A Complete Amazon Seller Central Guide: 2022

Are you a merchant and want to enrich your business potential? Even a beginner can stand out from the crowd with Amazon Seller Central. Here in this Amazon seller central guide, I’ll disclose how you can start your eCommerce business.

Amazon seller central is a platform that allows you to enlist your business and easily reach potential customers. 

You definitely know Amazon is the world’s leading eCommerce platform and marketplace. Register as an Amazon seller, and increase your eCommerce sales to the next level. 

Here in this article, we have prepared a comprehensive guide to become a successful Amazon Seller Central. 

Through our research, we cover some important things like how to set up and manage your Amazon seller central account, monitor business analytics, promotion, and more. 

Do you know what Amazon Seller Central is?

Amazon seller central is an interface (platform) that allows you to become an online seller. 

With the seller central of Amazon, you can meet your customers and sell your products within this marketplace. 

The best thing about Amazon seller central, you can easily handle payments, design and maintain your websites, or even returns. 

The Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) model requires inventory to register your product on this marketplace. You must have some knowledge of how to manage inventory. 

However, if you are a newbie and want to start your Amazon seller journey, you must spend some time learning about Amazon seller central’s intricacies. 

How Much Money do you need to Start an eCommerce Store?

To become an Amazon seller, you need to be smart. Your investment depends on generally three factors. 

1. Your product’s source, and
2. Shipping method to deliver. 
3. Proper setup to maintain business. 

If you are a newbie and belong to the Tier 3 countries like India, you need to understand the types of sellers on Amazon. 

• First Party (1P) – When the manufacturer directly sells their products to amazon, and later Amazon sells to shoppers. These products are known as “sold by or ships from Amazon. 
• Second Party (2P) – Sellers rely on the distributors’ partnership for shipment. When the brand sells to distributors and the later sales to customers, in this case, this is written as “sold by the brand, ships from Amazon.”
• Third Party (3P) – When you see “sold by a merchant and fulfilled by Amazon or vice versa,” in this case, the seller is a third-party Amazon seller. Generally, a third-party seller uses Amazon as a marketplace. 

Now come to the investment. It entirely depends on your business model. 

If you are a manufacturer, you need not pay for the product. However, if you are a 2P or second-party Amazon seller, you must invest in the development. 

Do you really need your Own Product?

You may ask if every Amazon seller must have their products.

No. 

Actually, without any product, you can be an Amazon Seller Central and earn a good amount of revenue. 

How?

Follow the steps to start becoming an Amazon seller without any product. 

• First, pick a niche. (Eg. Clothing)
• Search products around a niche. (Eg. TShirt)
• Contact manufacturers. 
• Display their products on your website or app. 
• Collect orders and deliver to customers. 

In this way, you can start becoming an Amazon seller central. 

Here I have some excellent advice for you. Always purchase products at wholesale prices. You can buy products from retail outlets with discounts or create your own. 

Apart from the product, your investment is on two things. 

1. Your digital property (like website, apps, Facebook page, YouTube channel, etc.)
2. Maintain and manage your orders. 
3. Promote business (when you need it).

What Types of Products can you Sell on Amazon?

This is an obvious question. As Amazon says, they have all types of products. But as a merchant, what effect do you need to pick for long-term success? 

This is probably the foundation of becoming an Amazon seller central. Picking the right product insists your business growth to the sky high. 

Do you know Amazon provides three types of products?

1. Physics product (e.g., Smartphone).
2. Digital product (e.g., eBook)
3. Services

Therefore, how do you choose the right product among the above? Let’s have a look. 

• Pick the most selling products within your niche. Find low-competition products first. 
• Prepare an analytical report based on several sales, customer reviews, and other metrics. 
• Find the manufacturer and contact for wholesale. Or
• Register a marketplace to pick your product and sell (drop shipping). 
• Understand the commission structure well. 
• Know how to make an inventory and stock management (both stock and inventory are different). 
• Avoid seasonality. 

To start selling products on Amazon, you need to set up your Amazon seller central correctly. 

Amazon Seller Central Guide to Set Up your Account

You must set up your seller central account flawlessly to sell on Amazon. Only an appropriate account in Amazon Seller Central can help to grow your business. 

