SELLERSTACK AMAZON GUIDE · UPDATED FOR 2026
How to Sell on Amazon UK: Complete Guide for Resellers
Learn how Amazon UK selling works from account setup and product research through to FBA, FBM, fees, sourcing, pricing, inventory control and building a profitable selling operation.
Amazon UK Selling Guide for 2026
Amazon fees, fulfilment charges, seller requirements, product restrictions and marketplace policies can change.
This guide focuses on the practical decisions UK sellers and resellers need to make before buying inventory, choosing FBA or FBM, creating offers and scaling a product.
Last reviewed: October 2026
How Do You Start Selling on Amazon UK?
A practical Amazon selling process looks like this:
- Create and verify your Amazon seller account.
- Choose the Individual or Professional selling plan.
- Research products and confirm you are allowed to sell them.
- Choose between FBA, FBM or a combination of both.
- Calculate referral fees, fulfilment, stock cost and other expenses.
- Source only when the expected profit and ROI justify the risk.
- Create or join the correct Amazon catalogue listing.
- Launch the offer and monitor price, demand, returns and stock turnover.
- Replenish only after the product proves that the economics work.
The mistake is starting with: “What can I sell?”
Start instead with: “Can I legally and profitably sell this product, at this price, through this fulfilment model, with enough demand to justify the capital?”
First Decide Whether Amazon Fits the Stock You Want to Sell
Amazon can be a strong marketplace for repeatable products, wholesale inventory, replenishable branded stock and own-brand products.
It is not automatically the best marketplace for every reseller. One-off used stock, unusual collectables, mixed-condition liquidation and highly individual items may sometimes fit eBay more naturally.
If you are still deciding between the two business models, read our eBay vs Amazon UK comparison for resellers before committing stock to either platform.
The SellerStack Amazon Selling Roadmap
Amazon becomes easier to understand when you stop treating it as one big decision.
There are really several separate decisions.
Account
Register correctly and make sure Amazon can verify your identity and business information.
Product
Find a product with real demand, sufficient margin and a sourcing route you can trust.
Eligibility
Confirm that the product, category and brand can be sold from your account before buying quantity.
Fulfilment
Decide whether FBA or your own fulfilment operation gives the product the stronger overall economics.
Profit
Include referral fees, fulfilment, inbound shipping, storage, preparation and advertising where relevant.
Inventory
Control replenishment so profitable products do not become expensive slow-moving stock.
Step 1: Set Up Your Amazon UK Seller Account
Amazon verifies sellers before they are allowed to trade.
The precise documents requested can depend on your legal structure, country and circumstances, but you should expect Amazon to verify both identity and payment information.
Information You May Need
- government-issued ID
- legal name and contact details
- residential or business address
- proof of address where requested
- bank details for receiving disbursements
- a chargeable credit card
- company or sole-trader information where applicable
- tax or VAT information where relevant
- documents showing your relationship to a company where required
Make Your Registration Details Match
Differences between the name, address or business details on your application and your supporting documents can slow down verification. Use your legal information consistently.
Do You Need to Register for VAT Before Selling?
Not every UK-established Amazon seller needs to register for VAT when they first start.
The current UK compulsory VAT registration threshold is £90,000 of taxable turnover, although different rules can apply to businesses established outside the UK and to particular cross-border arrangements.
VAT registration is a business and tax question rather than an Amazon-only question.
SellerStack’s Tax, Records & Business Hub provides the wider UK reseller context.
You can also use the HMRC Sales & Tax Threshold Checker to compare your figures with important UK thresholds and the UK VAT Calculator when you need to add, remove or identify VAT within a price.
Step 2: Choose the Right Amazon Selling Plan
Amazon UK currently provides two main selling plans.
| Plan | Current Cost | May Suit |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | £0.75 per item sold, excluding VAT, plus applicable selling fees | Lower-volume sellers or people testing Amazon |
| Professional | £25 per month, excluding VAT, plus applicable selling fees | Higher-volume sellers or sellers needing advertising, reports and advanced tools |
Amazon currently suggests the Individual plan may suit sellers who expect fewer than roughly 35 sales per month.
The Professional plan can become useful before that threshold if you specifically need features such as advertising, reports, API integrations or other advanced selling tools.
The cheapest plan mathematically is not always the most useful plan operationally. Compare both the monthly cost and the functions your business needs.
Step 3: Check Product, Brand and Category Eligibility Before Buying Stock
A product can appear highly profitable and still be a poor Amazon sourcing opportunity if your account cannot sell it.
