How to sell groceries in the Amazon store

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Selling food and beverage products online can be complex, but this niche can also present a uniquely satisfying opportunity for new and established businesses alike. In the Amazon store, we have a dedicated Grocery & Gourmet Food category to help you bring your offerings to individual customers, grocery stores, and businesses who are browsing for their next tasty purchase.

In this post, we’ll cover a few steps you can take to get started. We’ll also explore tips and details to help you determine whether selling food products with Amazon could be worth it for your business. Let’s dive in:

• Why sell food with Amazon?
• 3 steps: How to sell groceries on Amazon
• What are the requirements for Amazon’s grocery category?
• 5 tips for selling food in the Amazon store

Why sell food with Amazon?

Selling groceries in the Amazon store presents a strong growth opportunity:

• Groceries—from household essentials and pantry staples to fresh produce, dairy, and meat—are among the items most frequently purchased in Amazon’s online stores.
• Customers in the Amazon store purchased $100 billion in gross sales of groceries and household essentials in 2024.
• In the first quarter of 2025, Amazon’s everyday essentials—comprising groceries and household essentials—grew more than twice as fast as all other categories in the US and represented one out of every three units sold.

Another reason to consider selling food and beverages? Compared to products that are typically one-time purchases, many grocery products are replenishable, with customers re-purchasing products they’ve enjoyed. This can make groceries a great place to look for perennial bestsellers that have long-term sales potential.

US customers ranked us the most trusted brand in 2023. We bring our rigorous standards and customer-centric approach to our grocery category so customers can shop confidently. If you’re exploring how to sell food online, we’re here to help you succeed with built-in tools and programs for reaching a wider audience, driving sales, and boosting your business’s visibility.

3 steps: How to sell groceries on Amazon

If you’re a new seller, start by creating an Amazon selling account, then get any necessary approvals based on what food and beverage products you want to sell.

For example, some branded products require you to get brand authorization before you can sell them in the Amazon store. The approval process can go quickly, and you can typically get started with as little as 10 units of inventory. Here’s how:

1. Decide how you want to sell grocery products
2. Create your Amazon selling account
3. Get any necessary approvals

1. Decide how you want to sell grocery products

There are several different ways you can sell food in the Amazon store:

• Resell products: You can purchase products from reliable suppliers, like a wholesaler or manufacturer, and resell them if they’re in new condition. Learn more about the reselling process.
• Collaborate with a brand: You can request a Brand Registry selling role to get a brand’s permission to sell their products in the Amazon store using a suite of tools and benefits.
• Sell your own food: You can build a food business by sourcing your own ingredients or making your own food products. You might develop your own brand in the process, or if you already have a brand, you can tap into our reach and use a suite of Brand Registry benefits to grow in the Amazon store.

2. Create your Amazon selling account

If you haven’t already signed up as an Amazon seller, you can create an account. A selling plan gives you access to Seller Central, which is like an online headquarters for your Amazon selling business. It also provides you with an array of features for listing products, managing inventory, running promotions, and much more.

Learn more in our seller registration guide

3. Get any necessary approvals

Here’s how to get approval to resell grocery products in the Amazon store:

1. In the Seller Central main menu, hover over Catalog, then select Add products.
2. Use the search function to find the product you want to sell. Once you’ve located the product, if you see a Sell this product button, then you’re already approved to sell it. If you see an Apply to sell button, then you need approval.
3. Select the button to launch either the product listing or application process.

To get approved to sell a product, fill out the application form and provide any supporting materials. These could include:

• Copies of invoices showing the purchase of 10 or more units, receipts, or other documents demonstrating where the products are produced or manufactured
• A brand authorization letter permitting you to sell the brand’s products
• Product photos
• Safety certifications
• Compliance documentation from government entities like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Business license

The application process will prompt you to provide supporting documentation or complete any other necessary steps to get approved. To check the status of your applications, hover over Catalog in the Seller Central main menu, then select View Selling Applications.

Learn more about approvals

Log in or sign up for an account

What are the requirements for Amazon’s grocery category?

