Amazon Professional SellerAmazon Professional SellerIf you want to sell products on Amazon, you need to choose between two types of seller accounts: Amazon Professional Seller or Individual. Each account has its own features, benefits, and costs, so it is important to understand the differences before you start selling.
Amazon Professional Seller Account
An Amazon Professional Seller account is designed for sellers who plan to sell more than 40 items per month on Amazon. This account gives you access to more tools and services, such as:
- Bulk listing and inventory management: You can upload and manage your products in bulk using spreadsheets or third-party software.
- Reports and analytics: You can access detailed reports and analytics on your sales performance, customer feedback, inventory levels, and more.
- Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands: You can advertise your products and brand on Amazon and reach more customers who are searching for products like yours.
- Buy Box eligibility: You can compete for the Buy Box, which is the box on a product detail page where customers can add items to their shopping carts. Winning the Buy Box can increase your sales and visibility on Amazon.
- Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): You can use Amazon’s fulfillment service to store, pack, and ship your products to customers. FBA also handles customer service and returns for you.
- Amazon Business: You can sell to business customers on Amazon and offer them features such as quantity discounts, business pricing, and tax-exempt purchasing.
The Amazon Professional Seller account costs $39.99 per month, plus selling fees. These fees vary depending on the product category, the selling price, and the fulfillment method. You can find more information about the fees here.
Individual Seller Account
An Individual Seller account is suitable for sellers who plan to sell fewer than 40 items per month on Amazon. This account has fewer features and services than the Professional Seller account, but it also has lower costs. With an Individual Seller account, you can:
- List products in over 20 categories: You can list your products in most of the categories available on Amazon, such as Books, Electronics, Home & Garden, and more.
- Use Amazon’s catalog: You can use Amazon’s existing catalog of millions of products to list your products quickly and easily. You just need to enter the product’s condition, price, and quantity.
- Ship products yourself: You are responsible for packing and shipping your products to customers, as well as handling customer service and returns.
The Individual Seller account does not have a monthly subscription fee, but you pay $0.99 per item sold, plus selling fees. These fees are the same as the Professional Seller account fees, except for the monthly subscription fee. You can find more information about the fees here.
What You Get with Each Account Type
The first thing you need to know is what each account type offers you as a seller. Here is a summary of the main differences:
| Feature/Benefit | Individual Seller Account |
Professional Seller Account |
| Monthly subscription fee | None | $39.99 |
| Per-item fee | $0.99 | None |
| Selling fees | Same as Professional Seller Account | Same as Individual Seller Account |
| Number of products per month | Less than 40 | More than 40 |
| Product categories | Over 20 | Over 30 |
| Bulk listing and inventory management | No | Yes |
| Reports and analytics | No | Yes |
| Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands | No | Yes |
| Buy Box eligibility | No | Yes |
| Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) | No | Yes |
| Amazon Business | No | Yes |
As you can see, the Individual Seller Account is more suitable for sellers who sell a few products per month and don’t need many tools and services. It has no monthly subscription fee, but it charges a per-item fee of $0.99. It also has fewer features and services than the Professional Seller Account, such as bulk listing, reports, advertising, and fulfillment options.
The Professional Seller Account is more suitable for sellers who sell a lot of products per month and need more tools and services to grow their business. It has a monthly subscription fee of $39.99, but it does not charge a per-item fee. It also has more features and services than the Individual Seller Account, such as bulk listing, reports, advertising, and fulfillment options.
What You Pay with Each Account Type
The first thing you need to know is what each account type charges you as a seller. Here is a summary of the main costs and fees of each account:
| Cost/Fee | Individual Seller Account | Professional Seller Account |
|
Monthly subscription fee | None | $39.99 |
| Per-item fee | $0.99 | None |
| Referral fee | Varies by category (average 15%) | Varies by category (average 15%) |
| Variable closing fee | $1.80 per media item | $1.80 per media item |
| FBA fee | Varies by product size and weight | Varies by product size and weight |
| Storage fee | Varies by product size and month | Varies by product size and month |
As you can see, the Individual Seller Account has no monthly subscription fee, but it charges a per-item fee of $0.99. This means that you pay a fixed amount for every product you sell, regardless of the selling price. It also has the same referral fee, variable closing fee, FBA fee, and storage fee as the Professional Seller Account.
The Professional Seller Account has a monthly subscription fee of $39.99, but it does not charge a per-item fee. This means that you pay a fixed amount every month, regardless of the number of products you sell. It also has the same referral fee, variable closing fee, FBA fee, and storage fee as the Individual Seller Account.
Which Account Should You Choose?
The best account for you depends on your selling goals, budget, and preferences. Here are some questions to help you decide:
- How many products do you plan to sell per month? If you sell more than 40 items per month, you can save money by choosing the Professional Seller account, as the monthly subscription fee is lower than the per-item fee. If you sell fewer than 40 items per month, you can avoid paying the monthly subscription fee by choosing the Individual Seller account.
- What kind of tools and services do you need? If you need advanced tools and services to manage your inventory, optimize your sales, and grow your business, you should consider the Professional Seller account. If you only need basic tools and services to list and sell your products, you may be fine with the Individual Seller account.
- How do you want to fulfill your orders? If you want to use Amazon’s fulfillment service (FBA) to handle the storage, packing, shipping, and customer service of your products, you need to have a Professional Seller account. If you want to fulfill your orders yourself, you can choose either account.
You can also switch between the two accounts at any time, depending on your needs and preferences.
