Selling on Amazon, from the first listing

Selling on Amazon starts with a seller account and a selling plan. From there, every product follows the same path: you list it, either by matching an existing product page or creating a new one, set a price, choose how orders are fulfilled, and bring shoppers to the listing through search, advertising and reviews.

Amazon says more than 60% of sales in its store come from independent sellers, most of them small and medium-sized businesses. They sell in very different ways: their own brands, other brands bought wholesale, resold finds, used and refurbished goods, handmade products, and books published through Kindle Direct Publishing.

Each way has its own rules. Used items follow Amazon's condition guidelines; refurbished products need Renewed approval; some categories and brands need approval before you can list them at all. Knowing the rule before buying stock is the cheapest lesson a new seller can learn.

Before any of that, you need products to sell and somewhere to get them. Amazon's guidance for new sellers is to start focused, with one product or a few in one niche, and to find products with demand, manageable competition and a margin after fees.

Suppliers range from manufacturers making your own brand to wholesalers and distributors of existing brands; whichever you choose, keep the invoices, since Amazon can ask for them to approve a brand or category.

Opening the account is the first practical step. Amazon's registration guide says the process often takes just a few hours, followed by identity verification of the primary contact, which usually takes three business days or less. You do not need to be an LLC or registered business: individuals choose "None, I am an individual" as the business type.

Registration asks for business details, a government-issued ID such as a passport, a bank account in your name or your business's name for payouts, and a credit card; Amazon accepts American Express, Diners Club, Discover, JCB, MasterCard and Visa.

You then choose a store name, which customers see on every offer, upload proof of address dated within the last 180 days, and verify your identity by photo or a video call with an Amazon associate.

Listing comes next. Most products are matched to existing product detail pages by a product ID, usually a UPC, which Amazon also calls a GTIN. If the product is new to Amazon, you create the page. If you own a brand, Amazon recommends enrolling it in Brand Registry before listing, which needs a pending or registered trademark.

Costs follow a simple pattern: a selling plan, a referral fee on each sale, and fulfillment, either FBA fees or your own shipping. Profit is what is left after those, the product cost, advertising and returns.

Fulfillment is the last big choice. With Fulfillment by Amazon, you send stock to Amazon's fulfillment centers and Amazon ships orders with Prime, handles customer service and processes returns. With Fulfilled by Merchant, you store and ship orders yourself and Amazon measures your shipping against its performance targets. Many sellers use both, product by product.

If you also sell on your own website, such as a Shopify store, Amazon's Multi-Channel Fulfillment can ship those orders from the same FBA inventory, and Veeqo, Amazon's free shipping software, manages orders across channels.

Then the product has to be found. Shoppers reach listings through Amazon search, so the product title, images, bullet points and search terms matter from day one; Sponsored Products ads bring early traffic, and reviews build trust with shoppers who have never heard of the brand.

After the first sale, the work is customers and stock. Buyers can message you with questions, and for orders you ship yourself, Amazon expects replies and returns handled promptly; with FBA, Amazon handles customer service for you.

Stock is the other half. Each time an item sells, check how many days of stock are left, and give your supplier enough time to restock before you run out, since Amazon says an out of stock offer cannot be featured. A sheet of weekly sales, stock on hand and supplier lead time is enough to start.

When you find a supplier, ask for its minimum order, price per item and lead time before you create the first listing, so the numbers in your plan are real ones.

That is the thread through every guide in this section. Selling on Amazon works when the route fits what you have, the product meets Amazon's rules, and the numbers leave a margin.