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The beginner's guide to selling on Amazon
A few things to consider before you start selling
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* Incentives for new selling partners are subject to the respective terms of use. Visit Seller Central to learn more.
Introduction
Welcome to selling on Amazon
It’s no secret: at Amazon, the focus is on customers. They want a trusted destination where they can purchase a wide variety of goods. That's why selling partners like you are so important. We’re always looking for ways to add value for our customers and be the world’s most customer-centric company. As an Amazon seller, you take part in offering those customers a better selection, better prices, and top-notch customer experience.
Hundreds of millions of worldwide active customer accounts
195 million unique visits per month (in the US alone)
Over $1.9 billion sales by selling partners during Prime Day 2021
(Source: https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/prime-day-delivered-two-biggest-days-ever-small-medium-sized)
The Amazon edge
When you start selling on Amazon, you become part of a retail destination that’s home to all kinds of sellers, from Fortune 500 organisations to artisan vendors who make handcrafted goods. They all sell here for one reason: you can reach hundreds of millions of customers who visit Amazon to shop. More than half of the products sold worldwide on Amazon come from our selling partners.
- Third-party sales account for approximately 60% of physical product sales on Amazon. These are growing faster than Amazon's own retail sales.
- More than 200,000 entrepreneurs worldwide surpassed $100,000 in sales in our stores in 2019.
FAQ:
is Amazon right for my business?
The short answer is Professional selling plan: Yes. Many well-known brands sell on Amazon. So do emerging brands that will pop on your radar soon. Small and medium-sized businesses thrive here, and they account for more than half the units sold in our stores worldwide. Whatever your business - and whatever size it is - we’re excited about you growing with us. Find your fit and start selling today.
Before you start selling
Choose your plan
Amazon gives you the flexibility to sell one or thousands of items with Individual or Professional selling plans. You can think of these as standard or premium plans. Before you commence registration, decide which plan fits your business best.
The Individual plan costs €0.99 per item sold, while sellers using the Professional plan pay €39 per month, no matter how many items they sell. If you sell more than 40 items a month, the Professional plan makes a lot of sense. Whichever plan you choose: don't worry about making the wrong choice – you can change plans at any time. Note that in both cases, additional referral fees apply to the flat rates.
The Individual plan costs €0.99 per item sold, while sellers using the Professional plan pay €39 per month, no matter how many items they sell. If you sell more than 40 items a month, the Professional plan makes a lot of sense. Whichever plan you choose: don't worry about making the wrong choice – you can change plans at any time. Note that in both cases, additional referral fees apply to the flat rates.
Plans
Individual selling plan
Professional selling plan
This plan might be right for you if...
- You sell fewer than 40 items a month
- You don't need advanced selling tools or programmes
- You're still deciding what to sell
- You sell more than 40 items a month
- You want access to APIs and more selling reports
- You want to sell with programmes like Handmade
Did you know:
Tools for brand owners
If you own a brand, Amazon offers tools to help you build, grow, and protect it. Brand Registry can help you personalise your brand and product pages, protect your trademarks and intellectual property, and improve the brand experience for customers. At the same time, you get access to additional advertising options and recommendations on improving traffic and conversion.
What you’ll need to get started
In order to complete your registration, please ensure you have the following handy:
- Business email address or Amazon customer account
- Chargeable credit card (international cards are also accepted)
- Valid passport or ID. Identity verification protects sellers and customers
- Company registration details, including VAT number.
FAQ:
What is a VAT number and why do I get one?
If you sell goods in any EU country, it’s likely you may be required to register for Value Added Tax (VAT) in each country you sell in. VAT is a tax that VAT-registered traders in the EU add to the price of the goods they sell, and pass on to the national tax authorities when they file their tax returns. You may be able to claim back a portion of your VAT.
How much does it cost to sell on Amazon?
There are a few different types of referral fees you might pay, depending on your selling plan and the types of products you sell.
Subscription fees
These are the fees you pay for your selling plan. They vary depending on the plan you choose.
- On the Professional selling plan there’s a flat fee of €39 per month and no per-item fee.
- On the Individual selling plan there’s a €0.99 fee for each item sold.
Referral fees
These fees are charged per item sold, and they include referral fees (which are a percentage of the selling price and vary depending on the product’s category), and variable closing fees (which apply only to media categories).
Fulfilment fees
When you fulfil orders yourself, Amazon delivery rates apply. We charge these delivery rates based on the product category and delivery service selected by the buyer.
