Amazon Seller Central – Ultimate guide (2026)

Which Amazon selling plan is right for you?

There are two types of Amazon seller account plans:

1. Individual plan
   
   • Best for beginners who want to start selling without a monthly fee
   • Amazon charges $0.99 per sale
   • Limited access to advanced features like bulk uploads or advertising
     
2. Professional plan
   
   • Designed for professional sellers or growing brands
   • $39.99/month flat fee
   • Unlocks tools like bulk listing, sponsored ads, and integration with the Amazon seller app

When comparing Amazon plans, the professional plan makes sense if you’re serious about scaling. It unlocks access to advanced tools and eligibility for Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and Amazon Brand Registry.

What you need to create an Amazon seller account

To open an Amazon selling account, you’ll need:

• A valid bank account
  
• A credit card that can be charged internationally
  
• Government-issued ID
  
• Tax information (like a TIN or EIN)
  
• A working phone number
  
• Basic business information (legal name, address, etc.)

Your Amazon Seller Central account setup must match your documents exactly, or your application can get flagged during review.

How long does Amazon account verification take?

Verification usually takes 1-3 business days, but delays can happen if document uploads are blurry or inconsistent.

Tips to speed up verification:

• Make sure all submitted documents are clear and not expired
• Double-check that your business name, bank account, and tax information match exactly
• Be ready to answer questions via email or a short video call
• Check your notification preferences so you don’t miss updates

Once approved, your Amazon Seller Central account will be live and ready for action.

Main navigation tabs

Here’s a quick overview of the key tabs inside your Seller Central account:

• Inventory – create and edit your product listings, check stock levels, and update offer details
  
• Orders – view and manage orders, return requests, and customer messages
  
• Pricing – adjust margins, use repricing tools to set competitive prices, and monitor pricing health
  
• Advertising – launch and optimize promotions through Campaign Manager for Sponsored Products or Sponsored Brands ads
  
• Reports – access inventory reports, business reports, and financial data from the payments dashboard
  
• Performance/Account Health – track your performance metrics, monitor shipping performance, and resolve policy flags
  
• Settings – update business information, returns settings, user permissions, and notification preferences
  
• Help & Support – access guides, policies, and Seller University training

Customizing your workflow

Customize your Seller Central dashboard to match how you work:

• Add widgets for quick access to key metrics like sales and business performance
  
• Create shortcuts for high-priority tasks such as shipping or advertising
  
• Adjust your notification preferences so you never miss updates about customer returns or account alerts

This saves time and keeps your selling account organized – especially if you’re managing multiple SKUs or scaling an Amazon store.

Add a new product vs match an existing ASIN

When creating a listing, you have two choices:

1. Add a new product: Use this if your item isn’t already in Amazon’s catalog. You’ll need to provide details like product category, title, description, and identifiers (UPC or GTIN).
   
2. Match the same product: If the item already exists, list your offer under the same product page by entering its Amazon standard identification number (ASIN). Your listing will compete with others on price, shipping, and fulfillment.

Key fields every listing needs

To build a strong listing, fill in these core fields:

• Title – short, descriptive, keyword-rich
• Bullet points – highlight benefits, not just features
• Description – detailed copy that persuades buyers
• Images – high-resolution photos that meet Amazon’s requirements
• Search terms (backend keywords) – hidden terms that improve discoverability
• Variations – sizes, colors, or bundles under one parent listing

These fields affect how your product appears in search results and whether shoppers click or scroll past. Clear titles and images help with discovery, while strong bullets and descriptions close the sale.

Bulk uploads and inventory feeds

If you manage many SKUs, Seller Central offers tools and programs like inventory templates and feed uploads. These let you upload hundreds of products at once.

How to create and manage FBA shipments

If you choose Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), you’ll need to:

• Prepare and label products according to Amazon’s guidelines
• Send inventory to the designated Amazon warehouses
• Confirm shipments once items are packed
• Track shipments and delivery status inside Seller Central

Amazon provides detailed prep guides and services to help if you don’t want to do the packing yourself.

