GLOBAL SELLING
How to sell internationally with Amazon Global selling
Amazon provides sellers with a variety of tools and services that simplify all aspects of global selling.
Amazon Global Selling Guide
1
Decide where and what to sell
Learn about the opportunity for your business offered by global selling on Amazon. Find out where you can sell through Amazon, what you need to know, including taxes and regulations, and strategic considerations for entering a new marketplace.
How can we help?
Learn more about why and how to expand to Amazon stores around the world:
Where can you sell with Amazon?
General overview
Amazon operates 16 websites worldwide (listed by region below), allowing you to grow your business internationally regardless of where you are physically based. With Amazon, you can quickly grow your business in other countries, introducing your brand and products to millions of customers on Amazon websites.
These websites represent many of the biggest e-commerce opportunities in the world. When you sign up to sell on one of these Amazon marketplaces, you get immediate access to customers who know and trust the Amazon shopping experience. Expanding your sales to one or more Amazon marketplaces means that you can benefit from the Amazon brand without assuming the upfront costs of creating name recognition for your company on your own in a new sales environment.
Language assistance
When preparing to launch on a new Amazon website, the first thing you need to consider is whether your business can operate in the local language. Proficiency in the language of the local Amazon website is required to provide customer service on a specific marketplace (a requirement to sell on an Amazon marketplace), unless you use FBA. Proficiency in the local language is also useful for conducting country-specific research and knowing how to best position your products. You may need to modify your products or change the positioning of marketing, texts or packaging to better meet the needs of your new customers.
However, many sellers successfully sell on Amazon marketplaces where they are not fluent in the local language. Amazon provides some services and tools to help alleviate the challenges posed by language barriers:
Seller Central Languages Selector
The good news is that you don't have to be fluent in English, French or Japanese to sell in North America, Australia and Japan. Using the Seller Central Language Selector, you can manage your operations across all of these Amazon marketplaces in Spanish, allowing you to keep pace with your international business by providing you with a familiar interface that you can learn to use quickly.
Account on Amazon websites North America
In North America, as in Europe, we have simplified the management of your business across all Amazon online stores. The Amazon North America store account allows you to create and manage product offers in each and every one of our online stores in the US, Canada and Mexico. You control what you sell and where you sell it, and you also manage sales from a single seller account interface.
When you sign up to sell on a North American marketplace, such as Amazon.com, your seller account is automatically activated to sell on all other Amazon North America marketplaces: Amazon.com.mx and Amazon.ca. Reach millions of international customers and let Amazon help you grow your international business line. All your orders will be fulfilled in one place, so that operating in Canada feels the same as operating in the US.
Local Language Customer Service
When you sell on an Amazon marketplace, you must provide customer service in the local language of the marketplace. For example, if you sell on Amazon.jp or Amazon.com.mx, you need to provide customer service in Japanese and Spanish, respectively. You can choose to do this on your own or ask Amazon to do it for you when you join FBA.
However, many sellers successfully sell on Amazon marketplaces where they are not fluent in the local language. Amazon provides some services and tools to help alleviate the challenges posed by language barriers:
Seller Central Languages Selector
The good news is that you don't have to be fluent in English, French or Japanese to sell in North America, Australia and Japan. Using the Seller Central Language Selector, you can manage your operations across all of these Amazon marketplaces in Spanish, allowing you to keep pace with your international business by providing you with a familiar interface that you can learn to use quickly.
Account on Amazon websites North America
In North America, as in Europe, we have simplified the management of your business across all Amazon online stores. The Amazon North America store account allows you to create and manage product offers in each and every one of our online stores in the US, Canada and Mexico. You control what you sell and where you sell it, and you also manage sales from a single seller account interface.
When you sign up to sell on a North American marketplace, such as Amazon.com, your seller account is automatically activated to sell on all other Amazon North America marketplaces: Amazon.com.mx and Amazon.ca. Reach millions of international customers and let Amazon help you grow your international business line. All your orders will be fulfilled in one place, so that operating in Canada feels the same as operating in the US.
Local Language Customer Service
When you sell on an Amazon marketplace, you must provide customer service in the local language of the marketplace. For example, if you sell on Amazon.jp or Amazon.com.mx, you need to provide customer service in Japanese and Spanish, respectively. You can choose to do this on your own or ask Amazon to do it for you when you join FBA.
Taxes and regulations
Remember to consider local taxes and regulations when selling on Amazon's various marketplaces and using third-party resources. We recommend that you discuss these topics with your tax and legal advisors before making decisions about how you are going to sell on other websites.
All countries have legal requirements related to the sale of products to consumers. On your home Amazon website, there may be laws regarding intellectual property rights, product safety, the environment and other applicable requirements. The same applies to all Amazon websites. Investigate and understand your responsibilities. Some aspects to consider are taxes and customs, intellectual property rights, parallel importation, export controls, marking and labels, the environment, health and safety, and product compliance.
All countries have legal requirements related to the sale of products to consumers. On your home Amazon website, there may be laws regarding intellectual property rights, product safety, the environment and other applicable requirements. The same applies to all Amazon websites. Investigate and understand your responsibilities. Some aspects to consider are taxes and customs, intellectual property rights, parallel importation, export controls, marking and labels, the environment, health and safety, and product compliance.
Developing a website strategy
General overview
The decision about where to sell and what to sell on another country's website is similar to these questions when it comes to your local marketplace. However, there are some additional things that you should consider when selling internationally.