Amazon has categories open to all sellers, categories requiring approval and products or brands with additional restrictions.
Check the exact product from within your seller account before committing significant money.
Profit Does Not Matter if You Cannot List the Product
Confirm product eligibility, brand restrictions, condition requirements and any relevant compliance obligations before placing a large order.
Step 4: Choose Between FBA and FBM
Your fulfilment model can change both the cost and the amount of work required to run the product.
Fulfilment by Amazon
You send inventory into Amazon’s fulfilment network. Amazon stores eligible stock and manages picking, packing, customer delivery and significant parts of the fulfilment process.
- less day-to-day packing work
- Prime-eligible delivery for qualifying offers
- Amazon storage and fulfilment fees
- inventory must be prepared correctly
- slow stock can become expensive
Fulfilled by Merchant
You keep the stock and remain responsible for storage, picking, packing and customer dispatch.
- greater storage control
- no FBA fulfilment fee
- you carry the operational workload
- can suit bulky or slower-moving products
- works well when your own fulfilment is efficient
Compare FBA and FBM Before Choosing
Enter realistic product figures and compare referral fees, fulfilment costs, net profit, margin and ROI before deciding how the order should be fulfilled.
For the wider operational side of dispatch, see the SellerStack Shipping & Fulfilment Hub .
Step 5: Understand the Full Amazon UK Cost Stack
Amazon selling costs do not come from one single commission rate.
Depending on how you sell, the total can include:
- selling-plan cost
- category referral fee
- FBA fulfilment fee or your own fulfilment cost
- FBA storage
- inbound shipping
- product preparation and labelling
- advertising
- returns-related costs
- removal or disposal fees
- other programme-specific charges
Referral Fees
Amazon charges a referral fee on each sale.
The rate depends on the product category and, in some categories, the selling-price band.
Amazon currently states that most referral fees sit between 8% and 15%, although the detailed schedule contains rates both below and above that range.
Examples of 2026 Referral-Fee Changes
| Category Example | Current Structure |
|---|---|
| Clothing & Accessories up to £15 | 5% |
| Clothing & Accessories £15–£20 | 10% |
| Home Products up to £20 | 8% |
| Computers | 7% |
| Toys & Games | 15% |
The product category can materially change your margin. Check the current referral-fee schedule for the exact product rather than assuming every Amazon sale costs 15%.
Low-Price FBA
During 2026 Amazon expanded reduced Low-Price FBA rates in most categories to eligible products priced at or below £20.
Eligibility is automatic for qualifying products, subject to the programme’s category, size, weight and other current conditions.
This can materially change the economics of lower-priced inventory, which is another reason to model the exact product rather than applying one generic FBA cost.
2026 FBA Fuel and Logistics Surcharge
From 17 April 2026, Amazon introduced a 1.5% fuel and logistics-related surcharge on UK FBA fulfilment fees.
The surcharge is calculated on the fulfilment fee rather than the product selling price.
FBA Storage Is Separate From Fulfilment
Paying the per-unit FBA fulfilment fee does not mean inventory storage is free.
Amazon charges monthly storage based on how much space your stock occupies inside the fulfilment network.
Additional aged-inventory charges can also become relevant when stock remains inside FBA for extended periods.
Amazon’s current aged-inventory framework begins applying surcharges from 181 days, with higher charges as stock becomes older.
Our Amazon FBA Storage Fees Guide goes deeper into storage, slow inventory and removal decisions.
Step 6: Research the Product Before You Source It
Finding a low buying price is not enough.
A strong Amazon sourcing decision needs several questions answered.
1. Is There Demand?
Estimate whether enough customers are actually buying the product at the price you need.
2. Is the Price Stable?
A temporary high price can make a poor product look profitable.
3. How Competitive Is the Offer?
Review how many sellers compete on the same product page and whether Amazon itself is present.
4. Are You Eligible to Sell It?
Check the exact ASIN, brand and category before buying stock.
5. Can You Replenish It?
A repeatable source can turn a successful first test into a genuine product line.
6. What Is the Complete Unit Cost?
Include purchase price, delivery to you, preparation and inbound shipping to Amazon.
7. How Quickly Might the Stock Turn?
Strong margin is less useful when inventory stays unsold for months.
Demand Without Margin Is Not a Product Opportunity
A product selling hundreds of units can still be a poor sourcing decision if the buying price, competition, fees or advertising leave too little profit.
Step 7: Choose an Amazon Sourcing Model
Amazon sellers use several different sourcing models.
Retail Arbitrage
Buying legitimate retail products below the price at which they can profitably be resold on Amazon.
