
Whether you’re a brand looking to expand into the world’s largest marketplace or someone exploring Amazon as your first e-commerce venture, the process of getting started can feel overwhelming. I’ve helped dozens of brands launch on Amazon across both the US and Canadian marketplaces, and the truth is — the setup isn’t complicated. The strategy behind it is what separates sellers who struggle from sellers who scale.
This guide walks you through every step, from creating your account to making your first sale. No fluff, no theory — just the exact steps in the right order.
Before You Start: Do You Actually Need Amazon?
Not every product or brand belongs on Amazon. Before you invest time and money, ask yourself:
- Is there demand? Search your product category on Amazon. If similar products exist with real reviews and sales ranks under 50,000, there’s a market.
- Can you compete on price? Amazon buyers are price-conscious. If your margins can’t absorb Amazon’s fees (roughly 30–35% all-in for FBA), you’ll struggle.
- Are you prepared to invest in advertising? Organic discovery on Amazon is nearly dead for new products. Budget at least $500–1,000/month for PPC at launch.
If you checked all three, let’s move forward.
Step 1: Choose Your Selling Plan
Amazon offers two seller account types:
| Plan | Monthly Fee | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | $0/month + $0.99 per sale | Testing the waters, fewer than 40 items/month |
| Professional | $39.99/month | Serious sellers, advertising, brand registry, bulk tools |
My recommendation: Start with Professional from day one. The $39.99/month is nothing compared to the tools you unlock — advertising access alone is worth it. Every client I’ve onboarded at Waltsco is on Professional.
Step 2: Create Your Amazon Seller Account
- Go to sell.amazon.com (US) or sellercentral.amazon.ca (Canada)
- Click “Sign Up”
- You’ll need: a valid government ID, credit card, tax information (SSN/SIN), phone number, and bank account details
How long does it take? Account approval typically takes 24–48 hours, but Amazon may request additional verification documents. Don’t panic if they ask for utility bills or bank statements — this is standard.
Selling in both the US and Canada? Use Amazon’s North America Unified Account to manage .com and .ca from a single login — this is what most of our clients at Waltsco do.
Step 3: Get Your Product Ready for Amazon
UPC/EAN Codes
Every product on Amazon needs a unique product identifier. Purchase UPC codes from GS1 (gs1.org) — don’t buy cheap barcodes from third-party resellers. Amazon has been cracking down on invalid GTINs, and getting flagged can delay your launch by weeks.
- GS1 US: 10 barcodes for ~$250 (one-time) + $50/year renewal
- GS1 Canada: Similar pricing through gs1ca.org
Product Photography
Your main image is the single most important conversion factor on Amazon. Requirements: pure white background, product fills 85%+ of the frame, minimum 1600×1600px, no text or logos. You’ll also want 6–8 secondary images. This is not where you cut corners.
Product Copy
- Title — up to 200 characters; front-load your most important keywords
- 5 Bullet Points — highlight benefits, not just features
- Product Description — or A+ Content if you’re Brand Registered
- Backend Search Terms — 250 bytes of hidden keywords for indexing
Step 4: Choose Your Fulfillment Method
| Method | How It Works | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| FBA | You ship inventory to Amazon’s warehouses. They store, pick, pack, and ship. | Prime badge, customer trust, hands-off fulfillment | FBA fees, storage fees, less control |
| FBM | You store and ship products yourself | More control, lower fees with your own warehouse | No Prime badge, more work, harder to win Buy Box |
For most new sellers, FBA is the right choice. The Prime badge alone increases conversion rates by 20–30%.
Shipping Your First FBA Shipment
- Create a shipping plan in Seller Central
- Label your products (Amazon barcode or manufacturer UPC)
- Box and prep according to Amazon’s requirements
- Ship to the assigned fulfillment center(s)
Pro tip: Amazon may split your inventory across multiple warehouses. This is normal — distributed inventory means faster delivery to customers.
Step 5: Set Your Pricing Strategy
- Product cost (manufacturing/wholesale)
- Amazon referral fee (typically 15% of sale price, varies by category)
- FBA fees (typically $3–6 per unit depending on size/weight)
- Monthly storage fees ($0.87/cubic foot standard, $2.40/cubic foot Q4)
- Advertising cost (budget 15–25% of revenue at launch)
A healthy target is 25–30% net margin after all Amazon fees and advertising. If you’re below 15%, rethink your sourcing or pricing.
Step 6: Launch with Amazon PPC
New products with zero reviews won’t rank organically. Amazon PPC is how you buy your way onto page one while you build momentum.
1. Auto Campaign
Let Amazon match your listing to search terms — your keyword discovery tool. Budget $20–30/day, run for 2–3 weeks, then harvest the search term report.
