What is Amazon Seller Central?

What is Amazon Seller Central? It is the quintessential tool of Amazon 3P sellers: it allows them to list their products on the digital store shelves of the eCommerce giant. In today’s guide, we’re taking a deep dive into this platform, equipping you with the knowledge and tools to navigate this platform effectively. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or a curious newcomer, this comprehensive resource will guide you through every step of your journey, from creating an account to flourishing as a successful seller.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Recap: What is Amazon 3P?
2. What is Amazon Seller Central?
3. Seller Central Functionalities
4. Getting Started: Signing Up & Choosing Your Plan
5. Listing Your Products
6. Managing Inventory & Orders
7. Building Your Brand & Customer Satisfaction
8. Analyzing Performance & Growing Your Business
9. Beyond the Basics: Advanced Seller Central Features
10. Staying Compliant: Understanding Amazon’s Policies
11. Additional Resources
12. How VASO Helps You Become a Successful Seller

Recap: What is Amazon 3P?

Basically, in the 3P, or third-party, model, you operate as an independent seller on Amazon’s marketplace. You list your products on Amazon. You control pricing, branding, marketing, fulfillment (through Amazon FBA or your own channels), and customer service. On the other end, Amazon charges various fees for listing, fulfillment (if using FBA), and transactions. For more information, check out our comparison of Amazon 1P vs 3P, where we looked into the fundamental differences between them and compared the pros and cons of selling on Amazon via each model.

3P is a good business model to consider if your business checks off these boxes:

• You have strong brand identities and marketing capabilities
• You seek greater control over brand presentation and pricing
• Your business is smaller and has limited storage and shipping resources
• Your product category is unique or niche, and may not be a good fit for 1P

What is Amazon Seller Central?

Once you’ve made the decision to operate via a 3P model, you need to understand the tools involved in the process. Entering: Amazon Seller Central. Seller Central is the one-stop-shop platform for all things 3P sellers. It empowers individuals and businesses to list their products alongside Amazon’s offerings, reaching millions of potential customers worldwide.

Seller Central Functionalities

Amazon Seller Central is essentially your command center for managing your Amazon business, with a comprehensive set of tools including, but not limited to:

• Catalog: Create and manage listings, which include creating product descriptions, setting prices, and uploading high-quality images. You can also use Seller Central to optimize your listings for Amazon’s search engine.
• Inventory: You can list items, set stock levels, and track sales to ensure you have enough products in stock to meet customer demand. Seller Central also provides tools for forecasting sales and managing bulk inventory uploads.
• Orders: Seller Central allows you to view, package, and ship orders. You can also track the status of shipments and communicate with customers about their orders.
• Fulfillment: You can choose to fulfill orders yourself (Seller Fulfilled Prime or Seller Fulfilled) or leverage Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service. With FBA, Amazon stores, picks, packs, ships, and provides customer service for your products.
• Reports: Seller Central provides a rich suite of reports and analytics that give you insights into your sales performance, customer demographics, and traffic sources. This information can help you make data-driven decisions about your business.
• Customer service: Seller Central allows you to communicate with customers about their orders, answer questions, and resolve any issues they may have.
• Advertise: You can use Seller Central to create and manage advertising campaigns to reach a wider audience and increase sales.
• Content: Seller Central offers the ability to create A+ content for your ASINs and brand stores for your account.
• Promotions: Seller Central allows you to create promotions such as coupons and discounts to attract new customers and boost sales.
• Pricing: You can set and adjust your product prices manually or use automated pricing rules.
• Payments: Seller Central allows you to track your earnings and manage your payouts from Amazon.

Now that you’ve had an idea of how much this platform offers, it’s time to get into the nitty gritty.

Getting Started: Signing Up and Choosing Your Plan

Registration

The first step is to create an Amazon Seller account. Head over to https://sellercentral.amazon.com/ and click on “Sign Up.” You’ll be guided through the registration process, providing information about your business and contact details.

Selling Plans 

Amazon offers two main selling plans: Individual and Professional. 

• The Individual plan caters to sellers with a limited product volume, charging a per-item fee of $0.99.
• The Professional plan, ideal for higher-volume sellers, comes with a monthly subscription fee of $39.99, regardless of the number of items sold. This plan offers additional benefits like bulk upload capabilities and access to advanced reports. Carefully consider your projected sales volume and business goals when choosing the right plan.

Listing Your Products

Once registered, you’re ready to list your products. Seller Central offers a user-friendly interface for product creation. Here’s what you’ll need to focus on:

• Product Information: Provide comprehensive and accurate details about your product, including its title, brand, description, key features, and technical specifications. High-quality images showcasing your product from various angles are crucial.
• Keywords: Optimize your product listing with relevant keywords that potential customers might use to search for similar products. Amazon’s search engine algorithm prioritizes well-optimized listings, increasing your product’s visibility.
• Product Category: Accurately categorize your products to ensure they appear in the correct search results.
• Shipping: Decide whether you’ll fulfill orders yourself (Fulfillment by Merchant – FBM) or leverage Amazon’s fulfillment services (Fulfillment by Amazon – FBA). FBA offers storage, packaging, and shipping through Amazon’s vast network, potentially increasing customer satisfaction with faster delivery times.
• Pricing: Set competitive pricing strategies considering your profit margins, competitor pricing, and market trends.

