How to Sell Internationally on Amazon – The Definitive Guide

how to sell internationally on amazon

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If you’re wondering how to sell internationally on Amazon, you might also be curious to know what the sales look like globally.

With millions of customers worldwide, Amazon has become a global marketplace for sellers.

Many of these customers are looking for products that can only be found overseas, and if you’re not selling internationally, you’re missing out on potential revenue.

Amazon international selling is a great way to expand your business and reach more customers.

It allows you to fulfill the needs of consumers from other countries without performing the legwork associated with importing or exporting your goods.

However, you might have heard that it’s challenging to sell globally on Amazon because of foreign exchange restrictions.

While it’s true that you can’t sell to Amazon European marketplaces without getting an international seller account, it’s not as complicated as it sounds either.

If you’re already selling on the Amazon global marketplace, follow the steps below.

How To Sell Internationally On Amazon’s Global Marketplaces

Here are some steps and tips to help get you started:

Learn about product eligibility and Amazon policies

Before anything else, it’s essential to understand the basics of product eligibility and Amazon policies.

Amazon has a list of products and items they don’t sell.

There are also specific categories restricted from sale in specific (sometimes all) countries.

For example, while many types of food can be shipped outside the U.S., some foods aren’t eligible for international shipping due to regulatory restrictions set by governments worldwide (e.g., dairy products).

And while you can sell most books on Amazon’s global marketplace, there are some exceptions.

For instance, if your book contains adult content or was published within the last 18 months (in most cases), then it may not be eligible for sale on Amazon global stores.

Set up your seller account for international markets

You can start selling internationally in the U.S. and then expand your business to global customers with your global business.

You will need to set up a seller account in each country you want to sell, set up international listings written in the local language, and comply with their respective laws and regulations.

Be careful, though.

Ensure there are no legal conflicts between your country and the ones you want to operate in before selling internationally.

Amazon may terminate your account if there are any.

Set up your products for international marketplaces

  • Build international listings per target marketplace by adding foreign versions of your product description, product title, product image, and product URL (if available). Do this for the official local language of every country you’re going to sell in
  • Set up pricing and shipping options for each country you’d like to sell your products. Amazon may set this up automatically depending on the country and currency.
  • Select whether or not inventory availability for each available variant will be shown on the detail page

Start shipping items internationally

Here are the steps to be able to start shipping items internationally and sell globally:

  • Prepare your shipping plan.
  • Select a warehouse in the destination country.
  • Find a shipping partner specializing in international freight forwarding services. Make sure to get their rates ahead of time, so you can plan your expenses.
  • Get an international shipping software package with which you can manage all aspects of your business’ global logistics, from inventory management and packaging to customs clearance and delivery tracking. Integrate with Amazon Prime or other 3PL providers if necessary.
  • Purchase labels compliant with the government regulations of each destination country where you’ll be sending goods. There may also be additional requirements depending on how much value is being shipped. Don’t forget to acquire country-specific customs forms too.

Amazon International Selling Fees

While setting up an Amazon Global Selling account is free, there are a few fees that you need to be aware of:

  • Shipping fees: These include the cost of transporting your goods to the destination country, customs fees, and other fees associated with shipping across borders. You can find out your shipping costs through FBA’s Shipping Calculator.
  • Amazon international selling fees: This fee is calculated based on how many items you are selling and how long they’ve been in stock. The more you sell and the longer your inventory lasts, the higher the fee will be. The current fee is 15% of gross sales from products shipped from an Amazon fulfillment center and 25% for products shipped from a third-party warehouse (through FEM).
Amazon International Selling Fees

Amazon FBA International Shipping Rates

Amazon FBA international shipping rates are determined by several factors, including the product’s weight and dimensions.

To find out how much shipping your product internationally will cost, you can check out these Amazon global shipping rates and times.

Amazon FBA International Shipping Rates

As a seller, there are several values you need to determine for the FBA fulfillment fees.

This include the product size tier, shipping weight, dimensional weight, and fee category.

In order to determine which rates are applicable to your specific product, you will need to check the fee category guidelines.

All these information can be accessed once you open your account. For more detailed information on setting up your shipping rates, you can visit Amazon’s FBA fulfillment fee page.

What Is Amazon Global Selling (Or AGS)?

how to sell internationally on amazon

Amazon Global Selling is a service that allows Amazon sellers to sell their products overseas.

What makes it easy to sell on Amazon internationally is that there’s no need for you or your buyers to deal with multiple shipping carriers and customs duties.

With AGS, you can sell to various countries in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and the U.S.

In other words, your sales potential becomes much bigger thanks to your worldwide reach.

Here’s how selling in Amazon marketplaces work:

  1. Set up your Amazon Seller Central account for your eCommerce business, which is like a shopfront on Amazon. This is where you’ll manage everything, from product listings to customer service.
  2. Create a listing for each product you want to sell internationally, then add it to your Amazon store. Enter the important details such as the item description and pricing information for each listing. Make sure that your product images meet Amazon’s image requirements too.
  3. Your products will now be available for purchase at Amazon stores around the world.
What Is Amazon Global Selling (Or AGS)

How Does Amazon Global Selling Work?

AGS lets you sell products not only on Amazon.com, but also in select third-party marketplaces worldwide.

You can create stores in several regions of the world, from North America to the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

How Does Amazon Global Selling Work?

For instance, you can create a store on Amazon.fr if you want customers from France.

