As you master your local Amazon marketplace, you can begin to consider expanding your business to international waters. After all, it is a new untapped demographic brimming with potential for growth. Capturing this very prominent need for expansion from its sellers, Amazon Global Selling is an Amazon program that offers an accessible pathway for businesses of all sizes to reach millions of customers worldwide. So what is Amazon Global Selling? Today’s guide will walk you through the definition of the program, how to access it, its eligibility requirements, and sample use cases to inspire your international expansion.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. What is Amazon Global Selling?2. Accessing Amazon Global Selling from Your Amazon Seller Account
3. Accessing Amazon Global Selling from Your Amazon Vendor Account
4. Amazon Global Selling Considerations
5. Use Cases for Amazon Global Selling
6. Tips for Success with Amazon Global Selling
7. VASO Group Can Help You Expand Your Reach Internationally
What is Amazon Global Selling?
Amazon Global Selling is a program that enables sellers to list and sell their products on Amazon’s international marketplaces. Instead of being limited to your domestic market, you can showcase your products to customers across North America, Europe, Asia, and other regions where Amazon operates.
The program provides tools and services specifically designed to help sellers navigate the complexities of international trade, including:
– Listing creation across multiple marketplaces
– Currency conversion
– Language translation support
– International shipping and fulfillment options
– Local customer service
– Tax and regulatory compliance assistance
Expanding with Amazon is a breeze thanks to its existing massive infrastructure and customer base in different countries. As a business, you are essentially skipping two very crucial steps that retailers usually must sort out for themselves first before listing their catalogs for sale. With less initial effort, Amazon sellers can test international waters without having to build their own global eCommerce presence from scratch.
Accessing Amazon Global Selling from Your Amazon Seller Account
Accessing Amazon Global Selling is straightforward if you already have an Amazon seller account:
1. Log in to Seller Central with your existing credentials
2. Navigate to the “Inventory” menu from the side navigation panel
3. Select “Sell Globally” from the dropdown menu
4. Once there, Amazon will give you a list of recommended and available marketplaces to choose from.
5. Select your target marketplace(s) such as Amazon.co.uk (UK), Amazon.de (Germany), Amazon.co.jp (Japan), etc.
6. Complete the registration process for each selected marketplace, which includes:
– Providing business information
– Setting up payment methods
– Tax information
– Shipping settings
Once registered, you’ll be able to manage all your international marketplaces from your Seller Central dashboard, with marketplace-specific views available via a simple dropdown selector.
Accessing Amazon Global Selling from Your Amazon Vendor Account
For vendors, the process for expanding internationally differs slightly from third-party sellers. Instead of having a self-serve option like Sellers, Vendors must reach out to their Vendor Manager and global expansion team to kickstart the process.
1. Contact your Vendor Manager directly through the platform to express your interest in expanding to specific international marketplaces
2. Complete the vendor evaluation process, which typically includes:
– Product catalog review for international fit
– Supply chain assessment
– Compliance verification for target markets
– Forecast planning for international inventory needs
Unlike the self-service model available to sellers, vendors often work more closely with their Amazon representatives during international expansion. Your Vendor Manager can:
– Provide marketplace-specific performance data
– Recommend which products from your catalog may perform best internationally
– Guide you through any necessary product modifications for compliance
– Help establish appropriate pricing strategies for different regions
– Set up promotional opportunities in new marketplaces
Note that invitation to sell in international marketplaces as a vendor is often based on your current performance metrics, relationship history with Amazon, and the suitability of your products for specific international markets.
Amazon Global Selling Considerations
Before pulling the trigger on international expansion, keep in mind a few considerations that will be very important to your success:
Language Considerations
Not everyone speaks English. To sell internationally, your products and customer interactions must be done in the target audience’s native language.
– Product listings need to appear in local languages. Simplify translation for your product detail pages using the Build International Listings tool
– You’re also required to provide customer support in local languages:
– If you use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) for customer orders, Amazon will provide customer service on your behalf in the local language.
– If you fulfill customer orders directly using Fulfilled by Merchant services, you should find a provider who offers customer service in the local language.
Regulation Considerations
Each country or region also has its own set of rules and regulations. This includes anything from permitted product categories, taxes, product compliance, safety, and product listings.
– Ensure compliance with all marketplace-specific regulations and product standards
– Products must be allowed for sale in target countries (certain products may be restricted in specific regions)
– Products must comply with local safety, labeling, and certification standards
– Proper categorization according to each marketplace’s taxonomy
Inventory and Fulfillment Considerations
You have two basic options when it comes to getting global customers their stuff: Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) and Fulfilled by Merchant.
