SELL
How to become an Amazon seller
Whether you have an established e-commerce business, a great idea for a new product or you simply have a passion for selling, here's how to take that next step with Amazon.
€39 (excl. VAT) a month + additional selling fees
Over €47,250 in exclusive benefits for new brands!
Create a seller account on Amazon today with a series of incentives to grow your business, including 10% back on the first €45,000 of branded products you sell, followed by 5% back for the first year until you reach €900,000 in sales (up to €47,250 back)!*
* Incentives for new selling partners are subject to the applicable terms and conditions. Visit Seller Central for more details.
Before you start
Choose a selling plan
With the Individual plan, you'll pay €0.99 every time that you sell an item. The Professional plan costs €39 a month, no matter how many items you sell. For both plans, Amazon also charges a referral fee on each sale, which is a percentage of the total transaction and varies by product category. Visit our pricing page for a summary of selling fees.
Consider your selling strategy
Resellers find popular products that already exist and offer them in Amazon's stores.
Brand owners manufacture their own products, or source goods to sell under a private label, to offer shoppers a unique selection.
Lots of selling partners do both. You can choose whichever method works best for your goals.
Brand owners manufacture their own products, or source goods to sell under a private label, to offer shoppers a unique selection.
Lots of selling partners do both. You can choose whichever method works best for your goals.
Learn from the most successful sellers
For new Amazon sellers, the first 90 days are especially crucial for establishing the right practices to accelerate performance post-launch. Amazon data scientists define the use of five selling programmes (Brand Registry, Fulfilment by Amazon, A+ Content, Automated Pricing and Advertising) within those first 90 days as 'the Perfect Launch'. New sellers who follow these five steps within that critical period can generate sales more quickly, as many of the most successful sellers already have done.
Understand your audience
Becoming a seller on Amazon allows your business to target business customers (B2B) and individual consumers (B2C) right from the outset of your journey as a selling partner. When you add listings, they'll automatically become available to both groups, allowing you to maximise the potential of a single seller account.
B2C customers
- Hundreds of millions of active customer accounts around the world
- Millions of products delivered to over 200 countries and territories
- 200 million Prime members around the world
- Over 50% of all product orders are sold by our third-party selling partners
B2B customers
- Millions of registered business customers, ranging from small businesses to large enterprises (over 50% of FTSE 100 companies are UK business customers).
- B2B customers have a larger shopping basket on average than B2C customers.
- On average, B2B customers return products less frequently.
- Use B2B tools that can help you make the most of your growth potential with business customers.
- Learn about the needs of B2B customers using recommendations on selecting the most in-demand products.
- Over 50% of all product orders are sold by our third-party selling partners
Create an Amazon seller account
You can use your customer account to start selling, or you can create a new Amazon seller account with your business email address. Before you sign up, make sure that you have the following to hand:
- Business email address or Amazon customer account
- Chargeable credit card (international credit cards are also accepted)
- Valid passport or national ID document (identity verification protects selling partners and customers)
- Company registration details (with VAT number, if possible)
- Telephone number
- A bank account where Amazon can send you proceeds from your sales
Amazon jargon:
Seller Central
Seller Central is the website where selling partners log in to monitor their sales activity on Amazon. You can manage inventory, update pricing, communicate with buyers, review account status, contact selling partner support and add new products.
Use the mobile app
Use the Amazon Seller app to analyse sales, fulfil orders, find products to sell, respond to customer queries, capture and edit professional-quality product photos and create listings directly from your phone.
Understanding your VAT requirements
Depending on the type of activity that you carry out, you'll be required to obtain a VAT number in a European country as per current regulations. This depends on several factors, such as the location of the business, the fulfilment model and annual sales. Being aware of the various VAT requirements and knowing how to comply with them will help ensure a smooth selling experience on Amazon.
Add your products
What can you sell on Amazon? It depends on the product, the category and the brand.
Some categories are open to all selling partners, others require a Professional seller account, others require approval to sell and others include products that cannot be sold by third-party selling partners.
To sell branded products protected by copyright, trademarks or patents, you must be the legal owner of the brand or an authorised reseller. Visit Seller Central to learn more about Amazon's intellectual property policy for selling partners. The table below provides an overview of Amazon product categories, but visit the Help section of Seller Central to learn more about restrictions and how to request approval. If you ship orders using Fulfilment by Amazon, make sure that you check the specific list of Fulfilment by Amazon product restrictions.
Additional restrictions may apply for used and refurbished products. See Certified Refurbishment requirements for more information.
Some categories are open to all selling partners, others require a Professional seller account, others require approval to sell and others include products that cannot be sold by third-party selling partners.
