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How to sell on Amazon: a guide for beginners
Get an overview of how to create a selling account, list products, fulfill customer orders, and more.
More than 60% of sales in the Amazon store come from independent sellers
Why sell on Amazon?
Amazon is one of the most trusted brands in the US. We work hard to provide every customer with what they need when they need it—and we’re excited every time a new seller joins our community.
Why do independent sellers choose Amazon?
Independent sellers choose Amazon because they get to sell in a store that more customers trust—and they get to do it with higher-impact tools and programs that simplify their business and cost less than alternatives.
Get ready to sell
Choose a selling plan
We offer two selling plans so you can choose the right package of tools and services for the right price.
- The Individual selling plan costs $0.99 per sale.
- The Professional selling plan costs $39.99 per month, no matter how many items you sell.
Amazon also collects a referral fee on each item sold, and other selling fees can apply in some cases. Some optional tools and programs involve added costs.
Create and configure your Seller Central account
After choosing your selling plan, you’ll register with Amazon and create a Seller Central account.
Once you’ve registered, you’ll want to configure your Seller Central account for your business. Make sure you review the following:
- Public seller profile
- Payment and business information
- Shipping and returns settings
- Tax information and settings
- Notification preferences
- Login settings
- User permissions
Consider adding other users to your selling account if you’d like help with certain tasks.
After configuring your Seller Central account, you can use it to list and price products, manage your inventory, and fulfill customer orders.
Want to manage your account on the go?
Enroll your brand
If you’re the Rights Owner for an eligible brand, we recommend enrolling it in Amazon Brand Registry before you list your products. Brand Registry is free and provides sellers with a suite of additional selling benefits and protection tools like A+ Content, Manage Your Experiments, and Brand Analytics.
Don't have an Amazon selling account yet?
List products
Understand the product detail page
The product detail page is where customers find all relevant information about an item. When multiple sellers offer the same product, Amazon combines their offers on one product detail page to make it easier for customers to find, compare, and purchase items.
1.
Title
200 characters max, capitalize the first letter of every word
2.
Images
500 x 500 or 1,000 x 1,000 pixels to increase listing quality
3.
Variations
Such as different colors, scents, or sizes
4.
Bullet points
Short, descriptive sentences highlighting key features and benefits
5.
Featured Offer (formerly "Buy Box")
The Featured Offer on a detail page.
6.
Other offers
The same product sold by multiple sellers offering a different price, shipping options, etc.
7.
Description
Keywords improve the chances that people will find your listing
Make sure your products are safe and compliant
Products offered for sale in the Amazon store must comply with all laws and regulations, as well as Amazon policies. Before you start the listing process, make sure you understand our Product safety and Restricted products policies.
If you want to ship orders through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), be sure to also review specific FBA product restrictions.
If you want to ship orders through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), be sure to also review specific FBA product restrictions.
Match or create a product listing
If the product you want to sell is already in the Amazon store, in most cases you can use its product ID, or GTIN, to match an offer to the existing product detail page. If a product isn’t already in the Amazon store, you’ll need to create a new product detail page.
All sellers can match or create product listings one at a time. Professional sellers can also match or create product listings in bulk.
Your ability to list a product in the Amazon store can depend on its category, condition, and brand. In some cases, you’ll need to apply to sell a product, category, or brand.
All sellers can match or create product listings one at a time. Professional sellers can also match or create product listings in bulk.
Your ability to list a product in the Amazon store can depend on its category, condition, and brand. In some cases, you’ll need to apply to sell a product, category, or brand.
Product categories
Product category
Example products
Conditions allowed
Categories without restrictions
Amazon Device Accessories
Amazon devices accessories
New, Used
Amazon Kindle
Kindle devices accessories
Used
Beauty
Fragrance, skincare, makeup, hair care, bath & shower (topicals require approval). See also Health & Personal Care.
New
Business Products (B2B)
Business-relevant products across multiple categories. Special pricing features to target business customers.
New, Used
Beauty Tools & Accessories
Brushes, bags, cases, skin care tools, hair styling tools
New
Camera & Photo
Cameras, camcorders, telescopes
New, Used
Cell Phones
Cell phones and accessories must be listed using the manufacturer’s Universal Product Code (UPC).
