How to sell on Amazon for small businesses (2026 guide)

Key takeaways:

• Amazon offers small businesses access to a massive, ready-to-buy audience.
• Choosing the right product is the most important decision when selling on Amazon.
• Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is often the better option for small businesses.

Amazon is one of the largest online marketplaces in the world, connecting millions of its users with businesses of every size. For small businesses, Amazon’s platform offers a clear advantage: the ability to sell products to a massive, ready-to-buy audience without building e-commerce systems from scratch.

Selling on Amazon in 2026 is both an opportunity and a strategic decision. Fees, competition, and fulfillment choices can directly influence margins and growth, which is why knowing how to approach the platform matters.

This guide explains how small businesses can start and grow on Amazon, the benefits and risks of selling on the platform, how to choose what to sell, and how Amazon can fit into your broader business strategy. If you’re a small or medium-sized business researching how to sell on Amazon in 2026, this article is a practical starting point.

Why small businesses sell on Amazon

Amazon is an attractive growth channel for small businesses and entrepreneurs because it removes many of the early barriers to selling online. Instead of building traffic, audience, and logistics from scratch, small business owners can tap into Amazon’s platform to reach customers faster and operate at scale.

In 2025, Amazon’s platform connected millions of active users and over 9.7 million sellers worldwide, with third-party sellers, many of which are small and medium-sized, responsible for more than 60% of units sold across the site.

That scale translates into real outcomes for small business owners. For example, a small personal-care brand like Little Flower Soap Co. used Amazon to reach customers beyond its local market, leveraging its strong e-commerce fulfillment and visibility to grow.

Amazon also highlights eligible sellers with a small-business badge, helping customers identify and support independent businesses directly on the platform.

That said, Amazon isn’t a shortcut or a guaranteed win. Selling on Amazon comes with fees, robust competition, and dependence on a third-party platform that you don’t control. For small businesses, Amazon works best when it’s part of a thoughtful sales strategy rather than the only channel you rely on.

Here’s why many small businesses choose Amazon:

• Reach millions of ready-to-buy customers: With hundreds of millions of active users browsing the marketplace, Amazon helps small-scale sellers get in front of more potential customers than most independent sites can attract organically.
• Borrow Amazon’s trust and Prime badge: Shoppers often filter for Prime-eligible products, and being part of that ecosystem can help smaller brands earn clicks and conversions more quickly than they might on their own site.
• Offload logistics with Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): Fulfillment by Amazon lets sellers hand off storage, shipping, returns, and customer service, which is a significant advantage for small teams. This option is covered in detail in the next section.
• Flexible models for different sellers: Whether you’re selling your own branded products or reselling existing ones, Amazon supports fulfillment and inventory options that match different business needs.
• Built-in tools and data: Amazon provides reporting, advertising, and customer insights that help sellers understand demand, pricing trends, and competitive dynamics in real time.

For many small businesses, Amazon works best alongside their own website and other business channels. Used strategically, the platform can accelerate growth while allowing you to retain long-term brand control.

What are the two ways to sell on Amazon?

Small businesses can sell on Amazon using one of two fulfillment setups: Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) or Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM). This choice determines who handles shipping, storage, and customer service, and it directly affects costs, visibility, and how easily your business can scale. Picking the right option early is a foundational decision for your business.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)

Fulfillment by Amazon is a service where you send your inventory to Amazon, and Amazon handles storage, picking, packing, shipping, returns, and most customer service on your behalf. For many small businesses, FBA offers a clear advantage by reducing much of the operational workload, allowing you to focus on products and growth rather than logistics.

Benefits of FBA include:

• Prime badge and stronger Buy Box potential, which helps products serve customers who prioritize fast, reliable shipping
• Hands-off shipping and returns, reducing the operational burden on small teams
• Scalability, especially during sales spikes or seasonal demand

Drawbacks to consider:

• Stacked fees (referral, fulfillment, and storage fees) that can eat into margins if pricing and product size aren’t planned carefully
• Strict prep and packaging requirements, plus potential long-term storage fees

Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM)

With Fulfillment by Merchant, the business is responsible for storing inventory, packing orders, shipping products, and handling returns and customer service. This can be done in-house or through a third-party logistics partner, giving sellers more direct control over fulfillment on Amazon’s platform.