To start setting up your Amazon Seller Central account, you need the following checklist. 

1. Valid and Registered Email ID. 
2. Valid and active mobile number. 
3. PAN detail. 
4. Bank details, including IFSC code. 
5. GST Number. 
6. Seller logo (necessary for branding)
7. Detailed business information. 
8. Good about us.
9. Return and refund policies. 

Follow the Steps to open Seller Central on Amazon

Are you ready to open your Seller Central Amazon account now? Simply follow the steps below. 

• Search in Google or any search engine about Amazon seller central. 
• Navigate to Amazon Seller Central. 
• Click on Start Selling. 
• Create new accounts with valid credentials like email id, password, etc. 
• Insert the legal information like your company name. 
• Verify your registered mobile number with OTP. 
• Provide your store name (this name will be visible when someone purchases your product) and address. 
• Provide your product, including the product category. 
• Insert your tax information like PAN, GST, etc. (GST is not mandatory, but for the long term, GST is preferable).
• Select the products to sell from the start list. 

You can sell multiple products in a single account. A single account is always preferable. However, you can set up multiple accounts if you need to sell in various countries (or regions). 

Do you know the Fees Structure to be an Amazon Seller Central?

In this Amazon seller central guide, we are here to help you to become an Amazon Seller. Let’s start with the fee structure.

• Referral fee – Amazon charges a percentage of the sales. Though the amount varies according to categories. 
• Closing fee – In addition to the referral fee, Amazon charges a closing fee based on your product price. 
• Shipping fee – Fees for delivering your product through any channel. 
• FBA Specific fee – For picking, packing, and storing orders. 

Here is a standard fee structure in detail. This table may help you a lot. 

Category	Easy Ship Fees	Shipping Cost and Self-Ship Fees	FBA Fees
Referral Fee	Generally 2%, depending on the category.	Generally 2%, depending on the category.	Generally 2%, depending on the category.
Closing Fee	Depending on the product price range	Depending on the product price range	Reduced closing fee depending on product price range
Shipping Fee	Generally RS 38 (for India). Though it entirely depends on distance.	The cost will be incurred for shipping through a third-party carrier.	The shipping fee is reduced for FBA, starting from RS 28/product (approx).
FBA Fee	NA	NA	Pick, pack, and storage fees only.

Steps to open an account in Amazon Seller Central

You are at a crucial stage right now. Follow the steps to launch your Amazon seller central account and start selling. 

• Search Amazon Seller Central and navigate to the official website. 
• Click on start selling.
• Create your new account and log in.
• Enter detailed business information such as company name, 
• Provide a valid mobile phone number. 
• Verify your mobile number with OTP. 
• Insert store name, product, and business address. 
• Put accurate tax information, including PAN and GST.
• Start listing by selecting the ‘product to sell option. 
• Choose ‘I’m adding a product not sold on Amazon or 
• Enter your product name. 
• Insert your product’s details, including
  • Product price
  • MRP of product
  • Quantity of the product. 
  • Condition.
  • Shipping options. 
• Check once if all the fields are correctly filled. 
• Click on save and finish. 
• Again navigate to the selling dashboard and add additional info (if any). 
• Upload your digital signature.
• Finally, click on launch your business. 

So you know why Product Details are Important.

Product details are immensely important for every customer. Product details help buyers to get familiar with the product. 

Along with the above, product details directly help in two ways. 

1. Buyers look at the product image and specification to identify the right one. 
2. Buyers can compare products with others.

How to Optimize your Listing

You can easily alter or add any information to your product. You must log in to the Amazon seller central dashboard and go to the ‘Manage inventory’ section. 

The product detail includes the following. 

• Product specifications including
  • Color image.
  • Standard image size and resolution.
  • Features must be transparent and visible. 
• Ensure your products are not in the restricted category (e.g., weapon)
• Seller information.

You can also check, edit and alter using Amazon seller central website and apps. 

How Amazon FBA works

FBA or Fulfillment by Amazon helps to sell your product on Amazon.Amazon FBA is an all-in-one platform that allows vendors to store their products at the Amazon warehouse, and Amazon can pack, take orders and sell to the customer. FBA is a third-party service that smooths the seller’s journey. 

