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Selling on Amazon: Seller vs. Storefront

The terms “Amazon reseller” and “Amazon store” refer to different ways of selling products on Amazon, each with its own characteristics and requirements. Here’s a breakdown of the differences between the two:

Amazon Seller:

  1. Definition: An Amazon reseller buys products from manufacturers, wholesalers, or distributors and then sells them on Amazon’s marketplace. Resellers don’t typically manufacture their own products but rather focus on buying and selling existing products.
  2. Inventory: Resellers maintain their own inventory and are responsible for storing, packaging, and shipping products to customers.
  3. Profit Margins: Resellers can have varying profit margins based on the price they purchase products for and the selling price on Amazon.
  4. Competition: Reselling often involves higher competition, as multiple sellers may offer the same or similar products, leading to price wars and potential margin compression.
  5. Responsibility: Resellers are responsible for customer service, handling returns, and managing their own product listings.

Amazon Store:

  1. Definition: An Amazon store, often referred to as an Amazon Seller Storefront, is a branded page on Amazon where sellers can showcase and sell their products. It provides a more personalized shopping experience for customers and allows sellers to build a brand presence on Amazon.
  2. Branding: Sellers can customize their Amazon store with their brand logo, images, and content to create a cohesive brand identity.
  3. Product Listings: Sellers can list their products individually or create curated collections and product bundles to attract customers.
  4. Customer Experience: Amazon stores offer a more tailored shopping experience, allowing sellers to highlight featured products, promotions, and brand stories to engage customers.
  5. Fees: Amazon stores require a monthly subscription fee, in addition to other selling fees, depending on the seller’s chosen selling plan (Individual or Professional).
  6. Analytics: Sellers with an Amazon store have access to enhanced analytics and insights to track store performance, customer behavior, and sales data.

Key Differences:

  • Ownership: Resellers focus on buying and selling existing products, while Amazon stores allow sellers to build and promote their brand on Amazon’s platform.
  • Inventory: Resellers manage their own inventory, whereas Amazon stores can be managed using various fulfillment methods, including Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) or FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant).
  • Brand Presence: Amazon stores offer a branded storefront, allowing sellers to create a unique shopping experience, while resellers typically operate as individual sellers without a branded storefront.
  • Cost: Amazon stores require a monthly subscription fee, whereas resellers do not have a subscription fee but pay per-item selling fees and other associated costs.

Both selling methods have their pros and cons, and the choice between becoming an Amazon reseller or setting up an Amazon store depends on your business goals, resources, and strategy.

Before you start

Choose a selling plan

  • With the Individual plan, you’ll pay $0.99 every time you sell an item.
  • The Professional plan costs $39.99 per month, no matter how many items you sell.
  • For both plans, Amazon also collects a referral fee on each sale, which is a percentage of the total transaction and varies by product category. Visit our pricing page for a summary of selling fees.
Amazon Plans Table PDF

Create an Amazon seller account

  • Business email address or Amazon customer account
  • Internationally chargeable credit card
  • Government ID (identity verification protects sellers and customers)
  • Tax information
  • Phone number
  • A bank account where Amazon can send you proceeds from your sales

What can I sell on Amazon>

What can you sell on Amazon? It depends on the product, the category, and the brand.

Some categories are open to all sellers, some require a Professional seller account, some require approval to sell, and some include products that cannot be sold by third-party sellers.

The table below provides an overview of Amazon product categories, but visit Seller Central Help to learn more about restrictions, and how to request approval. If you ship orders with Fulfillment By Amazon, be sure to review the specific list of FBA product restrictions.

Review category requirements

When you choose a category for your products, make sure that you learn about the specific requirements and guidelines for selling in that category.

Note: To learn more about the product categories that are available, see Overview of categories.
Condition Guidelines: Some categories have guidelines that describe the condition of products that you list as new, used, or refurbished. To learn more, see Condition Guidelines.

Style guides: Most categories have style guides that can help you create great product titles and descriptions. Category style guides are downloadable PDF files that contain site requirements for images, product descriptions, and more. For information, see Product page style guides.

Restricted products: Some products are restricted and cannot be sold on the Amazon website under any conditions. To learn more, see Restricted products.

Categories that require approval: Some categories require that you get prior approval from Amazon before you can start selling. Learn more about Categories and products requiring approval.
Required product identifiers: Most categories require a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), such as a UPC, EAN or JAN, as a product identifier. You can request exemptions in certain categories. Learn more about Product UPCs and GTINs.
For more information about specific category guidelines, see Additional Category Guidelines.

Review category requirements

Overview of categories
Categories and products that require approval
Additional category guidelines