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How to Sell on Amazon

A step-by-step guide to setting up your Amazon seller account and listing your first product. Save your progress as you go - everything is stored locally in your browser.

Realistic timeline: From starting your account to your first sale typically takes 2-4 months. Account verification alone can take 2-4 weeks, sourcing and shipping adds more. Don't rush it.

Good news: You don't need to know what you're selling before creating your account. Amazon gives you a general seller account - you can list products in any open category once verified. Set up your account now while you research.

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Create Your Seller Account
Register on Amazon Seller Central (allow 2-4 weeks)
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You don't need to know what you'll sell yet. Amazon gives you a general seller account. Once verified, you can list products in any open category whenever you're ready. Start this process now while you research products in parallel.
Visit Amazon Seller Central
Go to sellercentral.amazon.co.uk (UK) or sellercentral.amazon.com (US). Click "Register now".
Choose Individual or Professional plan
Individual: Free monthly, but 75p per sale. Best if you'll sell fewer than 35 items/month.
Professional: £25/month, no per-item fee. Best for serious sellers.
Start with Individual if you're testing. You can upgrade later.
Enter your business details
Amazon needs: legal business name (or your name for sole trader), address, phone number, and bank details for payouts.
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Complete identity verification
Amazon will ask for: passport or driving licence, bank statement or utility bill (within 90 days), and sometimes a video call.
Be prepared for delays. Verification typically takes 2-4 weeks for new UK sellers, not the "1-3 days" Amazon suggests. Common issues:
  • Documents rejected for wrong format, not recent enough, or name mismatch between ID and bank statement
  • Video call where you hold your ID to camera and answer questions about your business
  • Account temporarily suspended during review with no clear timeline given
Tip: Make sure names match exactly across all documents. Use a recent utility bill (not older than 80 days to allow for processing time).
Typical wait: 2-4 weeks. Start this step early - you can research products while you wait.
Save your Seller Central login
Save your login details below for reference. These stay in your browser only - we never see them.
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Stored only in your browser's local storage. We never send or store this on our servers.
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Research Your Product
Use your gap analysis to pick a winner (do this while waiting for verification)
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Review your gap analysis results
Open your What to Sell page or dashboard and look for products with a high Opportunity Score and low Purchases.
Pick 1-3 products to investigate
Don't commit to one yet. Pick a shortlist and research each.
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Check the competition on Amazon
Search for your product on Amazon. Look at: how many sellers, what prices they charge, review counts, and listing quality. Weak listings with few reviews = opportunity.
Check for category restrictions (ungating)
Some categories (e.g. Grocery, Health, Beauty, Toys during Q4) require approval. In Seller Central, go to Inventory > Add a Product and search your product to see if approval is needed.
Category ungating can be a real hurdle. Amazon may require:
  • Invoices from recognised wholesale suppliers (Alibaba invoices are often rejected)
  • Minimum purchase quantities on those invoices
  • Product compliance certificates (CE/UKCA marks, safety test reports)
This creates a chicken-and-egg problem for new sellers. If your chosen product is in a gated category, consider starting with an ungated one to build your seller history first.
Check product compliance requirements
Certain product types require safety certifications before Amazon will let you list them. This applies to: toys, electronics, food-contact items, cosmetics, and children's products.
You may need: CE/UKCA marking, product liability insurance (around £300-500/year), safety test certificates from an accredited lab, and a Declaration of Conformity. Budget extra time and money for this if your product falls into a regulated category.
Understand VAT requirements
In the UK, you must register for VAT once your turnover exceeds £90,000. However, Amazon may request a VAT number earlier for certain categories. If you're using FBA, your stock in Amazon's warehouse counts as your inventory for VAT purposes.
Many new sellers register for VAT voluntarily from day one so they can reclaim VAT on their supplier costs and Amazon fees. Speak to an accountant if unsure.
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Find a Supplier
Source your product from a manufacturer (2-8 weeks including shipping)
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Use our Supplier Finder tool
Open the Find Supplier page to generate Alibaba search links and get message templates for contacting manufacturers.
