How to Sell on Amazon for Beginners – 10 Top Tips [2025]
With over 2.2 billion monthly visits and a 40 % share of U.S. e-commerce, Amazon remains the ultimate launchpad for anyone looking to succeed in online retail. Whether you’re building a side hustle or scaling a private label brand, Amazon FBA in 2025 offers more tools – and more competition – than ever before. In this guide on how to sell on Amazon for beginners, we’ll share our top tips for getting started with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). While this text was written for sellers that are just embarking on their Amazon seller journey, the strategies are based on real-world experience – ours and that of seasoned sellers from our client-base – making this text just as useful for advanced sellers.
TL;DR – Checklist to Sell on Amazon in 2025
We get it, you’re motivated and want to get started straight away. For those who don’t have the time to dive into details, here’s the checklist of the most important points.
10 Tips to Getting Started Successfully on Amazon
Tip 1: Sell Something Useful – The “Problem” With Product Selection on Amazon
While trend products like the Fidget Spinner (2017), Pop It Toys (2021), or resistance bands (2020) generated tidy profits for many sellers while they were popular, they are very difficult to identify early enough to capitalize on. A more practical – and financially viable – approach is to focus on products that buyers consistently need: practical solutions. Winning categories from the past few years include:
Rule of thumb: Figuring out how to start selling on Amazon for beginners requires a keen eye for products and their value. Start with a product between $20–$50 that solves a real problem and has fewer than 500 reviews on competing listings.
There are many useful tools you can use to find products with sales potential, paid and free. Google Trends is a great go-to website to find out what people are looking for at the moment.
Tip 2: Registering on Amazon as a Seller
| Plan | Best For | Cost |
| Professional | > 40 units/month | $39.99/month |
| Individual | < 40 units/month | $0.99 per sale |
If you’re just testing the waters or plan to sell fewer than 40 items per month, the Individual plan is the best option for you. Amazon charges $0.99 per item sold, with no monthly subscription fee. This option covers all the basics – listing products, handling your own shipping, and managing customer service.
However, if your goal is to sell more than 40 items a month or want access to advanced tools like advertising, bulk listings, or selling in restricted categories, then the Professional plan is the way to go. It costs $39.99 per month, regardless of how many items you sell – so it starts paying off once you consistently cross that 40-item threshold.
Find out in this article how to set up your account and avoid suspension.
Tip 3: Play by the Rules and Understand the Algorithm
Wondering how to start to sell on Amazon but unsure about which rules apply and how the algo works? You’re not alone and it definitely makes sense to look into this topic further. When you sell on an e-commerce platform, you naturally have to abide by the rules of this platform. So, before you list anything, familiarize yourself with:
Non-compliance can lead to product or even account suspension – taking the fine print seriously will save you a lot of headaches in the long run.
But there’s more. Amazon also runs on a set of unwritten rules, especially when it comes to search rankings and the coveted Buy Box. While not spelled out in the TOS, mastering these invisible levers gives you a clear edge.
Pro Tip for 2025: To win the Buy Box, you’ll need to bring your A-game with:
Tip 4: Think Big – Understanding International Amazon Marketplaces
Amazon.com is the largest and most competitive marketplace in the world, offering access to millions of customers across the U.S. But once you’ve got a handle on selling domestically, you can expand internationally. Amazon makes it relatively easy to reach customers in Canada, Mexico, and even across Europe – including countries like Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.
Selling internationally on Amazon for beginners has become a lot easier. Thanks to Amazon’s Remote Fulfillment with FBA and Pan-European FBA programs, you can store inventory closer to your international customers and let Amazon handle the logistics and customer service – even in countries where you don’t speak the language.
A quick note for U.S. sellers thinking of expanding to Europe:
Due to Brexit, FBA inventory transfers between the UK and EU are no longer automatic. You’ll need to send stock separately to European FBA centers to reach customers across the EU.