– Use specialty programs through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to reach global customers in ways that work best for your business. For each program, FBA takes care of picking, packing, shipping, returns, and customer service.
– If you use Fulfilled by Merchant, you can use Amazon’s Service Provider Network to connect with Amazon-vetted providers who offer discounted rates on global shipping.
Use Cases for Amazon Global Selling
Even though we all want to expand our operations worldwide, it might not be the best strategy for our current situation. So what are some good indicators that Amazon Global Selling is suitable for your needs? There are several use cases where you will find the program’s offering very beneficial to your business.
1. Small Businesses with Unique Products
Your target audience might be overseas and not from where you’re currently located. This is especially true with customers who seek out foreign products and are frustrated with their current options of big-box exporters.
Example: A small artisanal soap maker in Colorado creates natural soaps using local ingredients. While their domestic market is relatively small, they’ve found tremendous success selling to customers in European countries where natural, handcrafted American products command premium prices.
Benefit: Amazon Global Selling allowed them to discover markets where their products have higher perceived value, increasing profit margins without changing their production process.
2. Established Brands Seeking New Growth Opportunities
Another ripe opportunity for growth is when your business is established and ready to branch out to new markets. This is especially helpful when you’re in a competitive market, as you’ve already earned a big chunk of its market share.
Example: A midsize electronics accessories manufacturer had saturated their domestic market with 75% brand recognition.
Benefit: By expanding to emerging markets in Southeast Asia through Amazon Global Selling, they discovered entirely new customer bases with less competition.
3. Seasonal Product Sellers
Seasonal product sellers are at the mercy of the Earth’s orbit. However, instead of waiting for summer to return to the US, sellers can follow the seasons year-round by selling globally.
Example: A company selling beach equipment and swimwear faced significant seasonal fluctuations in their US-based sales. By expanding to Australia and South America, they now maintain steady year-round sales as summer shifts between hemispheres.
Benefit: Smoothed revenue across the calendar year, enabling better cash flow management and year-round operations.
4. Niche Product Manufacturers
If your products are in a niche category, it can be beneficial to branch out to international marketplaces to widen your audience reach.
Example: A specialized manufacturer of gaming accessories found their domestic market too small to achieve economies of scale. By selling globally, they reached sufficient volume to reduce manufacturing costs.
Benefit: Increased production volume led to 15% lower manufacturing costs, making their products more competitive in all markets.
5. Brands with Excess Inventory
One man’s excess inventory may be another’s best seller. For excess inventory, one way you could still generate some sales from them without markdowns or clearances is to sell them in another country.
Example: A fashion retailer with excess seasonal inventory discovered that their “last season” items could find new homes in different markets where trends arrive later or seasons differ.
Benefit: Reduced inventory carrying costs and minimized losses on clearance sales by finding full-price buyers in different regions.
Tips for Success with Amazon Global Selling
1. Start with research: Identify which international marketplaces have demand for your products before expanding.
2. Begin with familiar markets: For US sellers, Canada and the UK often make good starting points due to language similarities.
3. Consider fulfillment options: Evaluate whether self-shipping or using Amazon’s fulfillment centers makes more sense for your business model.
4. Optimize listings for local markets: Adapt product titles, descriptions, and keywords for local search behaviors.
5. Understand tax implications: Work with tax professionals who understand international commerce to ensure compliance.
6. Monitor performance metrics: Keep a close eye on marketplace-specific performance metrics to maintain good account health.
7. Plan for customer service: Determine how you’ll handle customer inquiries from different time zones and in different languages.
VASO Group Can Help You Expand Your Reach Internationally
Amazon Global Selling represents a tremendous opportunity for businesses looking to grow beyond their domestic markets. By leveraging Amazon’s established infrastructure, sellers can test international waters with relatively low risk while potentially discovering entirely new customer bases for their products.
Whether you’re a small artisan creator or an established brand, the program offers scalable solutions to meet your international expansion needs. The key to success lies in thorough research, strategic marketplace selection, and commitment to maintaining excellent customer experiences across all regions. Here is where our account management experts at VASO step in. We are very well-versed in international marketplace research, be it product strategy or consumer behavior. We are committed to maximizing your profits in all marketplaces, be it in the US or elsewhere.
Ready to take your business global? Reach out to us and let’s grow your business together.