Contact 5-10 suppliers
Don't go with the first one. Message at least 5 suppliers. Ask about: MOQ (minimum order quantity), unit price at different volumes, sample cost, and production time.
Order samples from top 2-3
Expect to pay £10-50 per sample plus shipping. Compare quality, packaging, and delivery time.
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Place your first order
Start small. Order the MOQ or slightly above. Use Alibaba Trade Assurance for payment protection if ordering through the platform.
Never pay via Western Union or direct bank transfer to a supplier you haven't worked with before.
Shipping from China: Sea freight takes 4-6 weeks and is cheapest. Air freight takes 7-10 days but costs significantly more. Factor this into your launch timeline.
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Create Your Product Listing
Write copy, take photos, set pricing
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Get a UPC/EAN barcode
You need a GS1 barcode (EAN in the UK, UPC in the US) to create a new product listing. Register at gs1uk.org. A small batch costs around £100 and takes a few days to process.
Don't skip this. Cheap barcodes from reseller sites can cause listing issues later. GS1 is the only legitimate source. Budget £100+ and a few days for registration.
Consider Brand Registry (recommended)
Amazon Brand Registry protects your listing from hijackers who can edit your content or sell counterfeits under your listing. It requires a registered trademark.
Trademark registration takes 4-6 months in the UK (via the IPO) and costs around £170 per class. You can sell without it, but you're vulnerable to listing hijacking. Consider applying early, even before your first product launches.
Without Brand Registry you also miss out on A+ Content (enhanced descriptions), Brand Analytics, and Vine access.
Take or source product photos
Amazon requires: white background main image (1000x1000px minimum). Add 5-7 lifestyle and detail shots. A smartphone with good lighting works fine to start.
Write your product title
Format: Brand + Product + Key Feature + Size/Quantity. Keep under 200 characters. Include the most important search terms.
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Write 5 bullet points
Each bullet should lead with a BENEFIT in caps, then explain. Focus on what the customer gets, not features. Example: "UNIVERSAL COMPATIBILITY - Fits all smartphones from iPhone to Samsung, no case removal needed."
Set your price
Calculate: Unit cost + Shipping + Amazon fees (roughly 15% referral + FBA fees if using) + your margin. Check competitor prices. Price competitively but leave room for profit.
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Create the listing in Seller Central
Go to Inventory > Add a Product > "I'm adding a product not sold on Amazon". Fill in title, bullets, description, images, and price. Choose your category and save.
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Shipping and Fulfilment
Get stock to Amazon or ship yourself (1-4 weeks for FBA check-in)
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Choose FBA or FBM
FBA (Fulfilment by Amazon): Send stock to Amazon's warehouse. They pick, pack, and ship. Gets you Prime badge. Higher fees but less work.
FBM (Fulfilment by Merchant): You store and ship everything. Lower fees but more hands-on.
FBA is recommended for beginners. The Prime badge significantly boosts sales.
Create a shipping plan (FBA)
In Seller Central: Inventory > Manage FBA Shipments > Create Shipment. Follow the step-by-step wizard. Amazon will tell you which warehouse to ship to.
Label and prep your products
Each unit needs an FNSKU barcode label (printed from Seller Central). Products must be bagged, poly-wrapped, or boxed per Amazon's prep requirements.
Ship your stock
Use Amazon's partnered carrier rates (often cheapest) or your own courier. Track the shipment and confirm delivery in Seller Central.
FBA check-in is not instant. After your stock arrives at Amazon's warehouse, it can sit in "receiving" status for 1-4 weeks before becoming available to buy. During peak season (Q4), this can be even longer. Plan your launch date accordingly.
Typical wait after delivery: 1-2 weeks (off-peak), 2-4 weeks (peak season, Oct-Dec).
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Launch and Get Your First Sales
Go live and start building momentum
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Confirm your listing is live
Once FBA receives your stock (or you mark FBM as in-stock), your listing goes active. Search for your ASIN on Amazon to verify.
Set up Sponsored Products ads (optional)
Go to Campaign Manager in Seller Central. Create an automatic campaign with a small daily budget (£5-10). This puts your product in front of shoppers searching for similar items.
Ads aren't essential but they help generate initial sales velocity, which improves your organic ranking.
Get your first reviews
Enrol in Amazon Vine (if eligible) to get honest reviews from trusted reviewers. Never pay for fake reviews - Amazon will ban your account.
Monitor and optimise
Check your Business Reports weekly. Track sessions, conversion rate, and revenue. Tweak your title, images, and price based on data. Reorder stock before you run out.