For beginners, though, the U.S. marketplace is the best launchpad. You’ll benefit from Prime reach, a familiar tax environment, and the biggest pool of potential buyers. Once you’re ready to scale, Amazon’s global infrastructure is there to support your next move.
Tip 5: Customer Service and Returns
When figuring out how to sell on Amazon as a beginner, remember this: the customer has and always will be king on Amazon. Amazon is known to heavily favor brands that:
The quotas for negative seller ratings and returns are painful to cope with, especially at the beginning. With few orders, this can quickly result in a warning from Amazon. In the event of non-compliance, Amazon will not hesitate to block your account.
Therefore, always make sure your products are high quality and, if you are not selling over Amazon FBA, provide pristine customer service.
“Start with the customer and work backward.“
Jeff Bezos | Amazon founder
When figuring out how to sell on Amazon as a beginner, remember this: the customer has and always will be king. There should be as few returns and bad ratings as possible.
Top Tip: Use Amazon FBA or a 3PL with Prime by Seller to ensure top-tier shipping and support.
Take your reviews very seriously: Use automated email follow-ups (like with FeedbackWhiz) to encourage 5-star reviews.
Tip 6: How to Sell on Amazon for Beginners – Shipping & Fulfillment Options
| Fulfillment | Cost | Prime Eligible? | Best For |
| FBA | Medium | ✅ Yes | Fast scaling, top performance |
| FBM | Low | ❌ No | Tight budgets, bulky items |
| Prime by Seller | Medium | ✅ Yes | Control over inventory, same-day ship |
2025 FBA Fee Snapshot (Standard-Size):
Learning how to sell on Amazon FBA is doable for beginners. It does require that you know what this will cost you at the end of the day. Find all relevant FBA Fees on Amazon in our blog article.
Shipping is a vital part of Amazon’s seller performance metrics – especially delivery speed. Customers expect fast, Prime-level shipping, and delayed deliveries can hurt your account health.
To meet the high expectations while keeping your stress levels low, use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), which ensures fast, Prime-eligible delivery. Alternatively, Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM) lets you choose your own shipping provider, usually with 2–3 day delivery times. A hybrid option, Prime by Seller, allows FBM sellers to display the Prime badge – if they consistently meet strict same-day shipping standards.
Choosing between FBA, FBM, or Prime by Seller depends on your product’s size, turnover rate, and margins. For large or slow-moving items, FBA may not be cost-effective due to high storage fees.
Selling Private Label Items
Tip 7: Convince Your Customers – How to Create a High-Converting Product Listing
Once you’ve chosen your product, the next step is uploading it to Amazon. You’ll need a SKU, a product identifier (EAN, GTIN, UPC, or ISBN), detailed product info, high-quality images, and compelling copy.
Pro tip: Analyze competitor listings and reviews to see what customers love or complain about – then use that insight to improve your own offer.
Tip 8: Be Loud – Push Product Ranking with Amazon SEO
Figuring out how to be a seller on Amazon can be confusing for beginners due to the complexity of Amazon’s algorithm. Listing a product on Amazon is simple – but ranking high and driving traffic requires smart SEO steps. It’s one of the most powerful tools to get your product seen and sold.
Key SEO Focuses:
Study competitor listings to understand what’s working and borrow smart ideas for wording and positioning.
Beyond SEO, you can boost your reach with external traffic – like blog posts, affiliate content, and social ads – but be cautious: high traffic without conversions can hurt your rankings.
Pro Tip: Run Amazon PPC from day one to build ranking momentum. Start with Sponsored Products, then scale up with Sponsored Brands once you’re eligible.
And remember: to run internal Amazon ads, you’ll need to win the Buy Box first.
How to Sell on Amazon: Optimization for Beginners – Sales, Prices and Stock
Tip 9: Don’t Just Compete on Price – Win with Strategy
Your competitors are constantly tweaking prices to win the Buy Box – and if you’re not keeping up, you’re losing sales. But manually adjusting your prices around the clock? That’s a full-time job you simply don’t have time for – nobody does.