FBA fees
For products that Amazon fulfils for you (known as Fulfilment by Amazon, or FBA), there are fees for order fulfilment, storage, and optional services.
Review the fees that may be associated with your account.
Get to know Seller Central
What is Seller Central?
Once you register as an Amazon seller, you’ll have access to your Seller Central account. Think of Seller Central as your go-to resource for selling on Amazon. It’s a portal to your Amazon business and a one-stop shop for managing your selling account, adding product information, making inventory updates, managing payments, and finding helpful content to help you navigate your Amazon business. It’s also where you list all your products.
Below are a just few of the things you can do from Seller Central.
- Keep track of your inventory and update your listings from the Inventory tab
- Download custom business reports and bookmark templates you use often
- Use customer metrics tools to monitor your seller performance
- Contact Selling Partner Support and open help tickets using the Case Log
- Keep track of your daily sales for all the products you sell on Amazon
Go mobile
Use the Amazon Seller App to track sales, fulfil orders, find products to sell, respond to customer questions, capture and edit professional-quality product photos, and create listings from your phone.
VAT compliance
Understanding your VAT requirements
Depending on the nature of your business, you will be required to register for a VAT number in a European country as per the regulations. This depends on multiple factors, some of which are: place of business establishment, fulfilment model, and your annual sales. Having awareness of various VAT requirements, and knowing how to comply with them, will contribute to a frictionless selling experience on Amazon.
How to list products
Listing your first product
To sell a product on Amazon, you must first create a product listing. Either match an existing listing (if somebody else is already selling the same product on Amazon), or create a new listing (if you are the first or only seller).
The specific way sellers upload and list their products varies depending on their selling plan. To put it simply: sellers using a Professional seller account have the option of listing their products in large batches using bulk uploading or inventory management with third-party systems, while Individual sellers list products one at a time.
The specific way sellers upload and list their products varies depending on their selling plan. To put it simply: sellers using a Professional seller account have the option of listing their products in large batches using bulk uploading or inventory management with third-party systems, while Individual sellers list products one at a time.
Did you know:
Sell to both B2B and B2C customers with one account
Once you successfully list your product, it will become available to both B2C and B2B customers. This enables you to extend the reach of your offers from a single account
without any additional fees.
without any additional fees.
What you need to start listing products
In most cases, products must have a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), such as a UPC, an ISBN, or an EAN. Amazon uses these product IDs to identify the exact item you’re selling. If you match a listing, you won’t need to provide a product ID since it already exists. If you’re adding a product that’s new to Amazon, you may need to purchase a UPC code or request an exemption.
In addition to a product ID, here’s some of the important information that goes into each product listing:
- SKU
- Product title
- Product description and bullet points
- Product images
- Search terms and relevant keywords
FAQ:
what are restricted product categories?
It is important that customers can shop with confidence on Amazon. For this reason, some product categories (such as certain food or automotive products) are considered “restricted categories.” Amazon might require performance checks, additional fees, and other qualifications in order for you to sell certain brands or list items within restricted categories. You’ll be able to request approval from within Seller Central.
Successful listing = successful launch
Following best practices for adding listings can have a big impact on their success. Make it easy for shoppers to find your offers by adding descriptive titles, clear images, and concise feature bullets to your items. Avoid things that could negatively impact your launch:
Variation issues
Products that vary only by colour, scent or size might be a good candidate for listing as variations. Ask yourself if the customer would expect to find the products together on the same page. If not, list them separately.
Image compliance
Your images must be at least 500 x 500 pixels (increase the size to 1,000 x 1,000 for high-quality listings) and set against a plain white background. The product should fill at least 80% of the image area.
Product IDs
Make sure you’re meeting the requirements for product UPCs and GTINs (Global Trade Item Number). Consistency in these codes helps promote confidence in the range of products shown in the Amazon catalogue.
Don't have an Amazon seller account yet?
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The product detail page
A product detail page is where customers view a product sold on Amazon. If you’ve shopped on Amazon, you’ll probably recognise the product detail page. It’s where customers can find all the relevant information about a particular item.
When multiple sellers offer the same product, Amazon combines data from all the offers into one product detail page (so we can present customers with the best experience). You can propose product information on a product detail page, along with other sellers and manufacturers, and request detail page reviews if you think the information is not correct.
As you’re building your product detail pages, try to think about what will best help customers find your products, discover answers to their questions, and make a purchasing decision. Aim for the ultimate customer experience by making your listings concise, accurate, and easy to understand.