One way to evaluate an international market entry strategy is to use the "four Ps" marketing framework: Product, Price, Position and Promotions. Let's review each one in terms of global selling on Amazon.
One way to evaluate an international market entry strategy is to use the "four Ps" marketing framework: Product, Price, Position and Promotions. Let's review each one in terms of global selling on Amazon.
Product: Choosing what to sell
When you select an Amazon marketplace to sell on, you'll need to know if your product is suitable for the destination country. First of all, make sure that you comply with all laws in each country. In addition, product standards differ from country to country. For example, mobile devices that operate at 110-220 V and use two-pin electric chargers may not be appropriate for European markets, but may be suitable for Japan. Similarly, double beds that are successfully sold in Spain would probably not sell well in the United States because the sizes of standard mattresses are different in each country.
The first time that you sell internationally with Amazon, it's normal to think about the most popular products that you sell on your local marketplace. Think about what sells best based on your previous experience and sales results reports. It's also important to ask yourself why these particular products are successful. Can these reasons be applied to the new website or are there other principles that govern the demand from new customers, such as the cultural, climatic and demographic aspects or even their age and income? Also have a think about how you can benefit from differences between websites. For example, do you have seasonal inventory that you don't know what to do with when the season ends on a website? You can extend the season by selling those products in places where they are still suitable.
Tip: List a variety of products instead of focusing all your efforts on one or two. Why? A wider selection of products means greater exposure of listings overall in customer searches. This will also help you quickly determine which products may sell well on a given marketplace.
You can start small, but keep a wide selection of products even if you're not prepared to allocate a significant portion of your inventory to another Amazon marketplace. If sales increase, you can adjust prices or delete listings to avoid the risk of running out of stock, just like on your source marketplace. If you want an even lower commitment, you can start by fulfilling orders yourself instead of sending inventory to another country. Remember that selling on another marketplace doesn't mean you lose control of your listings.
When deciding which products you want to sell on an Amazon marketplace, of course you have another source of key information at your disposal: comments from the website itself. This type of website research should be very familiar to you because of the activities you are likely to do when you sell on Amazon's primary marketplace. For this research, proficiency in the local language is extremely useful. If you're trying to research a website in a language that you don't know, free online translation tools may offer you basic language interpretation, but try not to rely too heavily on those tools.
On the target marketplace, review the best-selling products, news and featured brands in your product categories. Also read customer feedback to learn what your competitor's strengths and weaknesses are.
During this product research phase, you may find it useful to expand your search to e-commerce websites beyond Amazon. Use a search engine to find relevant e-commerce sites by country. Trade publications and online seller communities in each country can also be a rich source of information while preparing the list of products in each region.
Tip: Bear in mind that potential customers for a particular marketplace may not necessarily reside in the destination country. Some customers on the various websites may reside in a nearby country, prefer to buy in a certain language, search for products that are only available on a particular website or choose to shop outside the country. For example, an Amazon.com customer may reside in Mexico.
The first time that you sell internationally with Amazon, it's normal to think about the most popular products that you sell on your local marketplace. Think about what sells best based on your previous experience and sales results reports. It's also important to ask yourself why these particular products are successful. Can these reasons be applied to the new website or are there other principles that govern the demand from new customers, such as the cultural, climatic and demographic aspects or even their age and income? Also have a think about how you can benefit from differences between websites. For example, do you have seasonal inventory that you don't know what to do with when the season ends on a website? You can extend the season by selling those products in places where they are still suitable.
Tip: List a variety of products instead of focusing all your efforts on one or two. Why? A wider selection of products means greater exposure of listings overall in customer searches. This will also help you quickly determine which products may sell well on a given marketplace.
You can start small, but keep a wide selection of products even if you're not prepared to allocate a significant portion of your inventory to another Amazon marketplace. If sales increase, you can adjust prices or delete listings to avoid the risk of running out of stock, just like on your source marketplace. If you want an even lower commitment, you can start by fulfilling orders yourself instead of sending inventory to another country. Remember that selling on another marketplace doesn't mean you lose control of your listings.
When deciding which products you want to sell on an Amazon marketplace, of course you have another source of key information at your disposal: comments from the website itself. This type of website research should be very familiar to you because of the activities you are likely to do when you sell on Amazon's primary marketplace. For this research, proficiency in the local language is extremely useful. If you're trying to research a website in a language that you don't know, free online translation tools may offer you basic language interpretation, but try not to rely too heavily on those tools.
On the target marketplace, review the best-selling products, news and featured brands in your product categories. Also read customer feedback to learn what your competitor's strengths and weaknesses are.
During this product research phase, you may find it useful to expand your search to e-commerce websites beyond Amazon. Use a search engine to find relevant e-commerce sites by country. Trade publications and online seller communities in each country can also be a rich source of information while preparing the list of products in each region.
Tip: Bear in mind that potential customers for a particular marketplace may not necessarily reside in the destination country. Some customers on the various websites may reside in a nearby country, prefer to buy in a certain language, search for products that are only available on a particular website or choose to shop outside the country. For example, an Amazon.com customer may reside in Mexico.
Price: Setting and adjusting the price
Below are the additional costs that may arise when selling outside your main marketplace. These additional costs may change your profitability calculation:
- Delivery costs when delivering directly to international customers.
- International return delivery costs, if you manage orders personally.
- Delivery costs for delivering your inventory to overseas fulfilment centres when you use FBA.
- Customer service charges if you offer these services directly in a local language or if you hire a third-party provider to handle customer service in your language.
