> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://sourcesheets.gitbook.io/sourcesheets-new-seller-blueprint/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://sourcesheets.gitbook.io/sourcesheets-new-seller-blueprint/fast-track/0.3-the-7-gates.md).

# 0.3 The 7 Gates

The single most important page in the fast-track. Seven checks, in order. Any one of them failing is enough to reject a product, regardless of how good the others look.

1. **Profit After Real Fees**: after every Amazon fee, shipping cost, and prep cost is accounted for, is there real profit left, not just a positive number before those costs are subtracted
2. **ROI Before Optimism**: is the return actually worth the cash you're tying up in stock, not just better than doing nothing with it
3. **Sales Velocity Consistency**: is it actually selling, consistently, week after week, not a single burst of orders that looks good on a snapshot
4. **Rank Behaviour Over Time**: has sales rank and price stayed stable over the last few months, or is it jumping around unpredictably
5. **Amazon's Role in Pricing**: is Amazon itself on the listing, holding the price down in a way a third-party seller can't realistically compete with
6. **Offer Count Pressure**: how many other sellers are on the listing, and are they racing each other's prices down
7. **Risk Flags & Hard Stops**: hazmat, compliance issues, restrictions, or brand problems that rule the product out regardless of what the numbers say

### Decision

Reject is the default. Proceed Cautiously only if every gate passes cleanly. Park & Monitor if it's close but not there yet. Never "strong buy."

It's always better to go wide, rather than deep, when buying stock. It's a lot better to wish you'd bought more of something, than wishing you'd bought less!