Online Arbitrage
The same principle, but sourcing is performed through online retailers rather than physical shops.
Wholesale
Buying products from legitimate manufacturers, distributors or wholesalers in larger quantities.
Private Label
Developing or sourcing products sold under your own brand, with additional responsibility for compliance, packaging, intellectual property and brand development.
Used or Collectable Products
Amazon permits used inventory in eligible categories and conditions, although product eligibility and condition rules need to be checked carefully.
Whatever model you use, the buying decision should start in the SellerStack Sourcing & Stock Hub .
Our guide to how much you should pay for resale stock explains how to work backwards from the expected sale rather than buying first and hoping the margin survives.
Set Your Buying Ceiling Before You Order Stock
Work backwards from the realistic sale price, costs, profit, ROI and margin you need.
Step 8: Calculate Amazon Profit Before You Buy
Amazon revenue can look impressive while the unit economics remain weak.
Estimate the economics of one unit before increasing inventory.
Simplified Amazon FBA Product
| Expected selling price | £29.99 |
| Product cost | £8.00 |
| Example referral fee | £4.50 |
| Example fulfilment cost | £3.50 |
| Inbound shipping / preparation | £1.00 |
| Total example costs | £17.00 |
| Estimated profit | £12.99 |
Illustration only. Actual Amazon costs depend on the category, product, fulfilment method, dimensions, weight, selling plan and your circumstances.
Calculate FBA or FBM Profit Before You Source
Model referral fees, fulfilment, purchase cost and other selling expenses to estimate net profit, margin and ROI.
You can also use the Reseller Profit Calculator for a marketplace-independent view of the transaction.
If you need to calculate the return generated by your stock money, use the Reseller ROI Calculator .
And if you need to work backwards from a required profit amount, the Product Pricing Calculator can help determine the approximate selling price the deal needs to support.
Know Your Break-Even Price
If competition pushes the Amazon price down, you need to know the point at which the product stops making money.
Use the Reseller Break-Even Calculator to estimate the minimum selling price required to cover the entered costs.
Step 9: Understand How the Amazon Catalogue Works
Amazon is different from marketplaces where every seller creates a completely separate listing for the same product.
Where the product already exists in Amazon’s catalogue, multiple sellers may create offers against the same product detail page.
If the product does not exist, an eligible seller may need to create the product detail page correctly using the required identifiers and attributes.
Build Accurate Product Information
Depending on the category, useful information can include:
- brand
- product type
- model
- size or quantity
- colour
- material
- compatibility
- GTIN or other product identifiers
- relevant safety or compliance information
Product Titles
Keep Amazon titles accurate and useful to the shopper rather than repeating keywords unnaturally.
SellerStack’s product-title guide explains the broader principles and how title strategy differs across marketplaces.
Product Images
The main Amazon product image generally needs to show the product clearly against a pure white background and comply with the image requirements for the relevant category.
Additional images can then explain features, dimensions, packaging and appropriate product use.
Step 10: Understand Amazon’s Featured Offer
When several sellers offer the same product, Amazon may highlight one offer as the Featured Offer.
In July 2026 Amazon removed the previous separate seller-eligibility stage for the Featured Offer in the UK and EU.
That does not mean every seller automatically becomes the Featured Offer.
Amazon still evaluates offers using customer-focused factors such as:
- competitive pricing
- delivery speed
- seller performance
- stock availability
- the overall customer offer
Winning the sale by continually reducing price is not useful if the final selling price falls below the level required to protect your margin.
Step 11: Prepare Your First FBA Shipment
If you choose FBA, inventory needs to enter Amazon’s fulfilment network correctly.
The exact process can vary by product, but the practical workflow generally includes:
1. Confirm the Product Offer
Make sure the correct product and condition have been selected.
2. Choose FBA
Configure the offer to use Amazon fulfilment.
3. Prepare the Units
Follow the applicable packaging, labelling and preparation requirements.
4. Create the Inbound Shipment
Provide the quantity, carton and shipment information Amazon requests.
5. Send the Inventory
Include inbound shipping within the unit economics rather than treating it as a free cost.
6. Confirm Inventory Becomes Available
Monitor the shipment and investigate discrepancies rather than assuming every received unit is immediately sellable.
What If You Use FBM Instead?
FBM removes Amazon’s FBA fulfilment and storage structure, but it transfers the operational responsibility back to you.
Your own cost calculation should therefore include:
- storage space
- packaging
- labour
- shipping labels
- carrier charges
- customer service
- returns processing
Outsourced fulfilment can look more expensive because the charge is visible. Your own fulfilment also has a cost even when you do not invoice yourself for the time.