- Conversion costs associated with payment in your local currency
- Translation costs for publishing ASINs in another language
- Taxes and duties
As you can see, many of the variable costs change depending on whether you choose to fulfil the products yourself or use FBA.
Location: Optimising distribution channels
In addition to growing your international business on Amazon, you can also grow your international business outside of Amazon. Other Amazon services that may be relevant to developing this international strategy are listed below:
Multi-Channel Fulfilment: If you already use FBA to fulfil Amazon customer orders, you can manage Internet sales from other channels using the same inventory group. Use Multi-Channel Fulfilment, a feature within FBA, to fulfil orders from sales channels other than Amazon, including your own website, other third-party platforms and even catalogue or in-store sales.
Product ads: Product ads is an advertising service designed to provide Amazon customers with seamless access to products available on external websites. As an advertiser, simply upload your catalogue and set your cost-per-click bids and budget. Amazon will then display your ads to Amazon.com customers when they purchase your product or related products. Customers who are interested in buying your product can click on your website and buy the product directly from you.
Multi-Channel Fulfilment: If you already use FBA to fulfil Amazon customer orders, you can manage Internet sales from other channels using the same inventory group. Use Multi-Channel Fulfilment, a feature within FBA, to fulfil orders from sales channels other than Amazon, including your own website, other third-party platforms and even catalogue or in-store sales.
Product ads: Product ads is an advertising service designed to provide Amazon customers with seamless access to products available on external websites. As an advertiser, simply upload your catalogue and set your cost-per-click bids and budget. Amazon will then display your ads to Amazon.com customers when they purchase your product or related products. Customers who are interested in buying your product can click on your website and buy the product directly from you.
Promotion: Make your listings more attractive
As with your main Amazon website, Amazon provides tools that allow you to advertise and publish promotions for your products. The promotional tools available vary by Amazon website and may include discounts, free delivery, "buy one, get one free" (BOGO) and external benefits.
Another way to increase the exposure of your offers is through Amazon Sponsored Products, a cost-per-click advertising service that helps you promote the products you sell on Amazon.com through keyword-targeted ads.
Another way to increase the exposure of your offers is through Amazon Sponsored Products, a cost-per-click advertising service that helps you promote the products you sell on Amazon.com through keyword-targeted ads.
2
Register and list your products
Take advantage of Amazon's tools to manage seller accounts internationally and manage your listings across marketplaces. Translate your listings, if necessary. Your products are now available for sale.
Build international listings
The Build International Listings (BIL) tool helps you sell internationally by adding offers and synchronising prices across multiple marketplaces. BIL allows you to quickly add numerous offers to other websites. Then, based on the rules you set, BIL will manage the price offers on all marketplaces through automated updates.
Set up your Amazon account
General overview
You need to set up your Amazon seller account for the marketplace where you want to sell. Even if you're already selling on an Amazon marketplace, you'll need to create a new seller account on another marketplace. For example, if you sell in the United Kingdom or the United States and want to sell in Japan, you need to create a new Amazon seller account for Amazon.co.jp.
The exception is if you already sell on a North American marketplace, such as Amazon.com, and you want to sell on another North American Amazon marketplace, such as Amazon.ca. In this case, you can do this from your current seller account, since Amazon offers a unified account for North American marketplaces.
In some countries, Amazon has online registration processes in the local language, for example in Spanish for Amazon.com.mx. If you don't speak these languages and are interested in selling on any of these marketplaces, sign up to sell on Amazon.com in Spanish and then create offers across the Canadian marketplace with a unified account.
If you already sell on Amazon, launch internationally. If you're new to Amazon, choose where you want to start:
The exception is if you already sell on a North American marketplace, such as Amazon.com, and you want to sell on another North American Amazon marketplace, such as Amazon.ca. In this case, you can do this from your current seller account, since Amazon offers a unified account for North American marketplaces.
In some countries, Amazon has online registration processes in the local language, for example in Spanish for Amazon.com.mx. If you don't speak these languages and are interested in selling on any of these marketplaces, sign up to sell on Amazon.com in Spanish and then create offers across the Canadian marketplace with a unified account.
If you already sell on Amazon, launch internationally. If you're new to Amazon, choose where you want to start:
Already selling on Amazon in Europe?
New to Amazon?
North American registration requirements
When you register to sell in the United States on Amazon.com, you need to provide a valid credit card, phone number and tax information. For taxes, you'll be asked to conduct a step-by-step online interview that will determine if you need to complete a W-9 form (as a US taxpayer) or a W-8BEN form (as a non-US taxpayer). When you sign up to sell in Canada or Mexico, on Amazon.ca or Amazon.mx, you need to provide a valid credit card, phone number and tax information.
North America Unified Account: In North America, we've simplified the management of your business across websites in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The North America Unified Account allows you to create and manage product offerings in the US, Canada and Mexico. You control what you sell and where you sell from a single seller account interface.
When you sign up to sell on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.mx, your seller account is automatically activated to sell on all marketplaces. You can switch between marketplaces using the Seller Central website selector. This allows you to list products and manage orders on each marketplace.
As a Professional seller, you will only pay the subscription fees applicable to the marketplace where you first registered to sell. For example, if you've signed up to sell on Amazon.com, you'll pay the subscription fees for that marketplace. If you choose to sell on Amazon.ca, you will not pay additional subscription fees. However, for all sales by product, you will pay the applicable fees for the marketplace where the product was sold.