To sell branded products protected by copyright, trademarks or patents, you must be the legal owner of the brand or an authorised reseller. Visit Seller Central to learn more about Amazon's intellectual property policy for selling partners. The table below provides an overview of Amazon product categories, but visit the Help section of Seller Central to learn more about restrictions and how to request approval. If you ship orders using Fulfilment by Amazon, make sure that you check the specific list of Fulfilment by Amazon product restrictions.
Additional restrictions may apply for used and refurbished products. See Certified Refurbishment requirements for more information.
Product categories
Product category
Example products
Conditions allowed
Categories requiring approval
Food products
Beverages, Weaning and Baby Food, Biscuits and Snacks, Confectionery, Cereals, Cooking and Baking Provisions, Oils, Vinegars and Salad Dressings, Tinned Food, Pasta and Rice, Spreads, Sauces, Fresh and Frozen Food, Laundry Baskets, Household Cleaning and Care. Category available to Professional selling partners only. Requirements (sign-in required)
New only
Jewellery
Earrings, Necklaces, Rings, Bracelets (see also Watches). Available to Professional selling partners only.
Requirements (sign-in required)
Requirements (sign-in required)
New only
Watches
All watches. Available to Professional selling partners only. Requirements (sign-in required)
New only
Clothing
Jackets and Coats, Sportswear, Underwear, Belts, Wallets.
Requirements (sign-in required)
Requirements (sign-in required)
New only
Beer, Wine and Spirits
Spirits, Liqueurs, Wine, Beer, Cider.
(Approval separate from Food products).
Requirements (sign-in required)
(Approval separate from Food products).
Requirements (sign-in required)
New only
Beauty
Fragrances and Perfumes, Skincare, Makeup, Hair Care, Bath and Body. See also Health and Personal Care.
Requirements (sign-in required)
Requirements (sign-in required)
New only
Health and Personal Care
First Aid, Nutrition. See also Beauty.
Requirements (sign-in required)
Requirements (sign-in required)
New only
Personal Care Accessories
Hair Care Devices, Oral Care Devices, Skin Care Devices, Shaving and Hair Removal Devices, Footcare Devices, Healthcare Devices and Equipment, Massage Devices, Tanning Devices, Scales, SAD lamps, Independent Living and Mobility
Requirements (sign-in required)
Requirements (sign-in required)
New only
Product listing details
To start selling a product on Amazon, you'll need to create a listing in Seller Central (or via API). A product listing includes:
- Product identifier, such as GTIN, UPC, ISBN or EAN to specify the exact item that you're selling. You can get a UPC code directly from GS1, or request an exemption.
- An SKU, which is a product identifier that you create to track your inventory
- Offer details, including the price, product condition, available quantity and shipping options
- Product details such as name, brand, category, description and images
- Keywords and search terms to help buyers find your product
If another selling partner already offers the same product, you'll need to associate it with an existing listing (which means that some details will already be in place, such as the product identifier). If you're the first selling partner to offer a product, you'll need to create a new listing.
Amazon jargon:
ASIN
Every product offered for sale on Amazon receives an automatically generated ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number), which is different from a GTIN or SKU. Multiple sellers can offer the same ASIN.
The product detail page
The listing details will be displayed on a 'product detail page'. If you've ever shopped on Amazon.com, you'll have seen one. Product detail pages are where customers can find all the relevant information about a particular item.
When multiple selling partners offer the same product, Amazon combines data from these various offers into a single detail page. Selling partners who offer the product can provide product detail page information, or request product detail page reviews if the information displayed is incorrect.
If you sell your products under a registered trademark, consider enrolling in Amazon Brand Registry, a free service that gives you more control over product detail pages using your brand name.
When multiple selling partners offer the same product, Amazon combines data from these various offers into a single detail page. Selling partners who offer the product can provide product detail page information, or request product detail page reviews if the information displayed is incorrect.
If you sell your products under a registered trademark, consider enrolling in Amazon Brand Registry, a free service that gives you more control over product detail pages using your brand name.
1.
Title
200 characters maximum, capitalise the first letter of every word
2.
Images
500 x 500 or 1,000 x 1,000 pixels to increase listing quality
3.
Variations
Different colours, scents or sizes
4.
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 basket or choose "Buy Now".
6.
Other offers
The same product sold by multiple selling partners offering a different price, shipping options, etc.
7.
Description
Keywords that increase the chances that people will find your listing
Amazon jargon:
Featured offer ("Buy Box")
If multiple selling partners offer a product, they can compete for the Featured Offer ("Buy Box"), the most visible offer on the product detail page. Selling partners must meet performance-based requirements to be eligible for Featured Offer placement.
Attract customers
Once your products go live in Amazon's stores, there are several ways that you can attract customers. The Amazon Flywheel describes our method for driving growth.
