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If you’ve purchased something on Amazon recently, join the crowd. The shopping marketplace has more than 300 million customers around the globe, and its ease of use and breadth of products make shopping so simple it’s tough to resist. But did you know selling your products on Amazon is super simple too? The Amazon Marketplace, open to both businesses and individuals, offers a great way to start or grow your business.
I don’t have to tell you about the benefits of selling on Amazon. Consider this: On the Monday before Christmas alone, close to half of all online sales in the US (49.2%) took place on Amazon. Nearly three in 10 (29%) U.S. consumers say they start their shopping searches on Amazon (just 15% start on Google). Today, more than 40% of Amazon’s total unit sales come from third-party vendors. Why not be one of them?
First, decide what you want to sell. (Check out the full list of product categories.) Then, decide how much you want to sell. If you’re just testing the waters and plan to sell fewer than 40 items a month, sign up to be an Individual Seller. You’ll pay $0.99 for each item you sell, plus additional selling fees. Expect to sell more than 40 products monthly? Then you’ll want the Professional Seller account, which lets you sell an unlimited number of items for $39.99 per month (plus some additional fees when items sell).
The ability to choose Individual or Professional status gives you lots of flexibility. If you already have a thriving e-commerce business, you can still sell on Amazon, exposing your products to a much wider audience. (Professional Sellers can sell on Amazon’s Canada and Mexico websites, too.) If you don’t have an e-commerce website (or even a website), no worries: let Amazon serve as your website instead. Many entrepreneurs appreciate being able to start selling right away, without having to set up their own websites.
Selling on Amazon not only expands your market, but can also make your life easier. For example, Amazon collects payment from vendors for you, and provides payment fraud protection that helps protect you from fraudulent orders. If you like, Amazon can even handle your fulfillment and shipping for you through the Fulfillment By Amazon program.
The ease, assistance and exposure that Amazon offer are why Kristin Rae has never looked back since she started selling her boutique luggage and apparel products on Amazon four years ago. “I use to retail elsewhere,” explains Rae, a designer and creator of multiple brands who now does 100% of her business on Amazon, “but there was no ROI for a small company like mine. Since joining Amazon I’ve been able to grow and expand.”
Rae loves the resources that Selling on Amazon provides. “I can be an efficient e-commerce operation from my laptop,” she says. She especially appreciates the Fulfillment By Amazon service: Send inventory to Amazon’s fulfillment centers, and they pick, pack, ship, and provide customer service for it. “I used to fulfill every order myself, which was laborious, especially with a young child in tow,” Rae explains. “Now I can send inventory [to Amazon] in bulk and monitor using the Seller app.”
Since she began selling on Amazon, Rae’s business has grown between 30 and 50% per year, and she expects continued growth: “I’m looking forward to launching my newest luggage collection and expanding Runway Robe’s offerings.”
Thinking about selling on Amazon? You won’t regret it. “Joining Amazon in whatever capacity [you] feel comfortable will add another stream of revenue and the opportunity to grow beyond your initial product offerings,” Rae advises. “There is so much opportunity for small businesses on Amazon!”
Find out more about Selling on Amazon.