Step 12: Manage Inventory, Not Just Sales
Amazon sellers can create a cashflow problem while still generating sales.
That happens when too much money is tied up in stock that moves more slowly than expected.
Measure Stock Turnover
The Stock Turnover Calculator helps estimate how quickly inventory is cycling back into sales and how long your money is typically tied up in stock.
Identify Dead Stock
The Dead Stock Calculator helps show how much inventory cost is sitting in ageing or inactive stock.
Plan Replenishment Against Cash
The Inventory Cashflow Planner separates business cash from money still invested in inventory and helps you model what another stock order could do to available cash.
One profitable sale is not enough evidence to justify buying 100 more units. Confirm that demand, price, competition and selling speed remain strong enough to support the larger investment.
Step 13: Use Amazon Advertising Only When the Product Can Support It
Amazon advertising can increase visibility, but additional sales do not automatically mean additional profit.
Sponsored Products
Cost-per-click ads that promote individual product offers within relevant Amazon placements.
Sponsored Brands
Brand-led advertising available to eligible sellers and brands.
Sponsored Display
Additional display advertising options for eligible sellers.
Know Your Break-Even Before Increasing PPC
Advertising introduces another acquisition cost into each sale.
Calculate how much room exists in the product margin before deciding what advertising cost the sale can absorb.
Step 14: Brand Registry Matters if You Own the Brand
Amazon Brand Registry is not something every reseller needs.
It becomes relevant when you own and are developing a brand.
Amazon currently requires the brand name or logo to be permanently affixed to the product or packaging and an eligible pending or registered trademark.
Eligible brand owners can gain access to additional protection, listing and brand-building tools.
A+ Content
Eligible brand owners can use richer product-page modules including enhanced imagery, comparison content and brand information.
A+ Content can improve how a shopper understands a product, but it cannot compensate for weak demand, poor pricing or bad unit economics.
Can You Dropship on Amazon UK?
Amazon permits dropshipping when its policy requirements are followed.
The important principle is that you remain the seller of record.
Amazon requires the customer-facing transaction to identify you as the seller, and you remain responsible for customer service and returns.
Retailer-to-Customer Fulfilment Can Breach the Policy
Buying from another online retailer after receiving an Amazon order and allowing that retailer’s name, invoice, packing slip or branding to reach the customer can breach Amazon’s dropshipping rules.
Using Amazon Inventory for Other Sales Channels
Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfilment can allow eligible FBA inventory to be used for orders generated outside Amazon.
Depending on the setup, this can include orders from ecommerce stores and supported marketplaces.
MCF has its own pricing and operating rules, so do not assume an off-Amazon order costs exactly the same to fulfil as a normal Amazon marketplace order.
The SellerStack First 90 Days on Amazon
New sellers often try to scale before they have enough information.
A better approach is to separate learning, validation and scaling.
Learn and Test
- complete account setup
- understand eligibility checks
- research a small group of products
- calculate unit economics
- send or fulfil a controlled amount of inventory
- learn the order and returns process
Measure
- review actual sale prices
- compare expected and actual fees
- measure days to sale
- monitor returns
- track advertising where used
- calculate real profit and ROI
Improve and Replenish
- replenish products with proven economics
- reduce or exit weak inventory
- improve sourcing cost
- refine FBA vs FBM decisions
- review working capital
- consider automation only where it saves real time
Your first objective is not maximum revenue. It is finding a repeatable product-and-process combination that produces a worthwhile return without exposing too much capital.
Should You Sell the Product Somewhere Else Instead?
Amazon is only one route to market.
Before committing to the marketplace, put the same product through the UK Marketplace Profit Comparison Calculator .
That lets you compare estimated fees, profit, margin and ROI across Amazon FBA, eBay and other major UK marketplaces using the same product figures.
12 Common Amazon UK Seller Mistakes
1. Buying Before Checking Eligibility
A profitable-looking product is useless if your account cannot sell it.
2. Looking Only at Referral Fees
Fulfilment, storage, preparation, inbound freight and advertising can materially change the result.
3. Assuming FBA Is Always Better
Compare the actual economics of FBA and your own fulfilment operation.
4. Sending Too Much Untested Stock
Large first orders increase capital exposure before demand has been proven.
5. Ignoring Packaged Dimensions
Amazon fulfilment fees depend on the finished package, not just the product itself.
6. Treating Revenue as Profit
A high-selling SKU can still be weak after all costs are included.
7. Ignoring Stock Turnover
Slow inventory ties up cash and can create additional FBA storage costs.