PRO-TIP: Utilize Seller Central’s bulk upload features to efficiently list multiple products at once, saving you valuable time.

Managing Inventory and Orders

Maintaining accurate inventory levels is critical to avoid overselling or stockouts. Seller Central provides an intuitive inventory management system. Here’s how to stay on top of your stock:

• Inventory Tracking: Regularly update your inventory levels within Seller Central, reflecting your current stock availability.
• Reordering: Establish minimum inventory limits and reorder points to ensure you have enough stock to meet customer demand. Utilize Seller Central’s reorder recommendations to streamline this process.
• Order Management: Seller Central displays all incoming customer orders. Here, you can manage order fulfillment, including printing shipping labels, tracking shipments, and communicating with customers about order status.

PRO TIP: Implement a reliable inventory management system outside of Seller Central to maintain a holistic view of your stock across different sales channels.

Building Your Brand and Customer Satisfaction

While Amazon offers a massive customer base, standing out requires deliberate brand building efforts. Here’s how to cultivate customer loyalty and a positive brand image:

• Product Quality and Descriptions: Ensure your products meet high-quality standards and provide detailed, accurate descriptions exceeding customer expectations.
• Competitive Pricing: Strive for competitive pricing strategies to attract customers while maintaining healthy profit margins.
• Customer Service: Respond promptly and professionally to customer inquiries and address any issues effectively. Seller Central facilitates communication with customers through order messaging.
• Positive Reviews: Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on your product listings. Positive reviews build trust and credibility, influencing purchasing decisions.
• Advertising: Leverage Seller Central’s robust Amazon Advertising module to increase product visibility and drive sales.
• Packaging: Consider programs like Ships in Product Packaging and use branded packaging to engage with converted customers and turn them into repeat buyers.

PRO TIP: Prioritize building a strong brand identity that transcends Amazon. Develop a loyal customer base by offering excellent customer service and maintaining a consistent brand image across all platforms.

Analyzing Performance and Growing Your Business

Seller Central equips you with valuable tools to analyze your sales performance and identify areas for improvement.

• Business Reports: Utilize in-depth reports to track key metrics like sales figures, conversion rates, customer demographics, and advertising performance (if applicable). These reports provide valuable insights to optimize your listings, pricing strategies, and marketing efforts.
• Seller Performance: Monitor your Seller Performance metrics closely. These metrics, including order fulfillment rates, cancellation rates, and customer feedback percentages, directly impact your account standing and search ranking on Amazon.
• Competitor Research: Seller Central offers limited competitor research functionalities, but external tools can provide valuable insights into competitor pricing strategies, product offerings, and customer reviews. Utilize this information to differentiate your products and optimize your listings for better performance.

PRO TIP: Regularly analyze your business reports and seller performance metrics to identify trends and make data-driven decisions to improve your Amazon business.

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Seller Central Features

For experienced sellers seeking to scale their businesses, Seller Central offers a suite of advanced features:

• Brand Registry: Enroll in Amazon’s Brand Registry program to gain greater control over your product listings, prevent unauthorized sellers, and access additional marketing tools.
• Vendor Central: For high-volume sellers who can meet Amazon’s strict requirements, Vendor Central offers a different selling model. As a vendor, you essentially wholesale your products to Amazon, who then handles storage, fulfillment, and customer service.
• Amazon Marketing Services (AMS): Leverage Amazon’s advertising platform to promote your products through targeted sponsored product ads and display advertising campaigns.

PRO TIP: Explore advanced features like Brand Registry and AMS as your business grows to unlock new growth opportunities on the Amazon marketplace.

Staying Compliant: Understanding Amazon’s Policies

As an Amazon seller, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with Amazon’s policies and guidelines. These policies govern product listings, prohibited items, intellectual property rights, and seller conduct. Failure to comply can result in account suspension or termination. Here are some resources to stay informed:

• Amazon Seller Central Help Pages: These comprehensive pages provide detailed information on Amazon’s policies and procedures.
• Seller Performance Notifications: Pay close attention to notifications from Seller Performance regarding any potential policy violations. Address any issues promptly to maintain good account standing.

PRO TIP: Staying compliant is vital for long-term success on Amazon. Regularly review Amazon’s policies and adapt your business practices accordingly.

Additional Resources

As you embark on your selling journey, explore additional resources, connect with other sellers, and continuously learn to stay ahead of the curve and thrive in the ever-evolving world of e-commerce. Here are some of our recommendations:

• Seller Central Help Pages: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/
• Amazon Seller Forums: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums
• Jungle Scout (Seller Tools and Resources): https://www.junglescout.com/

How VASO Group Helps You Become a Successful Seller

Success on Amazon is a continuous journey. Our expert account managers are always keeping up-to-date on changing policies and fee structures so that you can focus on growing your business. We are with you every step of the way and will help you manage your Seller account effectively and efficiently.