To sell successfully in our grocery category, make sure the products you offer are safe, authentic, and high quality. Food and beverage products must comply with all applicable laws and regulations, as well as Amazon policies. Here’s an overview of requirements in several key areas:

• Food laws and regulations
• Product type and condition
• Labeling and packaging
• Shipping and fulfillment
• Amazon selling account metrics
• Expiration dates and shelf life
• Refrigerated, frozen, and temperature-controlled food

Food laws and regulations

Laws and regulations around the production and sale of food and beverage products can vary by state, county, and municipality. Requirements can also vary based on product type, the equipment you use, and other factors. For example, cottage food laws apply to food made in a home kitchen and can vary by city and county, while a different set of regulations apply to commercial kitchens.

Research federal, state, and local requirements based on what products you want to sell and where you want to sell them. Then obtain any relevant licenses, permits, and certifications. To make sure your business is compliant, you might also:

• Take trainings like a safe food handling course
• Register with a government entity like the FDA or USDA
• Get independent inspections or lab testing like a water test

You may be exempt from some requirements based on the unique circumstances of your business.

Product type and condition

Some grocery products can’t be sold in the Amazon store. Before choosing a product, check our list of restricted products.

Food and beverage products you sell with us must be in new condition. You can’t sell a food product in the Amazon store if it’s been used or shows any signs of use. That includes making sure all packaging is undamaged. Find more details in our condition guidelines.

Labeling and packaging

When selling online, it’s critical to appropriately package and seal food and beverage products. This preserves quality and prevents damage, contamination, and other problems during storage and transit.

In our US store, labels need to be in English and meet all FDA and USDA labeling guidelines. Food packaging must include:

• Product name
• Name and address of the packaging company
• Expiration date
• Net content quantity and weight of the contents
• Ingredients
• Nutrition facts

You may also need to include distributor information, country of origin, allergen labeling, and other details as relevant. If you make dietary claims like “organic” or “gluten-free,” be sure you have the appropriate regulatory approvals and certifications.

To list grocery products for sale in the Amazon store, you’ll likely need a Universal Product Code (UPC) and barcode on the packaging. In terms of scalability, having product identifiers like a UPC or Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) can also help with distribution as you grow your reach.

Shipping and fulfillment

Enroll eligible products in Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to have us pick, pack, and ship orders on your behalf. FBA is a program that lets you send inventory to us, outsource the order fulfillment process, and offer customers fast, free shipping through Prime. Note that FBA has additional requirements for products with expiration dates, and some food products, like frozen and refrigerated goods, aren’t eligible for FBA.

If a grocery product isn’t eligible for FBA, you might still be able to sell it using your own fulfillment methods. Our Fulfilled by Merchant suite of solutions can be a great option if you want to sell products in the Amazon store and handle the prep, packing, and shipment of orders yourself, with support from our tools and services.

Amazon selling account metrics

In Seller Central, you can review and monitor various metrics to keep a pulse on your business operations and make sure you’re continually providing a great shopping experience. Your selling account needs to maintain these performance targets:

• Order defect rate (ODR) of less than 1%
• Pre-fulfillment cancellation rate of less than 2.5%
• Late shipment rate of less than 4%

Note that if you’re a new seller and haven’t made sales yet, you won’t have an ODR. Additionally, cancellation and late shipment rates are tied to orders you fulfill yourself—FBA orders don’t impact your shipping performance or overall account health.

Expiration dates and shelf life

Many food and beverage products have expiration dates, meaning they’re at risk of losing quality or becoming unsafe to eat over time. Here are tips for managing inventory that has a shelf life:

• Keep inventory moving and make sure customers receive orders a reasonable amount of time before the expiration date.
• When sending inventory for storage and fulfillment, ensure every unit has an expiration date marked clearly and permanently on it using either a MM-DD-YYYY or MM-YYYY format.
• Check that inventory has ample shelf life remaining before sending it to our fulfillment network. Explore our expiration date guidelines for more details.

Refrigerated, frozen, and temperature-sensitive food

Many food and beverage products are temperature-sensitive, which can add an extra layer of complexity to your fulfillment process. For example, chocolate, yogurt, frozen produce, and other food that can melt or spoil requires special handling and shipping measures to maintain quality and safety. If you’re interested in selling these types of products, you may need to put systems in place so ingredients and products stay at appropriate temperatures during each stage of production, prep, and transit.

