How to sell on Amazon in 2026: from your first listing to approval in restricted categories

To sell on Amazon, register a seller account at sell.amazon.com with a government-issued ID, an email address, an internationally chargeable credit card, a bank account, business registration and tax information, then choose the Individual plan at $0.99 per item sold or the Professional plan at $39.99 a month, plus selling fees. Each sale also carries a referral fee, a percentage of the total price that ranges from 5% to 45% by category, usually with a $0.30 minimum. A seller lists a first product by matching an existing Amazon listing or creating a new one, with a main image on pure white and copy to Amazon's rules, and some categories, conditions and brands need Amazon's approval first.

What do you need to open an Amazon seller account?

Amazon lists what a seller needs ready before registering:

• a government-issued ID
• an email address
• an internationally chargeable credit card
• a bank account and routing number
• a business licence or registration
• tax information
• proof of residential address from the last 180 days, such as a bank or credit card statement

Amazon says registration can often be completed in a few hours, and identity verification "usually takes three business days or less". The registration steps are: sign up with an email address and password; enter the business details, including location, business type, name, registration number, address and phone; give the primary contact's details; add banking and credit card details; give the store name and product information; and verify your identity.

Which Amazon selling plan should you choose?

Amazon offers two selling plans, and the choice depends on how many items a seller expects to sell each month.

At 40 items a month the two plans cost about the same in plan fees ($39.60 against $39.99), which is why Amazon draws the line there. Amazon says a seller can switch plans or cancel after registration.

What fees does Amazon charge sellers?

Amazon's selling fees, as Amazon's pricing page gives them on 29 October 2026:

Price a product after the referral fee for its category and the fulfilment cost, not before. Amazon's Revenue Calculator, linked from its pricing page, compares the cost of FBA with fulfilling orders yourself for a given product.

How do you list your first product on Amazon?

A seller lists a product on Amazon in one of two ways: "Match an offer to a product that's already listed in the Amazon store", or "Create a new listing if your product isn't already in the Amazon catalog". Matching suits a seller of an existing brand's product; creating suits a seller's brand or a product new to Amazon.

Whether a seller can list a product may depend on its "category, condition, and brand", and some items require an application to sell them. Search for the product in Seller Central first: if the account needs approval, Seller Central says so at that point. The article on getting ungated on Amazon covers approvals and documents.

What images does an Amazon listing need?

An Amazon listing needs a main image on a pure white background (RGB 255, 255, 255) with the product filling 85% or more of the frame, no added text, graphics or watermarks, the actual product rather than an illustration, and no props not included in the purchase. Amazon asks for images from 500 to 10,000 pixels on the longest side, with zoom from over 1,000, and recommends at least six images and one video per product.

The images after the main image show the product in use, its size, its details and what is in the box. Since Amazon's notice of 22 July 2026, an image with a photorealistic AI-generated person needs Amazon's metadata tag. The guide to Amazon product image requirements covers every image slot, and the guide to Amazon's tag for AI-generated people covers the tag.

How do you write an Amazon title, bullet points and description?

Amazon listing copy follows rules that changed in 2024 and 2026:

• Title. Since 27 July 2026, Amazon titles in most categories must be 75 characters or fewer, and Amazon replaces longer titles with recommended versions. The guide to Amazon's title rules covers the rest.
• Bullet points. Since August 2024, Amazon restricts special characters, emojis and some phrases in bullet points, and says it removes non-compliant content. The guide to Amazon bullet points covers writing them.
• Keywords. Amazon's SEO advice says "Keyword stuffing can create a poor customer experience and hurt your rankings", and that a key phrase used once does not need repeating.

The guide to Amazon listing optimisation works through a whole listing, title to backend search terms.

Which products need approval to sell on Amazon?

Some Amazon categories are gated, needing approval before a seller can list in them, and some products need approval or documents inside open categories, such as supplements, pesticides, medical devices, dangerous goods and children's products. Amazon keeps a help page of the categories and products that require approval. Amazon's staff say Amazon may ask for "documentation, licenses, invoices, and other evidence that you are an authorized seller of those products".

Check whether a product needs approval before buying stock. The library's rules pages cover the most common restricted products, such as the supplement rules and the toy rules.

Should you use FBA or fulfil Amazon orders yourself?

Amazon offers two ways to fulfil orders, and a seller can use both.

FBA suits products that sell steadily and ship easily; FBM suits large, slow-selling or made-to-order products. Compare both for each product with Amazon's Revenue Calculator before choosing.

When does an Amazon seller need Brand Registry?

A seller with a brand name on the product needs Amazon Brand Registry to use A+ content, Brand Stores and Brand Analytics. Brand Registry asks for a logo with the brand name permanently on the products or packaging, and a pending or registered trademark from a country with a matching Amazon store. Amazon's pricing page notes that brand features require Brand Registry. The article on Amazon Brand Registry covers what it unlocks.

How should a new Amazon seller spend the first month?

1. Week one: register and verify. Have the ID, bank details, card and tax information ready, and allow up to three business days for identity verification.
2. Week two: check approvals and fees. Search each planned product in Seller Central, and price each one after its referral fee and fulfilment cost.
3. Week three: list one or two products well. A compliant main image, at least six images, a title of 75 characters or fewer, compliant bullets and every required attribute.
4. Week four: watch the listings. Check the suppressed and inactive listings view and fix any reason Amazon gives; the article on suppressed Amazon listings covers the fixes.

An Amazon launch checklist

1. ID, email, card, bank account, business registration, tax information and proof of address ready.
2. The plan chosen: Individual under about 40 items a month, Professional above.
3. Each product priced after its referral fee and fulfilment cost.
4. Approval checked for every product before buying stock.
5. A main image on pure white, filling 85% of the frame, and at least six images.
6. A title of 75 characters or fewer, compliant bullets, each keyword once.
7. FBA or FBM chosen for each product.
8. Brand Registry applied for, if the products carry the seller's brand.

How Commicorn helps

• Amazon listing images from your photos: a main image on pure white with your product filling the frame and nothing added, and the images after it, with Amazon's AI people tag on any image with an AI-drawn person.
• A title, Item highlights and bullets written to Amazon's current rules, from your facts, with keywords checked against Amazon's bans.
• A one-line pop-up for toys, baby products and supplements, with Read more opening the rules for that product type, before you create the listing.

Make your first Amazon listing from your photos. Start free.

Questions sellers ask

How much does it cost to sell on Amazon?

Amazon charges $0.99 per item sold on the Individual plan or $39.99 a month on the Professional plan, plus a referral fee on each sale that ranges from 5% to 45% by category, usually with a $0.30 minimum; media items add a $1.80 closing fee.

Do I need a business to sell on Amazon?

Amazon lists a business licence or registration among the things to have ready, along with a government-issued ID, a bank account, a credit card, tax information and proof of address.

How long does it take to open an Amazon seller account?

Amazon says registration can often be completed in a few hours, and identity verification usually takes three business days or less.

Which Amazon plan is best for a new seller?

Amazon suggests the Individual plan for sellers with under 40 items a month; above that, the Professional plan's $39.99 a month costs less than $0.99 per item and adds tools such as bulk operations and Amazon Ads.

Can I sell any product on Amazon?

No. A seller's ability to list a product may depend on its category, condition and brand, and some products need an application or documents before they can sell.