In order to sell in the United States, Canada and Mexico, you'll need to create listings on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.mx. Bear in mind that creating offers on the first marketplace where you registered (for example, Amazon.com) and started selling will not automatically populate offers on the other marketplaces (for example, Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.mx). If you want to sell on all three marketplaces, you'll need to create offers on each marketplace.
Finally, when setting up a unified account for North America, you'll need to provide a bank account in one of the countries supported by Amazon. Amazon currently supports US, Canadian and Mexican bank accounts, as well as bank accounts in European countries.
North America Unified Account: In North America, we've simplified the management of your business across websites in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The North America Unified Account allows you to create and manage product offerings in the US, Canada and Mexico. You control what you sell and where you sell from a single seller account interface.
When you sign up to sell on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.mx, your seller account is automatically activated to sell on all marketplaces. You can switch between marketplaces using the Seller Central website selector. This allows you to list products and manage orders on each marketplace.
As a Professional seller, you will only pay the subscription fees applicable to the marketplace where you first registered to sell. For example, if you've signed up to sell on Amazon.com, you'll pay the subscription fees for that marketplace. If you choose to sell on Amazon.ca, you will not pay additional subscription fees. However, for all sales by product, you will pay the applicable fees for the marketplace where the product was sold.
In order to sell in the United States, Canada and Mexico, you'll need to create listings on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.mx. Bear in mind that creating offers on the first marketplace where you registered (for example, Amazon.com) and started selling will not automatically populate offers on the other marketplaces (for example, Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.mx). If you want to sell on all three marketplaces, you'll need to create offers on each marketplace.
Finally, when setting up a unified account for North America, you'll need to provide a bank account in one of the countries supported by Amazon. Amazon currently supports US, Canadian and Mexican bank accounts, as well as bank accounts in European countries.
Registration requirements in Japan
Amazon.co.jp offers an online seller registration process in English and Japanese. Once you've set up your account, you can choose Japanese or English to manage your account in Seller Central. Learn more about how to start selling in Japan.
Payments
Use a bank account on the Amazon website
If you prefer to maintain a high level of control over your financial accounts, you can open a bank account in the country where you want to sell. This is usually a more complex process since you may need to create a legal business entity in that country, so check with your legal, tax and banking advisors.
Amazon Currency Converter for Sellers
If you don't want to open an account in the country of another Amazon marketplace, you have the option of using the Amazon Currency Converter for Sellers (ACCS). With ACCS, you can receive payments directly to your local bank account in the local currency, as long as you have a bank account in a country where Amazon offers its services. Regardless of which country you live in, you can only receive payments to a bank account in a country and in a currency that ACCS supports.
How ACCS works
When you enter your bank account details, you need to accept the ACCS terms and conditions of use to receive payment to that bank account. Each disbursement will be transferred automatically to your local bank in your local currency. If you change your bank, you'll need to accept the ACCS terms and conditions again when you enter your new bank account details.
The following table shows the currencies supported by ACCS for each website account.
How ACCS works
When you enter your bank account details, you need to accept the ACCS terms and conditions of use to receive payment to that bank account. Each disbursement will be transferred automatically to your local bank in your local currency. If you change your bank, you'll need to accept the ACCS terms and conditions again when you enter your new bank account details.
The following table shows the currencies supported by ACCS for each website account.
Category
.com
.ca
.co.jp
.com.mx
Euro (EUR)
✓
✓
✓
✓
British pound (GBP)
✓
✓
✓
✓
US dollar (USD)
Default
✓
✓
✓
Australian dollar (AUD)
✓
✓
✓
✓
New Zealand dollar (NZD)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Indian rupee (INR)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Canadian dollar (CAD)
✓
Default
✓
✓
Bulgarian lev (BGN)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Czech koruna (CZK)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Croatian kuna (HRK)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Danish krone (DKK)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Hungarian forint (HUF)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Norwegian krone (NOK)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Polish zloty (PLN)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Romanian leu (RON)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Swiss franc (CHF)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Singapore dollar (SGD)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Philippine peso (PHP)
✓
✓
✓
✓
Note: If your bank is not based in one of the countries supported by Amazon Currency Converter for Sellers, ACCS will not be able to disburse payments to your bank account. You'll need to open a bank account in one of the countries supported by Amazon, either a bank account in one of the countries where Amazon has a website or a bank account in a country supported by ACCS.
Visit Seller Central Help to read the FAQ regarding Amazon Currency Converter for Sellers
Visit Seller Central Help to read the FAQ regarding Amazon Currency Converter for Sellers
Building listings
General overview
Once you have created a seller account on a new target Amazon marketplace, the next step is to create product listings on your new marketplace. Product listing requirements may differ depending on the website, so please refer to the guidelines on the help pages of each Amazon marketplace. Below are the components of a listing on the Amazon website:
- Product ID: International identification number, such as UPC, EAN or ISBN.
- Title (of the product): A concise description of the product.
- Product description and features list: The list of features briefly shows the main features of the product and captures the interest of the customer. The product description provides detailed information about the product. Use a third-party currency conversion service.
- Product images: Clear photographs of the product showing as much detail as possible. Images must be at least 500x500 pixels in size, although 1000x1000 pixels is recommended when you want the product to be viewed in detail. Some categories may have different image size requirements, so please refer to the Seller Central guidelines.
- Search terms: Keywords that someone looking for your product could enter into the search field. You can provide several search terms.
Note: The quality of your listing will affect how often your product appears in searches, and therefore the likelihood that it will be purchased. That’s why it's important to invest time and effort into producing high-quality listings to improve your sales potential.
