Selling on Amazon is one of the best ways to earn passive income. The marketplace offers great potential whether you want to quit your day job or boost your existing online business. Plus, the eCommerce industry has boomed massively and there’s no better time to sell on Amazon than now. If you have toyed with the idea of selling on Amazon and still haven’t given it a shot, chances are your reasons revolve around start-up costs or the unending tasks you’ll have to execute.
It is common knowledge that scaling an Amazon business involves a lot of work. But if you also assumed that it would require a lot of capital, then you may have erred in your assumption. Although it may seem impossible at first, it is possible to sell on Amazon without much capital.
You can sell on Amazon without making any upfront financial investments. And selling on Amazon for free is your best bet if you’re a new seller who is skeptical about investing in a new business. We will answer all your questions on how to sell on Amazon for free in this post. We’ll also walk you through the process of setting up and listing your products for sale.
Let’s dive in.
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How to Sell on Amazon for Free
Amazon allows sellers to sign up and sell on the platform for free. However, selling on Amazon for free does not begin and end with account creation. After creating an account, you will still have to do everything possible to cut down costs. So, if you’re ready to start, here’s how to sell on Amazon for free in four simple steps.
Start by selling free products
Yes, if you’re selling on Amazon, you’ll have to put up products for sale. But the catch is, that you do not have to start outsourcing products from suppliers, you can start with what you have. Decluttering to see what valuable items you have in your possession may be a great start. Thankfully, there’s a market for almost everything on Amazon so no matter what you find, if it’s in good condition, then you can definitely put it up for sale.
Create a free seller account
Amazon offers two seller plans or accounts: the individual plan and the professional plan. The individual plan costs $0.99 and this fee is charged on every sale. In contrast, on the professional plan, you’ll have to pay a flat rate fee of about $39.99 monthly. Also, the individual plan is best for sellers who do not intend to sell up to 40 products monthly while the professional plan is best suited for sellers who want to sell more than 40 products monthly.
If you’re just learning how to sell on Amazon for free, the individual plan is best for you. Since you may not sell up to 40 products in the first few months and you won’t have to pay any fees till you make a sale, you can save money on an individual plan.
Create your product listings
There are over 12 million products in AMZ’s catalog and to join the market, you’ll have to create product listings. Of course, you can do this for free. If your products are new to the market, you’ll have to create new listings. But if there are similar products already listed on Amazon, you’ll only need to add your name to the list of sellers.
Fulfill orders for free
Creating a seller account is free but what happens when the orders start to roll in? You’ll have to ship them promptly and depending on the fulfillment method you use, you may have to bear the shipping costs. If you choose the FBA fulfillment option, you can outsource storage and order fulfillment to Amazon for a fee, this fee can be added to the cost of your product.
How to Get Products to Sell on Amazon for Free
As a new seller, the best way to minimize the cost of product sourcing is to start with used items around your home. For instance, used books that are still in good condition, household items, toys, and even gadgets are great product options that you can start with. All you’ll have to do is to create a seller account and list them for free. You also won’t have to incur any storage fees since you’ll be selling from home.
You can also sell through Amazon Handmade or Merch by Amazon if you prefer to create handcrafted goods or customized designs. Both options are cost-free, all you need is time and creativity.
How to Determine A Product’s Profitability
The only way to make sales on Amazon is to sell products that people are interested in. So, before listing your products for sale, ensure you run several checks to confirm that they are profitable. Here are a few ways to determine a product’s profitability.
Use the Amazon Best Seller List
AMZ’s Best Sellers List is a collection of the site’s best-selling products. Every product inAMZ’s catalog earns a spot on this list, all the products are then ranked using the Best Sellers Rank (BSR). A Best Sellers Rank is assigned to each product listed in a category and it is a measure of how popular the product is. Also, the database is updated every hour so a product’s ranking may change depending on how other products in the same category perform.
The lower a product’s BSR, the higher its chances of profitability. So, when choosing products using the bestseller list, pick products with low BSR rankings.
To check a product’s BSR, go to the product information page under the product description. Alternatively, you can use an Amazon seller tool. Some seller tools come with a chrome extension that allows you to see the hidden details about any product on AMZ. This way, you not only learn how to sell on Amazon for free as well as discover the top products to promote. Also, since your goal is to save money, by selling on Amazon for free, you should be on the lookout for affordable AMZ software. We’ll recommend one to you if you read to the end.
Use AMZ Software to Find the Bestselling Products and Estimate Profitability
Using Amazon software or product research software, you can find the most profitable product categories to sell in. This way, you’ll have a clearer idea of the profitability of the items you intend to sell. Some Amazon software also comes with a sales estimator to help you determine the profitability of potential products based on previous sales trends and data.
The goal is to sell on Amazon for free but to increase your chances of making sales, you’ll have to carry out keyword research and listing optimization. The best way to research high-converting keywords and create well-optimized listings is to use AMZ software.