Managing your own fulfillment (FBM)

If you choose FBM, you’ll need to:

• Pick, pack, and ship orders yourself
• Cover shipping cost (either passed on or built into pricing)
• Manage orders, issue refunds, and manage return requests
• Adjust returns settings to control how returns are handled

FBM gives you more control, but also more responsibility. It works best for lower volumes or products that don’t fit FBA requirements.

Tools to monitor fulfillment performance

No matter which model you choose, Seller Central provides:

• Performance metrics like on-time delivery and defect rates
• Account health indicators tied to shipping and service quality
• Insights to help you improve efficiency and keep customers satisfied

The right fulfillment setup depends on your model. Most sellers start with FBA to keep things simple, since Amazon handles the heavy lifting. FBM usually comes later, once you know your volumes and need more control over specific products.

Using Amazon’s pricing tools

Inside your Amazon Seller Central account, you’ll find tools that help you price products more efficiently:

• Set automated pricing rules to adjust offers in real time
• Set competitive prices against rivals without constant manual updates
• Define minimum and maximum prices so you don’t sell at a loss

These tools save time and reduce manual work, especially as your catalog grows or you manage multiple offers.

Promotions that drive sales

Beyond pricing, Amazon promotions help increase visibility and test demand, especially for new products.

• Coupons – discounts shown right on your listing
• Lightning Deals – short-term offers that boost traffic
• Buy One, Get One offers
• Discount codes to reward loyal customers

Well-timed promotions help you track sales growth and give new products an initial push.

Winning the Buy Box

The Buy Box (now called Featured Offer) is the Add to Cart button every seller wants. When you win it, your offer becomes the default choice at checkout.

Factors that influence Featured Offer eligibility include:

• Competitive pricing
• Fast, reliable shipping (often through FBA)
• Strong performance metrics, like low defect rates
• A history of meeting Amazon’s requirements

Improving these areas not only increases sales but also builds trust in your Amazon store long-term.

How to create sponsored products ads

From the Campaign Manager tab in your Amazon Seller Central account, choose between:

• Automatic targeting – Amazon decides which keywords and products to target
  
• Manual targeting – you choose keywords, match types, and bids

Here’s how to create Sponsored Products ads:

1. Select the product or ASIN you want to promote
2. Pick your targeting method
3. Set your budget and bids
4. Upload creative assets (like images and text)
5. Launch your campaign

With just a few clicks, you can create Sponsored Products ads that generate impressions and track sales performance in real time.

Managing and optimizing ads

Once ads are live, Campaign Manager shows how they’re performing:

• Review key metrics like click-through rates, conversions, and spend
• Use business reports to see which ads drive the most sales
• Run A/B tests with Manage Your Experiments (if eligible)
• Integrate with Amazon Brand Registry to unlock more ad formats for brand owners

Smart sellers monitor results daily, refine targeting, and scale winning campaigns. Advertising isn’t just about visibility – it’s about improving long-term business performance.

Listing suppressions and policy violations

Sometimes, products are suppressed due to missing details, image issues, or policy violations. When that happens:

• Review the error notifications in your central account
• Update product data or upload new photos
• Check for flagged intellectual property or restricted product category concerns

FBA shipment and inventory problems

If you use FBA, you may run into issues like mislabeled items or stranded inventory. To fix this:

• Use your dashboard to relabel or reconcile shipments
• Confirm and track shipments regularly
• Open support cases if items are misplaced in Amazon’s warehouses

Handling returns and refunds

Returns happen – it’s part of the game. But Amazon’s system makes them manageable:

• Adjust returns settings to match your policies
• Review and manage return requests
• Issue refunds when needed

Communication and account health

Performance warnings usually come down to late shipments, missed messages, or unresolved complaints. Secure your selling account:

• Notification preferences – make sure you’re alerted about order problems
• User permissions – grant access to employees or partners to help manage tasks
• Amazon account Health Dashboard – resolve flags quickly to prevent suspension