Listing your products
If you have a small inventory (fewer than 100 products), you may find it easier to use the Add products for listing tool to list each product one at a time. Alternatively, for sellers with a Professional Account and larger inventories, you can create an inventory file and upload all your inventory at once using the volume listing tools.
Your listings must be in the language of the Amazon marketplace where you want to sell. For example, to sell on Amazon.de or Amazon.jp, product listings must be in German or Japanese, respectively. If you don't know the language of the Amazon marketplace where you want to sell, there are many online resources that can help sellers translate their listings professionally. Here are some links that other sellers have found useful:
Your listings must be in the language of the Amazon marketplace where you want to sell. For example, to sell on Amazon.de or Amazon.jp, product listings must be in German or Japanese, respectively. If you don't know the language of the Amazon marketplace where you want to sell, there are many online resources that can help sellers translate their listings professionally. Here are some links that other sellers have found useful:
Building international listings
The Build International Listings tool saves you time by managing your listings and simultaneously creating and updating them across multiple Amazon European marketplaces using your unified account. Once you have created and launched listings on your primary "source" marketplace, you can select these listings and identify a target marketplace where you don't currently have any offers. Build International Listings has the following automatic functionalities:
The Build International Listings tool saves you time by managing your listings and simultaneously creating and updating them across multiple Amazon European marketplaces using your unified account. Once you have created and launched listings on your primary "source" marketplace, you can select these listings and identify a target marketplace where you don't currently have any offers. Build International Listings has the following automatic functionalities:
- Create listings in multiple target marketplaces based on the products that you sell in the source marketplace.
- Each time that you add or delete a listing, the listings on your target Amazon marketplaces are also updated.
- Adjust the prices on your target marketplaces based on changes that you make to the prices in the source marketplace, according to the repricing rules you set.
- Adjust the prices on your target Amazon marketplaces to reflect exchange rate fluctuations with the currency of the source Amazon marketplace.
3
Delivery and management
Amazon's fulfilment services help you get products to customers around the world quickly. Learn what delivery and fulfilment entails in different countries, as well as costs, timelines and requirements. Learn more about international FBA or personal management solutions.
Seller fulfilment
International delivery of your products directly to your customers
If your inventory is located in a country other than the marketplace where your customers placed the order, you need to deliver the product internationally to your customer. Below is a general overview of the process:
- The seller chooses a carrier that can deliver internationally.
- The seller delivers the product and is the exporter of record.
Important: To ensure a good customer experience and manage customer reviews and seller performance ratings, it's important that customers don't experience delays due to customs or unexpected charges associated with additional duties and taxes on products. It's important that the seller takes care of these issues when delivering the product. - The carrier acts as an intermediary by default, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the transport invoice. The carrier will charge the buyer's duties at the time of delivery of the goods.
It's also important to manage customer expectations. You should provide customers with accurate information about the country from which you are delivering the product. Specifically, you need to accurately indicate the country of origin in your seller profile and manage customer expectations by indicating the real delivery times from your country. You will be responsible for meeting delivery expectations for all the orders that you receive.
International delivery
International delivery costs
International delivery costs vary depending on several factors, including:
International delivery costs vary depending on several factors, including:
- Dimensions and weight of the package
- Delivery time
- Origin (from which you deliver) and destination (to which you deliver). Costs can be considerably higher for international destinations.
- Transperfect Translations
In addition to the above charges, you must think about the customs duties and taxes that will need to be paid. Amazon will not be responsible for customs duties or taxes associated with FBA inventory. Deliveries that arrive at an Amazon fulfilment centre with customs duties due will be returned to the dispatcher.
International delivery times Fulfilling an order internationally will take longer than a domestic order. Delivery times are reflected in the detail of the offer and may make your offer less competitive compared to domestic counterparties.
International delivery times Fulfilling an order internationally will take longer than a domestic order. Delivery times are reflected in the detail of the offer and may make your offer less competitive compared to domestic counterparties.
Other resources
There are also numerous online resources that can help sellers to determine rates and make shipping easier. Here are some links organised by region that other sellers have found useful: Please visit the websites directly to estimate the approximate delivery costs that you can expect when fulfilling orders from the Amazon marketplaces where you would like to list:
Fulfilment by Amazon
General overview
The seller has a base
FBA fulfilment centre location
Is import required?
Outside the United States
US.
Yes, the products need to be imported into the US.
Outside Canada
Canada
Yes, the products must be imported into Canada.
Outside Europe
Countries on the European Amazon website: United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain
Yes, the products need to be imported into the country in which the FBA fulfilment centre is located.
In Europe
Countries on European websites: United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain
No, goods do not need to be imported into Europe. If the seller uses FBA, they can use international FBA programmes.
Outside Japan
Japan
Yes, the products must be imported into Japan.
Outside Mexico
Mexico
Yes, the products must be imported into Mexico.
Another way to fulfil your international orders is to use FBA in the country corresponding to the Amazon marketplace where you list your products. Using FBA will involve importing your products to another country for storage in an Amazon fulfilment centre in order to be able to sell them to customers on that marketplace. The only exception to this case is if you already sell on one of Amazon's European marketplaces and fulfil FBA on that marketplace. In this case, you can fulfil your orders from other European marketplaces using your current FBA account through the Pan-European FBA programme, European fulfilment network or Multinational Inventory.
