The beginner’s guide to

Selling on Amazon
Welcome to Selling on Amazon Canada
It’s no secret: At Amazon, we obsess over customers. And our customers
want a trusted destination where they can purchase a wide variety of
goods—which is what makes sellers like you so important. We’re always
looking for ways to add value for our customers and be Earth’s most
customer-centric company. As an Amazon seller, you take part in offering
those customers better selection, better prices, and a top-notch customer
experience.

This eBook contains high-level information that will help you start your 300 million active customers in
journey selling on Amazon. If you want to dive in deeper on any subject, more than 180 countries
visit amazon.ca/start-selling-online for more information about all the
topics covered here.

The Amazon edge

When you start selling on Amazon Canada, you become part of a retail
destination that’s home to sellers of all kinds, from Fortune 500
organizations to artisan vendors who make handcrafted goods. They all
sell here for a reason: to reach the hundreds of millions of customers who
visit Amazon to shop.

● 30,000 Canada-based third-party sellers from all 13 provinces and

territories – many of which are small and medium sized businesses -
grossed more than $1 billion on Amazon.ca in 2019, growing 40%
year-over-year, and more than in $2 billion on Amazon stores 15.9 million monthly unique visitors
around the world. (in Canada alone)
● 45% of SMB sellers use Amazon to sell their products to customers
outside of Canada.
● Amazon works alongside a growing list of SMBs by offering
innovative tools, resources and opportunities to help them succeed in
even the most uncertain times - making it easier for Canadians to
discover new local businesses while bringing the best of Canada to
customers around the world.

Is Amazon right for

your business?
The short answer is: yes. The largest household
brands sell on Amazon. So do emerging brands
that will pop on your radar soon. Small and $1.5 billion reported sales by third-party
medium-sized businesses thrive here, and they businesses during Prime Day 2018
account for more than half the units sold in
our stores worldwide. Whatever your business
is—and whatever size it is—we’re excited for
you to grow with us. Find your fit and start
selling today.

The beginner’s guide to selling on Amazon products | 1

How to list Welcome
Before you start selling
How to register What you’ll need to get started
With two selling plans (they’re called Individual and In order to complete your registration, make sure you have
Professional, but you can think of them as standard and access to your bank account number and bank routing
premium), Amazon offers you the flexibility to sell one item number, a chargeable credit card, government issued national
or sell thousands. Before you begin registration, decide which ID, tax information, and phone number.
plan is a better fit for your business.

The Individual plan costs $1.49 CDN per sale, while sellers
How much does it cost to sell on Amazon?
using the Professional plan pay $29.99 CDN per month, no There are a few different types of selling fees you might pay,
matter how many items they sell. If you sell more than 40 depending on your selling plan and the types of products you sell.
items a month, the Professional option makes a lot of sense.
Whichever plan you select, don’t worry about making the ● Subscription fees: These are the fees you pay for your
wrong choice—you can change plans at any time. selling plan, and they vary depending on which plan you
select.
○ On the Professional selling plan there’s a flat
The Individual plan might be right if: fee of $29.99 CDN per month and no per-item
•You plan to sell fewer than 40 items a month fee.
• You want to keep up-front costs low
• You don’t need advanced selling tools or add-on programs ○ On the Individual selling plan there’s a $1.49
• You’re still deciding what to sell
CDN fee for each item sold.

● Selling fees: These fees are charged per item sold, and
The Professional plan might be right if:
they include referral fees (which are a percentage of the
• You plan to sell more than 40 items a month
selling price and vary depending on the product’s
• You want access to advanced selling tools category), and variable closing fees (which apply only to
• You’d like to apply for add-on programs like media categories).
Amazon Business, Launchpad, or Handmade
• You’re an established ecommerce seller ● Shipping fees: When you fulfill orders yourself, Amazon
shipping rates apply. We charge these shipping rates
based on the product category and shipping service
selected by the buyer.
Tools for brand owners
If you own a brand, Amazon offers tools to help you ● FBA fees: For products that Amazon fulfills for you
build, grow, and protect it. Enrolling in Brand Registry (known as Fulfillment by Amazon, or FBA), there are fees
can help you personalize your brand and product pages,
protect your trademarks and intellectual property, and for order fulfillment, storage, and optional services.
improve the brand experience for customers—along (More information about FBA can be found on page 6.)
with unlocking additional advertising options and
recommendations on improving traffic and conversion.
To review the fees that may be associated with your account,
visit the Selling on Amazon Fee Schedule.

