How to Create a Child Account on Amazon Seller Central

It’s no secret that Amazon allows only one seller central account per person. But what happens when business operations expand to a point where the account owner needs to delegate tasks to others? In such cases, Amazon permits users to create a ‘child’ account.

So how do you create a child account? Is there a way to set limits on what secondary users can do? How do you protect your private information like credit card and tax details? Find answers to these questions and more in this ‘how to create a child account on Amazon seller central’ blog.

What is a Child Account?

A child account is not a new account per se; instead, it’s you—the Amazon account owner—giving third parties access to your Seller Central dashboard. Only those subscribed to a Professional selling plan can use this service. 

Examples of situations where you can create a child account include:

• You hired the services of an agency, a virtual assistant (VA), or added new employees to your business and want them to perform specific tasks.
• You want to grant a business partner (or a co-owner like a sibling or a friend) access to your store. 

To outsource any work, always create a child account by editing user permissions and not an additional Amazon seller account. Doing so can land you in serious trouble, including a possible suspension of all of your seller accounts.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Multiple Amazon Accounts

Unless there is a genuine business need, owning multiple seller accounts goes against Amazon’s seller code of conduct. Examples that classify as genuine business needs include: 

• You own multiple brands with different storefront names. Having a separate seller account makes it easier to maintain business activities for each brand.
• You sell products manufactured by two distinct manufacturing companies.
• You are part of an Amazon program that requires you to maintain separate accounts e.g. Amazon Renewed.

If you fall into one of these brackets then you don’t need to request approval from Amazon to open subsequent accounts directly.

Adhering to Amazon Selling Policies

Sellers with multiple Amazon accounts must adhere to applicable selling policies (general Amazon policies and those specific to the regional marketplace). Violating Amazon’s seller code of conduct may result in product listings going inactive, withholding or suspension of payments, and in worst-case scenarios, account deactivations for all seller accounts you own and operate.

Finally, you should ensure that your seller performance is up to par for all storefronts. If one account is in poor standing, the rest of your accounts may also suffer from the consequences.

How to Create a Child Account

The process of creating a child account on Amazon is simple. First, head on over to the Settings options inside Seller Central and select User Permissions.

Then, in the ‘Add a New User’ section, type the name and the email address of the person you wish to grant access to and click on the ‘Send Invitation’ button.

The following message will appear once you send an invitation. 

Now, the person whose email address you added should open their inbox. Amazon will have sent them an email asking them to create a child account. The message will read something like this:

Follow the link included in the email and you’ll be redirected to the sign-up page on Amazon. 

Click on the ‘Create your Amazon account’ button.

Here, the person/agency you want to grant access to should use the same email address they received the invitation to create a child account. From this point onwards until process completion, the third party can add two-factor authentication using their phone number. They will also have to select the right marketplace.

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After selecting the appropriate marketplace, the child account creation process is complete. At this point, Amazon will send you a notification asking you to appoint user permissions for the child account user(s). Make sure to read the following section carefully to avoid giving too much power to secondary users!

Use User Permissions to Grant Access to Your Seller Central Dashboard

To edit user permissions, go back to the Settings menu within seller central and select User permissions. You’ll find a new entry in the Current Users section. Select the Manage Permissions option next to the newly created child account.

Secondary users can access and carry out tasks using your seller central dashboard based on the permissions granted to the child account. If you decide to make a secondary user an admin , they’ll also gain access to the User Permissions page and manage permissions for other non-admin child account users.

Granting viewing and editing rights to child account users lets them make changes to your seller central account, some of which include:

• Inventory: Switch between different fulfillment programs, manage shipments and FBA inventory, create new product listings and upload inventory details.
• Pricing: Change and automate pricing for listed products.
• Advertisement: Start and manage ad campaigns for sponsored products, brands, and display. Generate coupons, upload and edit A+ content, and run promotions, among other things.
• Order management: Manage orders, refunds, and returns. Also allows child account users to schedule and download order reports.
• Amazon store design: View and edit your storefront’s name.
• Amazon pay: Manage refunds
• Reports: Enable access to multiple reporting features including sales, invoices, metrics, sales tax, seller fees, and more.
• Settings: Handle business insurance details and disputes with Amazon, manage quotes, gift options, seller bank account and tax settings. Also lets admins (also known as super users) create child accounts on your behalf.
• Media uploads: Upload images
• Performance: Let’s secondary users access the Voice of the Customer page, the service provider network, and the marketplace app store. It also lets them appeal listing and account deactivations.

Take special care when bestowing administrative powers to others. Unless you fully trust the person you’re creating a child account for, we suggest not giving viewing and editing permissions to your Seller Bank Account and Tax Settings located in the Settings section of user permissions.

Click on the Continue button at the bottom of the page to complete the process. 

Frequently Asked Questions – Child Accounts on Amazon

Time to answer a few commonly asked questions related to adding child account users.

What is a sub-account in Amazon?

Sub-accounts and secondary accounts are names given to child accounts on Amazon. A sub-account lets you hand over limited access to your seller central account to a third party. Visit the User Permissions sections found in the Settings menu to delegate authority to sub-account users and assign new admins.

What are the advantages of sub accounts?

The most significant advantage of creating child or subaccounts is automating various aspects of your Amazon business. Outsourcing tasks to skilled virtual assistants or agencies, running an online store business much more manageable. Of course, you should be careful when granting viewing and editing permissions to external users.

Can I Transfer my Amazon Seller Account?

Generally speaking, Amazon seller accounts are not transferable. Seller accounts contain account activity history as well as buyer feedback. Once a seller account is created, you enter into an agreement with Amazon which forbids transferring your account to another person or entity. In case business ownership changes hands, the new owner must create a new seller account.

Conclusion – Giving Access to Your Amazon Seller Central Account

Creating a child account on Amazon is easy but make sure that you’re handing power over to the right people. Unfortunately, some sellers are too eager to create a child account, so much so that they ignore user permissions; recruiting inexperienced Amazon service providers increases the risk of account suspensions as well as the leaking of sensitive information.

They say knowledge is power, and that’s especially true for Amazon sellers. Knowing how to grow an Amazon business differentiates tier-one brands from those struggling to stay afloat. If you want to break into the upper echelon of Amazon brands, joining a mentorship program is a must.

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