Below are a few ways to consider using the "Amazon Flywheel" principles to generate momentum for your business.
Below are a few ways to consider using the "Amazon Flywheel" principles to generate momentum for your business.
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Provide fast shipping
Customers often buy products with the Amazon Prime badge, which you can get by using Fulfilment by Amazon to ship products from one of our fulfilment centres.
Sell and ship across Europe
With just one account, you can reach customers and manage all your listings and inventory all across Europe through our five European marketplaces (Amazon.it, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de and Amazon.es). To help you stay informed of changes relating to Brexit, please visit our Prepare your Amazon Business for Brexit help page (login required)
TRAFFIC
Advertise your offers
Help improve the visibility of individual products and boost brand awareness by advertising in search results and on product pages. Another way to promote your products is running a deal or a coupon.
PRICING
Set competitive prices
Many customers are looking for the best offer. Seller Central tools like automated repricing and bulk pricing for Amazon Business customers can help you stay competitive.
After your first sale
The moment that you start selling on Amazon you can start growing your business. The tools that we offer can help you take things to the next level.
View customer reviews
Customers and sellers alike benefit from customer product reviews. Make sure that you know which actions to take and which to avoid to get more product reviews and avoid policy violations.
Sellers read reviews
The best thing about Amazon is that it allows you to receive real-time feedback on how your product is being perceived and how well you are performing.Ramin GolzariManaging Director, Highlander Outdoor
Grow your business
Selling in Amazon stores allows you to develop a worldwide company from your laptop. Advertising, promotions and global selling are just a few ways to expand.
Stay successful
We have set high standards for Amazon selling partners because we want to provide a smooth, trustworthy and pleasant shopping experience for customers.
FAQ
Get answers to frequently asked questions about using Amazon for e-commerce.
What type of products can you sell online?
Depending on your niche, target audience and business goals, you can sell almost anything online.
On Amazon, you can sell products from numerous categories that don't require approval, such as Computers, Automotive Parts & Accessories, Home & Kitchen, Electronics, Pet Supplies, or Shoes & Accessories.
Certain product categories, such as Watches, Beauty, Clothing or Health & Personal Care, require prior approval from the Amazon team before they can be listed.
On Amazon, you can sell products from numerous categories that don't require approval, such as Computers, Automotive Parts & Accessories, Home & Kitchen, Electronics, Pet Supplies, or Shoes & Accessories.
Certain product categories, such as Watches, Beauty, Clothing or Health & Personal Care, require prior approval from the Amazon team before they can be listed.
Why sell online on Amazon?
Selling on Amazon can help your business reach a wide audience and more potential customers. Furthermore, Amazon selling partners have access to a variety of resources that can help increase visibility and sales.
Amazon provides selling partners with access to a library of educational resources to help them learn about a variety of topics and expand their knowledge. Various programmes, including Amazon Launchpad and Amazon Handmade, are designed to help more specialised businesses grow exponentially.
You can start an online business with a low investment and benefit from secure payment methods, reliability and many other advantages by becoming an Amazon seller.
Amazon provides selling partners with access to a library of educational resources to help them learn about a variety of topics and expand their knowledge. Various programmes, including Amazon Launchpad and Amazon Handmade, are designed to help more specialised businesses grow exponentially.
You can start an online business with a low investment and benefit from secure payment methods, reliability and many other advantages by becoming an Amazon seller.
Do I need to be self-employed to sell on Amazon?
Selling on Amazon is open to everyone, regardless of their work situation. Amazon offers two selling plans, one for individual selling and another for professional sellers. Once you've decided which plan is best for you, you can start selling on the website.
Bear in mind that if the revenue generated from your sales exceeds a certain limit, you may need to register as a standalone company and pay taxes accordingly.
Bear in mind that if the revenue generated from your sales exceeds a certain limit, you may need to register as a standalone company and pay taxes accordingly.
What mistakes should be avoided when selling online?
The key to successful online sales is to avoid common mistakes such as having insufficient product information, poor customer service and a poorly defined target audience.
It's important to have a clear understanding of your business capabilities and to address logistics and order fulfilment issues that may impact your company's effectiveness and reputation. One way to simplify these activities is to use services such as Fulfilment by Amazon.
Creating a solid business strategy that takes these factors into account is essential for successful online sales.
It's important to have a clear understanding of your business capabilities and to address logistics and order fulfilment issues that may impact your company's effectiveness and reputation. One way to simplify these activities is to use services such as Fulfilment by Amazon.
Creating a solid business strategy that takes these factors into account is essential for successful online sales.
Only have a few items to sell?
Start selling today
€39 (excl. VAT) a month.
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