How much does it cost to become an Amazon seller?

The main cost is the selling plan: the Individual plan has no monthly fee but charges per item sold, while the Professional plan charges a flat monthly subscription instead. On top of that you'll pay referral fees on each sale, plus fulfillment and storage fees if you use FBA, and any costs for inventory and advertising. Verify the current plan prices and fees in Seller Central, since Amazon updates them.

Do I need an LLC to sell on Amazon?

No. You can register as an individual or sole proprietor and complete Amazon's tax interview with your SSN. Many sellers start that way and form an LLC later for liability separation and cleaner books. If you already intend to operate as a business entity, registering under that structure from the start saves you from changing legal and tax details on the account later — but it isn't a requirement to begin selling.

What's the difference between FBA and FBM?

With Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) you ship inventory to Amazon's warehouses and Amazon handles storage, shipping, and customer service, giving you Prime eligibility and scale in exchange for fulfillment and storage fees. With Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) you store and ship orders yourself, keeping control and avoiding FBA fees but owning the logistics. Many sellers use a mix depending on the product.

How long does it take to start selling on Amazon?

Registration itself often takes under an hour if your documents are ready, but Amazon's identity and business verification can add days, sometimes including a video call or document review. Once your account is verified you can list immediately; FBA sellers then need to ship inventory in before those units are sellable. Realistically, plan for several days to a couple of weeks from signup to your first live FBA sale.

Should I set up accounting before I make my first sale?

Yes — it's far easier than fixing it later. Amazon pays you a net settlement that combines sales, refunds, and a stack of fees, so recording only the bank deposit hides your real revenue, fees, and profit. Setting up bookkeeping that breaks settlements into components, tracks per-SKU cost, and captures reimbursements from day one means your numbers are accurate from the first sale instead of being reconstructed at tax time.

Learn · Getting started

How do you become an Amazon seller?

Short answer

To become an Amazon seller, register for a selling account in Seller Central by choosing a selling plan (Individual or Professional), then provide your business and tax details, a bank account, and a valid ID for identity verification. Once your account is approved you choose a fulfillment model (FBA or FBM), source and list products, and — critically — set up bookkeeping from day one so your fees, COGS, and profit are tracked correctly before volume hits.

By Marcus Brandt · Head of Seller Accounting

Updated June 26, 2026

Becoming an Amazon seller is mechanically simple — the registration itself takes well under an hour if your documents are ready — but the decisions you make during setup shape your economics for years. Which selling plan, which fulfillment model, what business structure, and whether you track your numbers from the first sale all matter far more than the speed of clicking through registration.

This guide walks the full path: the prerequisites you need in hand, the account registration steps, the fulfillment choice that defines how you operate, and the first sale. It also covers the step almost every beginner skips — putting accounting and reimbursement tracking in place early — because the sellers who stay profitable are the ones whose books were clean before they got busy.

Before you register: what you need ready

Amazon verifies sellers, so registration goes smoothly only if your documents are in order first. At minimum you'll need a business or personal legal name and address, a government-issued ID, a bank account and routing details for payouts, a chargeable credit card, and your tax information. US sellers provide their tax identity through Amazon's tax interview; if you're operating as a business entity, have your EIN and formation details available.

It's worth deciding your business structure before you register rather than after. Many sellers start as a sole proprietor and form an LLC later, while others form the LLC first for liability separation and cleaner books. There's no single right answer, but registering under the structure you intend to keep saves you the friction of changing legal and tax details on the account down the line. For a deeper walkthrough of the exact fields and verification flow, see our Amazon seller account guide.

•Legal name and business address
•Government-issued photo ID for identity verification
•Bank account and routing number for payouts
•A chargeable credit card
•Tax identity (SSN or EIN) for Amazon's tax interview
•A decision on your business structure (sole prop vs LLC)

Choosing your selling plan

Amazon offers two selling plans, and the choice is mostly about volume. The Individual plan charges a per-item fee on each sale with no monthly subscription, which suits people testing the waters or selling a handful of items a month. The Professional plan charges a flat monthly subscription instead of the per-item fee, and it unlocks tools you'll need to run a real business — bulk listing, advanced reports, advertising eligibility, and the ability to win the featured offer placement.