8. Chasing the Featured Offer by Destroying Margin
Price competition should not push the product below your acceptable return.
9. Increasing PPC Without Knowing Break-Even
Advertising can increase sales while reducing profit.
10. Reordering From One Good Sale
Replenish from repeatable evidence rather than one successful transaction.
11. Ignoring Returns and Account Health
Operational quality matters as much as the sourcing spreadsheet.
12. Scaling Before Working Capital Can Support It
Growing inventory faster than cash returns from sales can create a profitable-looking cashflow problem.
Amazon Product Decision Checklist
- Am I permitted to sell the product?
- Is the supplier legitimate?
- Is demand proven?
- Is the selling price realistic?
- How many sellers compete on the product?
- What referral fee applies?
- What will FBA or FBM cost?
- Have I included inbound shipping and preparation?
- Could storage become significant?
- Will advertising be required?
- What is the expected net profit?
- What is the ROI?
- How long might the inventory remain unsold?
- How much capital am I putting at risk?
- Can I replenish the product if it works?
How to Sell on Amazon UK: FAQs
How much does it cost to sell on Amazon UK?
Amazon’s Individual plan currently costs £0.75 per item sold, excluding VAT, while the Professional plan costs £25 per month excluding VAT. Referral fees and other applicable costs are additional. FBA sellers can also incur fulfilment, storage and inventory-related charges.
Should I use Amazon Individual or Professional?
Amazon suggests Individual may suit sellers expecting fewer than around 35 sales per month. Professional can make more sense at higher volume or where you need advertising, reports, APIs and other advanced selling tools.
Is FBA better than FBM?
Neither is automatically better. FBA can reduce fulfilment workload and provide Prime-eligible delivery for qualifying offers, while FBM may make more sense when your own storage and dispatch operation is more economical or the product is slow, bulky or unsuitable for FBA.
What is Low-Price FBA?
Low-Price FBA provides reduced fulfilment rates for eligible lower-priced products. During 2026 Amazon expanded the programme in most categories to qualifying products priced at or below £20.
Do Amazon referral fees always equal 15%?
No. Referral fees depend on the product category and can also vary by selling-price band. Amazon currently states that most rates sit between 8% and 15%, but the complete schedule includes other rates.
Does FBA fulfilment include storage?
No. FBA fulfilment and inventory storage are separate costs. Slow-moving inventory may also face additional aged-inventory charges.
Do I need to be VAT registered to sell on Amazon UK?
Not every UK-established seller needs VAT registration from the first sale. The current UK compulsory VAT registration threshold is £90,000 of taxable turnover, although different rules can apply depending on where the business is established and how goods are supplied.
Can I dropship on Amazon UK?
Amazon permits dropshipping when its policy is followed and you remain the seller of record. Another retailer or supplier must not appear to the customer as the seller, and you remain responsible for customer service and returns.
Can beginners use Amazon FBA?
Yes, but FBA should still be evaluated product by product. Start with a controlled quantity, understand the fees and monitor how quickly the inventory sells before increasing the order size.
Should I start with lots of products?
Usually it is safer to learn with a manageable number of products and controlled inventory quantities. This makes it easier to understand fees, fulfilment, returns and demand without exposing too much working capital.
Can I sell on Amazon and eBay at the same time?
Yes, provided you comply with each marketplace’s policies and maintain accurate inventory. Different products may suit each platform, which is why a multi-channel strategy can be more useful than forcing all stock through one marketplace.
Calculate First. Source Second. Scale Last.
Amazon can provide substantial marketplace and fulfilment infrastructure, but the platform does not make a weak product profitable.
Start with one unit’s economics.
Check eligibility. Estimate a realistic selling price. Identify the correct referral fee. Compare FBA and FBM. Include the full stock and fulfilment cost. Consider how quickly the inventory needs to sell.
Then decide whether enough profit and ROI remain to justify the capital and risk.
Once the product proves those numbers consistently, you can think about larger orders, automation, advertising and growth.
Check Current Amazon Fees and Policies Before Important Decisions
Amazon selling plans, referral fees, FBA charges, storage rates, advertising programmes, product restrictions and account rules can change.
SellerStack reviews important Amazon information periodically, but the current information shown by Amazon and within your Seller Central account should take priority before a significant sourcing, pricing or fulfilment decision.
SellerStack is an independent resource and is not affiliated with Amazon.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Research the Product. Check the Numbers. Then Buy.
Use SellerStack’s free Amazon calculator, sourcing tools, profit calculators and inventory tools to evaluate the deal before committing money.
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