Benefits of FBM include:

• Lower storage and shipping costs for certain products, especially large or bulky items
• Better fit for businesses that already have warehouse space or local delivery operations

Drawbacks to consider:

• No automatic Prime eligibility, which can reduce visibility and conversion rates
• Higher operational load, as shipping, returns, and customer support fall on a small team

Understanding the difference between FBA and FBM early helps you avoid costly fulfillment mistakes.

However, for most small businesses, FBA is usually the better option when you value convenience and want to grow faster. It allows you to serve customers more efficiently on Amazon’s platform while minimizing day-to-day fulfillment complexity.

Start selling on Amazon FBA

To sell on Amazon using FBA, small to medium enterprises need to follow a clear, structured process that starts with research and ends with launching and optimizing their listings. This section walks you through exactly what to do next, step by step, so you can move from choosing FBA to actively selling on Amazon’s platform with confidence.

Here’s what the Amazon FBA process looks like for small businesses:

1. Conduct market research
2. Decide what to sell
3. Set up your brand
4. Set up your Amazon FBA seller account
5. Source products and plan inventory
6. Create listings that convert
7. Launch your store
8. Attract customers
9. Get reviews

Step 1: Conduct market research

Market research is the first and most important step in selling on Amazon FBA because the product you choose determines everything that follows. Before ordering inventory or creating listings, you need to validate demand, competition, and profitability using real data, not assumptions. Skipping this step is one of the most common reasons new Amazon sellers struggle.

Amazon is highly competitive, with thousands of retailers often selling similar products, which makes differentiation and positioning important.

At this stage, your goal is to answer these questions clearly:

• What should I sell?
• Who is my target market?
• Who am I competing with?
• Can I make a profit after Amazon’s fees?

Start by looking at search demand and sales activity on Amazon to confirm people are actively buying the type of product you’re considering. Then evaluate the competitive landscape by reviewing top listings, pricing, reviews, and the success of leading brands.

Finally, run the numbers before you move forward. Amazon FBA fees, referral fees, product costs, shipping, and advertising all affect margins, and even strong demand won’t matter if the math doesn’t align. Understanding where your money goes is just as important as knowing which products customers prefer.

Taking time to research the market before everything else helps you avoid expensive mistakes down the line and choose products that can realistically support growth.

Step 2: Decide what to sell

Deciding what to sell on Amazon is where a general idea turns into a real business decision. At this step, the goal is to choose a product that fits your budget, operational capacity, and profit goals, not just something you personally like or think will sell. A clear, data-backed choice here makes every step that follows easier.

Instead of guessing, start by evaluating potential products using simple, practical criteria:

• Demand: Are customers actively searching for and buying this product on Amazon?
• Competition: How many sellers are already established, and how strong are their listings?
• Price range: Does the average selling price leave room for fees and marketing?
• Size and weight: Will shipping and FBA costs stay manageable?
• Target margin: Can the product still be profitable after all expenses?

Once you narrow your options, pressure-test the numbers before committing. Make sure the product can realistically support your business goals by accounting for:

• Product and manufacturing costs
• Shipping and Amazon FBA fees
• Advertising expenditure and your desired profit margin

A product can look promising on the surface, but fall apart once costs are applied. Taking the time to choose the right product at this stage helps small businesses avoid expensive mistakes and build a more sustainable Amazon FBA operation.

Step 3: Set up your brand

Before listing products on Amazon, you need a clear, recognizable brand. This step moves you from having just a product idea to having a brand identity you can confidently present to customers and eventually protect through Amazon Brand Registry.

Defining your brand helps your company look more professional, builds trust with buyers, and sets you up for long-term growth.

