Amazon is a huge company.
The 15th largest US retailer and by far the most successful Internet retailing company of all time.
And they’re growing by 3x of the rate of overall e-commerce.
So, if you’re got a product, it’s kind of a no-brainer to become an Amazon seller.
In 2015, Amazon sold over 12.2 million products in the US alone. That number is only growing.
But if you’re a new Amazon seller, how do you ensure your product will even be found?
You’re 1 out of 12.2+ million, after all.
We’re here to help you set your business up for success with these 10 essential tips for the new Amazon seller.
1. Become an Amazon Seller by Choosing Something to Sell
Decide what product you want to sell on Amazon.
Perhaps you already have your own product you’d like to sell. That’s amazing!
If you have created your own product, your next step is to find the right manufacturing company to partner with.
However, you definitely don’t have to invent your own product to become an Amazon seller. Here’s how to find a great product to sell on Amazon.
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Choose a Product: You can trust that the Amazon selling market is already pretty saturated with myriad products. Look for products that have little-to-no competition but which there is a high demand for.
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Buy in Bulk: You’ll definitely get a better rate if you buy in bulk. Another option may be to look for products to sell that are made overseas.
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Keep it Simple: Choose a product that has few parts and was simply made.
2. Know Your Competition
While it’s usually easier to sell items that aren’t in high competition, it doesn’t mean there isn’t still a marketplace for you.
There are 20 categories available to the Amazon seller. It’s important to know that some of these categories are only open to new products.
It’s also important to know which categories are seeing the largest growth.
Here are the top selling Amazon products in 2016:
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Cell Phones & Accessories: Over 82 million cell phone and accessories were sold on Amazon in 2016.
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Home & Kitchen: With over 60% of Amazon sellers focusing on this category, more than 60 million of these products were sold last year.
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Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry: This category includes men, women, and children of all ages and is growing so rapidly it may soon take the #1 spot as the nation’s largest retailer.
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Electronics: Last year, over 31 million products were sold on Amazon. That’s not even counting cell phones.
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Outdoor & Sports: 23 million plus people purchased clothing and equipment from this category.
3. Create the Right Amazon Sellers Account
There are 2 options:
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Individual Account
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Professional Account
The individual account will charge you $1 per item while acquiring a professional account means you’ll be charged $40 per month. Choose the individual account if you’re selling less than 40 items.
However, if you’re serious about being an Amazon seller, chose the professional account.
You can register your brand and you’ll also have access to restricted selling areas.
4. List Your Items to Sell
Go to inventory and add the product you want to list as an Amazon seller.
Here are the important things to remember to add in your product description list:
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Price: Do research on Amazon to find out what similar products are selling for. You can price them similarly or slightly below to get ahead of your competition.
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Condition: Be as descriptive and honest as possible. Otherwise, you may receive unhappy reviews.
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Shipping: Remember, either you can choose to ship your items or Amazon can.
5. Convert Amazon Selling Items to FBA
Rather than using your home as your own personal warehouse, it’s usually easier to have Amazon store your items.
That’s why Amazon created Fulfillment by Amazon.
Choosing the Fulfillment by Amazon plan means Amazon is responsible for:
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Customer Service
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Communications
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Returns & Refunds
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Packages & Ships Products
While more expensive, it’s worth it to spend your free time focusing on how to get more sales.
6. Don’t Be a Rule Breaker
As with every company, Amazon has a list of policies each Amazon seller must abide by.
Luckily, they do not change very often but it is smart to be up-to-date on their policies.
7. Communication is the Key to Success
Amazon and your customers want to hear from you.
And Amazon will punish their sellers with a demerit if you haven’t responded to a customer’s question or complaint within 24 hours.
Luckily, it’s easy to keep track of any customer communications.
Here’s how:
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Log in to Seller Central
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Choose to have your customer responses sent to your e-mail
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You can even use your Smartphone to respond
Your customers will make or break your business on Amazon so it’s important to be quick to answer and do so as honestly as possible.
8. Use Images
While shopping on the Internet has grown tremendously, it doesn’t mean customers want to buy something unseen.
Amazon has a 1006 pixel requirement because they know their users want to be able to zoom in and really see the product.
Utilize photos often and with every product you list.
9. Manage Your Inventory
Unless you plan to utilize your own warehouse, you’re most likely going to be shipping your products to an Amazon warehouse.
If your inventory runs dry on the Amazon website, it’s possible to drop from a very high ranking to a very low ranking within less than 30 days.
Here are important things to remember to systematize:
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Use Well-Made Shipping Products: To save time, effort and frustration, use shipping products that are well made.
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Track Shipping Time: Note how long it takes you to pack up and ship off your items to Amazon.
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Replace Low Stocked Items: Replace items as they begin to run low.
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Be Proactive During Holidays: Items can go very quickly.
10. Use the Right Keywords
Amazon gives you a set of keywords as you’re setting everything up but it’s also smart to see what other keywords might work well for your product(s).
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Do not repeat the same keywords in the keyword field that are also found in your title
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You can use competitor’s names as keywords
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You can misspell a word or use a space (cook out vs. cookout) as they are often done by the customer’s looking for your potential product.
Becoming an Amazon seller can be an exciting career opportunity but it’s important to have the right support in order to be successful.
We’re here to lend you that support so your Amazon selling experience is long lasting and profitable.
