Treasury regulation, checked 2026-10-11. It lays out the rules and the conditions each option depends on, not a recommendation for any one business. ...