New, Used, Unlocked
Electronics Accessories
Audio, video, camera, photo, cell phone, car electronics, computer, and office accessories
New, Used
Home & Garden
Kitchen, dining, pet supplies, furniture, décor, bedding, bath, craft, hobby, home appliances, storage, patio, lawn, garden, pool supplies, landscaping, snow removal, generators
New, Used, Collectible
Luggage & Travel Accessories
Luggage, bags, backpacks, briefcases, umbrellas, travel accessories
New
Musical Instruments
Guitars, orchestra, recording equipment
New, Used, Collectible
Office Products
Supplies, furniture, printers, calculators
New, Used, Collectible
Outdoors
Outdoor gear, outdoor sports apparel, cycling, and action sports
New, Used
Shoes, Handbags & Sunglasses
Shoes, boots, sandals, slippers, handbags, sunglasses, eyewear frames
New
Software & Computer Games
Business, media education, utility, security, children's software and PC games
New, Used
Sports
Exercise & fitness, hunting accessories, team sports, licensed/fan shop, athletic apparel, boating & fishing, and game room
New, Used, Collectible
Tools & Home Improvement
Hand & power tools, plumbing, electrical, building materials, appliance parts
New, Used
Toys & Games
Action figures, dolls, board games, arts, crafts, furniture, learning toys (holiday selling requirements apply)
New, Collectible
Video Games & Video Game Consoles
Game consoles, console games, accessories
New, Used, Collectible
Categories with restrictions
Automotive & Powersports
New, Used, Collectible
Baby Products
Topicals, food, feeding products, diapers, strollers, carriers, toys
New
Beauty Topicals
Cosmetics, fragrance, skincare, makeup, hair care, bath & shower, topicals
New
Certified Refurbished
Laptops & computers, smartphones, tablets, kitchen appliances, office equipment
See Amazon Renewed
Collectible Coins
Graded collectible coins minted by governments, US Mint packaged product, gold coins, silver coins, platinum coins, palladium coins
Collectible
Entertainment Collectibles
Celebrity signed photos, original movie posters, limited-edition figures and busts, animation cels
Collectible
Health & Personal Care
First aid, nutrition, feminine hygiene, dietary supplements
New
Historical & Advertising Collectibles
Vintage collectibles related to historical people, places, or events and promotional materials related to consumer brands.
Collectible
Industrial & Scientific
Lab equipment & supplies, industrial materials, power transmission, electronic components, sanitation, janitorial
New
Music
CDs, cassettes, vinyl, and other sound recordings
New, Used, Collectible
Plants, Plant Products, & Seeds
New
Sports Collectibles
Trading cards, game-used and autographed items
Collectible
Watches
All watches
New
Warranties, Services Plans, Contracts, & Guarantees
N/A
Branded products
If a product is part of a brand enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry, only three types of sellers can create its product detail page using our standard listing processes:
- The original Rights Owner who enrolled the brand
- Other sellers internal to the brand
- Resellers who’ve been associated with the brand
After a product is listed by one of the above sellers, others sellers can match offers to its product detail page. They may be prompted to complete a brand selling application first.
Don't have an Amazon selling account yet?
Price products
Before you set prices for your products, you’ll want to get familiar with key concepts we use to organize and support pricing in the Amazon store.
- Competitive external price: The lowest price for an item from major retailers outside Amazon. We share competitive external prices with sellers. For your own price to be considered competitive, your standard item price, plus shipping, must be less than or equal to the competitive external price.
- Featured Offer: The offer a customer often sees this near the top of a product detail page with Buy Now and Add to Cart buttons. To compete for the Featured Offer, a seller must set a competitive price and have a Professional selling plan. The product also needs to be in new condition.
- Lowest Amazon price: The lowest price currently offered by a seller in the Amazon store. We share the current lowest Amazon price to give sellers who list a product to the opportunity to match or beat it.
Want to optimize your prices? Learn how the Automate pricing tool can help you become the Featured Offer for a product.
Select your fulfillment method
You have two basic options for getting customers their stuff:
- You can fulfill orders yourself, maintaining your own inventory and shipping products directly to customers. We call this Fulfilled by Merchant.
- You can send your inventory to Amazon and have us pick, pack, and deliver products through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). FBA also takes care of customer service and returns.
Each method has its own benefits—and you can decide which one is right for each product you sell. You can also use our Revenue Calculator to compare estimates for FBA and your own fulfillment method.
