Amazon Individual Vs Professional Seller 2023– What Is The Main Difference Between Them?

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Are you considering starting a business on Amazon? The idea is good, but you have several options available to you. I will discuss one of them in more detail about Amazon Individual Vs Professional Seller here. A professional seller account on Amazon or an individual seller account on Amazon is better?

It is explained below how Amazon seller accounts can be advantageous and disadvantageous. Thus, very soon you will have all the information you need in order to make an informed decision.

selling plan comparison

Amazon Individual vs Professional

A seller’s sales volume on the Amazon platform determines which Amazon plan will work best for them. An accurate estimate is better than no estimate at all.

Individual selling plans Amazon is suitable for individuals with a monthly turnover of up to 40 items. More than 40 require a professional Amazon seller account.

You should start by finding out how Amazon Seller Central accounts work and how to use them most effectively for your business, regardless of what option you choose.

Individual Seller Account

amazon seller account

Individual sellers on Amazon are people who wish to sell a few items. It may however be a seller testing the platform and not requiring the additional features offered by a professional seller account.

Creating a seller account for an individual requires you to note a few important things. Here they are: 

Although there is no monthly subscription fee, you will be charged $0.99 per sold item. There is an additional closing fee in addition to the referral fee and the variable closing fee for each account.

Prior to creating an account, you should also consider other significant factors besides the selling fees. Among them are:

  • Services provided by third parties are not allowed
  • Restricted categories on Amazon cannot be applied for
  • There will be no Buy Box for you, where most of the sales occur. You will still receive the buy box if you use FBA, however.

Both types of accounts can list products for free. So, if you still have questions like β€œCan an individual sell on Amazon?β€œ Yes you can. The first thing you need to do is pay $0.99 per item, as mentioned earlier.

A few simple steps are all it takes to list your products on Amazon and showcase them to potential customers.

Professional Seller Account

All new sellers are highly encouraged to sign up for the Professional Seller account. When you become a professional account holder, you will be taking the business a lot more seriously, especially when you meet the threshold of 40 items per month.

If you plan on selling more than 40 items a month, it is best to sign up for the Amazon Pro seller account.

The monthly fee for professional sellers is $39.99. Your professional account is created when you pay this fee. There is no charge for each item you list.

advertise products

Professional seller accounts come with major benefits, however. Being a professional seller has many advantages, including:

  • Cost Savings:

Your incremental costs decrease as more items are sold on your Amazon professional account. It is possible to sell 300 items for the same fee. For your professional seller fee to break even, you need only sell 40 items per month, and everything above that seems like a bonus. Generally, fees rise as you sell more items in the industry, so this appears to be a rare gift.

It’s okay to doubt your ability to sell 40 items on Amazon each month, but it’s not hard (especially if you use FBA).

  • Access to Third-Party Services

Multiple items must be listed one at a time in an individual account. This makes work tedious and time-consuming.

By contrast, if you have a professional account, you are provided with access to third-party services such as repricers, email autoresponders for getting more product reviews, PPC tools, etc.

You can also print labels on-demand using the inventory service. It can help new sellers create listings in just a few minutes when they want to launch multiple products. In the business industry, time is an important factor.

  • Access to Feedback and Review Tools:-

Having an account with Professional Seller Central not only gives you access to third-party services, but also gives you access to useful tools. 

Here are few more benefits offered:

  • Amazon has several restricted categories within its subcategories. In the holiday season, these include topical, toys, and even groceries. You should open a professional account if you plan on applying to sell these products.
  • When it comes to blowing through your inventory, creating a Professional Seller account is one of the best ways. A regular seller cannot do this. Usually, sellers with unusually hot items would like the buy box in order to sell out as quickly as possible. You are an exception, however, if you are an FBA seller.
  • Professional selling provides access to sponsored products, which is another major benefit. The keyword or term search feature allows you to target Amazon shoppers based on their search terms. CPC Sponsored Products gives you the ability to set a daily budget, choose keywords, and place ads automatically to increase visibility for your products and increase sales.
  • In order to sell your items on Amazon successfully, you need to have access to order information and manage inventory. You will be able to manage these elements more closely with a Professional Seller account, which grants you access to beneficial reports.

Amazon Merchant Account: How to Sell?

amazon seller fees

The pros and cons of each account are now clear to you, so let’s begin. Amazon allows you to sell regardless of the type of account you have. 

If you plan to sell on Amazon, here are the steps you need to take:

1. Create an Amazon account

amazon seller

  • Select your account type
  • Create an Amazon seller account
  • Create your seller profile

2. Make a list of the items you wish to sell

  • Amazonize existing items
  • Add new items to the list

3. You can sell your items

  • Win the Buy Box by trying your best

4. You can ship your items

5. You will receive payment whenever an item sells.

You can offer your customers a Gift Message service through Amazon. This allows them to specify a message for either an individual product or an entire order. As part of Amazon’s Gift Wrap service, customers can determine each item they would like gift-wrapped and pay for it separately.

Downgrading or upgrading your Amazon Seller Account

Individual seller accounts and professional seller accounts differ significantly. If you are planning to start an FBA business, note these things.

Don’t forget that you can upgrade your account whenever you want to. An individual seller account may be a good option when you are unsure how many items you plan to sell when you first create your account.

If you want to upgrade to a professional account, there is no need to feel pressured. Amazon seller accounts can be upgraded and downgraded at any time.

These are the easy steps you can follow to upgrade your Amazon account:

  1. Log in to your seller account on Amazon Seller Central.
  2. You will find Settings at the bottom of the page. Select Account Info from the drop-down menu.
  3. Under Your Services, click ‘Manage’.
  4. Just next to the account type, click Upgrade.

Those following steps one through three can downgrade their Amazon accounts from Professional Seller accounts to Individual Seller accounts. Step four is Downgrade.

dashboard amazon seller

How to close your Amazon seller account?

You can close your Amazon seller account permanently by following these steps:

  • Visit the Contact Us page.
  • You can close your account by selecting this option.
  • Complete the form and click Submit.

Either an email will confirm the closure of your Amazon seller account or a different one will explain why it cannot be closed at this time.

Quick Links

To Sum Up- Amazon Individual Vs Professional Seller 2023

When determining which Amazon account type is right for you, the article walks you through the significant deciding factors.

It may be best for you to use an Individual Seller account if you do not sell more than 40 items each month. You can then learn how to upgrade to a professional account once you are selling 40 products per month or find you need more features on Amazon. Many new sellers begin on Amazon this way. 

The decision rests on the future vision of your business. A customized plan becomes ideal if:

  • This is just a way for you to learn how the system works.
  • You only plan to sell a few items on Amazon and are not looking to grow your business.
  • You know you won’t sell more than 40 items a month.
  • The Professional Seller account does not provide you with the additional features.

As a result, acquiring a Professional Seller account on Amazon will be very easy for those who wish to expand their business.

Mike Alfaro

Mike Alfaro is an entrepreneur, writer, and ecommerce savant, who is the mastermind behind BoostMyEcommerce.com. Mike shares his expertise by writing about various tools, guides, and insights on a range of e-commerce topics, including SEO, Amazon FBA, and marketing, amongst others. With over a decade of experience in the e-commerce industry, his knowledge and expertise have helped transform many businesses, helping them skyrocket to newfound heights of success.

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