Start by delineating the core elements of your brand. You don’t need anything complex, but you do need consistency in your:

• Brand name: Choose a name that is unique, easy to remember, and suitable for trademarking as your business grows.
• Logo and visuals: Create simple, consistent visuals that work well across Amazon listings, packaging, and marketing materials.
• Positioning: Clearly define what problem your product solves and who it is designed for.
• Brand story: Write a short, clear explanation of why your product exists and what makes it worth choosing.

In addition to how your brand looks on Amazon, it’s important to own your brand outside of Amazon’s platform. Relying on a single marketplace puts your business at risk if policies or fees change. Owning the following brand assets gives you control and flexibility as you grow:

• A domain name to establish your brand’s online identity
• A professional email address to communicate with customers and partners credibly
• A website or store built with a proper website builder to support marketing and future sales

Taking time to set up your brand before listing products makes it easier to stand out and avoid limiting your business to the Amazon ecosystem.

Step 4: Set up an Amazon FBA seller account

To start selling on Amazon using FBA, you need a fully registered and verified seller account that’s correctly configured for fulfillment through Amazon.

Here’s how to set up your Amazon FBA seller account step by step:

1. Sign up for an Amazon selling account and choose a selling plan: Start by registering as an Amazon seller. You’ll select a selling plan during signup.
2. Log in to Seller Central: This is where you manage your account settings, listings, and fulfillment configuration.
3. Enroll your seller account in FBA: In Seller Central:
   • Hover over the Gear icon, then click Account info
   • Click Manage on the Seller Account Information page
   • Select Register for FBA
4. Add products to FBA (choose one path): After enrollment, you can either:
   • Create new listings and select the option that Amazon will ship and provide customer service (FBA), or
   • Convert existing listings to FBA from your inventory management area

After completing these steps, your seller account will be fully configured to use FBA. From here, you can move on to sourcing products, planning inventory, and sending your first shipment to Amazon’s fulfillment centers.

Also, if your business has more than one co-owner, Amazon allows you to assign user permissions so each person can manage specific parts of the seller account.

Step 5: Source products and plan inventory

Once you’ve validated your product idea, the next step is to secure reliable suppliers and develop a data-driven inventory plan. The goal here is to know who you’re buying from, how much to order, when to reorder, and how much capital you’re investing.

Start by choosing the sourcing model that fits your business and product type. Small businesses commonly source products through one of these paths:

• Manufacturers or suppliers (often found through platforms like Alibaba), which allow you to create custom or private-label products at scale
• Wholesale sourcing, where you buy branded products in bulk from authorized distributors and resell them on Amazon
• Handmade or small-batch production, which works well for custom, niche, or artisanal products, but requires tighter capacity planning

No matter the sourcing method, prioritize quality and communication. Work with suppliers who respond clearly, provide samples, explain costs upfront, and can meet production timelines.

Once a supplier is selected, build a simple inventory plan based on data, including:

• Unit cost: Product cost, packaging, and shipping to Amazon
• Initial order size: Enough inventory to test demand without overinvesting
• Lead times: How long production and shipping take, including buffer time
• Budget impact: Total upfront cost and how it fits your cash flow

Planning inventory this way helps you invest with confidence, avoid excess storage fees, and maintain healthier margins.

Step 6: Create listings that convert

Creating an Amazon listing is not just about filling in required fields. To compete and drive consistent sales, you need listings that are built with strategy, search visibility, and customer decision-making in mind. A strong listing helps Amazon understand when to show your product and helps customers quickly see why it’s worth buying.

When creating your listing, focus on the elements that directly impact selling and conversions:

• Keyword-rich titles and bullets that align with how customers search on Amazon
• Clear, benefit-driven copy that explains what the product does and why it matters
• High-quality images that build trust and help customers visualize the product
• Consistent branding that reinforces credibility and professionalism

Approaching listings this way turns them into sales assets instead of mere placeholders. By combining search strategy with clear messaging and strong visuals, your products stand out to customers, earn more clicks, and convert more traffic into sales.

