The Amazon Marketplace gives you a way to get your products in front of everyone shopping on Amazon UK, but there’s a bit that goes into this platform. This guide will take you through how to sell products on the Marketplace and what else you need to know to decide if it’s right for your business.
The Amazon Marketplace is a platform that allows third-party sellers to sell their products through Amazon. Sales through Amazon’s Marketplace represent 50% of all items sold on Amazon’s websites globally.
Sellers are responsible for setting their own price points, writing product descriptions and their own branding. A lot of Amazon retailer sales depend on where your item appears in product searches, so getting this right is extremely important. In terms of costs, you’ll also need to pay a monthly subscription fee and commission to sell your products.
There are no specific criteria, but you will need to have the following information to be able to sign up to a seller account:
When you sign up, an Amazon representative will contact you on the phone number you provide to complete the process.
Businesses in the UK can sell products more than 20 product categories, including the following:
There are message boards and blogs dedicated to the subtle art that is pricing Amazon products. Chatting with other sellers on these forums can be quite useful when setting your prices, as is reading about existing sellers’ experiences and successes using the Amazon platform.
Here are some factors to keep in mind when determining your price points:
Amazon UK has the following cost structure for its Marketplace:
As a seller, you need to organise shipping yourself. If you’re handling your own shipping you should keep an eye on your inventory so you can provide accurate information about stock levels to buyers. It’s also important to check orders daily so you can have orders shipped out on time as per your shipping and fulfilment policies.
Amazon also offers an optional shipping service, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). This essentially allows sellers to store and dispatch their goods through Amazon’s warehouses. By using FBA your customers will get free shipping on eligible orders and Prime members will receive two-day shipping. FBA is also pay-as-you-go so you’re charged for the storage space and orders Amazon fills.
There are multiple ways to market your products on Amazon UK. These include through marketing, social media, branding and optimising your products listings. Amazon uses a marketplace search engine to rank products and it considers various factors in product listings to do this. Do research to find out the best way to present your product features, price, features, availability and sales history to rank well in Amazon search.
There are a number of online retail giants available for you to sell products on, eBay being one of the most notable examples already available in the UK. The main things you should consider when deciding if Amazon is right for you is the product you’re selling, the audience you’re trying to target and how the cost structure will affect your profits.
However, keep in mind that there are many factors that will affect your success and there’s no guarantee you’ll make a profit. Try to lessen this risk by doing things like market research and analysing what strategies your competitors are using.
For more details on the exchange rates, fees and features of online sellers accounts, you can check out the table below.
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