How to Sell on Amazon

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Today, I posted a picture in our Live With Less Facebook group and the response it received shocked me.  It was a quick pic I took of 9 things I sold on Amazon yesterday.  I had them packaged up and ready to go to the mailbox.  Several people commented and private messaged me asking how I sold things on Amazon and how they could get started too.  I thought everyone sold on Amazon, just like eBay.  Neither are too difficult to manage and since Amazon happens to be my personal favorite I’d be glad to tell you a little more about the process.

Amazon has two different “seller” options that you could take. The first, is simply “Amazon Seller,” and it lets you list whatever you like, Amazon charges you a fee for each item sold, and you are required to ship the item to the buyer yourself.  This is the option I take however I’m leaning towards the second options to sell my books.  The second, is “Fulfilled by Amazon” (FBA) and it requires a monthly fee, but it’s incredibly convenience!

Here’s a breakdown of the two choices.

Fulfilled by Amazon:

FBA is great for declutterers who want to get a lot of stuff out of their home quickly…and make a little profit on those items too!  By letting Amazon store your items, they also provide your buyers with quick shipping (Can I get a shout out from Amazon Prime fans? Woo, love it!) and they handle the entire selling process.  Your items will arrive at someone’s door in Amazon’s signature brown box.  Amazon will list your items for you and make your items ship for free with Prime shipping.  This is huge ya’ll.  Let me just stop and say that if I’m buying a book I want to find one that ships free and doesn’t tack on an extra $3.  You’re probably the same, right?  {Interesting side note: the best selling book from EmbracingHomemaking.net readers is The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up}

To sign up for FBA you must chose the “Professional Seller” option which comes with a $39 a month fee.  This fee will eat up some of your profits but as a Professional Seller you’re allowed to sell things that others can’t, like clothes, make-up, and shoes.  The downside is that if your items don’t sell, you’ll eventually have to pay Amazon storage fees.

In my opinion, choose this option if you have 1) a mound of things to sell, and 2) if you have items you know will sell quickly.

Amazon Seller:

Amazon Seller is the standard way for people looking to sell a few things at a time and is probably the option the majority of you will choose.  It’s similar to eBay but with a bigger customer base, Amazon’s great reputation, and in my opinion, an easier dashboard.

You don’t pay listing fees with Amazon which is a huge bonus for me.  You do pay $0.99 per sale and an additional fee based off of the product’s category and final sale price. Plus, you’re able to see the profit you’ll make on each item in the dashboard – a great feature!  The listing remains active for six months with no need to do anything with it…unless you want to lower the price for a competitive edge, in which case is very easy to do!

For more information detailed information on the differences between the two programs, check out Amazon’s seller program FAQs here. Choosing the right program will make sure you add as much cash to your pocket as possible.

Here’s how you get started!

1. Assuming you already have an Amazon account, sign up for an Amazon Seller account.
2. Choose either the option “Sell As An Individual” or “Sell As A Professional” and follow the prompts.
3. Grab your excess belongings and set down at your computer.

It’s no wonder Amazon is one of the hottest places to sell on the web today considering the convenience, safety, and the millions of potential customers.  With a little time and patience you can maximize your profits on old books, unloved toys, and unwanted Christmas gifts.

Good luck!  I hope you have enormous success selling on Amazon!