Step 7: Launch your store

Once your listings are live, the focus shifts from setup to building momentum. This stage is centered on moving from visibility to real customer activity by attracting the right shoppers, converting early orders, and building a performance history that Amazon’s platform can trust.

A measured, rules-compliant launch helps your listings gain traction without risking your seller account. By prioritizing relevance, consistency, and customer experience, you can establish a strong foundation for sustainable sales.

To launch your store effectively, focus on actions that support growth while protecting account health:

• Confirm inventory and pricing to ensure products are available, competitive, and ready to ship via FBA.
• Drive controlled, relevant traffic instead of forcing rapid sales spikes.
• Deliver a strong customer experience through accurate listings, fast shipping, and clear communication.
• Monitor account performance using relevant metrics (customer feedback, cancellation rate, late-shipment rate) to catch issues early and maintain good standing.

Launching this way builds trust with both customers and Amazon. It helps your listings gain early momentum while preparing your store for ongoing and upcoming shop activities.

Step 8: Attract customers

Once your store is live, consistent sales depend on how well you market your products on Amazon. In this step, you should focus on:

• Increasing visibility
• Driving qualified traffic
• Turning interested shoppers into paying customers

The goal is to use the tools and tactics that make sense for your small business.

Start by using Amazon’s built-in marketing features to support discovery:

• Use sponsored listings and promotions to place your products in relevant searches, especially while organic visibility is still developing.
• Set competitive pricing that encourages clicks while protecting your margins.
• Present clear images and listing copy so shoppers quickly understand what the product offers and why it’s worth buying.

Beyond ads, marketing on Amazon is also about building momentum over time:

• Encourage customer interactions such as clicks and purchases that signal relevance to Amazon’s platform.
• Maintain consistent performance to support stronger rankings and wider reach.
• Deliver a strong customer experience that helps turn interest into trust and repeat sales.

This approach helps small businesses increase traffic and sales without overspending or relying heavily on assumptions.

Step 9: Get reviews

Customer reviews play a major role in how products perform on Amazon. They have a significant impact on every buyer’s decision, whether or not they complete the purchase. For small businesses, the goal is to earn these reviews legitimately.

The foundation of review generation is a strong customer experience. When products arrive on time, match the listing description, and meet expectations, positive reviews follow naturally.

From there, sellers can encourage feedback in ways that align with Amazon’s rules and protect seller performance.

To earn reviews the right way, focus on a simple, repeatable approach:

• Deliver exactly what your listing promises so customers feel confident leaving positive feedback.
• Use Amazon’s built-in review request tools to ask for feedback in a compliant, standardized way.
• Follow up consistently but neutrally, avoiding incentives, pressure, or selective outreach.
• Monitor feedback trends to identify issues early and improve the customer experience.

Genuine reviews help your products stand out. Listings with strong, verified feedback tend to earn more clicks, convert better, and appear higher in search results.

Make your listings easy to find and buy

To perform well on Amazon, listings need to do two things at once: show up in relevant searches and convince shoppers to buy once they land on the page. This section explains how small businesses can optimize their Amazon listings for both visibility and conversion.

• Find the right keywords
• Use hidden keywords best practices
• Create informative titles and feature-heavy descriptions
• Use high-quality, conversion-focused images

Find the right keywords

Finding the right keywords helps Amazon understand when to show your product and helps customers find it when they’re ready to buy. The goal is to use the same words your customers are already typing into Amazon’s search bar so your listing appears in relevant searches.

When researching keywords, focus on real customer behavior:

• Use Amazon autocomplete to see the exact phrases shoppers type into the search bar.
• Analyze top competitor listings to identify words and phrases that appear consistently in titles and bullets.
• Use SEO tools, such as BuzzSumo or SEMrush, to discover related terms, variations, and long-tail phrases customers search for.