International delivery of your products directly to customers
If your inventory is located in a country other than that of the fulfilment centre, you will need to export your products from the country of origin and import them to the destination country. You will act as the exporter of record in the country of origin and the importer of record in the destination country, and you must comply with all laws and regulations of the countries of origin and destination. You may be subject to import taxes, customs duties and fees charged by the destination country. Amazon will not be responsible for customs duties or taxes associated with FBA inventory. All deliveries that arrive at an Amazon fulfilment centre with customs charges due will be returned to the dispatcher. Below is a general overview of the process:
- Create listings in Seller Central.
- Prepare a commercial invoice stating that you are the importer of record.
- Choose a customs broker (this service can be offered by your carrier).
- Deliver the products from the factory or warehouse to the port.
- Allow the products to pass through customs for export.
- Load the products with a carrier to transport them to the destination.
- Send the products directly to the destination and unload them.
- Allow the products to pass through customs for import.
- Load the products with a carrier to transport them to the fulfilment centre.
For more information on the rules and regulations for sending inventory to an Amazon fulfilment centre, including requirements for part-load or part-truckload shipments, please visit the following Amazon help page.
Importing and exporting inventory
General overview
When you expand your business to an Amazon marketplace outside your home country and fulfil it with FBA or a third-party logistics provider, you need to be aware of your obligations in the import and export process. While you may want to handle some or all of these import/export steps yourself, it may be easier to hire a logistics provider such as a customs broker or freight forwarder to handle the process for you. These vendors have the experience and time needed to ensure that your inventory moves from one location to another in a safe and timely manner.
Tip: If you use FBA on a marketplace outside your home country and want to use the services of a logistics provider, it's best to contact one as soon as you sign up for FBA. The process to complete the necessary paperwork can take some time, and you don't want the process to delay the arrival of your products to customers.
If you hire the services of a customs broker or freight forwarder to help you move inventory from one country to another, you must hire them directly. You'll also need to take steps directly to establish the importer or exporter of record. Amazon cannot act in this regard or take these steps for you.
Before you hire a customs broker or freight forwarder to help you move your inventory from one country to a fulfilment centre in another country, you'll need to decide who will assume certain responsibilities:
Tip: If you use FBA on a marketplace outside your home country and want to use the services of a logistics provider, it's best to contact one as soon as you sign up for FBA. The process to complete the necessary paperwork can take some time, and you don't want the process to delay the arrival of your products to customers.
If you hire the services of a customs broker or freight forwarder to help you move inventory from one country to another, you must hire them directly. You'll also need to take steps directly to establish the importer or exporter of record. Amazon cannot act in this regard or take these steps for you.
Before you hire a customs broker or freight forwarder to help you move your inventory from one country to a fulfilment centre in another country, you'll need to decide who will assume certain responsibilities:
- Exporter of Record (EOR): In general, the dispatcher is the exporter of record. Amazon will not act as an exporter of record. You may be able to hire your customs broker or freight forwarder to act as an EOR.
- Importer of Record (IOR): The importer of record is responsible for ensuring that the delivery is imported correctly into the destination country. Responsibilities include filing legally required documents and paying import duties and taxes. It's important to note that Amazon, including fulfilment centres, will not act as the importer of record for any FBA inventory delivery. Any FBA inventory delivery attempted using Amazon as the IOR will be refused and returned at the dispatcher's expense, with no exceptions.
Non-resident importers
In some countries, a non-resident (foreign) IOR can arrange the entry of goods. To become a non-resident IOR, contact your customs broker or carrier for more information.
Important note: It is your responsibility to comply with all import and export laws and to ensure that imported goods comply with applicable laws and regulations. You cannot import prohibited or restricted products without all the required permits and authorisations. For example, certain agricultural products, foodstuffs, alcohol, plants and seeds, fish and game products or medicines may be prohibited or restricted from being imported into the United States.
In some countries, a non-resident (foreign) IOR can arrange the entry of goods. To become a non-resident IOR, contact your customs broker or carrier for more information.
Important note: It is your responsibility to comply with all import and export laws and to ensure that imported goods comply with applicable laws and regulations. You cannot import prohibited or restricted products without all the required permits and authorisations. For example, certain agricultural products, foodstuffs, alcohol, plants and seeds, fish and game products or medicines may be prohibited or restricted from being imported into the United States.
Organisation of the delivery with a customer agent or freight forwarder
Remember that the carrier you choose to deliver your products to the US will have its own procedures, but may require you to complete the following:
- Power of attorney: When you sign a power of attorney, the customs broker or freight forwarder is authorised to act as your agent so that your inventory can be handled through the customs process.
- Registration of the importer of record: Register as an IOR with the customs authorities of the country in which you import the inventory. Amazon, including our fulfilment centres, will not act as an IOR for any FBA inventory delivery. This applies to deliveries of any size or value, regardless of the origin and product. Any FBA delivery attempted using Amazon as the IOR will be refused and returned at the dispatcher's expense, with no exceptions.
- Terms and conditions: The customs broker must detail the terms so that you can help them understand who is responsible for the goods at each step of the delivery process.
- Duties, taxes and delivery costs: Amazon will not be responsible and will not charge any duties, taxes or delivery costs associated with FBA inventory. All deliveries are required to use the Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) shipping conditions. Any delivery that arrives at an Amazon fulfilment centre with charges receivable, including duties, taxes or shipping charges, will be refused without further concessions.
To receive an estimated cost of delivery before you have the exact address of a fulfilment centre to which you are delivering in the United States, we recommend that you cite the following examples (one on the West Coast and one on the East Coast) to your carrier for a quote.