If you’re trying to minimize costs, then you should choose software that allows you access to a wide range of seller tools. There are only a few software that offers a complete suite of tools and the majority of them are expensive. But there’s one we can trust: ZonBase.
ZonBase is the best AMZ software for product research, keyword research, and listing optimization. It also offers a sales estimator tool that allows you to check previous sales trends and data for any product. Plus, the tool creates a balance between functionality and affordability.
ZonBase offers two paid plans: The standard plan at $37/month and the legendary plan at $67/month. You can also access its features for free for 7 days.
How to Create an Amazon Seller Account for Free
- Go to Amazon.com and click on ‘Pricing’
- Next, click on ‘compare pricing plans’
- You will be redirected to a comparison table. Read up on both plans, then choose the one that works for you. If you’re interested in selling on Amazon for free, you should sign up as an individual seller.
- Provide all necessary information and set up your account.
How to List Your Products on Amazon for Free
Amazon offers almost every product you can possibly think of. If you aren’t selling a brand new product that’s never been seen before, such as a handmade product or a product you created, you will just have to locate the existing listing of the product. And you can find an existing product listing by scrolling like a regular buyer.
Here’s how to match your products to an existing listing:
- First, navigate to your Seller Central dashboard
- Then, locate the existing listing you wish to add your offer to and copy its ASIN.
- To add a product, select “Add a Product” from the inventory dropdown menu. Paste the ASIN into the field.
Alternatively, you can search for the existing listing using the Product Name or UPC. Choose the product that is most similar to yours from the search results. Indicate the condition of the item you want to put up for sale, then click “Sell on Amazon’.
Provide your product information in the fields that follow. Specify your product’s price, condition, quantity, and fulfillment method. If your product is not new or is of lesser quality than others in its category, you can consider fixing a lower price. Click ‘save and finish’ after completing these steps. Typically, it takes about two hours for the product to appear on the listing page.
How to Sell on Amazon for Free: Fulfillment Methods
Choosing a fulfillment method is a crucial aspect of learning how to sell on Amazon for free. After listing your products for sale, orders will begin to roll in and it is important that you ship orders promptly. Amazon offers two fulfillment options: Fulfillment by Amazon and Fulfillment by Merchant. Here’s how both fulfillment options work.
Fulfillment by Amazon (Amazon FBA)
Sellers can outsource major business processes like storage, order fulfillment, returns processing, and customer service to Amazon. Of course, if you intend to sell on Amazon for free, using FBA is your best bet. You not only get to save costs on storage and shipping, but you also get to save time since you will not have to handle customer service or process refunds yourself.
Fulfillment by Merchant (Amazon FBM)
Sellers who use this fulfillment method will be solely responsible for all business processes. So, when a consumer places an order, the seller packs, and ships the goods directly to the customer.
Regardless of the fulfillment method you choose, you will have to bear some costs. Still, if you’re looking to save money, Amazon FBA is the way to go. The shipping prices are significantly lower than if you handled the shipping yourself, thanks to AMZ’s efficient system. Plus, you can add the cost of fulfillment to your product prices and have the fulfillment fees deducted from your account balance.
Can I Really Sell on Amazon for Free?
As a beginner, you can sell on Amazon for free. But as you go along, you’ll have to pay certain fees. Amazon charges certain fees and these fees vary depending on the fulfillment method you opt for. Here’s a breakdown of the fees you’ll have to pay.
- Referral Fees
AMZ charges a referral fee on every sale. This fee is a commission that AMZ charges for every sale you make on the platform and it can vary from 8% to 45% depending on the product category.
- Selling-plan Fees
AMZ also charges selling plans fees. On the individual plan, you’ll have to pay $0.99 for every product sold. In contrast, the professional plan requires you to pay a flat-rate fee of $39.99 monthly. These fees are deducted from your account balance after you make a sale, so you won’t have to worry about paying them upfront.
- Fulfillment Fees
Sellers who want AMZ to handle storage, shipping, and customer service on their behalf will have to pay fulfillment fees. These fees vary based on product size and weight.
- Inventory Storage Fees
This fee is charged on goods stored in Amazon’s warehouses and it varies based on the volume of your inventory.
Referral fees, selling plan fees, and fulfillment fees are the most important fees you’ll have to pay so ensure you factor them in when fixing your product prices. There are some other FBA fees that you may incur, you can learn more about them here.
Conclusion
Learning how to sell on Amazon for free is the first step to earning passive income. Anyone can start and build a successful AMZ business and there’s no better time to start than now. And if you invest in AMZ software, you can increase your chances of success.
Check out ZonBase Amazon software
You don’t have to break the bank to start selling on Amazon. If you read to this point, you have all the information you need to start selling on Amazon for free.
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