The beginner’s guide to selling on Amazon Before you start selling | 2

Get to know
Seller Central
What is Seller Central?
Once you register as an Amazon seller, you’ll have access
The Amazon Seller app
to your Seller Central account. Think of Seller Central as Did you know you can keep track of your Amazon
business even while you’re on the go? The
your go-to resource for selling on Amazon. It’s a portal to
Amazon Seller app lets you analyze your sales,
your Amazon business and a one-stop shop for managing fulfill orders, find products to sell, manage offers
your selling account, adding product information, making and inventory, respond to customer questions,
inventory updates, managing payments, and finding helpful capture and edit professional-quality product
content to help you navigate your Amazon business. It’s also photos, and create listings—right from your
mobile device. Never be more than a swipe away
where you list all your products.
from your Amazon business. Download it for
iPhone or Android to get started.
Below are a just few of the things you can do from Seller Central.

1 2

(1) Keep track of your inventory and update your

listings from the Manage Inventory tab

(2) Download custom business reports and

bookmark templates you use often

(3) Use customer metrics tools to monitor your

seller performance

(4) Contact Seller Support and open help tickets

using the Case Log

(5) Keep track of your daily sales for all the

products you sell on Amazon

3 4 5

The beginner’s guide to selling on Amazon Get to know Seller Central | 3

How to list products
Listing your first product Successful listing = successful launch
To sell a product on Amazon, you must first create a product Following best practices for adding listings can have a big
listing. Either match an existing listing (if somebody else is impact on their success. Make it easy for shoppers to find your
already selling the same product on Amazon), or create a new offers by adding descriptive titles, clear images, and concise
listing (if you are the first or only seller). feature bullets to your items.

The specific way sellers upload and list their products varies Avoid these things that could negatively impact your launch:
depending on their selling plan. To put it simply: Sellers using
a Professional seller account have the option of listing their ● Variation issues: Products that vary only by color,
products in large batches using bulk uploading or inventory scent, or size might be a good candidate for listing as
management with third-party systems, while Individual variations. Ask yourself if the customer would expect to
sellers list products one at a time. find the products together on the same page. If not, list
them separately.
● Image compliance: Your images must be at least 500
What you need to start listing products x 500 pixels (increase the size to 1,000 x 1,000 for
In most cases, products must have a Global Trade Item high-quality listings) and set against a plain white
Number (GTIN), such as a UPC, an ISBN, or an EAN. background. The product should fill at least 80% of
Amazon uses these product IDs to identify the exact item the image area. Images must accurately represent the
you’re selling. If you match a listing, you won’t need to product and show only the product that is for sale. To
provide a product ID since it already exists. If you’re adding review all of the requirements, visit Product image
a product that’s new to Amazon, you may need to purchase a requirements.
UPC code or request an exemption. ● Product IDs: Make sure you’re meeting the requirements
In addition to a product ID, here’s some of the important for product UPCs and GTINs (Global Trade Item
information that goes into each product listing: Number). Consistency in these codes helps promote
confidence in the range of products shown in the
● SKU
Amazon catalog.
● Product title
● Product description and bullet points
● Product images
● Search terms and relevant keywords

What are restricted product

categories?
It’s important that customers are able to shop
with confidence on Amazon, which is why some
product categories (like certain grocery or
automotive products) are known as “restricted
product categories.” Amazon might require
performance checks, additional fees, and other
qualifications in order for you to sell certain
brands or list items within restricted categories.
You’ll be able to request approval from within
Seller Central.