Example 1
Example 2
Breinigsville, PA 18031
Phoenix, AZ 85043
Please ensure that your contact information is included in the shipping documentation in case there are questions about your delivery.
If you are struggling to find a carrier that fits your needs, we recommend that you use our Service provider network, which includes third-party providers with experience in managing Amazon deliveries worldwide.
If you are struggling to find a carrier that fits your needs, we recommend that you use our Service provider network, which includes third-party providers with experience in managing Amazon deliveries worldwide.
Final co-signer
Although Amazon will not act as an importer of record, it may appear as the final recipient on your shipping documentation, but only if "in care" appears before the Amazon entity name.
If you name Amazon as the final recipient, your customs broker must contact Amazon at sellerimports@amazon.com before submitting any inventory to obtain the EIN or tax identification number required for customs clearance.
If you name Amazon as the final recipient, your customs broker must contact Amazon at sellerimports@amazon.com before submitting any inventory to obtain the EIN or tax identification number required for customs clearance.
Commercial invoice
When your products are ready for dispatch from the manufacturer or distributor, the dispatcher prepares the commercial invoice. It is essential that the commercial invoice is accurate to avoid delays in customs clearance. The following information must be included on the commercial invoice:
- The date of the invoice.
- The names of the buyer and seller, including addresses (Amazon should not be shown as the buyer or seller on the commercial invoice).
- The name and full address of the seller or manufacturer.
- The sender's contact name, company name, address and tax identification number.
- The delivery address. Here, enter "In care of" and then enter the name and address of the Amazon fulfilment centre to which you are delivering the products.
- Importer of record. This field must contain the name of the dispatcher, if it is the same as the owner of the goods.Do not leave this information blank; if you do, the delivery will be rejected and returned..
- Delivery method.
- A detailed description of the goods being invoiced. It includes the following:
- Harmonised customs codes, if known
- The number of units
- Unit values
- The total value of each product. In the case of samples or products with no commercial value, a nominal or market value must be declared for customs purposes.
- The currency type of the transaction.
- The terms of the sale. Please note that the correct terms must be "Duty Delivery Paid" (DDP). The carrier or FBA seller must pay all applicable duties and taxes and be responsible for customs clearance prior to delivery to the Amazon fulfilment centre. You are not allowed to import products under the Amazon name or to list Amazon as the declarant or importer of record on your customs entry documentation.
- The delivery tracking number. For deliveries to Amazon fulfilment centres, please include the FBA delivery ID that you receive when you create the delivery in your Amazon seller account. The delivery tracking number can also be an air label number if you are delivering the package through a transportation service such as FedEx or UPS.
- Any certification.
- Name of the carrier transporting the goods.
- Terms of payment for transport.
- Reason for export.
Delivery best practices
Amazon fulfilment centres have requirements for the shipments that they receive, including the size of the pallets and the type of truck that can deliver to the fulfilment centre. The guidelines for how to send inventory to Amazonprovide the information that you need to prepare your shipment to an Amazon fulfilment centre. Paying attention to these requirements and best practices will help you avoid delays in delivering inventory to the fulfilment centre and your customers.
Note: There are differences between pallets in the United States, United Kingdom and European websites.
Organise the palletising of your deliveries before they arrive at the fulfilment centre, whenever possible. Amazon fulfilment centre will accept loose cargo shipments, but only if you request this in advance when you set up delivery in the fulfilment centre. Additional charges may apply if the loose cargo shipment requires extensive handling.
Make sure that your deliveries comply with Amazon's policies regarding inbound shipments. If Amazon refuses to accept your deliveries, you are responsible for removing them from the fulfilment centre. For shipments of less than half a pallet of loose boxes, weighing less than 15 kg each, it may be better to send the products via a courier service. The carrier that you choose may vary according to the destination country, as transportation services vary. If you decide to send your inventory to a fulfilment centre via a courier service, check with the carrier to verify that they can clear your products through customs based on the commercial invoice that you provide. If the carrier is unable to clear your goods based on the commercial invoice, you may need to contact a customs broker.
Logistics companies/customs brokers: There are numerous online resources that can help sellers determine rates and facilitate shipping. Below are some links to companies that some sellers have found useful. Please visit the websites directly to estimate the approximate delivery costs to expect when fulfilling orders from the Amazon marketplaces you would like to list on:
First Choice Shipping: www.firstchoiceship.com Samuel Shapiro: www.shapiro.com FedEx: www.fedex.com Regional Express: www.regionalexpress.co.uk
We recommend that you contact your transport agent or service courier before delivering any inventory to find out your fees and requirements.
Note: There are differences between pallets in the United States, United Kingdom and European websites.
Organise the palletising of your deliveries before they arrive at the fulfilment centre, whenever possible. Amazon fulfilment centre will accept loose cargo shipments, but only if you request this in advance when you set up delivery in the fulfilment centre. Additional charges may apply if the loose cargo shipment requires extensive handling.
Make sure that your deliveries comply with Amazon's policies regarding inbound shipments. If Amazon refuses to accept your deliveries, you are responsible for removing them from the fulfilment centre. For shipments of less than half a pallet of loose boxes, weighing less than 15 kg each, it may be better to send the products via a courier service. The carrier that you choose may vary according to the destination country, as transportation services vary. If you decide to send your inventory to a fulfilment centre via a courier service, check with the carrier to verify that they can clear your products through customs based on the commercial invoice that you provide. If the carrier is unable to clear your goods based on the commercial invoice, you may need to contact a customs broker.
