Selling Products on Amazon: How to Successfully Position Your Listings on the Marketplace
Shopping, uploading, selling? It’s not that simple. To truly succeed in selling products on Amazon and to build either a lucrative side income or even achieve some financial freedom, it requires a considerable amount of knowledge, preparation, and perseverance. Nevertheless, even though the competitive pressure on the popular trading platform is enormous, entering the market can still be worthwhile.
Products that sell well on Amazon must first be researched and evaluated. Relying on your gut feeling is often not a good guide—especially if you don’t have much experience selling on Amazon yet. In our beginner’s guide, you will learn briefly and concisely which steps you must take before, during, and after listing your first product offers in Amazon Seller Central. At many points, we refer to additional articles if you need in-depth information on a topic.
Advantages and Challenges of Amazon as a Sales Platform
Amazon is the largest e-commerce platform in the world and offers sellers a unique opportunity to reach millions of potential customers. Whether as a side income, a main business, or a way to build your own brand, entering the Amazon marketplace can be lucrative. The emphasis here is on “can” – as the high competitive pressure also brings several challenges that should only be addressed with proper preparation.
The advantages of selling on Amazon are evident:
Sellers must consider these risks when they want to sell products on Amazon:
Product Quality & Customer Service: Poor reviews can significantly impact sales and profits. Therefore, sellers should familiarize themselves in advance with the important KPIs.
Creating an Amazon Seller Account
Registering with Amazon as a professional seller is quite straightforward, but there are some important decisions to make. In this blog article about the Amazon seller account, we have already explained the individual steps. Therefore, we will summarize the key points here once again.
Individual vs. Professional Seller Account
The company offers two types of seller accounts to sell products on the Amazon platform:
Required Information
During the registration process, Amazon requests some information, including:
After entering the information, Amazon typically verifies your identity and the accuracy of the data within a few days.
Fulfillment by Amazon vs. Fulfillment by Merchant
During the registration process, Amazon may also ask about your preferred fulfillment method for selling products on Amazon. Additionally, the type of logistics affects internal processes, profit margins, and much more. The options available are Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) and Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).
FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon)
In the FBA model, Amazon takes care of all relevant fulfillment steps, including storage, packaging, shipping, and customer service. The actual seller only needs to send the products they want to sell on Amazon to a logistics center of the e-commerce giant.
Advantages of FBA:
Disadvantages of FBA:
→ Suitable for: scalable, automated sales, high sales volumes, lightweight & fast-moving products; beginners and sellers without their own logistics.
For detailed information, please visit: Amazon FBA – What is it?
FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant)
In this model, sellers handle their logistics themselves or outsource it to an external logistics partner that is not Amazon.
Advantages of FBM:
Disadvantages of FBM:
Suitable for: customized products; expensive or bulky goods that should not be stored in Amazon warehouses; sellers who have already established their own logistics.
For detailed information, please visit: Amazon FBM – What is it?
Finding the Right Products
Of course, anyone who wants to sell products on Amazon must find, purchase, and manage them. However, the first step is much more difficult than it sounds. The choice of product significantly impacts the success of your business. As a beginner with little experience, you should first orient yourself to certain criteria before becoming more experimental.
Criteria for a Successful Product
Not every product is suitable for sale on Amazon. Therefore, pay attention to the following characteristics.
Tips for Product Research
But where can you find products that you can sell well on Amazon? Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for generating promising product ideas. First of all, it is advisable to observe the Amazon Best Seller Rank (BSR) of various product categories over an extended period. The items listed there sell exceptionally well. Poor reviews also indicate potential for improvement. But be cautious – the bestsellers have their pitfalls.
Google Trends and specialized product research tools can also provide additional information about a specific product, such as data on search volume, sales figures, and competition. It is often worthwhile to keep an eye on international marketplaces (especially Amazon UK & US), as trends can build and announce themselves there before they spill over to the German marketplace. This also applies to other trading platforms, such as Alibaba, eBay, or Etsy.
In any case, a thorough market analysis is required before a product idea should be implemented.
Properly Listing and Optimizing Products
No matter how good the product itself is, without an optimized product detail page, no one will find your listing, let alone buy it. Even a highly sought-after product will sell poorly if the product page appears unprofessional or unattractive. A perfect product listing consists of several components, all aimed at increasing visibility and maximizing the conversion rate:
In the following, we will take a closer look at the individual aspects. Additionally, you can find more information on how to sell products on Amazon through good SEO here: Search Engine Optimization for Amazon Sellers.
Product Title
The structure for an optimal title looks as follows:
Brand Name + Main Keyword + Key Features (Size, Material, Color, Set Contents)
To illustrate better, a poor title would be “High-Quality Stainless Steel Water Bottle,” as it accurately describes the product but does not mention any important features or a specific use case. A better option would be: “StayHydrated® Stainless Steel Water Bottle 1L – Insulated Thermos Bottle for Sports & Outdoor – BPA-Free.” In this case, the most important keywords are placed at the beginning to ensure they are visible on mobile devices.
Bullet Points
The bullet points should provide the buyer with all the important information and benefits at a glance. Ensure that each point contains a clear added value, is structured well, and is easy to read. Emotional triggers can also be incorporated here if appropriate.
Poor: “Our bottle is made of stainless steel and keeps drinks warm for a long time.”
Better: “24h hot & 12h cold – Double-walled insulation for perfectly tempered beverages.”
Product Description
Now it’s time to describe the product in detail, bring it to life, outline its features, and tell a story. Actively address which customer problems are solved by the product, and use clear language, paragraphs, bullet points, etc.
