How to Make an Amazon Account 101: Everything You Need to Know

Did you know that there are different types of accounts you can create on Amazon?

First, there’s the standard account (called an Amazon account or an Amazon basic account) used to purchase products like books, electronics, clothing, furniture, and also services like Amazon Music, Audible, Alexa, Kindle, Fire TV, etc.

Then, there’s the Amazon seller account—used by third-party (or 3P) sellers—which grants access to the seller central dashboard. This dashboard contains many advanced yet easy-to-use seller tools that help users market and sell products to millions of customers online.

There’s also something known as a vendor central account—used by first-party (or 1P) sellers—but these are few compared to seller central accounts.

In this post, you will learn how to make an Amazon account to buy and sell products on the largest marketplace on Earth!

How to Create an Amazon Account and Buy Things Online?

Are you interested in ordering things from Amazon? You’ll need to create a buyer account first. The following is a step-by-step guide on setting up your Amazon account.

Step 1: Visit Amazon.com, hover over the Sign In section and select Start here.

Step 2: On the Amazon sign-up page, fill in your credentials and select Continue.

Step 3: Amazon will send a verification code to your email address.

Step 4: Log into your email account, copy the code, and paste it in the Enter OPT section and hit Verify.

And that’s it—your new Amazon account is set up and ready to go!

Is An Amazon Account Free?

An Amazon basic account is completely free, and there are no fees associated with creating an account either. However, once you subscribe to Amazon Prime, you’ll be charged $14.99 per month for shopping, shipping, reading, streaming, and other benefits.

How Do I Set Up an Amazon Prime Account?

To get Amazon prime, all you have to do is head over to the Amazon Prime page and start your 30-day free trial. Once your free trial expires, you’ll have to pay $14.99 per month to retain membership perks, including same-day, one-day, and two-day delivery times, access to Amazon original video content, exclusive deals, etc.

How to Make an Amazon Account and Sell Products?

You can use your Amazon customer account to start selling, but we recommend creating a separate Amazon seller central account tied to a business email to keep things organized. 

Before you learn how to make an Amazon seller account, brush up on the different types of fees you’re likely to incur. The major ones include:

• Subscription fees: To sell products on Amazon, you must subscribe either to the Individual or the Professional plan. The individual plan charges $0.99 per unit sold (exclusive of other fees), whereas the professional plan has a flat $39.99 per month cost (irrespective of how many units you sell).
• Referral fees: Think of referral fees as the commission Amazon charges sellers for using its platform. Referral fees vary based on the product category. For more details, view Amazon’s referral fee structure.
• FBA fees: FBA (or Fulfillment by Amazon) fees is for sellers enrolled in the FBA program. By enrolling in this program, you outsource product packaging, storage, shipping, and customer support to Amazon. 
• Shipping fee: Sellers who forgo the FBA program and self-fulfill orders must still pay a shipping fee. The shipping rates vary based on the shipping service selected by the buyer and the product category. 

The above is not an exhaustive list; sellers may also incur additional fees based on their operations and performance metrics. 

With seller fees out of the way, here’s how to create an Amazon seller central account:

Step 1: Type in “Amazon Seller Central” in Chrome or any other search engine.

Step 2: Click on the first link, i.e. Seller Central – Amazon.com.

Step 3: Hit the Sign-Up button

Step 4: Click on the Create your Amazon account button below the “New to Amazon?” section.

Step 5: Set the email and password you want to use as your credentials. (We recommend creating a separate business email as your Amazon login because as your business operations grow, so will the emails from Amazon).

Step 6: Verify your credentials using the One-Time Password (OPT) Amazon sent to your email ID.

Step 7: Begin the account creation process and submit the required details. (Select “None, I am an individual” in the Business type dropdown menu if you don’t own an LLC).

Note: Amazon may reach out to you via email asking for additional details even after you complete the Amazon seller central account creation process. 

Can I Make Multiple Amazon Accounts?

It is illegal for a seller to own multiple Amazon accounts (except in case of a legitimate business need). If Amazon were to catch wind of you operating multiple seller central accounts—which it’s getting better at each passing day—it will most likely close all of your accounts and halt your businesses. 

Amazon isn’t really clear on what constitutes a “legitimate business need”; however, an example could be a company that owns and operates multiple brands, each with different inventory and practices, making it difficult to do business under one seller central account.

How to Get an Amazon Vendor Central Account?

Unlike a basic Amazon or an Amazon seller central account, you cannot ‘create’ a vendor central account. Vendor Central is an invite-only program where sellers act as Amazon’s suppliers, who then rebrands these products and sells it directly to customers under the AmazonBasics label. 

Vendor Central features a unique dashboard where users can view their performance scores and manage purchase orders. Sellers who deal directly with Amazon via Vendor Central are first-party (or 1P) sellers. 

First-party Amazon selling has its pros and cons (just like third-party sellers using Seller Central) and is something we wouldn’t recommend if you’re just starting out on Amazon or are new to online selling.

How to Make an Amazon Account – Conclusion 

In this blog, you’ve learned how to create an account on Amazon to:

1. Buy products and services on Amazon.com
2. Sell products and services on Amazon.com
3. Sell products directly to Amazon

However, knowing how to create an Amazon account is just the first stage in your eCommerce journey. From here on out, you’re going to have to learn how to:

1. Research sell-worthy products
2. Advertise your products while remaining within your budget
3. Create an attractive virtual store
4. Source quality products (most likely from overseas)
5. Adapt to continual changes in Amazon’s seller policies and competitors’ strategies.

Whether you’re just starting your Amazon journey or been in the game for a while, ZonGuru has just what you need to improve your business. Sign up for a FREE trial today, cancel any time.

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