How to Open An Amazon Sellers Account
If you're interested in selling on Amazon.com, the first thing you will need to do is learn how to open an Amazon Sellers Account. In this post, we will show you how to do this.
Why Amazon?
Amazon.com attracts over 180 million unique visitors every month.
With that amount of customer reach potential, it makes sense for many small businesses to expand their market exposure and scaling opportunities.
It also allows for individuals interested in starting their own business to do so with relatively minimal investment compared to starting a “brick and mortar” retail shop or franchise.
“Fulfillment by Amazon” (FBA) for example, allows businesses to leverage Amazon's huge logistics, distribution, and customer service infrastructure to ship products directly to Amazon for warehousing and fulfillment for a monthly fee. The benefit of this service is that products sold through FBA are “prime eligible” (2-day free shipping).
Sellers do not have to worry about storage or shipping the products when orders come it. They simply send their products to the designated fulfillment center Amazon tells the seller to send it to.
This frees up time for business owners to focus completely on marketing their brands and driving more traffic to their product listings.
How to Open an Amazon Sellers Account
Here's how to open an Amazon Sellers Account in 3 Steps.
Step 1: Choose your Selling Category
- Individual Seller
- Professional Seller
If you're signing up as an individual seller, you need to know that you are limited to 40 sales per month. This is ideal if you're intending to just do this as a “side business” and do not intend to sell products consistently. You are charged $0.99 per sale plus other fees.
It is also ideal if you're still learning how to sell online and are looking to “get your feet wet” with selling on Amazon.
If you're looking to sell more than 40 products per month (this would be most businesses) – then a Professional Seller account is what you are after. This is $39.99 per month plus other fees.
Remember: You can always upgrade to a Professional seller account at a later time.
Step 2: Create your Amazon Seller Account
Once you decide whether to go with an Individual or Professional account, you will need to create your account by providing information to Amazon.
- Your Business Name (this will be the name visible to your customers in the marketplace)
- Your LEGAL business name and address (this won't be shown to customers but it must be the exact name and address as it is registered with the State your business is registered in).
- Contact Information that will be used for Amazon and Customer correspondence.
Ship From Location – this will be applicable for Sellers that are shipping products to customers (“fulfilled by merchant” or “Merchant Fulfilled”) - Business Banking Information – you will need to provide Amazon with your banking details to receive payments. Amazon pays you once every 14 days to your business bank account.
- Shipping options – choose as many shipping options as possible if you are fulfilling orders on your own – this will improve your chances of making sales.
Step 3: Create your Seller Profile
Your seller profile is like your social page for customers. When a customer clicks on your business name on the product listing, they will be taken to a page showing your logo, a brief “about” paragraph describing your business, and other vital information such as customer service contact information and return/warranty/guarantee policies.
Be sure you fill out all this information and make it as complete as possible. Also be aware that Amazon requires sellers maintain at least a 30-day return policy on products sold.
International Seller Considerations
If you're living in another country outside the United States and wish to sell on Amazon, please be sure to read the special rules and restrictions for international sellers here.
Some key tips for International Sellers:
- You need to provide a bank account in a country supported by Amazon in order to get paid.
- If you choose to send inventory directly to Amazon from outside your Elected Country (such as China), you must use an import broker (either one of your own choosing or one designated by Amazon).
- Amazon DOES NOT provide customs clearance, inspection service, or freight forwarding (at least not yet!) so please be sure you finalize these logistics before sending inventory to Amazon.