Here is the Amazon FBA Checklist

• Unlimited fast and free delivery to customers. 
• You can store your product at Amazon Fulfilment Center (FC). 
• Amazon will take care of picking, packing, and shipping. 
• Amazon will manage customer services like returns. 
• You can be eligible for Prime. 

Order Fulfillment options besides FBA 

Apart from FBA, Amazon gives you two options – self and easy shipping. You can use these options if you have your eCommerce store (e.g., website/page). 

Self-ship

In self-ship, the control of the business is in your hand. You can use your resources to store and manage listings of your product. 

Within your control, you can manage customer services and return your own. You can use your third-party delivery partner to deliver your products to the customer end. 

Here is the checklist you can follow to be a self-shipper. 

1. You will store your product at your resource (e.g., website).
2. You will pack your product. 
3. You will deliver your product using your delivery associates (or third-party delivery partner). 
4. Manage your business yourself. 

Easy ship

Easy ship is the best method to deliver your product safely and fast to the customers. Like a self-ship, you can use your resources to store your product in your warehouse. 

You can control your inventory without spending a single penny on storage costs. You can choose your packaging. Additionally, you are free from third-party negotiation hassle.

The following checklist may help you. 

1. You will store products in your warehouse within your control. 
2. You will pack your product yourself. 
3. You will schedule a pickup (Amazon agent)
4. Amazon agent will deliver your product to the customer end. 

Surprisingly but true, Amazon FBA helps to find evergreen and profitable niches. If you are new and want to start your career, the FBA will help you to identify your niche. 

How to manage Growth after Sell

Your responsibility will be doubled when you’ve completed your first sale and got the payment. After selling, your priorities are here. Try to maintain all the checklists. 

• Regularly visit your sales dashboard. 
• Please go through the detailed reports and analyze them.
• Understand the precise metrics of your account health, including sales, return, order completion rate, etc. 
• Check and understand product reviews through the feedback manager. 
• Try to prioritize customer opinion to become a loyal vendor. 
• Last but not least, make sure you’ve complied with Amazon seller policies. 

How to get Payment after Sell

Payment is the most essential for every business growth. Generally, giant companies like Amazon are 100% trustworthy in secure payment. 

You can collect your payment through electronic transfer (cleared by ACH) in India within seven business days. Remember, the payment is sometimes held until the return period is over. 

Additionally, you can generate your payment report and check the transaction summary at the Amazon seller central dashboard. 

How to become an Amazon Prime Seller

Do you know what a prime day is? A prime day is a special two-day (maybe less or more) event where prime members and prime sellers meet together. The prime buyers get a good discount, so you, as a prime seller, can remarkably increase your sales and revenue. 

If you are serious about your eCommerce business and want to get tons of revenue, you can target to become an Amazon prime seller. 

Amazon prime seller widens various opportunities for your business growth with the following. 

• Showcase ‘prime badge’ on your product. 
• Fastest delivery with multiple offer fees. 
• Maximize your product’s visibility. 
• Boost your sales by getting a head start during the sale events. 
• Avail the chance to become a prime day seller every day. 

How Amazon helps you to Grow your Business

Amazon is the world’s largest marketplace. Therefore, every day many new businesses enlist their products on Amazon. 

As a result, everyone has a chance to start selling their products through Amazon. If you’re completely new and don’t know how to sell on Amazon, the following process will help you greatly. 

• First register on Amazon FBA (Fulfilment by Amazon). 
• Sponsor and advertise your product to increase visibility. 
• Get limited-time promotions to attract more customers. 
• Avail of the free account management services by Amazon. 
• Additionally, get paid assistance from qualified third-party service providers in order fulfillment, photo shoots, and more. 
• Easily manage your business in automation in automatic pricing, monitor feedback through customer calls, and above all, product listing based on demand. 

My Final Thought

In this Amazon seller central guide, I’ve tried to cover all important aspects of becoming a successful seller on Amazon and getting tons of revenue. This article is for you if you are a newbie and want to start your eCommerce journey. Even you can create your eCommerce business with minimal investment with Amazon.