Product Images
Kunden können Ihr Produkt nicht anfassen, weshalb Bilder alle Fragen beantworten und Vertrauen aufbauen müssen. Nichts geht daher an hochauflösenden, professionellen Bildern vorbei, die das Produkt in verschiedenen Perspektiven zeigen. Detailaufnahmen sind ebenso wichtig wie Anwendungsbilder.
Infographics highlighting the key benefits and product videos also help provide the buyer with the best possible impression of the product. Remember that the main image must have a white background.
A+ Content
A+ Content is perfect for incorporating additional illustrations or videos. The more realistically and effectively you present your product, the better the customer knows what to expect, and the fewer returns you will have to deal with.
Here you can find a detailed blog post on all important aspects: A+ Content: Templates and Best Practices.
Strategically Utilizing Prices
The price of a product is a crucial factor in how successfully you can sell your products on Amazon, as it significantly influences the winning of the Buy Box and the ranking of a product listing. Additionally, customers compare prices directly with the competition, and even small differences can determine whether an offer is purchased or not. At the same time, the price must be set in a way that allows for a healthy profit margin.
The final price is important, but when calculating it, it is crucial to consider all cost factors. These include production and purchase costs, storage, sales commissions, and possibly FBA fees, as well as a proportionate share of office rent and personnel costs. Which items to consider is very individual, but only by accounting for all expenses can you ultimately operate profitably.
Overview of Dynamic Pricing Strategies
Typically, all professional marketplace sellers now use a repricing tool. Manual price adjustment is hardly manageable even with very small assortments, as too many factors come into play. And with millions of price changes per day, adequate market monitoring by a human is simply impossible.
Dynamic price optimization is therefore standard on Amazon. The software monitors all relevant factors and responds quickly and accurately to market changes, all while keeping the user’s margins in mind. The fact is that an AI-powered repricer boosts sales just as it maximizes profit margins.
With the SELLERLOGIC Repricer for Amazon, you enjoy many advantages.
To get a better impression of the many possibilities, you should read this blog article: The Push Strategy – Promoting Growth Despite a Limited Budget: Here’s How.
Effectively Marketing Products
Through targeted marketing, you can increase the visibility of your product, reach more customers, and sustainably boost your sales. Without appropriate promotional efforts, it is challenging to sell new products on Amazon due to the intense competition.
Amazon PPC (Pay-per-Click)
Amazon offers various advertising formats that allow you to promote your product effectively. These ads appear in search results or on product pages and help to gain more visibility.
These types of Amazon PPC ads, which are also suitable for beginners, include:
It is no coincidence that there are agencies and service providers that specialize in Amazon Advertising. When in doubt, it is always advisable to consult professionals rather than waste money unnecessarily. It is important, in any case, …
Discount Promotions, Coupons, and Lightning Deals
Discount promotions are an effective method to boost sales figures in the short term, increase visibility, and attract new customers. Amazon offers various ways to create such incentives.
Through coupons, customers receive an immediate discount on the product price. These are visible on the product page. Time-limited special offers (Lightning Deals) are also displayed there. Discount promotions for bulk orders are also possible and are especially common in the Amazon B2B business. Additionally, there are exclusive special prices for Prime subscribers, such as during Prime Day.
However, discounts should not be applied arbitrarily but rather strategically. This is especially true when launching new products, during seasonal events like Black Friday or Christmas, to reduce inventory, or to boost sales during specific times of the day.
Managing Reviews and Customer Service
Good reviews and professional customer service are crucial for long-term success on Amazon. Positive reviews increase visibility, enhance the trust of potential buyers, and boost the conversion rate. At the same time, poor customer service or a high number of negative reviews can lead to customers dropping off or your seller account being restricted.
Why Are Reviews on Amazon So Important?
Amazon reviews are one of the most important factors in the purchasing decision. Many customers read reviews before adding a product to their cart. Products with a high number of positive reviews typically sell better and have a better placement in the Amazon ranking.
To successfully sell products on Amazon, reviews are essential. However, Amazon has strict guidelines for soliciting reviews. Direct incentives such as discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews are prohibited and can lead to the suspension of the seller account. Nevertheless, there are legal and effective ways to obtain more reviews, such as through the Vine program.
We have already discussed this topic in detail in another article. There you will find the 6 Best Tips on How to Generate More Reviews on Amazon.
Conclusion
Many dream of selling products on Amazon and building a lucrative business. It is true: selling on Amazon offers great opportunities. However, it also requires strategic planning, thorough market analysis, and continuous optimization. Successful sellers understand the mechanisms of the platform, rely on data-driven decisions, and use smart tools for automation. Those who engage intensively with product research, listing optimization, pricing strategies, and marketing strategies can differentiate themselves from the competition in the long run and build a profitable business.
Amazon is not a self-starter – but with the right know-how and a well-thought-out strategy, the potential of the marketplace can be fully leveraged.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are two selling plans: as an Individual Seller, you pay €0.99 per sold item, while the Professional Plan costs a flat rate of €39 per month. Additionally, both plans incur selling commissions, which vary by product category but typically range between seven and 15 percent of the selling price.
Yes, with the Individual Seller plan, you can sell without a business license. However, this is generally easier to implement on other platforms, such as classifieds.
Yes, but regular selling is typically considered a commercial activity.
No, there are monthly fees as well as selling commissions.
1. Create a seller account.
2. Choose a selling plan.
3. Create a product listing.
4. Set the price & optimize the listing.
5. Handle sales & shipping.
Products with high demand, low competition, and good margins – such as trending items, niche products, or private labels – are particularly well-suited.
Electronics, household goods, beauty products, fitness items, toys, and seasonal products – trending products can be found, for example, on the Amazon bestseller pages.
Image credits (unless otherwise stated): © weedezign – stock.adobe.com
