Amazon Seller Insurance for China-Based Sellers
Amazon’s insurance rule for Mainland China sellers changes on November 2, 2026. Here is who goes through the Amazon Insurance Accelerator, and how we help China sellers who operate through a US company.
The November 2, 2026 rule for Mainland China sellers
From November 2, 2026, Mainland China sellers without a US company buy new policies through the Amazon Insurance Accelerator. Amazon announced the change to US store sellers in a September 2026 notice. From that date it rejects newly submitted policies from Mainland China sellers that did not come through the Accelerator.
Mithril1 helps China sellers who operate through a US company. When your Amazon.com seller account belongs to a US company, such as a Delaware, Wyoming or California limited liability company, we quote US product liability for that company and prepare the certificate Amazon reviews. When the account belongs to a company in Mainland China with no US company behind it, the Accelerator is the route for new policies, and we say so plainly instead of quoting a policy Amazon would turn away.
A valid policy you uploaded before November 2 keeps working until it expires. Plan the renewal well ahead of that date. Our Amazon Insurance Accelerator guide explains how the panel works and how it compares with using your own broker.
What the Accelerator is
The Accelerator is a panel of insurers that Amazon put together with Marsh, a global insurance broker. Marsh announced it in August 2021 and named four insurers for China-based sellers at launch: Huatai, Ping An, PICC and the China company of Starr. Sellers compare quotes inside the program and buy a policy written to Amazon’s terms.
Amazon’s stated aim is fewer rejected certificates and claims that actually get paid. For a seller with no US company, that trade comes with less choice: the insurer list, the policy form and the claims process all sit inside Amazon’s program. The 2021 panel is the last list Marsh published, so look at the current insurers in Seller Central before you renew.
If you are weighing a US company
Some China sellers ask whether forming a US company is worth it just for insurance. It rarely makes sense for insurance alone. The question is whether the US company will really run the business: own the seller account, hold the inventory as importer of record, sign with the US warehouse and receive the Amazon payouts. When it does all of that, the insurance follows naturally, because the policy covers the company that sells to US customers.
A US company that exists only on paper creates new problems. Underwriters ask who makes decisions, where the goods are stored and who answers a recall. If every answer points back to Mainland China, expect closer questions and a slower quote. Talk with your accountant and a US attorney about the company itself, then bring us the finished structure.
Whose name belongs on the policy
Amazon matches the insured name on the certificate to the legal entity name in your Seller Central Account Info. We work with hundreds of Amazon sellers, and for China-founded brands that name match is the certificate problem we see most. The policy names the Shenzhen parent, the seller account belongs to the US company, and Amazon sees two different businesses.
The US company that owns the seller account is the named insured. A factory or parent company can join the same policy as an additional named insured when the underwriter agrees, but it cannot stand in for the US company. Keep the spelling, the punctuation and the LLC or Inc. ending identical to Account Info.
Amazon also wants itself added by endorsement as Amazon.com Services LLC and its affiliates and assignees, with limits of at least $1 million per occurrence and in the aggregate, from an insurer rated A- or better. The Amazon seller insurance requirements page walks through each line. Read the deductible rule in Seller Central on the day you bind, because Amazon checks it against the certificate.
Why a policy bought in China rarely answers a US lawsuit
Product liability policies written in Mainland China carry a jurisdiction schedule, the list of countries where the insurer defends suits. Export forms often read worldwide excluding the USA and Canada, and the certificate rarely shows it. When the Chinese wording and the English translation differ, the Chinese text controls.
A US appeals court has already applied this kind of exclusion. In ACE American Insurance Co. v. RC2 Corp., decided in 2010, the Seventh Circuit held that an international liability policy excluding US occurrences gave the toy company no defense for lead-exposure suits. The toys were made in China, but the children were exposed in the United States, so the claims fell inside the excluded area.
The lesson for an Amazon seller is simple. What matters is where the customer gets hurt, not where the goods were made or where the policy was bought. A US product liability policy for your US company starts from that fact.
Lithium batteries, children’s goods and the category rule
November 2 also adds a category trigger. Children’s products, cosmetics, ingestibles and lithium-battery products need the $1 million policy whatever the monthly sales, for listings already live as well as new ones. Power banks, Bluetooth speakers, cordless tools, scooters and e-bike parts fill many China-made catalogs, so the rule reaches sellers who never passed $10,000 in a month.
Underwriters ask about lithium goods in detail: the cell maker, the battery management system, the UN 38.3 test summary that US transport rules expect manufacturers and distributors to make available, and any recall history. Our lithium-battery products guide lists what to gather.
Toys and other children’s products need a Children’s Product Certificate based on testing at a CPSC-accepted laboratory. For goods made overseas the importer issues that certificate, and from July 8, 2026 importers file certificates electronically with US Customs. When your US company is the importer of record, that paperwork sits with the same company the policy names.
Working across a 15-hour gap
Beijing time is UTC+8, so Shenzhen runs 15 hours ahead of Seattle in summer and 16 in winter. Amazon’s emails and a US underwriter’s questions land overnight, and a single back-and-forth can cost two days. The 30 days after passing $10,000 in monthly gross proceeds disappear quickly at that pace.
We work around it by asking for everything at the start: the US company’s formation papers and EIN, the exact Account Info name, a product list with ASINs, the factory names, test reports and twelve months of Amazon.com sales. We send the draft certificate for you to check against Account Info before it goes to Amazon, so a name or address problem surfaces before the upload rather than after it.
A few useful answers
Common questions
Can Mithril1 quote a Mainland China seller that has no US company?
Not for new policies from November 2, 2026. Amazon sends Mainland China sellers without a US company to the Amazon Insurance Accelerator. If you form a US company and register your seller account to it, we can quote for that company.
I uploaded my policy before November 2. Do I have to replace it now?
No. Amazon accepts a valid policy submitted before November 2, 2026 until it expires. Start the renewal at least six weeks early, because the replacement is judged under the new rule.
Does the Accelerator rule cover a Hong Kong company?
Amazon’s notice names sellers based in Mainland China, and a Hong Kong company sits outside those words. Compare the notice in Seller Central with the business address on your account before you pick a route.
Can my factory's product liability policy cover my Amazon sales?
Rarely. It names the factory rather than your seller account, and many Chinese export forms leave out US and Canadian claims. Amazon also needs its own additional insured endorsement on a policy in your account’s name.
What should a China seller send first for a quote?
The US company’s legal name exactly as Account Info shows it, its EIN and US address, your product list with ASINs, the factories you use, test reports for battery and children’s items, and your last twelve months of Amazon.com sales.