Start Selling on Amazon Today with These Easy Steps!
Amazon is one of the largest online retailers in the world and it’s grown in popularity tremendously since its inception in 1994. This massive online store has not only revolutionized the way we buy products, but also the way we sell them. Selling on Amazon can be a great way to start your own business as an entrepreneur or supplement an existing revenue stream if you already have an offline business. In this article, I will show you how to get started selling on Amazon today!
Sign up as a seller
The first step to getting started is registering as a seller at Seller Central. It’s not hard, and you can complete it in just a few minutes. After you register, you’ll be able to choose from six account types (Amazon Individual, Pro Merchant, Business, Enterprise, Vendor Central, and Selling on Amazon). While there are differences between each one (for example Pro Merchants will receive a transaction fee discount), most sellers start as Individuals or Vendors because of their low costs. After completing your registration you will have access to your seller account dashboard. From here you can add new products to sell or create listings for products that are already listed for sale.
Choose a product
The first step in selling your products on Amazon is to choose a product to sell. You should know who your target audience is and what they need. Think about products that will get you sales quickly. Selling electronics? Consider selling cell phone accessories or game consoles. Are you focused on kitchen products? Start selling tea kettles, egg cookers, and other useful gadgets for getting food ready more quickly and easily in the morning. The next thing you’ll want to do is register for an account with Amazon Seller Central. This can be done directly through Amazon’s website but it’s a good idea to have a separate email address specifically for your business accounts so that messages don’t get mixed up accidentally.
Source your product
If you’re selling a product that doesn’t have multiple suppliers, source it directly from a manufacturer. If you have an idea for a product and want to sell it online, first check to see if other sellers are already making and selling that item. If so, it’s going to be extremely difficult for you to compete with them, so look for something else. Once you’ve identified a potential product, check on Alibaba or eBay to see what’s available for sale. Look at multiple sites since some might not show products that aren’t priced competitively enough.
List your product on Amazon
Register for an Amazon seller account. Once you have your seller account, you’ll need to list your products. First, choose a category that best describes your product; try not to put something like teacups in more than one category. Next, enter details about your product and upload a photo of it. You’ll also need to set a price and determine how many units you want per order.
Get to know the seller dashboard
Before you start uploading product listings, take a minute to get familiar with Seller Central. The Dashboard is where you can access your daily sales figures and monitor progress toward major milestones. It’s also your one-stop shop for everything related to payments, inventory, fulfilled orders, and returns, among other things. If you haven’t already done so, sign up for an account and visit Seller Central immediately there’s a lot of useful information waiting for you.
Start marketing your products
To get started, you’ll need to register as a seller. Make sure you choose a business name and set up an LLC if your product is likely to have negative reviews to keep your assets safe. By setting up an LLC or other business entity, you’ll have some recourse if someone is unhappy with their purchase and writes a bad review. Once you’re registered, it’s time to start selling! Don’t be afraid to try new things like coupons or sales; if something doesn’t work, just tweak it next time. One tip: Make sure that every item has pictures before posting them; people buy from what they can see.
Track your sales metrics
After you sell a product, Amazon will provide some data points on your sales metrics. For example, it tells you how many units you sold and what your profit margin was per unit. You can use that information to improve your selling strategy. For example, if you know that each unit sold will earn $3 in profit, then it makes sense to lower your price to increase demand. If sales drop off after reaching 10 units sold per day, then it’s likely there isn’t much of a market for your product and perhaps more work is needed before launching a full-scale sale through Target Audience.
Learn from your sales performance
Keep a close eye on your sales performance after you start selling your products on Amazon. The more sales you make, and the more negative reviews you receive, will help you understand where your strengths and weaknesses are. For example, if you notice that customers consistently complain about slow shipping times when they place orders through your listings (and they leave negative reviews to let others know), then that may suggest a need for improvement in your shipping logistics processes. Fixing these types of issues is part of what it means to be an active and engaged seller who is constantly looking for ways to do better.
Conclusion
If you want to get started, here’s how. Register with Amazon and create a professional account. If you don’t have one yet, all it takes is an email address to set up an account; I bet you already have one of those lying around. Make sure your credit card information is accurate and that your bank info is current you don’t want any snags in your transactions for either party. Lastly, start researching products that are going to make you money. Try looking into areas of increased customer demand and be sure to research competition and reviews for each product before starting sales!