When multiple sellers offer the same product, Amazon combines data from all the offers into one product detail page (so we can present customers with the best experience). You can propose product information on a product detail page, along with other sellers and manufacturers, and request detail page reviews if you think the information is not correct.
As you’re building your product detail pages, try to think about what will best help customers find your products, discover answers to their questions, and make a purchasing decision. Aim for the ultimate customer experience by making your listings concise, accurate, and easy to understand.
1.
Titles
Max. 200 characters, capitalise the first letter of every word
2.
Images
500 x 500 or 1,000 x 1,000 pixels to increase listing quality
3.
Variants
Such as different colours, scents, or sizes
4.
Product features (bullet points)
Short, descriptive sentences highlighting key features and benefits
5.
Featured offer ("Buy Box")
The featured offer on a detail page. Customers can add to their cart or “Buy Now”
6.
Other offers
The same product sold by multiple sellers offering a different price, delivery options, etc.
7.
Description
Keywords improve the chances that people will find your listing
One account – all of Europe
Amazon has unified its online European marketplaces, so you can sell your products, create and manage your product offers and control your inventory throughout the EU, all from one European seller account.
Sell across Europe
Take your business beyond borders and reach millions of customers all across Europe, through amazon.de, amazon.co.uk, amazon.fr, amazon.it and amazon.es
Learn more
Learn more
VAT tools and resources
Every country in the EU has its own VAT laws; Amazon’s VAT support services help you navigate VAT easily and efficiently – and at no cost for the first year.
Learn more at VAT Knowledge Centre
Learn more at VAT Knowledge Centre
Translation services
Build stronger customer relationships by servicing them in their own language. Use Amazon’s translation services to translate your product offers and information.
How to deliver products
Selecting the right fulfilment option
Amazon sellers have two options for getting shoppers their stuff: you can do it yourself, maintaining your own inventory and delivery products to customers (merchant-fulfilment), or have Amazon take responsibility for packaging, labelling, and delivery products through Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA). Each method has its own set of benefits; you just have to decide which one is right for your business.
Benefits of Fulfilment by Amazon
Amazon has more than 175 logistics centres with some 14 million square metres of warehouse space around the world. With Fulfilment by Amazon, you too can store your goods on our shelves. You can also take advantage of first-class customer service and Amazon returns, as well as other benefits (such as automatic Prime eligibility for eligible products and free shipping from €39) that will enable you to quickly scale your business.
Your Products Fulfilled across Europe
Fulfilment by Amazon is the ultimate solution to build up and grow your international brand identity. Start selling in Europe by choosing the countries where you want to expand and let Amazon store and distribute your products according to the expected customer demand, at no additional cost to you.
If you sell in Europe using Fulfilment by Amazon, you can save up to 53% and increase your sales by up to 30%. You also benefit from faster delivery through Amazon and the Prime logo.
If you sell in Europe using Fulfilment by Amazon, you can save up to 53% and increase your sales by up to 30%. You also benefit from faster delivery through Amazon and the Prime logo.
Did you know
You only pay for the services you use?
Our flexible rate structure makes it easy to be more competitive.
With FBA, you only pay for the services you use.
There are no subscription fees, contracts or minimum inventory requirements.
Deliver your products to our fulfilment centres and pay for fulfilment services and storage space used.
With FBA, you only pay for the services you use.
There are no subscription fees, contracts or minimum inventory requirements.
Deliver your products to our fulfilment centres and pay for fulfilment services and storage space used.
How Fulfilment by Amazon works
Step 1
Deliver your inventory to Amazon. It will be scanned and made available for sale.
Step 2
With each order, Amazon packages and delivers the product directly to the customer.
Step 3
Amazon collects payment from the customer and pays you available funds every two weeks.
Step 4
Amazon’s customer service team handles questions, returns and refunds.
If you’re fulfilling your own orders
Merchant-fulfilled simply means you store and deliver products directly to customers yourself. Amazon charges delivery rates based on the product category and delivery service selected by the customer, then passes the amount on to you in the form of a delivery credit.
Delivery costs apply to all products sold on the Individual plan. As such, it is important that you can continue to set profitable prices for items. Amazon’s Buy Shipping tool can help you get a great deal on delivery labels with Amazon’s trusted network of delivery partners, to deliver and confirm your orders, and track your deliveries.
Seller Fulfilled Prime allows you to deliver products with Prime logo directly from your own warehouse. Prime customers can therefore benefit from free express delivery. This not only boosts your visibility, but it has been proven to increase customer trust, leading to increased sales.