The beginner’s guide to selling on Amazon How to list products | 4

The product detail page
The product detail page: what’s what?
A product detail page is where customers view a product sold
Amazon Brand Registry
on Amazon. If you’ve shopped on Amazon, you’ll probably If you sell your products under a registered trademark,
you may be eligible to enroll in Amazon Brand Registry
recognize the product detail page. It’s where customers can
at no extra charge. Brand Registry gives you control
find all the relevant information about a particular item. over product detail pages that use your brand name,
and lets you add more rich media (like videos and
When multiple sellers offer the same product, Amazon enhanced text information) to your detail pages.
combines data from all the offers into one product detail page
Help enhance your brand awareness and the cross-
(so we can present customers with the best experience). You
selling opportunities around your brand with “Stores”,
can propose product information on a product detail page,
a free self-service branded destination on Amazon
along with other sellers and manufacturers, and request where sellers with a registered brand can curate
detail page reviews if you think the information is not correct. content that inspires, educates, and helps shoppers
discover your brand’s product selection. Shoppers can
As you’re building your product detail pages, try to think about reach your Store through your brand byline on
Amazon or via your Store’s short URL, Amazon.ca/
what will best help customers find your products, discover
brandname.
answers to their questions, and make a purchasing decision.
Aim for the ultimate customer experience by making your
listings concise, accurate, and easy to understand.

(1) Images of the product (make sure they’re at least 500 x

500, and boost that size to 1,000 x 1,000 to increase the
1 2 3 quality of your listings).

(2) The title of the product (use 50 characters, maximum,

and capitalize the first letter of every word).

(3) Any variations of your product you have available,

which may include things like different colors,
scents, or sizes.

(4) The description, which can be optimized for search

engines using keywords to improve the reach of your
product listings.

(5) The Featured Offer, which is the section of the product

page where customers can add items to their card or
“Buy Now.” If you’re one of multiple sellers advertising
the same product, research strategies for “winning” the
Featured Offer to improve your overall sales.

(6) The bullet point information, which should be short,

4 5 6 descriptive sentences highlighting the products key
features and differentiating characteristics.

The beginner’s guide to selling on Amazon The product detail page | 5

How to deliver products
Selecting the right fulfillment option The benefits of Fulfillment by Amazon
Amazon sellers have two options for getting shoppers their Around the world, Amazon has more than 175 fulfillment
stuff: You can do it yourself, maintaining your own inventory centers which contain more than 150 million square feet of
and shipping products to customers (merchant-fulfillment), storage space. With FBA, you get to store your stuff on those
or have Amazon take responsibility for packaging, labeling, shelves. You also get Amazon’s world-class customer service
and shipping products through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). and returns, along with other advantages (like automatic
Each method has its own set of benefits—you just have to Prime eligibility and Free Super Saver Shipping) that help you
decide which one is right for your business. scale your business—fast.

If you’re fulfilling your own orders How Fulfillment by Amazon works

Merchant-fulfilled just means you store and ship products 1. Confirm your products meet FBA labeling policy.
directly to customers yourself. Amazon charges shipping rates
based on the product category and shipping service selected 2. Ship your inventory to Amazon. It will be scanned and
by the customer, then passes the amount on to you in the made available for sale.
form of a shipping credit.
3. With each order, Amazon packages and ships the product
directly to the customer.
Set shipping rates apply to all products sold with an
Individual plan, so it’s important to determine if you can still 4. Amazon collects payment from the customer and pays
price items profitably. Amazon’s Buy Shipping tool can help you available funds every two weeks.
you get a great deal on shipping labels with Amazon’s trusted
network of shipping partners, ship and confirm your orders, 5. Amazon’s customer service team handles questions,
and track your shipments. returns, and refunds.

Fees for using Fulfillment

by Amazon (FBA)
There are two types of FBA fees: fulfillment
fees (which are charged per unit sold and
include picking and packing your orders,
shipping and handling, customer service, and
product returns), and inventory storage fees
(which are charged monthly, and are based on
the volume of inventory being held in an
Amazon fulfillment center). For more
information, refer to the
FBA features, services, and fees page.

