How to Sell on Amazon: Practical Tips for Aspiring Sellers

Whether you want to sell a couple of items or start with a few things more, delving into e-commerce can be overwhelming. Not knowing where to start or what to do are only some of the few setbacks beginners might encounter. If you’re clouded with these thoughts but proactively taking in as much information as you can, then you’re on the right track. This only shows how interested and determined you are to give it a shot.

Throughout the years, Amazon has been the leading big retail giant satisfying the needs of many, both sellers and customers. Through its innovative processes and features, Amazon takes care of you as the seller, your packages, and your customers—the more reason you can entrust your business to them.

So what exactly are the basics in learning how to start selling on Amazon?

In this ever-evolving world, competition has been burning hotter. Moreso, 2019 gave business owners the most challenging times due to the worldwide health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic drove businesses to shut down; some even led to bankruptcy. But, on the other hand, the year 2020 ignited many startup ideas, including those of surviving companies and aspiring entrepreneurs.

So, in this era, many individuals and organizations opt for starting businesses best fitting to the new normal, foreseeing possibilities and strategies for the long term.

Why Amazon?

Out of all the retailing platforms you can find for your future business, why does it have to be Amazon? Amazon is known to have the most innovative, convenient fulfillment networks worldwide, aside from being the world’s largest online retailer. In addition, through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), you can guarantee your products stay safe and secure.

Amazon FBA business processes enable an Amazon seller to store, pack, and deliver products cost-effectively to customers. If you want to use the FBA, you need to create your own Amazon seller account first. After that, you can include FBA services in your Amazon account. One crucial factor you should implement is that your business complies with the guidelines of Amazon.

Get Started With Amazon

Now, for the main course of the matter, let’s look through these helpful and practical guides on how to sell products on Amazon. 

Know What to Sell

To put it simply: You have no Amazon business if you don’t have a profitable product to sell.

Aside from learning how to sell stuff on Amazon, knowing WHAT to sell is a must when starting a business on the platform. Most people tend to overlook this and fall into a dead end. So, how do you determine what you should sell? Well, that varies on the intersection of your interests and profit margin. But, of course, the primary factor is knowing what your customers need.

Create an Account

Step 1: Go to the sign-up page. Then, click the “Sign Up” button. Before signing up, make sure you have these requirements ready to complete your registration:

• Tax information
• Government-issued national ID
• Bank account number and bank routing number
• Phone number
• Chargeable credit card

Step 2: Fill out the form to complete the account setup.

Step 3: After filling out, you will receive a One-Time Pin (OTP) code to verify your email address.

Step 4: Once you have verified your email address, it redirects you to a Business Location page, where you must select the country where your business is located. (If you don’t own a business, you can enter your country of residence. Note: An incorrect selection of your location can affect the credibility of your account.) After selecting your business location, you will have to choose your business type. Finally, you must provide your full name.

Step 5: Next, you have to fill out a page containing four steps:

• Individual Information
• Billing
• Store
• Verification

Once you’ve accomplished these steps, you’re good to go!

Add Your Products

After setting up your Amazon seller account, make a product listing. You can do this by matching with an existing listing (if the same product is already sold by someone else) or creating a new listing (if no one is selling the product on Amazon). Once you’ve finished creating that, you can now proceed with adding your products to their product categories.

The selling plan of an Amazon seller allows different ways to manage their products. Simply put, Professional seller accounts can upload and list their products in batches by bulk uploading. Meanwhile, Individual seller accounts do this one item at a time.

When the products are successfully listed, both B2C and B2B customers can view them. Through this, you can attract potential customers by extending the reach of your offers from a single account without incurring additional fees and attract potential buyers.

Add Product Details

Providing consistent, relevant content helps a potential buyer find all the information about a particular item on your list. Customers can see this on the product details page, containing the product title, product description, etc.

Here are some tips to optimize your product:

• Product Title: You can type up to 200 characters max. You can also try capitalizing the first letter of each word.
• Image Resolution: To increase listing quality, you can upload images with 1,000 x 1,000 pixels.
• Variations: Specify the variations of your product, such as sizes, colors, scents, materials, etc.
• Bullet Points: Writing short, informative sentences using bullet points highlights the key features and benefits of your product.
• Product Description: Using keywords relating to your product improves the chances of people finding your listing.

What Fees Are There When You Start Selling on Amazon?

When you start selling on Amazon, you have a wide selection of selling fees best-fitting to your business. Here’s a list of different costs:

• Subscription Fees: These fees are for your selling plan and vary on the account type you select.
  • The Individual selling plan has a $0.99 fee for each item sold.
  • The Professional selling plan has a flat fee of $39.99 per month with no per-item cost.

• Selling Fees: These selling fees are charged when each item is sold, including referral fees (the selling price’s percentage varying on the product’s category) and variable closing fees.

• Shipping Fees: When you choose to fulfill orders yourself, shipping rates on Amazon are applied. Shipping rates vary on the product category and type of shipping service preferred by the buyer. You can also consider being an Amazon FBA seller.

• FBA Fees: When Amazon fulfills your orders for you with their service named Fulfillment by Amazon, or FBA, there are fees associated with storage on Amazon’s warehouse, packaging, order fulfillment, and other services. You can also incorporate Amazon FBA with Amazon Prime. Check out the perks of selling on Amazon Prime.

How to Protect Your Product Listings

No matter where you go, account or product theft is inevitable. For example, your business has been going smoothly, having positive reviews from your customers, increasing your reputation as an Amazon seller. But what if you wake up one day, check your product listings, and see a 1-star review along with a negative comment on one of the products you’re selling. The weird thing is that you don’t remember making this transaction. This malicious activity could be an example of product listing hijacking.

So, how do you protect your Amazon listing from hijackers and counterfeiters?

Make an E-Commerce Website

Securing your own website can help support your legitimacy as an Amazon seller. Your website doesn’t need to be high-end; it just has to contain well-written, accurate information such as the product ID, product title, product description, product price, and more. Providing consistent content on your website and product listing will convince your potential buyer that you are a legitimate seller.

Brand and Trademark Your Products

Branding your product is your first line of defense against product listing hijacking. You can protect your product with your logo through branding, making it hard for hijackers to steal from your catalog. Moreso, trademarking your products is the best partner for branding. Securing your legal rights over your product through trademarking helps prove you are the owner of the product.

You can also consider looking into an Amazon listing optimization service for more effective selling.

Bundle Your Products

Adding more items to your list discourages hijackers because they usually prey on easy-to-imitate products and don’t want to go through any hassle. So, bundling is a smart move to help keep your Amazon account and product listing safe from fraudulent activities.

Of course, getting into the Amazon marketplace isn’t just about positive reviews, quality product photography, and enhanced keyword research. It is increasing sales velocity while relieving you from the ups and downs of fulfillment. Let our specialists walk you through the Amazon FBA Launch service.

Start Your Business with Amazon

Now that you have an overview of how to sell on Amazon, you can kickstart your business with innovative selling strategies and services. Whether you are selling a bundle of items or just a few, the tips above will help your business take flight.