Delivery costs apply to all products sold on the Individual plan. As such, it is important that you can continue to set profitable prices for items. Amazon’s Buy Shipping tool can help you get a great deal on delivery labels with Amazon’s trusted network of delivery partners, to deliver and confirm your orders, and track your deliveries.
Seller Fulfilled Prime allows you to deliver products with Prime logo directly from your own warehouse. Prime customers can therefore benefit from free express delivery. This not only boosts your visibility, but it has been proven to increase customer trust, leading to increased sales.
You’ve made your first sale. What’s next?
Managing your Amazon business
Your first sale is a big milestone—but it’s just the beginning of your growth opportunities selling on Amazon. Once your store is up and running, there are a few important things to keep in mind.
Performance metrics (and why they matter)
Amazon sellers operate at a high standard so we can provide a seamless, delightful shopping experience. We call it being customer-obsessed, and as an Amazon seller it means keeping an eye on these key metrics:
- Order defect rate (a measure of a seller’s customer service standards): < 1%
- Pre-fulfilment cancel rate (initiated by the seller before delivery): < 2.5%
- Late delivery rate (orders that deliver after the expected date): < 4%
You can keep tabs on your performance and make sure you’re meeting your targets in Seller Central.
Customer reviews
Customer product reviews are an integral part of the shopping experience on Amazon, and they benefit both customers and sellers. Make sure you’re familiar with the right way and wrong way to get more product reviews and avoid policy violations.
Amazon jargon:
Seller University
Seller University is an online resource from Amazon. It provides step-by-step how-to videos, tutorials, and training to help entrepreneurs start (and grow) their Amazon business.
Opportunities for business growth
This is only the beginning
The moment you’re selling on Amazon is the moment you can start growing your Amazon business. Once you’ve launched your business, Amazon has tools in place to help you take your business to the next level (or the next couple of levels).
Advertising
Amazon’s advertising solutions create new ways for you to reach and engage shoppers, regardless of whether they’re just starting to compare products, or ready to make a purchase. Ads show up right where customers will see them (like the first page of search results or product detail pages).
Amazon offers three advertising solutions, and all of them are accessible through Seller Central.
Amazon offers three advertising solutions, and all of them are accessible through Seller Central.
Sponsored Products
Sponsored Products are ads for individual product listings on Amazon, so they help drive product visibility (and product sales). They appear on the search results pages and on product detail pages.
Sponsored Brands
Sponsored Brands showcase your brand and product portfolio. They’re search-result ads that feature your brand logo, a custom headline, and up to three of your products.
Amazon Stores
Stores are custom multi-page shopping destinations for individual brands that let you share your brand story and product range with others (and you don’t need website experience to use them).
Promotions and coupons
Customers want to save, and promotions are an incentive to make a purchase now. There are three types of promotions: discounts, free delivery and a free product when you buy a product. You can also offer percentage or money-off discounts with digital coupons.
Global expansion
Selling globally is a huge milestone for any business. It means hundreds of millions of new customers and the potential for a big boost in sales. Global expansion has a lot of moving parts, but with Amazon Global Selling, you get to use Amazon’s global infrastructure to put your products in front of a worldwide audience.
When it’s time to take your business to the next level, use Amazon Global Selling to list and sell your products on any of our online stores in North America, Europe, and Asia.
When it’s time to take your business to the next level, use Amazon Global Selling to list and sell your products on any of our online stores in North America, Europe, and Asia.
What makes a great seller?
A checklist for growth
Speed matters in business. For Amazon selling partners, the first 90 days are particularly important to establish marketing, delivery, pricing, and other business processes to quickly generate sales after launch. Amazon data scientists refer to the use of five selling programmes—Brand Registry, A+ Content, Fulfilment by Amazon, Automated Pricing and Advertising—within those first 90 days as Perfect Launch. Selling partners who take these five steps within this critical time frame can generate sales faster, as the examples of many of the most successful selling partners have already shown.
Ready to follow their example? The launch guide is simple:
Ready to follow their example? The launch guide is simple:
Enrol your brand in Brand Registry.
Enhance your product detail pages with A+ Content
Get set up with Fulfilment by Amazon
Automate pricing on your offers
Create promotional campaigns for Sponsored Products, coupons and/or offers.
Your first 90 days
The first three months after you launch your Amazon business are an important time for establishing practices that will boost your performance from then on.
Start selling today
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