How to sell on Amazon: from seller account to first order

How to sell on Amazon in six steps

This is the path for a small brand that makes its own product and wants to sell it on Amazon's US store. Each step has its own section further down.

1. Check that your product can be sold

   Amazon says Some products require prior approval before you can sell them. Check your product in Seller Central before you buy packaging or stock.

2. Choose a selling plan

   The Individual plan costs $0.99 per unit sold with no monthly fee. The Professional plan costs $39.99/month. Amazon suggests the Individual plan if you sell fewer than 40 items a month.

3. Register your seller account

   Sign up on Amazon's seller site with your business details, then complete identity verification. You can switch or cancel your selling plan at any time after registration.

4. Create your first listing

   Add the product's title, images, description, price and stock. A product you make yourself usually needs a new listing, because no one else sells it on Amazon yet.

5. Decide who ships the orders

   Ship each order yourself, or send stock to Amazon's warehouses and let Fulfillment by Amazon pick, pack, and ship orders, as well as handle customer service and returns.

6. Fill your first orders

   Ship each order on time and answer buyer messages. If you chose Fulfillment by Amazon, keep enough stock in Amazon's warehouses.

How to create an Amazon seller account

Amazon's registration guide splits sign-up into 5 steps to register. Amazon says that in many cases you can finish registration in just a few hours, and that identity verification usually takes three business days or less. Gather the documents in the table below before you start.

1. Start with an email and password

   Click Sign up on sell.amazon.com. Amazon recommends an email address that is different from your shopper account, unless you already use Brand Registry, Amazon Ads or Vendor Central, in which case use the same login.

2. Step 1: business information

   Enter the country, business type, legal business name, company registration number, registered address and phone. A sole maker can pick the None, I am an individual option: You don’t need to be an LLC or registered business to sell on Amazon.

3. Step 2: seller information

   Enter your full legal name, citizenship, date of birth and residential address as they appear on a government-issued ID, such as a passport. Then say whether you are a beneficial owner of the business, a legal representative or both.

4. Step 3: billing information

   Add the bank account that will receive your payouts, in your name or the business name, and a credit card for fees. Do you need a US bank account? No; Amazon's currency converter can pay out to a bank account outside the US.

5. Step 4: store and product information

   Pick a store name that shoppers will see, and answer questions about product codes, certifications and whether you make or own the brand. The store name must be unique but does not have to match your business name.

6. Step 5: verify your identity

   Upload your ID and proof of address dated from the last 180 days, then take a photo of your face with the ID or join a short video call with an Amazon associate.

What you need before you register

Collect these documents before you start, so you can finish registration in one sitting. For uploads, Amazon asks for high-quality color scans or photos that show all four corners and have legible text.

One account opened on sell.amazon.com lets you sell in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East and North Africa use additional selling accounts.

Individual or Professional: which selling plan to pick

Amazon has two selling plans. Both pay the same referral fee on each sale, which is percentage of the total price or a minimum amount, whichever is greater. The plan changes how you pay Amazon for the account itself.

The Individual plan suits a brand that is testing Amazon with a few orders. The Professional plan suits a brand that expects steady sales. Amazon Handmade requires the Professional plan, which typically costs $39.99 per month.

The referral fee is charged on the item's total price, which means its list price, as well as shipping costs and any gift-wrapping charges. The rate depends on the category. Home and Kitchen is listed at 15% $0.30 (rate, then minimum). Clothing and Accessories pays 17% for products with a total sales price greater than $20.00, and Jewelry pays 20% for the portion of the total sales price up to $250.00.

Amazon tells new-to-Amazon brands they can get over $50,000 in automatic referral-fee waivers for your first year.

What Amazon keeps from one $30 sale

The same $30 sale on Amazon and on three other places to sell, using each platform's own published rates. Amazon is shown on the Individual plan in the Home and Kitchen category, shipped by the seller.

How to list a product you make

When a product is already in Amazon's catalog, a seller can add an offer to its existing product page. A brand that makes its own product usually has to create a new product page, because the product is not in the catalog yet.

A new listing needs a title, bullet points, a description, images, a price, the quantity you have in stock and a product identifier. Write the title and bullets in the plain words a shopper would search for.

Product IDs are Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs), printed above or below the barcode. The most common one on Amazon is a UPC. A maker without barcodes can get GTINs from GS1 (Global Standards 1). In rare cases, a seller can apply to Amazon for a GTIN exemption instead.

If you own a brand, Amazon recommends enrolling it in Brand Registry before you list. Brand Registry is a free program, and you need a pending or registered trademark to enroll. Amazon says it provides a suite of additional selling benefits and protection tools.

How to start selling on Amazon with FBA or by shipping yourself

There are two ways to get an Amazon order to the buyer. With merchant fulfillment, you store the stock, pack each order and ship it yourself. With Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), you send stock to Amazon's warehouses and Amazon will pick, pack, and ship orders, as well as handle customer service and returns, for a fee.

Shipping yourself keeps stock in your hands and suits small batches. FBA suits products that sell steadily, because Amazon charges an aged inventory fee each month on items stored in a fulfillment center for more than 181 days.

Where Nation fits

Questions about selling on Amazon