Amazon Seller – The Independent Seller on Amazon's Marketplace
An Amazon Seller is a merchant who sells their products independently to end customers through Amazon's marketplace. In contrast to the Amazon Vendor, where Amazon acts as the seller, the Amazon Seller remains responsible for pricing, marketing, and customer contact.
Sellers generally have two options for distributing their goods: They can either handle storage and shipping themselves (FBM – Fulfilled by Merchant), or they can utilize the service FBA – Fulfilled by Amazon, where Amazon takes care of storage, shipping, returns, and customer service. FBA offers many advantages, such as Prime shipping and higher visibility, but it also incurs additional fees.
A major advantage of the Seller model is the flexibility. Sellers can determine their prices, adjust their product range at any time, and communicate directly with their customers. This allows them to retain more control over their brand and sales strategy. At the same time, Amazon as a platform provides access to millions of potential buyers worldwide, significantly easing market entry.
Amazon provides Sellers with extensive tools through the Seller Central Portal: product listings, advertising options (e.g., Amazon Ads), reports on sales, inventory, and customer satisfaction. Programs like Amazon Brand Registry and Amazon Vine also help protect brand presence and generate reviews.
However, there are also challenges: competition on Amazon is intense, pricing and margin pressures are high, and negative reviews can quickly undermine visibility. Additionally, Sellers must constantly monitor their product quality, delivery speed, and customer satisfaction.
Conclusion: The path as an Amazon Seller offers enormous opportunities but also requires strategic thinking, good organization, and continuous optimization. Those who master these challenges can build a very successful business on Amazon.