The math is straightforward: once your monthly sales volume is high enough that the per-item fees would exceed the Professional subscription, the Professional plan is cheaper and gives you more. Most sellers who intend to build a business start on or quickly move to Professional. You can switch plans later, so this isn't a permanent decision — but verify the current per-item fee and subscription price in Seller Central, since Amazon adjusts them.

Register, verify, and choose how you'll fulfill

Registration happens at Amazon Seller Central. You'll create the account, select your plan, complete the tax interview, and submit your identity and business documents. Amazon then runs verification, which can include a video call or document review — this is normal and is why having clean, matching documents matters. Once verified, your account is live and you can begin listing.

The defining operational choice is your fulfillment model. With Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), you ship inventory to Amazon's warehouses and Amazon handles storage, picking, packing, shipping, and customer service — you gain Prime eligibility and scale, but you pay fulfillment and storage fees and hand physical custody of your inventory to Amazon. With Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM), you store and ship orders yourself, keeping control and avoiding FBA fees but taking on the logistics. Many sellers run a mix. One consequence of choosing FBA that beginners rarely anticipate: because Amazon holds your inventory, it will sometimes lose or damage it — and it owes you reimbursements when it does, which is a recurring line of money you'll need to track.

•FBA: Amazon stores and ships; you get Prime and scale, pay storage/fulfillment fees
•FBM: you store and ship; you keep control and avoid FBA fees, but own logistics
•Verification may include document review or a video call — have docs ready
•You can list once verified; plans and fulfillment can be changed later

List your first product — and set up your books from day one

To sell, you either match your product to an existing listing or create a new one with your own ASIN. A listing needs a title, images, bullet points, a description, a price, and inventory. If you're FBA, you then create an inbound shipment and send units to Amazon's fulfillment centers; if you're FBM, you simply mark the item available and fulfill orders as they come. Your first sale can happen within days of going live.

The step that separates durable sellers from struggling ones is accounting, and it should be in place before the orders start. Amazon doesn't pay you per sale — it pays you a net settlement every couple of weeks that nets together sales, refunds, and a stack of fees, with sales tax and reserves mixed in. If you only record the net deposit that hits your bank, you'll never know your real gross sales, your true fee load, or your profit per product. Setting up bookkeeping that breaks each settlement into its components, tracks landed cost per SKU, and recovers the reimbursements Amazon owes you means your numbers are trustworthy from the first dollar instead of a tax-season reconstruction. Becoming an Amazon seller takes an afternoon; staying a profitable one takes knowing your numbers — so build that habit at the start, not after the mess.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to become an Amazon seller?: The main cost is the selling plan: the Individual plan has no monthly fee but charges per item sold, while the Professional plan charges a flat monthly subscription instead. On top of that you'll pay referral fees on each sale, plus fulfillment and storage fees if you use FBA, and any costs for inventory and advertising. Verify the current plan prices and fees in Seller Central, since Amazon updates them.
Do I need an LLC to sell on Amazon?: No. You can register as an individual or sole proprietor and complete Amazon's tax interview with your SSN. Many sellers start that way and form an LLC later for liability separation and cleaner books. If you already intend to operate as a business entity, registering under that structure from the start saves you from changing legal and tax details on the account later — but it isn't a requirement to begin selling.
What's the difference between FBA and FBM?: With Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) you ship inventory to Amazon's warehouses and Amazon handles storage, shipping, and customer service, giving you Prime eligibility and scale in exchange for fulfillment and storage fees. With Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) you store and ship orders yourself, keeping control and avoiding FBA fees but owning the logistics. Many sellers use a mix depending on the product.
How long does it take to start selling on Amazon?: Registration itself often takes under an hour if your documents are ready, but Amazon's identity and business verification can add days, sometimes including a video call or document review. Once your account is verified you can list immediately; FBA sellers then need to ship inventory in before those units are sellable. Realistically, plan for several days to a couple of weeks from signup to your first live FBA sale.
Should I set up accounting before I make my first sale?: Yes — it's far easier than fixing it later. Amazon pays you a net settlement that combines sales, refunds, and a stack of fees, so recording only the bank deposit hides your real revenue, fees, and profit. Setting up bookkeeping that breaks settlements into components, tracks per-SKU cost, and captures reimbursements from day one means your numbers are accurate from the first sale instead of being reconstructed at tax time.

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