Beginner's guide to selling on Amazon

Selling on Amazon can be a lucrative opportunity for entrepreneurs and small business owners. With millions of customers worldwide, Amazon provides a vast marketplace for your products. 

That said, it can be overwhelming, especially for those who haven’t run a product-based business before or are entering new categories. You need to get the foundations of your business in place before you start to make sure the onboarding process is as quick and simple as possible. 

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started.

Your first step will be to register your business and create a seller account. You can choose between an Individual or Professional selling plan. The Individual plan is suitable for those who plan to sell fewer than 40 items per month, while the Professional plan is ideal for those who plan to sell more than that. 

At this point, you should also make sure you have any trademarks and agreements with suppliers of branded stock as Amazon is likely to ask you for those as part of your account and product set up.

You can choose to fulfil orders yourself (Fulfilled by Merchant, FBM) or use Amazon's fulfilment service (Fulfilled by Amazon, FBA). FBA allows you to store your products in Amazon's warehouses and Amazon will handle shipping, returns and customer service on your behalf. This can save you time and effort, especially if you have a large inventory. Make sure that you take account of the costs in calculating your margins if you are using FBA. Shipping tends to be cheaper with FBA but the cost of storing for slow sellers can be high. 

For FBA, you can use an Amazon specific barcode called an FNSKU, though this will only work for Amazon. If you are selling or thinking of selling through other platforms, then a GS1 barcode, often called an EAN13, might be a better option. You can generate these in your GS1 account, though your packaging designer may have the software to do this as part of the artwork. 

Watch out: Amazon call an EAN13 barcode a ‘manufacturers barcode’.

To increase your visibility on Amazon, optimise your product listings with relevant keywords, you can do with but ensuring your titles are well thought out and ideally include the following attributes: 

• Product name: describes the item being sold (e.g., On-Ear Headphones).
• Brand: the product's brand name, if applicable (e.g., Apple). •
• Model or variant: Specific model numbers or variants (e.g., iPhone 13 512gb).
• Size, colour and quantity: Relevant attributes for products available in different options (e.g., Blue).
• Keywords: Search terms that enhance search visibility (e.g., Bluetooth)
• Key features: Notable product features or benefits that distinguish it from others (e.g., Purebass Sound). 

This will help your products appear in search results when customers are looking for similar items. Additionally, consider using Amazon's advertising services to promote your products and reach a larger audience.

Amazon tracks various performance metrics such as order defect rate, pre-fulfilment cancel rate and late shipment rate. 

Maintaining good performance metrics is crucial for keeping your account in good standing and ensuring customer satisfaction. 

If you are struggling with these metrics and have the funds, you can look into marketplace management agencies such as eManaged, Online seller UK, eBay Anorak etc.

Providing excellent customer service is the key to building a successful business on Amazon. 

Handle returns and refunds promptly and address any customer concerns or complaints in a professional manner. 

Positive reviews and ratings can significantly impact your sales and reputation on the platform.