How to Sell on Amazon

how-to-sell-amazon

If you have extra items lying around the house, one great place to sell it is Amazon.com. You can sell any item that’s listed by Amazon on Amazon’s website. In other words, if you have a blender that Amazon sells, you can list your used blender on their site.

If Amazon doesn’t sell the item, you’re better off listing on eBay. On the other hand, if Amazon does have the item, you’re often better off on Amazon. For example, say you have a used book. While people seldom search for books on eBay, millions of people search for books on Amazon every week.

For items that are popular on Amazon, list your item on Amazon. All other items and especially items that aren’t listed on Amazon should be sold elsewhere.

How Much Does it Cost?

There are two different plans you can opt for: the Individual plan or the Professional plan.

With the individual plan, you pay $0.99 per item plus other fees. With the Professional plan, you don’t have to pay the $0.99 fee but you pay $39.99 a month to subscribe. In other words, if you plan on selling more than 40 items a month, it makes sense to become a professional seller. If not, then stick with the individual plan.

Apart from the per item fee, you have the Amazon referral fee and the variable closing fee. Each of these fees vary from item to item.

For example, with books the referral fee is 15% and the closing fee is $1.35. If you’re an individual seller and you sell a $10 book, you’re looking at:

$10 Base Price
– 15% ($1.50) for referral fee
– $1.35 for closing fee
– $0.99 per item fee

So your total take home amount will be $6.16.

Accountability Systems

Amazon has a seller review system that enables buyers to rate sellers on a scale of one to five. If people who buy from you are satisfied, you’ll have a high rating. If not, you’ll have a low rating. Before buying, people can see how previous buyers rated you.

Ratings are based on the aggregate of your previous 12 months. They’re expressed in percentage form – In other words, if nine out of ten of your customers are satisfied, you’ll have a 90% positive rating.

Here’s how to get started as a seller on Amazon.

Step 1: Click on “Sell on Amazon”

Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. Click on “Sell on Amazon” in the footer.

1-Click-Sell-on-Amazon

Step 2: Select Your Plan.

Select which plan you want to use to start selling. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll use the individual plan.

 2-Click-Start-Selling

Step 3: Enter Your Search

Enter your search for the item you want to sell. You can search by ISBN, UPC, ASIN or just by title or keyword.

 3-Search

Step 4: Select the Item

Amazon will list all the items that matched your description. Select the specific item you want to sell.

 4-Select-Product

Step 5: Verify Your Product Matches

Amazon will ask you to make sure that your product is exactly the one you selected. Make sure the edition is correct and that you’re not selling a similar product, but the exact product listed.

5-Verify-Product

Step 6: Describe Condition

What condition is your product in? Make sure you describe any physical flaws in detail.

 6-Describe-Condition

Step 7: Price Your Book

Amazon will let you know what other sellers are pricing their books for. You can either price yours above this and let your book sit for a while before selling; or you can undercut the competition and get your book sold as quickly as possible.

 7-Price

Step 8: Quantity

How many of these items are you looking to sell? Only sell multiple items in the same listing if they’re in the same condition. Otherwise, create a separate listing for each item of a different condition.

 8-Quantity

Step 9: Shipping Charges

Choose which shipping option(s) you want to accept. Amazon will charge enough to cover your shipping costs. Amazon pays for the shipping for you; all you need to do is print out the shipping label from Amazon once you receive your order.

 9-Shipping

Step 10: Sign In

Log into your Amazon account to continue the selling process.

 10-Sign-In

Step 11: Choose a Display Name

Select a display name that you want buyers to see. This allows you to protect your real name while still building a personal brand on Amazon.

 11-Display-Name

Step 12: Choose a Credit Card Number

Amazon needs to verify the credit card that you have on file. They’ll do that by charging and refunding $4.

 12-Credit-Card

Step 13: Phone Verification

To verify that you own the phone number that you say you own, Amazon will call you and ask that you enter a PIN number that’s displayed on your screen. Make sure you have your phone handy before placing the call.

 13-ID-by-Phone

Once you’ve verified your account with your credit card and your phone, Amazon will create your account.

 14-Creating-Account

Step 14: Confirm Your Sale

Confirm all the details about the item that you want to sell. If everything looks good, click “Submit Your Listing.”

 15-Confirmation

Step 15: Complete!

Once you submit the listing, you’ll see the following screen:

16-Finished

Your item is now up for sale. When someone places an order, Amazon will notify you and give you access to the shipping labels you’ll need to ship your item.

 

Tips for Selling Success on Amazon

  1. Protect your rating. Much like selling on eBay or any other platform, your rating is crucial to your long term success. Aim for a 100% positive rating at all times.
  2. Ship immediately whenever you get an order. The faster you can get your buyers their item, the more likely they are to leave you with a positive rating.
  3. Include a quick note in the package. It could be a printed note or a handwritten note, depending on how much effort you want to put into it. This personal touch just helps add a bit of connection to you and your customer’s relationship.

That’s how to sell on Amazon! If you have items like books, magazines or CDs, selling on Amazon is usually a better bet than selling on eBay.