Once you’ve identified relevant keywords, add them naturally to your title, bullet points, and description. This helps Amazon understand when to show your product, improving your chances of appearing in searches that drive clicks and sales.

Use hidden keywords best practices

Amazon gives sellers backend keyword fields where you can add extra search terms that don’t appear on your listing page but still help with ranking. These hidden keywords let you expand search visibility without adding extra terms to your title or bullet points.

Use this space strategically. Hidden keywords work best when they complement your visible content rather than duplicate it. You can include spelling variations, synonyms, and relevant long-tail phrases that didn’t fit naturally elsewhere in your listing.

When adding hidden keywords, follow these best practices to stay effective and compliant:

• Avoid brand names and ASINs, including competitor terms that Amazon ignores.
• Skip irrelevant or spammy terms that don’t accurately describe your product.
• Don’t repeat keywords already used in your title or bullets.
• Keep entries concise, using only the space Amazon allows.
• Use variations and synonyms to capture different ways customers search.

Following these guidelines helps Amazon better understand when to surface your product without risking keyword dilution or policy issues. For full details, refer to Amazon’s official search term guidelines.

Create informative titles and feature‑heavy descriptions

Your title and product copy should help customers understand what your product is, who it’s for, and why it’s worth buying. Clear, keyword-rich copy makes it easier for Amazon to surface your listing in search and helps shoppers decide once they land on the page.

When writing your product title, stick to a simple, proven structure and follow a few core rules:

• Use a clear title formula: Brand + Product + Key feature + Size or quantity.
• Include primary keywords naturally so the title still reads clearly.
• Avoid keyword stuffing or unnecessary filler.
• Keep it readable so shoppers can scan it quickly.
• Stay within Amazon’s length guidelines to avoid truncation.

For the rest of your listing, separate scannability from storytelling. Bullet points should highlight key features, benefits, and specific details that matter to buyers, such as materials, use cases, or performance.

The product description is where you expand on those points, add context, and reinforce your brand’s value. Amazon recommends short paragraphs that are easy to read on both desktop and mobile.

The clearer your value is, the easier it is for customers to trust your product and move from interest to purchase.

Use high‑quality, conversion‑focused images

High-quality product images are one of the strongest signals Amazon uses to help customers make a decision. Clear, persuasive visuals build trust and help shoppers feel confident purchasing your product.

When preparing your product images, include a mix that helps customers see and understand what you’re selling:

• The main image shows a clean hero shot of the product on a pure white background while meeting Amazon’s core requirements
• Detail images that focus on close-ups of key features and important details shoppers care about
• Unique selling proposition visuals that highlight what sets your product apart
• Lifestyle shots that show the product in real-world use, so customers can easily imagine owning it

To make your visuals both compliant and conversion-friendly, keep these image requirements in mind:

• Use a pure white (RGB 255, 255, 255) background to meet Amazon’s standard for the hero shot.
• The product should fill at least 85 % of the image frame so it’s easy to see.
• Images must be at least 1,000 × 1,000 pixels (to enable Amazon’s zoom function).
• Amazon supports JPEG (.jpg), PNG (.png), or TIFF (.tif).

These practices help your listing perform better in search results while also creating a strong first impression of your brand.

If you need full technical specifications or category-specific image rules, check Amazon’s official product image requirements in Seller Central.

Drive low‑cost traffic to your Amazon listings

Sellers can bring more shoppers to their Amazon listings by using affordable, organic marketing strategies that increase visibility without relying solely on paid ads. These approaches focus on long-term traffic, credibility, and reach rather than short-term spikes through ads.

For small businesses, this means using channels you already control or can access with minimal cost.

The strategies below help you attract steady traffic to your Amazon products, support discovery beyond Amazon’s platform, and build momentum that continues to work even when ad budgets are limited.

