Amazon Tells Sellers to Ditch their Mylar Stash Bags

Amazon’s instructions to sellers about Mylar bags raised some eyebrows on its announcement board. “Due to regulatory requirements, all Mylar bags that are not clear or single-colored must be removed from the Amazon store by August 5, 2022.”

Why Mylar? Amazon linked to its “Drugs & drug paraphernalia” help page that includes a compliance checklist for products associated with drugs and controlled substances. There, it stated, “Products must not be primarily used for making, preparing, or using a controlled substance” – included in the list: “Mylar bags, which are not clear or single colored.”

It still wasn’t clear what prompted Amazon to focus on Mylar bags – and specifically those that are multi-colored – but a little research revealed a demand for smell-proof bags for storing “herbs” – in some cases specifically mentioning the need to escape detection by dogs – with Mylar recommended as a solution on several boards.

The Feds do crack down on imports of certain containers used to “store and conceal” illegal drugs. One interesting case involved a seizure of Stashlogix lockable pouches by US Customs that the company said were designed to keep marijuana and pharmaceutical medication away from kids, according to Inc. Magazine.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) delved into its reasoning in a ruling on the Stashlogix storage cases that it said were “advertised and sold alongside numerous other storage cases which are used to store and conceal marijuana.” The clincher for CBP: “the combination of the storage case along with the odor absorbing OdorPax and the UV proof glass-lined jars – set this product apart from general multi-use storage containers.”

A search of Amazon on Tuesday revealed products for sale that included storage bags featuring the terms “stash” and “smell proof” in their titles – but Tuesday’s announcement only referenced a prohibition of Mylar bags.

Amazon advised sellers, “If you use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and have any remaining inventory of Mylar bags that are not clear or single-colored in Amazon fulfillment centers on or after August 5, 2022, these ASINs will be removed from the Amazon store. You must initiate a removal request within 30 days of receiving this notice to have your inventory sent to a location of your choice.” See the full announcement on Amazon Seller Central.

And if you’re curious about Mylar, it’s a trade name of Dupont, according to IMPAK Corporation, which sells packaging solutions. You can learn more about Mylar on its website, including the fact that its properties make it popular for storing various types of items, especially food products.