If you are looking to sell your own products online for the first time then Amazon's Marketplace is one of the best places to begin. Marketplace is an additional area on Amazon's main site for selling unwanted used or new items alongside Amazon's. Not only can shoppers buy new products from Amazon they can also choose to buy the same items, second hand or brand new, but from third party sellers - often referred to as Marketplace sellers, this gives the buyer more opportunities in choice and lower prices. Amazon has always been looking for new and innovative ways to expand their business and so Marketplace was born in 2001 to extend their services. Amazon is the leading shopping and e-commerce website receiving millions of online shoppers per month. If you are a Marketplace seller then you can simply list your items alongside Amazon's products and take advantage of the huge volume of buyers that frequently purchase on the site and sell your products to them. The obvious advantage is that you do not even need your own website, hosting or domain name, you simply list your items on Amazon and get them seen by Amazon's large customer base, complete sales and collect some extra money in the process.
How to sell on Amazon Marketplace
You can sell anything from books, films, music, computer software, electronic products and more under Amazon's trusted and world recognised brand and make money doing so. Selling products on Amazon is one of the easiest ways of becoming a small and successful internet entrepreneur selling goods people want and are actively searching for. It is also a good way of initially learning and understanding the buying and selling process within an online environment. In terms of making some extra money, selling on Amazon's Marketplace is probably easier than selling on the auction site eBay. NetMoneyWays will show you how to sell on Amazon Marketplace.
Marketplace selling programmes - Individual or Pro-merchant
There are two selling programmes that are available under Amazon Marketplace. The first is the individual or basic level, if
you regularly visit and buy from Amazon you may have noticed the 'Sell your stuff here' link which is usually shown in each
main product category inviting you to sell your own items on the website and make some extra money.
The basic level offers free registration, it is also free to list items monthly - although there is an upper limit of 30 items
in total that can be listed at any given time.
The second of the two programmes is known as Pro-merchant. There is a monthly subscription fee (currently £28.75)
to sign up and to participate as a Pro-merchant Marketplace seller. The Pro-merchant level is of particular interest to bulk
sellers who are trading products in larger volumes. Pro-merchant sellers can list an unlimited amount of stock,
if you are thinking of selling more than 30 items then Pro-merchant status maybe the right programme for you.
Most of this article we will focus on the individual/basic Marketplace programme from here onwards.
The benefits of selling on Amazon Marketplace
• It is free to register and become a Basic level Marketplace seller.
• It is free to list your products, there are no ongoing listing fees to display products for sale (although at Pro-merchant level
there is a monthly subscription fee).
• You only pay commission to Amazon once your item sells.
• You can choose to sell used or unwanted items, brand new items or even collectables.
• There is no need to take photos of any product for sale and upload them to Amazon's main site. Your product listings will
automatically include an existing stock product photo from Amazon (as long as Amazon themselves are selling the same item as
new) and will be displayed on the page listing all Marketplace sellers who are selling the same item new or used.
• There is no need to write lengthy factual information about each product, like you would need to do on an item listings page
on eBay. Technical specifications, facts, figures for the item you would list are displayed on Amazon's own product pages,
your listing will be linked as a Marketplace item from this page. Additionally, Amazon's
product pages will often include user submitted reviews so the buyer can refer to this extra information before
deciding to buy a Marketplace item. The only information you need to supply is a short description which describes the condition
of the item for sale.
• Payments from customers are paid into an intermediate Amazon Payments account so your banking information remains private to
any buyer. Your accumulated earnings are paid from your Amazon Payments account directly into your registered bank account.
The Amazon Payments account is similar to an eBay paypal account for receiving payments from buyers, although it is restricted
for the purposes of receiving payments only.
• You decide where to sell your products, for example, within the UK only, europe or international or a combination of
destinations if you wish.
• An item that is for sale can be listed very quickly, you only need to supply basic details in the 3 step listing process, these
are the item condition, selling price and reviewing the details prior to actually listing the item. Items can be listed in
minutes, there are no lengthy item pages to design and create to showcase products for sale.
• Selling on Amazon is just as simple if not easier than selling products on eBay.
• You can set your own prices for your products for sale.
• You are in control of posting and packaging and dispatching your items.
• There is no obligation to sell a minimum number of products or reach a target amount of sales per month.
• Email and phone support are available for Marketplace sellers. If you need any assistance you can speak to Amazon who
can provide guidance on any selling issues.
• You can also choose to cancel the programme at anytime.
Registering an Amazon Marketplace Sellers account
Before you can start selling you will need to register for a Marketplace Sellers account. This is very straight forward and you will need to submit all the usual details for registering a new service, For example, name, address information and bank details - so you can get paid. You will also need to choose a selling ID, this is effectively an identifier that will be visible on all listings. Each item listed will be accompanied with your Marketplace sellers ID, this is similar to a User ID under eBay. You will also need to supply an active email address, this will allow any buyers to ask questions about products currently being listed. Amazon will also send information regarding listings, sales and other miscellaneous updates from Amazon that they need to inform you about.
Buying third party products from Amazon Marketplace
The important point to remember when participating as a marketplace seller is that sales are dealt with between the buyer and the seller. Amazon is not directly involved in Marketplace transactions (since the seller has their own stock to sell and does not originate from Amazon). Amazon will be selling large volumes of new items advertised on their website, Marketplace is a separate area that operates in parallel for buyers and sellers. When a sale is made the buyer will pay Amazon directly. The seller is informed of the sale and dispatches the item to the buyer, the seller is then paid by Amazon, feedback is then provided on both sides of the transaction. Just like eBay, the seller is responsible for answering any questions such as item condition, delivery times through to refunding the buyer if necessary.
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