Why a listing gets blocked or queued for review
Every publish attempt runs an automated check. Here is what each block reason means and what to do about it.
title: Why a listing gets blocked or queued for review description: Every publish attempt runs an automated check. Here is what each block reason means and what to do about it. topic: seller-help order: 21 updated_at: "2026-08-07" phase: live tags: [seller, listings, review, blocked, enforcement] related: [listing-products, prohibited-and-restricted-items, performance-standards]
Before any listing goes live, it runs through an automated gauntlet: restricted category rules, brand-registry checks, MAP price floors, and content scans. The outcome is one of three things — publish, blocked, or queued for human review. If your listing was blocked, the reason maps to one of the codes below.
Block reasons, translated
| Code you may see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
forbidden_category | The product matches a category that isn't allowed on Wehoz at all (see Restricted items). | Don't relist. If you believe the match is wrong (a keyword false-positive on your title), email help@wehoz.com with the SKU. |
admin_only_category | Only Wehoz's own house catalog may list in this category. | Not available to marketplace sellers. |
license_required | The category requires a specific approved license document on file (for example, a state license), and your account doesn't have one. | Upload the license via your dashboard documents page and ask us to re-run the listing once it's approved. |
unauthorized_reseller | The brand owner has registered this brand with Wehoz and restricted it to an authorized-reseller list you're not on. | Contact the brand to be added to their list. Wehoz can't override a brand's allowlist. |
map_violation | One or more of your variant prices is below the Minimum Advertised Price floor the brand set for that product or GTIN. The message includes the floor. | Reprice at or above the floor and resubmit. |
image_blocked | One or more image URLs come from a retailer domain (Amazon, Walmart, Target, Costco, and similar). | Replace with your own photography or brand-portal images. |
Reasons a listing gets queued instead of published
Queued isn't blocked — it means a human looks before it goes live. Triggers:
- New seller — your account is under 90 days old or has fewer than 5 approved listings. Every new seller goes through this; it wears off.
- Low trust score — see below.
- Restricted category (review tier) — the category is allowed but flagged for review.
- Copyright flag — the title or description contains copyright markers or another retailer's private-label brand name (Kirkland Signature, Great Value, Amazon Basics, and similar).
- Image flag — an image URL looked suspect but wasn't a hard block.
The trust score, in the open
Your account carries a trust score from 0 to 100 that determines whether your queued listings can auto-approve:
- +10 per approved listing (caps at +50)
- +1 per active day (caps at +30)
- −5 per rejected listing
- −25 per valid DMCA notice upheld against you
- Accounts over 180 days old with zero valid DMCA notices never drop below 20
At 80 or above with no active strikes, queued listings auto-approve — except listings with copyright or image flags, which always get human eyes.