2. Manual Exact Match Campaign
Take your best keywords from the auto campaign and target them precisely. Budget $30–50/day, bid aggressively at launch.
3. Sponsored Brands (if Brand Registered)
Your brand banner at the top of search results. Budget $15–20/day for brand awareness and storefront traffic.
What’s a good ACoS at launch? Expect 40–60% in your first 30 days. It’s normal — you’re buying ranking and reviews. After 60–90 days of optimization, target 20–35%.
Step 7: Get Your First Reviews
Reviews are the currency of Amazon. Products with fewer than 15 reviews convert at roughly half the rate of products with 50+.
- Amazon Vine — Amazon sends free units to trusted reviewers. Cost: ~$200 per ASIN. Worth every penny.
- Request a Review button — Use it in Seller Central for every order, 5–7 days after delivery.
- Product inserts — Ask for feedback (not specifically a 5-star review — that violates TOS).
- Deliver a great product — Products that exceed expectations generate organic reviews naturally.
Never buy reviews or use review manipulation services. Amazon’s detection is sophisticated and the penalty is account suspension.
Step 8: Register Your Brand
Amazon Brand Registry unlocks tools non-registered sellers can’t access:
- A+ Content — enhanced product descriptions with images and comparison charts
- Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display advertising
- Amazon Storefront — your own branded mini-website on Amazon
- Brand Analytics — search term data, market basket analysis, demographics
- Manage Your Experiments — A/B testing for titles, images, and A+ content
- Project Zero — automated IP protection
Pro tip: No trademark yet? File through Amazon’s IP Accelerator program and get Brand Registry access before the trademark is fully registered.
Step 9: Monitor, Optimize, Repeat
Once you’re live, the work isn’t done — it’s just beginning. Weekly check-ins should include:
- Search Term Report — Which keywords are converting? Add negatives for irrelevant terms.
- Business Reports — Track sessions, conversion rate, and unit session percentage.
- Inventory levels — Running out of stock kills your ranking. Use Helium 10 to forecast.
- Competitor monitoring — Pricing changes, new variations, coupons.
Common Mistakes New Sellers Make
- Launching without advertising budget. You will not get organic sales on a new listing without PPC. Period.
- Cheap product photography. Your images are your conversion rate. Invest here.
- Ignoring Amazon’s fees. Model your margins before ordering inventory.
- Competing on price alone. Compete on listing quality, brand story, and customer experience instead.
- Not getting Brand Registered early. Every week without it is a week without A+ Content, Sponsored Brands, and Brand Analytics.
Should You Hire an Amazon Agency?
If you’re a brand with existing products and revenue, managing Amazon yourself while running the rest of your business is a real challenge. An agency can handle daily operations — PPC, listing SEO, catalog management, competitor monitoring — while you focus on growth.
What to look for:
- Transparent reporting — can you see exactly what they’re doing in your account?
- Commission-based pricing — so their incentives align with your growth
- Direct access to the strategist — not a rotating cast of junior managers
- Canada-specific experience — cross-border fulfillment, Canadian tax, and the .ca marketplace
Selling on Amazon Canada? Read This.
- FBA fees are similar but priced in CAD
- NARF lets you fulfill .ca orders from US inventory — great for testing demand
- GST/HST applies — register with the CRA if you haven’t already
- Bilingual listings improve conversion in Quebec (23% of Canada’s population)
- Competition is lower on .ca — categories saturated on .com may be wide open here
FAQ
How much money do I need to start selling on Amazon?
Plan for $2,000–5,000 minimum: inventory ($500–2,000), photography ($200–500), UPC codes ($250), Professional account ($39.99/month), and initial PPC budget ($500–1,000).
How long does it take to become profitable on Amazon?
Most products take 3–6 months. The first 60–90 days are an investment period — you’re spending on advertising and building reviews.
Can I sell on Amazon without carrying inventory?
Yes — via dropshipping (with restrictions), FBA, or print-on-demand through Merch by Amazon. That said, FBA with your own inventory remains the most competitive model.
Is Amazon FBA still profitable in 2026?
Yes, but margins are tighter than five years ago. Sellers who succeed treat Amazon as a real business — proper branding, optimized listings, strategic PPC, and data-driven decisions.
Should I sell on Amazon.com or Amazon.ca first?
Canadian brands: start with .ca — lower competition, easier logistics. US brands: start with .com, then use NARF to test Canadian demand without additional inventory investment.
Need help launching on Amazon?
Waltsco specializes in full-service Amazon management for US and Canadian marketplaces.
Book a free consultation | 1(877) 269-9258
1(877) 269-9258
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