What’s more, you can use the same account to sell in a nearby country like Germany because they are both in Europe and integrate under the same unified account.

use the same account to sell in a nearby country

The best part?

You don’t have to speak German or French or Chinese in order to accomplish this.

Amazon does all the work for you.

When you choose international selling, customers from all over the world can buy and ship your products using their local shipping methods.

You can also use Amazon’s fulfillment services to ship your products directly to customers in other countries.

When a customer purchases a product from you, their transaction will be conducted in their local currency as usual.

You’ll receive payment at the standard rate, calculated based on current conversion rates.

Amazon will take a percentage of your sales, plus applicable taxes, tariffs, and shipping costs.

The amount will depend on your selling plan, product type, fulfillment strategy, and other factors.

There are two selling plans: individual and professional.

With the individual plan, you’ll pay Amazon $0.99 for every item you sell.

On the other hand, you’ll play a flat monthly fee of $39.99 with the professional plan regardless of how many items you sell.

amazon pricing plan

Setting Up An Account

Setting up an Amazon global selling account can be done in five easy steps:

  1. Sign up for a seller account with Amazon at Seller Central.
  2. Set up a global account on Seller Central. You will be setting up bank accounts and tax information. Amazon will deposit the funds you earn to this bank account.
  3. Set up payment methods. Amazon will ask for your credit card information for account verification. You will also need to provide your bank account details because Amazon pays sellers via electronic fund transfer or Automated Clearing House (ACH).
  4. Set up shipping methods based on what works best in each marketplace. There may be different requirements and pricing between someone buying from the U.S. and someone from Europe.

Benefits Of Amazon Global Selling

There are tons of benefits to selling internationally, here are the main ones:

Access to millions of potential customers using Amazon’s tools

Amazon offers sellers several valuable programs and features such as global selling, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), international fulfillment programs, advertising services, and other promotional tools.

You can leverage amazon’s global scale in more than 100 countries so you can grow your business more easily than ever.

You also benefit from the fact that Amazon’s seller service helps you manage international orders and payments, all from one account.

Products are sold by Amazon and are eligible for Prime

Amazon handles all administrative tasks, including customer service, returns, and payments.

Customers who order from your store on Amazon buy from Amazon — not you.

This means that your products are eligible for Prime status. All FBA products are eligible for Prime.

The best part is that you don’t have to worry about managing inventory or shipping the product directly to customers.

Instead of worrying about these logistics details, you can focus on scaling up your marketing and sales through Amazon tools like FBA International.

Products are sold by Amazon and are eligible for Prime

Amazon Global Selling is free to join and easy to set up

You can join Amazon’s image requirements if you already have an active seller account.

No monthly membership fees or hidden costs are associated with selling on Amazon if you meet their selling requirements for supported countries.

If you have an existing business in any country where Amazon accepts new sellers, receiving approval will be even quicker.

Access to Amazon’s fulfillment centers for FBA account holders

If you have an amazon seller account, Amazon will store your products in their fulfillment network.

When a customer orders, the product will be packed and shipped from one of Amazon’s warehouses.

It also means that your products are eligible for Prime shipping and can benefit from other opportunities like Amazon’s ‘buy box’ or sponsored ads.

If you’re new to selling on Amazon, this is a great way to start growing your business quickly.

You do need to pay for storage costs, though.

This will depend on how much space your items take up.

You will also have to ship them yourself when they’re required by customers or sold through FBA channels.

Requirements For Selling Internationally

Amazon doesn’t require additional fees or information on top of what you have already provided for your seller account.

Simply follow these steps:

  1. Create an account with Amazon Global Selling (if you don’t already have one)
  2. Verify your identity through the Amazon Seller Central website
  3. Create an international shipping plan or add international shipping to an existing plan

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Is Amazon Global Selling Profitable?

Yes. However, there are several factors that you need to consider before starting your global selling campaign.

The most important thing to remember is that it will take some time before you start seeing any profits. The initial investment and shipping costs are higher than those of local sales. On top of that, you will also have to pay extra fees depending on the country you’re selling in and whether they offer free shipping.

Can Anyone From Any Country Sell On Amazon?

Yes! Anyone from anywhere can sell on Amazon.

There are some restrictions on who can sell what (and how they can do it), but the good news is that anyone can start an Amazon business and sell internationally.

To do that, you’ll need to confirm that your products are available in the countries where you want to ship them. You’ll also need to find out the shipping cost and whether or not you can get paid in that country’s currency.

Which Countries Can Sell On Amazon U.S.?

Amazon currently supports over 200 countries, and follows specific selling processes depending on the country.

To sell on the Amazon marketplace, your business must be registered with your local government. You also need a local bank account with an address associated with your company.

Without them, you won’t be eligible to sell internationally on Amazon.

Bottom Line

In order to be a successful international seller on Amazon, you need to understand the global markets and cultural norms.

Furthermore, you must be able to effectively communicate with customers regardless of their language, that’s why an accurate amazon listing translation in the languages of your target marketplaces is crucial.

But, selling on Amazon is about so much more than just a listing.

It’s also about building a relationship with your customers and creating a brand that they can trust.

Customer support also goes a long way in promoting your image as a reliable international seller.

Now that you know how to sell internationally on Amazon, it’s time to take the next step.

With the help of this guide and several tools for Amazon sellers, selling globally has never been easier.

The best part?

You can do it anywhere!

Written by: Omar Deryan

Founder of OJ Digital Solutions

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