• Get backlinks from gift guides, blogs, and guest posts
• Partner with influencers for product swaps and referral rewards
• Organically promote listings on social media
• Integrate Amazon listings with your e-commerce site or blog

Get backlinks from gift guides, blogs, and guest posts

You don’t have to rely only on Amazon’s internal traffic to generate sales. Getting featured on external websites through gift guides, niche blogs, and guest posts can drive steady, low-cost traffic to your Amazon listings while also building your brand’s credibility.

When your product is mentioned on a trusted site, it reaches people who already care about the topic your product fits into, which means the traffic is often higher intent and more likely to convert.

These placements also create backlinks that continue to yield traffic, unlike ads, which are limited by your budget.

For small businesses, this approach works best when you focus on relevance. Pitch your product to blog owners, creators, or publishers that already serve your target audience, and position it as a useful recommendation rather than a promotion.

Partner with influencers for product swaps and referral rewards

Influencers continue to shape how people discover and buy products online. In fact, recent research shows that 86% of consumers make at least one purchase influenced by creator content each year, highlighting the power of influencer recommendations when audiences trust what they see.

Influencer partnerships don’t have to rely on big budgets. Instead of costly sponsorships, you can offer free products or simple referral incentives (like discounts or rewards) in exchange for authentic promotion on an influencer’s social channels. This keeps costs low and helps your product reach people who are already interested in related topics.

Focus on influencers whose audience aligns with your product niche. Even smaller, niche creators often drive deeper engagement than big names with less targeted followers.

Used consistently, this approach can generate ongoing traffic and credibility for your Amazon listings without increasing ad spending, making influencer collaborations a practical way to attract customers.

Organically promote listings on social media

Social media gives small businesses a free way to attract attention and send traffic to Amazon listings with minimal to no cost. Instead of pushing promotional materials into platforms already saturated with ads, your focus is to share content that feels useful, relatable, and interesting, content that people naturally want to click through.

Post content that shows your product in context. This can include short demos, behind-the-scenes clips, customer use cases, or simple tips related to the problem your product solves. When the product fits naturally into the content, it feels less like an ad and more like a recommendation.

Consistency matters more than volume. Regular posts help build familiarity and trust over time, which makes followers more likely to engage and eventually buy. Pairing posts with limited-time offers, product launches, or seasonal angles can also encourage action without relying on paid promotion.

Used this way, social media becomes a steady traffic source that supports visibility and sales on Amazon and your online store, while keeping engagement authentic.

Integrate Amazon listings with your e-commerce site or blog

Your own blog or website can be a reliable source of low-cost traffic for your Amazon listings. By linking to your products from content you control, you guide interested visitors to Amazon.

This approach works best when your content helps visitors understand the product before they click through. Effective examples include:

• Blog posts and tutorials that explain how the product works or solves a problem
• Buying guides or comparisons that help readers decide which option fits their needs
• Product-focused content that answers common questions before purchase

Integrating Amazon listings with your site also creates a natural bridge between channels:

• Visitors spend more time engaging with your content before heading to Amazon
• Traffic arrives with more context, which often leads to higher conversion rates
• Your website becomes a long-term traffic asset instead of a one-time campaign

Use this strategy consistently to support Amazon sales, improve engagement, and sustain visibility growth with little to no cost.

Frequently asked questions

Your next move on Amazon starts here

Selling on Amazon as a small business works best when each step builds on the last. You start by choosing the right product, then decide how you’ll fulfill orders, create listings that convert, launch with intention, optimize for visibility, and scale based on real performance. What you do outside of Amazon becomes just as important as what you do on the platform.

That’s why successful small businesses don’t rely solely on Amazon. They use it as a powerful sales channel while also building assets they control, such as a custom domain to establish their brand, a powerful website to support long-term growth, and an SEO tool to understand how customers search and discover products. These assets give you more flexibility and reduce dependence on a single marketplace.

We bring those pieces together, helping you build beyond the marketplace and stay in control as you scale. When you invest in a foundation that supports growth, you’re not just selling products; you’re building a business that’s prepared for what comes next.