That’s why all sellers — both beginners and pros — turn to repricing tools. But here’s the thing: not all repricers are the same.
If you’re wondering how to make a sale on Amazon with the best price every time, the answer is quite simple: automate your pricing with a smart tool. Unlike basic tools that leave you vulnerable to price erosion, AI-driven options like the SELLERLOGIC Repricer take a more profitable approach. It doesn’t just go for the cheapest price, but rather calculates the optimal one based on real-time market conditions, competitor data, and your profit goals. The result? You stay visible (due to the buy box effect), and you sell at the highest possible price (due to the repricer effect) – all without sacrificing margin.
Let the SELLERLOGIC Repricer do the heavy lifting so you can focus on scaling your business, not micromanaging prices.
Tip 10: Save Time on Reimbursement Processes (for FBA Sellers)
When your company is up and running – see to it that you’re not leaving money on the table.
Even a company with a refined logistical network such as Amazon makes mistakes. Items get lost, damaged, or incorrectly processed in FBA warehouses. And while some of these errors are reimbursed, many go completely unnoticed. That’s lost revenue you may never know about – unless you take action yourself.
That’s where SELLERLOGIC Lost & Found Full-Service comes in.
Here’s how it works: The tool automatically scans your FBA reports to uncover hidden errors Amazon hasn’t reimbursed – like missing items, incorrect returns, or damaged goods. And it doesn’t stop there.
To spare you the back-and-forth with Amazon’s customer service, Lost & Found Full-Service also handles communication and claim submission on your behalf. You stay in control, but we do the work – saving you time, money, and frustration.
✅ Fully automated error detection and reimbursement process
✅ No upfront costs – only pay when we recover your money
If you’re selling with FBA, reclaiming lost revenue isn’t optional – it’s essential. Let SELLERLOGIC Lost & Found Full-Service make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
How to Sell on Amazon for Beginners – Final Thoughts
We hope this text clarified the question about how you’re going to start your Amazon selling journey. The best advice for beginners? Take action. Use your basic knowledge to choose the right product, launch your business, and learn as you go. With tools like FBA and support from Amazon’s customer-first approach, you’ll be set up to grow quickly.
Boost your success even faster by using smart tools to optimize, automate, and scale – from winning the Buy Box to expanding internationally.
And remember: SELLERLOGIC’s tools work across all Amazon marketplaces, making it easier than ever to take your business global.
FAQs
Start by creating a seller account at sellercentral.amazon.com. Choose between an Individual or Professional plan, then list your product, set your price, and select fulfillment (FBA or FBM). Finally, optimize your listings and start promoting your products.
Amazon’s own resources like the Seller University are a great starting point. You can also find beginner-friendly tutorials on YouTube or blogs that walk you through sourcing, listing, pricing, and shipping books via Amazon.
Visit kdp.amazon.com and check out their Help section. It offers step-by-step guides on writing, formatting, publishing, and pricing your eBooks or paperbacks. YouTube tutorials and free courses on platforms like Coursera or Udemy are also helpful for beginners.
For beginners, start small with retail arbitrage, print-on-demand, or Amazon KDP – options that don’t require high upfront investment. Choose the Individual plan (no monthly fee), and use free tools for product research and listing optimization. Focus on reinvesting profits to scale.
For beginners, the best way to learn how to sell on Amazon without inventory is by exploring models like dropshipping, print-on-demand, or using Amazon FBA with wholesale suppliers. Start with Amazon’s free Seller University, or check out beginner-friendly videos on YouTube and affordable courses on platforms like Udemy.
Image credits in order of appearance: © Jonathan Borba – stock.adobe.com / © Prostock-studio – stock.adobe.com / © Monthira – stock.adobe.com / © Tierney – stock.adobe.com
