Selling on Amazon presents a wonderful opportunity for serious growth. The right tools and strategies, along with the right mindset, can help you launch, grow and scale your e-commerce business on one of the biggest marketplaces in the world. But before we dive head first into listing your very first product, there are some fundamentals that you need to be clear of.
We help you break down the basics of getting started and how to promote your product effectively to drive traffic and conversions.
Begin selling on Amazon
Here is your step by step guide to getting started.
1. Choose your selling plan
Amazon offers two selling plans: Individual and Professional. The individual plan is $0.99 per item sold, which works best for new sellers who are moving low volume. The professional tier, on the other hand, costs $39.99/month regardless of how many products you sell. The Professional plan also unlocks access to more premium features, tools and advertising options. If you are aiming to create a serious brand on Amazon, the Professional plan is the most sensible option as it also gives you access to bulk listing tools, APIs, advertising options and detailed reporting.
2. Set up your Seller account
Head on to sell.amazon.com and click on Sign up. You will need the following to get started.
- A valid bank account and routing number.
- A credit card that works internationally.
- A government issued photo ID.
- Tax identification info.
- A working phone number.
Remember to create a separate business email that is separate from your personal Amazon account. Keeping these two separate from the start keeps things clean and avoids headaches down the line. After signing up, you will gain access to Amazon’s Seller Central, the main dashboard for everything from inventory management to order tracking and ad campaign setup.
3. Understand the costs
Apart from the selling plan fee, Amazon also charges a referral fee on every sale made. This can vary based on the product category but usually sits between 8% to 15%. In case you have chosen Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), you will also need to pay a storage and fulfillment fee. Optional tools and programs like premium advertising or brand registry may come with extra costs. Plan your budget accordingly and track your ROI religiously.
4. Leverage Amazon web scraping
Before you begin listing your products, you will need to know the competition. Pricing, reviews, bestseller ranks and keyword use, all play a massive role in how visible your product is. An Amazon web scraping API, like Spaw.co, gives you the raw data you need to make smarter decisions. Monitor competitor listings, price changes and keywords trends without having to rely on clunky manual checks. This gives you a real edge when optimizing your listings or adjusting your pricing strategy.
5. Listing your products the right way
Don’t just list products and expect the best results. You will need to optimize your listing. Optimized listings are what separate top sellers from the rest. Here is how you can list your products.
Product title
Keep it under 200 characters. Lead with the brand, followed by the name of the product and key benefit or differentiator. Use your top-performing keywords naturally. Don’t stuff them just for the sake of it. Make it readable.
Bullet points
You can use bullet points to answer the questions your customers are already asking. Focus on the functionality, materials, compatibility, warranty information and more. Make sure that it is concise and skimmable.
Product Description
Reinforce what’s in your bullet points with a bit more flair. Stay on brand and use short sentences to improve readability. Plus, you will also need to make sure that it is mobile-friendly.
Images
The first image of your product should showcase it clearly. Ideally, it should be on a white background. Following this, you can add additional images to show different angles, scale and context. It is a good idea to include at least one image with the back of the box if it has key information like ingredients or instructions.
6. Enroll in Amazon brand registry
If you have a brand, register it with Amazon to get a dedicated brand page. Amazon Brand Registry gives you full control over listings and protects you from unauthorized sellers. It also unlocks access to A+ Content (formerly Enhanced Brand Content), which lets you create richer product pages with custom layouts, graphics and brand storytelling.
7. Pick your fulfillment strategy
There are two options when it comes to order fulfillment. Fulfill orders yourself (FBM) or Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). With FBA, Amazon takes care of the storage, packing, shipping and returns. It also gives you better visibility in search and also qualifies your product for Prime.
But remember, with FBA, the fees can add up, especially if you have an oversized or slow moving inventory. Crunch the numbers and decide what works best for your products and margins.
8. Run paid ads
Amazon Ads gives you access to Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Displays. The most direct way to start is with Sponsored Products as this will land your promoted products at the top of search results. Target your own keywords and test what works best. Remember, do not waste your entire budget chasing high-volume keywords. Start with low- to mid-volume ones that are highly relevant, as these tend to be much cheaper and your conversion rate will be higher.
Track your ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sale) very closely, as it allows you to adjust bids based on performance. Pause anything that is draining your marketing budget without bringing any meaningful returns.
9. Leveraging external traffic
Here is how you can build external traffic to feed your listings.
Social media
Start with the platforms where your target audience hangs out. Post content that shows your product in action, share tips or highlight real user-generated content. This can help to funnel traffic to your listings. Another great idea is to offer social media exclusive promo codes to make the click worthwhile.
Influencer marketing
Partner with creators who your audience trusts. Collaborate with micro-influencers as they tend to have higher engagement and much lower fees. Amazon’s Influencer Program can also be helpful as it gives access to custom storefronts to showcase your products. Build long term relationships with a few reliable partners instead of jumping from influencer to influencer.
Affiliate marketing
Amazon Associates also offers YouTubers, bloggers, review platforms and other creators a chance to promote products in exchange for commission. You don’t pay until the sale. Quite a low-risk and scalable option. Share your product affiliate link and monitor which ones are driving results.
10.Get reviews, but stay compliant
When was the last time you bought something online without looking at the reviews? Perhaps never. Likewise, Amazon buyers rely heavily on reviews. A strong 4+ star rating can be incredibly useful for visibility and user trust. But getting reviews organically takes time, especially early on. Plenty of automation tools help you to automate follow-up emails and trigger Amazon’s “Request a Review” button. This is a highly compliant method. Another great way to drive early reviews is by offering discounts or enrolling in Amazon’s Early Reviewer Program (if available).
Note: Never offer incentives in exchange for reviews. This can get you banned.
11.Use promotions to boost visibility
Lightning deals, limited time offers or launch promos can be super useful in getting attention and building momentum. Combine this with paid ads and extra traffic for a much bigger impact. Just remember not to go too deep on discounts. Collect data on profitability and set discounts accordingly. These strategies can work great during holidays or Prime Day.
12.Keep optimizing
Your Amazon business is never on autopilot. Here is what to watch
- Conversion rate: How well does your listing turn views into sales?
- Click through rate (CTR): Are your titles and images pulling more people in?
- Advertising Cost of Sale (ACoS): Are your ads delivering the results you calculated?
- Traffic density: Are your product listings getting enough traffic
Make incremental changes to optimize your strategy. One variable at a time. Track how each adjustment affects performance.
Sell with confidence
Starting and promoting your product on Amazon is not as plug and play as some YouTube tutorials might make it out to be. It is more about investing in the right tools, knowing your numbers and staying proactive about optimization. Consistency here can make the payoff huge. The goal is to work smarter, not just harder.
Amazon rewards precision, consistency, and data driven decisions. So get your systems in place, stay focused and keep pushing with confidence.