Learn more about requirements for chilled and frozen food

5 tips for selling food in the Amazon store

Selling food products can pose various challenges compared to other product types, but small differences in your strategy can make a big difference. As you explore how to sell food online, here are recommendations for maximum success in our grocery category:

1. Source from reliable suppliers
2. Drive sales with pricing strategies
3. Optimize product listings
4. Promote food products
5. Expand internationally

1. Source from reliable suppliers

Whether you’re procuring raw ingredients or selling fully processed food, it’s important to obtain authentic goods from legitimate sources. That could mean sourcing directly from a brand, or working with a distributor who’s authorized to sell a brand’s products, like a manufacturer or wholesale supplier.

A general best practice is to make sure you can trace products to their origins. To validate the supply chain, you can request invoices or other forms of supply chain documentation from each supplier that you work with.

To get approved to sell food in the Amazon store, you may need to provide us with invoices, receipts, or other types of documentation to demonstrate where your products are produced or manufactured. Learn more about responsible sourcing.

2. Drive sales with pricing strategies

Price food products so you can cover your expenses and make a profit. Your pricing strategy might start with researching the market to make sure you can offer products at competitive prices.

You can also look at ways to increase your average order value for food products. For example, you might have a product that’s not profitable on its own, but if you offer it in larger quantities or creative combinations, then you can achieve healthy profit margins. Two valuable options to explore for food and beverage products are product bundles and multipacks.

Product bundling is where you group complementary products together based on what customers are interested in. For example, instead of offering one box of flavored tea for $5, you could offer a bundle of five boxes with a variety of flavors, plus a teapot that normally costs $25, all for $45. The customer saves $5, and you sell more. Product bundling can also be cost-effective if it reduces your inventory and fulfillment expenses, along with other costs.

Multipacks can work in a similar way. Brands in the Amazon store can create multipacks to sell one product in a variety of quantities. For example, a brand could offer three separate multipacks containing 5, 15, or 30 bags of mint candies for $25, $70, and $125 respectively. This makes it easier for the customer to purchase in larger quantities, and the seller also boosts their bottom line.

3. Optimize product listings

Small details can matter to customers as they shop for food and beverage products, and the product listing is your chance to serve up the information they’re seeking.

Here are several best practices for grocery product listings:

• Include clear product photos showing the product from various angles. Photos should also clearly show the packaging and labeling.
• Highlight important information using bullet points and a thorough product description.
• Use search engine optimization (SEO) to weave keywords into copy and back-end search terms.

If you have a brand registered in Brand Registry, you can also add A+ Content to help showcase products. These videos, comparison charts, and other enhanced content modules can help bring products to life and allow customers to learn the story behind your business.

4. Promote food products

Promotions and advertising can help products stand out in search results, which can be essential as you manage shelf life and monitor inventory turnover. Use a variety of marketing methods to attract new customers, earn reviews, and improve a product’s rank.

For example, cost-per-click (CPC) ads like Sponsored Products can be especially useful when you first start listing in the Amazon store and want to help a new product gain traction.

5. Expand internationally

Selling consumables in another country or region can be an exciting way to tap into new markets where there’s demand for what you have to offer. As you explore the laws and regulations of the areas where you want to sell grocery products, we have tools and support for gauging demand globally, translating product listings, and more.

Explore our guide to selling across borders

Start and scale your food business with Amazon

Depending on your business model, the steps you take to sell groceries online can vary greatly. But every business idea can be worth investigating, and selling in the Amazon store could be a great step toward expanding your reach and gaining more recognition.

As you navigate the nuances of selling groceries online, check out our FBA guide for beginners to determine whether our fulfillment network and services might be a good fit for what you have in mind. With the right products, FBA can help you increase sales, reduce your operating costs, and scale more efficiently.

You might also benefit from the tools and programs for building a brand available through Brand Registry. From choosing a brand name and logo through protecting your IP, it can take extra dedication and resources to develop your own brand. But your efforts can pay off as you build brand awareness and win customer loyalty.

*A Professional selling account is $39.99/month + selling fees. Learn more