Monitor your performance
Our Account Health dashboard provides an overview of your account’s adherence to policies and various performance targets.
Customer Service Performance
Your customer-service performance is measured using what we call an Order Defect Rate (ODR). Your ODR is the percentage of your orders with one or more indicators of poor customer service.
Account Health Rating
We provide sellers an overview of their compliance with key Amazon selling policies. To maintain a ‘Good’ rating, make sure to address any policy violations listed on your Account Health dashboard.
Shipping Performance
You can use three metrics to help assess the health of the orders you fulfill directly:
- Your Late Shipment Rate (LSR) is the percentage of your seller-fulfilled orders that have a shipping confirmation after their expected shipping date.
- Your Pre-fulfillment Cancel Rate (CR) is the percentage of seller-fulfilled orders you cancel.
- Your Valid Tracking Rate (VTR) is the percentage of packages from your seller-fulfilled orders with a valid tracking number.
Don't have an Amazon selling account yet?
Promote and advertise products
Use no-cost promotions and pay-per-click advertising to help your products and brands reach more customers.
- Create coupons, promotion, and deals that appear in the Amazon store.
- Create sponsored ads that feature a single product or multiple products from your brand.
Get product reviews
After a customer buys a product, they can leave a public product review, a seller-feedback rating, or both. Try these tips to improve your chances of getting positive reviews and ratings:
- Accurately represent a product on your product detail page.
- Pack your products to help prevent damage during delivery.
- Respond to customer messages within 24 hours.
- Provide valid tracking numbers so customers can track their orders.
Eligible brands can use tools like Amazon Vine to generate reviews for their products.
Grow with tools and programs
New Seller Guide
Speed matters-and for Amazon sellers the first 90 days are especially critical. That's why we invented the New Seller Guide, a set of brand, logistics, pricing, and promotional services that are backed by data science and designed to fuel the growth of new sellers.
Sellers who adopt services in the New Seller Guide can take advantage of over $50,000 in New Seller Incentives.
More tools and programs
Amazon Global Selling
Global expansion has a lot of moving parts, but with Amazon Global Selling, you can use Amazon infrastructure to get your products in front of a worldwide audience.
Amazon Business
Business customers tend to buy more items in larger quantities. They also tend to return items less. Use a suite of B2B features to help attract more business customers.
Product Opportunity Explorer
Get ideas for profitable new products or offers. Product Opportunity Explorer offers insights about Amazon customer search and purchase behavior.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it profitable to sell on Amazon?
Selling with Amazon can be very profitable. In 2023, US-based sellers sold more than 4.5 billion items—an average of 8,600 items every minute. How profitable you are can also depend on what products you sell, your pricing, and your marketing strategies.
What is needed to sell with Amazon?
To start selling with Amazon, you need to create an Amazon selling account. Learn more in our seller registration guide.
Is it free to be an Amazon seller?
While it’s free to create an Amazon selling account, there are fees associated with selling. Amazon offers two selling plans: the Individual plan, which is $0.99 per item sold, and the Professional plan, which is $39.99 per month regardless of the number of items sold. In addition to selling plan fees, there is a referral fee on each item sold, and other selling costs may apply if you use certain optional tools and programs.
How can I make money selling with Amazon?
To make money with Amazon, first find products that will sell well. Attract customers with great product listings that include accurate descriptions and engaging photos. You can also use Amazon’s optional programs, like Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) and Amazon Ads, to help optimize your selling.
Can you be an individual Amazon seller?
Absolutely, and you can choose whichever plan you prefer—the Individual or Professional plan—to suit your selling needs.
Is Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) worth it?
Many sellers choose Amazon’s FBA program to outsource order fulfillment, shipping, customer service, and returns. The program can provide cost savings and offers fast, free shipping to Prime customers, which can help sellers attract more customers and grow their sales.
Do you need an LLC to sell with Amazon?
You don’t need to be an LLC or registered business, or be otherwise incorporated, to sell in the Amazon store. During seller registration, select None, I am an individual for your Business type, and we’ll update the registration process to collect relevant information.
Start selling today
Sell with a trusted brand that offers a suite of programs and tools to help you succeed.
*A Professional selling account is $39.99/month + selling fees. Learn more
Just have a few items to sell?
