Amazon selling terms from A-to-Z
Starting an ecommerce business can mean building a whole new skill set—and a new vocabulary. Whether you’ve been selling online since the dawn of the internet or you’re completely new to the process, our A-to-Z selling glossary can help along the way.
B
bad actor: The general definition of bad actor is someone who engages in illegal or unethical activities with the intent to do harm. At Amazon, a bad actor is a person or business responsible for actions that are illegal or harmful to customers, selling partners, or other associated parties. For example, a person who attempts to sell counterfeit products is considered a bad actor.
badge: An icon that appears on a product detail page that showcases a seller’s connection to a program or seller type, such as a Prime badge or Black-owned business badge.
brand: In general terms, a brand is a product or service, or a group of products or services, that’s manufactured or supplied by a specific business using a unique name or logo. At Amazon, trademarked brand names and logos can be used to enroll a brand in Amazon Brand Registry.
Brand Representative: In the context of Amazon Brand Registry, a selling role assigned by an Administrator to an internal, first-party selling partner who is directly employed by the brand. Brand Representatives have access to a full set of brand selling benefits, including A+ Content and Brand Analytics. Learn more about Brand Registry roles
Note: Amazon Brand Registry puts additional protections in place to help safeguard your brand’s product information. That can mean more accurate listings and an improved customer experience. Learn more
bulk: A large quantity of something. For sellers, this could mean buying a large quantity of products with the intent to sell them in the Amazon store, or it could also refer to creating bulk listings, which is the practice of creating or updating a large number of product detail pages to account for bulk inventory that’s ready for sale.
F
fee: In the context of Amazon selling, an amount paid by a selling partner for services included in their selling plan—for example, selling plan fees and referral fees.
fulfill: To complete a task or role as expected. At Amazon, it means to pick, pack, and deliver items to customers.
Note: Amazon sellers can use FBA to offer free, two-day shipping to Prime members. Shipping with FBA costs 70% less per unit than comparable premium options offered by other major US carriers. Learn more
fulfillment center: A short-term storage facility where customer orders are picked, packed, and shipped. For sellers enrolled in Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA), this refers to an FBA facility.
I
inbound: Something en route to a specific location, used to describe inventory traveling into the Amazon distribution and fulfillment network.
incentive: In the context of Amazon selling, this is a benefit that selling partners receive as a result of engaging with a tool, program, or service. For example, a seller may receive a $50 credit as an incentive to create a coupon for an eligible product within 90 days of listing.
inventory: All items that a seller has in stock.
Note: Inventory management is the process of organizing and maintaining stock throughout the supply chain. Whether you sell portable phone chargers or high-end cosmetics, having the right inventory process in place to meet demand can help keep your business running smoothly, increase customer satisfaction, and avoid profit loss. Learn more
item: An individual product purchased by a specific buyer.
T
test buy: A purchase made by a brand or seller to investigate whether or not an item is counterfeit or being sold without authorization.
third-party service provider: An external company or individual that provides a service to a person, company, or business. In Amazon terms, it refers to an independent provider, usually vetted by Amazon and listed in the Service Provider Network, to support selling partners with different aspects of their ecommerce businesses.
tool: A device that one uses to carry out a specific function. In the context of Amazon selling, it means a standalone, self-service interface or experience that can help sellers in support of their ecommerce business. For example, Brand Analytics, Manage Inventory, Product Opportunity Explorer. See our directory of Amazon tools.
Note: Whether you want to scale your online business, operate more efficiently, automate workflows, or help promote your products, there’s a tool or service for you. Choose from tools created by Amazon and approved third parties to get the support you need to help make your business a success. View more tools
With so many terms to learn as an Amazon seller, sometimes it’s easy to get them mixed up. Here are some of the more commonly confused terms—and how to tell them apart:
deal/coupon/discount/promotion/incentive
At Amazon, a deal is a time-bound promotional offer created using the Deals tool in Seller Central, and a coupon is a digital voucher created using either the Coupons or Brand Tailored Coupons tool. Discount means a promotional offer created using the Price Discounts tool, and promotion is a promotional offer created using either the Promotions or Brand Tailored Promotions tool. Lastly, incentive is a benefit selling partners receive for using a tool, program, or service.
deliver/send/ship/distribute/fulfill
Deliver refers to the process of handing off items to customers, while send relates to moving inventory into the Amazon network. Ship has two meanings in Amazon parlance: It can be a synonym for sending inventory to Amazon, or to sending items to customers. Distribute is about moving inventory from warehouse to warehouse, fulfillment center to fulfillment center, or warehouse to fulfillment center. And fulfill is specifically about picking, packing, and delivering items to customers.
ASIN/SKU/GTIN
ASIN is a unique Amazon-assigned number for a product to help identify it in the Amazon store. SKU, or stock keeping unit, is a unique alphanumeric code that retailers assign to each of their products to help them manage their inventory. A GTIN, or Global Trade Item Number, serves a similar purpose on a global scale, so a product can be tracked and located throughout the supply chain across the world.
product detail page/listing/offer
The product detail page is the portion of a listing where a product’s information appears, whereas a listing is the combination of a product detail page and its offers.
distribution center/fulfillment center/warehouse
A distribution center and a warehouse are similar things. For example, a long-term storage facility like an Amazon Warehousing and Distribution (AWD) facility. Comparatively, a fulfillment center is a short-term storage facility where customer orders are picked, packed, and shipped. For example, a Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) facility.
Rights Owner/ Administrator/Registered Agent/Brand Representative/Reseller
While these terms are related to one another, they mean different things. At Amazon, a Rights Owner is a trademark owner (or their employee) who enrolled a brand in Amazon Brand Registry. An Administrator is an account user with permission to assign brand protection or selling roles. A Registered Agent is an external third-party authorized by an Amazon Brand Registry Administrator to use the Report a Violation tool and access other brand protection benefits. A Brand Representative is an internal, first-party selling partner who has been granted access to brand selling tools—like A+ Content or Brand Analytics by an Amazon Brand Registry Administrator. And lastly, a Reseller is a role assigned to an external, third-party seller authorized by a brand enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry to sell the brand’s products.
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