Logistics companies/customs brokers: There are numerous online resources that can help sellers determine rates and facilitate shipping. Below are some links to companies that some sellers have found useful. Please visit the websites directly to estimate the approximate delivery costs to expect when fulfilling orders from the Amazon marketplaces you would like to list on:
First Choice Shipping: www.firstchoiceship.com Samuel Shapiro: www.shapiro.com FedEx: www.fedex.com Regional Express: www.regionalexpress.co.uk
We recommend that you contact your transport agent or service courier before delivering any inventory to find out your fees and requirements.
Return of imports
Amazon cannot return inventory stored in Amazon fulfilment centres to an address outside the original country of import. In addition, FBA does not support pickup options for sellers from Amazon fulfilment centres. If you want your FBA inventory returned to you, you can learn more about the process here.
4
Manage your business
Provide customer support and assistance with local returns, both through you and Amazon. Get paid in your preferred currency. Use Amazon's tools and recommendations to increase your international sales and scale your business around the world.
Service provider solution network
Solution provider network: Your process, from tax and compliance to delivering internationally and optimising your ads.
Customer service
General overview
When you expand your business to an Amazon marketplace outside your home country and fulfil it with FBA or a third-party logistics provider, you need to be aware of your obligations in the import and export process. While you may want to handle some or all of these import/export steps yourself, it may be easier to hire a logistics provider such as a customs broker or freight forwarder to handle the process for you. These vendors have the experience and time to ensure that your inventory moves from one location to another in a safe and timely manner.
Create a seller account on an Amazon marketplace by selecting one or more of the following links:
Create a seller account on an Amazon marketplace by selecting one or more of the following links:
FBA Seller Customer Service
Local language customer support
When you decide to fulfil customer orders on your own, it's not just picking, packing and shipping to customers that you'll need to do; Amazon also requires you to handle customer service. This can be difficult if you sell on an Amazon marketplace where you don't know the language.
You may attempt to use automated computer translators to answer questions from international customers via email. However, there is a risk that machine translation will lead to poor translations, which in turn could lead to a poor customer experience, ultimately affecting your seller performance ratings. If you don't have in-house customer service resources in the local language, a better option is to use third-party service providers to manage customer service.
Timely answers: Customers expect a prompt and helpful service when they have questions or queries about your products. To maintain good sales results, you must have customer service specialists who understand your products, who know where the customer's product is and when it will be delivered, and who can respond quickly (within 24 hours) to customer email contacts in the local language. This can be challenging when selling on marketplaces that have a different time zone from your business, as time differences will shorten the time that you can respond to customers during your regular business hours.
There are plenty of online resources that can help sellers with customer service. Below are some links that other sellers have found useful, organised by region:
North America: Seller Engine
Europe: InterCultural Elements
Japan: Jumbo
When you decide to fulfil customer orders on your own, it's not just picking, packing and shipping to customers that you'll need to do; Amazon also requires you to handle customer service. This can be difficult if you sell on an Amazon marketplace where you don't know the language.
You may attempt to use automated computer translators to answer questions from international customers via email. However, there is a risk that machine translation will lead to poor translations, which in turn could lead to a poor customer experience, ultimately affecting your seller performance ratings. If you don't have in-house customer service resources in the local language, a better option is to use third-party service providers to manage customer service.
Timely answers: Customers expect a prompt and helpful service when they have questions or queries about your products. To maintain good sales results, you must have customer service specialists who understand your products, who know where the customer's product is and when it will be delivered, and who can respond quickly (within 24 hours) to customer email contacts in the local language. This can be challenging when selling on marketplaces that have a different time zone from your business, as time differences will shorten the time that you can respond to customers during your regular business hours.
There are plenty of online resources that can help sellers with customer service. Below are some links that other sellers have found useful, organised by region:
North America: Seller Engine
Europe: InterCultural Elements
Japan: Jumbo
FBA customer service
When you use FBA, Amazon provides 24/7 customer service on your behalf in the local language of the relevant marketplace. For many sellers, this FBA feature is essential for successful selling on international marketplaces. With local language customer service included with FBA, you can provide your customers with high-quality Amazon customer service and focus on growing and running your business.
Customer returns
General overview
When you use FBA, Amazon provides 24/7 customer support on your behalf in the local language of the relevant marketplace. For many sellers, this FBA feature is essential for successful selling on international marketplaces. With local language customer service included with FBA, you can provide your customers with high-quality Amazon customer service and focus on growing and running your business.
Seller fulfilment customer returns
When you list on an international marketplace and fulfil products on your own, you need to provide customers with a local return address within the country of your Amazon website or offer them free delivery for returns. This is a requirement for selling on Amazon marketplaces.
Consider the following options when thinking about how your customers will return the products that they purchased from you:
Consider the following options when thinking about how your customers will return the products that they purchased from you:
- Use FBA: When you choose FBA, we handle returns for you, so you don't have to worry about providing a local address for returns.
- Implementing restocking fees and offering partial refunds:In certain situations, it may be appropriate to charge the customer a restocking fee or offer a partial refund of the product being returned. Restocking fees or partial refunds must comply with Amazon's returns policies.
- Hiring a third-party international return provider: We have created a list of return providers that can accept returns in your customers' countries. Depending on the sales volume and unit price, international return providers may offer solutions that reduce the costs that you incur when customers in other countries return your products. For example, some providers will consolidate returns and send them back to you or send them to another customer.
FBA customer returns
If you choose FBA, Amazon will handle local returns on your behalf, so you don't have to worry about providing a local return address or changing your prices to incorporate international returns delivery.
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