The beginner’s guide to selling on Amazon How to deliver products | 6

You’ve made your
first sale. What’s next?
Managing your Amazon business
Your first sale is a big milestone—but it’s just the beginning of
your growth opportunities selling on Amazon. Once your store
is up and running, there are a few important things to keep in
mind.

Performance metrics
(and why they matter)
Amazon sellers operate at a high standard so we can
provide a seamless, delightful shopping experience.
We call it being customer-obsessed, and as an Amazon
seller it means keeping an eye on these key metrics:

● Order defect rate (a measure of a seller’s

customer service standards): < 1%
● Pre-fulfillment cancel rate (initiated by the seller
before shipment): < 2.5%
● Late shipment rate (orders that ship after the
expected date): < 4%

You can keep tabs on your performance and make sure you’re
meeting your targets in Seller Central.

Customer reviews
Seller University
Customer product reviews are an integral part of the
Seller University is an online resource from
shopping experience on Amazon, and they benefit both
Amazon, with videos featuring step-by-step
customers and sellers. Make sure you’re familiar with the guides, tutorials, and training to help
right way and wrong way to get more product reviews and entrepreneurs start (and grow) their Amazon
avoid policy violations. business.

Visit the Seller University YouTube channel and

start learning today.

The beginner’s guide to selling on Amazon You’ve made your first sale. What’s next? | 7
Opportunities for
business growth
This is only the beginning Promotions and coupons
The moment you’re selling on Amazon is the moment you can Customers want to save, and promotions are an incentive
start growing your Amazon business. Once you’ve launched to make a purchase now. There are three types of
your business, Amazon has tools in place to help you take promotions: money off, free shipping, and buy one get
your business to the next level (or the next couple of levels). one free. You can also offer percentage or money-off
discounts with digital coupons.

Advertising Amazon shopping events

Amazon’s advertising solutions create new ways for you to Prime Day is more than just a sales boost – it’s a great way to
reach and engage shoppers, regardless of whether they’re just build awareness and gain traction on new products. With
starting to compare products, or ready to make a purchase. millions of customers searching for deals offered by
Ads show up right where customers will see them (like the thousands of sellers, Prime Day is one of the most important
first page of search results or product detail pages). days of the year to stand out from the crowd. Prime Day
shoppers are eager to buy and want to find the products
Amazon offers three advertising solutions, and all of them are they’re looking for quickly.
accessible through Seller Central.

1. Sponsored Products Global expansion

Sponsored Products are ads for individual product listings
Selling globally is a huge milestone for any business. It means
on Amazon, so they help drive product visibility (and
hundreds of millions of new customers and the potential for a
product sales). They appear on search results pages and
big boost in sales. Global expansion has a lot of moving parts,
product detail pages.
but with Amazon Global Selling, you get to use Amazon’s
2. Sponsored Brands global infrastructure to get your products in front of a
Sponsored Brands showcase your brand and product worldwide audience.
portfolio. They’re search-result ads that feature your brand
logo, a custom headline, and up to three of your products. When it’s time to take your business to the next level, use
Amazon Global Selling to list and sell your products on any of
3. Amazon Stores our online stores in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Stores are custom multipage shopping destinations for
individual brands that let you share your brand story
and product offerings. (And you don’t need any website
Unified Selling Account
experience to use them.)
When you sign up as a Professional Seller, you
will have access to sell on Amazon.ca, and the US
and Mexican marketplaces, through a North
America Unified Account. This will enable you to
easily share product listing information and
manage your inventory consistently across all
three marketplaces.

The beginner’s guide to selling on Amazon Opportunities for business growth | 8

What makes a
great seller?
A checklist for growth
Your first 90 days
Opportunities for growth are all around you—but here are a
The first three months after you launch your
few things to try in your first 90 days as an Amazon seller.
Amazon business are an important time for
establishing practices that will boost your
performance from there on out.

Keep an eye on your account health in Seller Central

Use Fulfillment by Amazon or Seller Fulfilled Prime

Advertise your listings or offer deals and coupons

Enroll in Brand Registry and create enhanced brand content

Expand your selection by listing more products

Use the Automate Pricing Tool in Seller Central

The beginner’s guide to selling on Amazon What makes a great seller? | 9