On Amazon you may sell brand new or even used products. All you need is a seller account that comes in two variants. If you plan with less than 40 orders per month, the basic account is absolutely suitable. If your sales will exceed 40 sales you want to get a professional account.
The Pros and cons of a basic account for Amazon sellers
The basic account is suitable for individual products. There is no basic monthly fee. The fee is payed, whenever you make a sale. Every sale is charged with 0.99 €. In addition Amazon charges a certain percentage of the sales price. The rate depend on the product category. Below I set up a list with all product categories and the according rate. The basic seller account also comes with a number of other limitations. So it will not be possible to sell in all product categories. Customers will not be able to use the 1-click-buy function. Finally Amazon provides professional sellers with pretty advanced statistics. These are only in part available to owners of a basic seller accounts.
The Pros and cons of a professional account
If you are planning to generate more than 40 sales per month, you should opt for a professional account as it has a much better cost/benefit ratio. With a monthly fee of 39.00 € per month you avoid the 0.99 € fee per sale that comes with the basic seller account.
Still, on top of the monthly fee Amazon will deduct a category related fee as with the basic seller account. With the professional seller account you will be able to sell in all product categories. Also, your customers can use the 1-click-buy function. Finally you have full access to the advanced statistics provided by Amazon.
Category related sales feel
When you build your listing on Amazon you want to be mindful with placing them in the correct category which is relevant for the product search. The product category also defines the additional sales fee. The fee ranges between 7% and 45 % of the total sales price and will be deducted from it. The table below applies to Amazon’s German marketplace Amazon.de. Please be aware that rates for the other European marketplaces Amazon.fr, Amazon.it, Amazon.es, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.nl may deviate slightly.
Category | Fee in % of sales price |
Computer | 7 % |
Electronic | 7 % |
White goods | 7 % |
Tires | 7 % |
Baby products | 8 %; 15 % for products > 10,00 €* |
Beauty & cosmetics | 8 %; 15 % for products > 10,00 €* |
| Drugstore & toiletry | 8 %; 15 % for products > 10,00 €* |
Groceries & gourmet food | 8 %; 15 % for products > 10,00 €* |
Video consoles | 8 % |
Beer, wine, liquor | 10 % |
Bycicles | 10 % |
Additives | 12 % |
Hardware store | 12 % |
Computer accessories | 12 % |
| Flow control | 12 % |
Electronic accessories | 12 % |
Transfer of liquids | 12 % |
Handmade | 12 % |
Industrial electric installation | 12 % |
Industrial tools & instruments | 12 % |
Materials handling transport | 12 % |
Abrasives & finishing products | 12 % |
Musical instruments & DJ-equipment | 12 % |
Renewable energy accessories | 12 % |
Farming equipent accessories | 12 % |
Furniture | 15 % up to 200 €;10 % for the share beyond 200,00 €* |
Car & motorcycle | 15 % |
Books, music, videos and DVDs | 15 % |
Electronic devides for toiletry | 15 % |
Educational material | 15 % |
Sports und leisure | 15 % |
Software | 15 % |
Equipment and accessories for catering franchises | 15 % |
Videogames, games & accessories | 15 % |
Accessories for business & industry | 15 % |
Watches | 15% up to 250€; 5% for the share beyond 250 € |
Other Products | 15 % |
Jewelry | 20% up to 250 €; 5% for the share beyond 250 € |
*Total sales price
For the category “Accessories for Amazon devices” an additional fee of 45 % is deducted.
Calculate your fees for Amazon sellers
You can calculate your fees with Amazon’s fee calculator to understand the total sales fee that will apply for your sales and find out, what will be credited to your account. For the calculation you need to enter the product category, number of items and the sales price. This will give an overview of the fees and the revenue for your sales.
