53_Boxes_on_desk copy.jpg
Seller resources,

Guide to selling on Amazon Business

We've compiled a quick, but thorough guide to selling on Amazon Business, featuring answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Published on 28 March 2019

From sole proprietors and SMBs to large corporations, Amazon Business helps organizations across all industries discover, manage, and engage with a wide range of suppliers. Consequently, selling partners can reach millions of business customers worldwide and expand their operations in ways that they never could before.

 

Selling partners on Amazon Business can rely on our trusted e-commerce site to reach registered business customers. Sellers can also offer business-only pricing, prices that are exclusive to our site. You can combine those prices with other discounts like Quantity Discounts to provide even greater savings on products to business customers. Sellers benefit from Amazon’s e-commerce expertise, visibility for their full product catalog on an established online store, and have greater access to decision makers to grow sales. We are also compatible with the Fulfillment by Amazon service to meet rigorous delivery requirements expected by our customers.

 

Manufacturers can get closer to their customers and gain additional insight into customer needs, as well as how customers are using their products in their industry.

 

We have a selling partner certification program that allows third-party selling partners to feature and display one or more of 18 nationally recognized diversity, ownership, and quality certifications. This includes certifications such as ISO: 9001 certified, small business, women-, minority-, and veteran owned businesses to their seller profiles, which will be displayed to business customers.

 

When you work with us, you can benefit in many ways. But, how do you get started? What are the specific features and benefits designed with sellers in mind? If you’re already selling on Amazon.com, are you automatically eligible to be a Business Seller?

 

For the answers to these questions and more, we prepared a quick but thorough guide to selling on Amazon Business with answers to 20 of your most commonly asked questions.

 

Download the guide

Frequently Asked Questions about selling on Amazon Business

  • Amazon Business is the B2B marketplace on Amazon, providing business customers with the pricing, selection and convenience of Amazon, with features and benefits designed for businesses of all sizes.

     

    Amazon Business customers can create free, multi-user accounts that allow them to choose from hundreds of millions of products on Amazon, including business-only items.

     

    All kinds of organizations around the world benefit from business-only pricing, easy price comparisons, quantity discounts, FREE Two-Day Shipping with Business Prime, and a familiar shopping experience.

  • More than one million businesses across a variety of industries purchase the products they need on Amazon Business. In the U.S., Amazon Business serves nearly 80% of the 100 largest enrollment education organizations, 55 of the Fortune 100 companies, more than half of the 100 biggest hospital systems and more than 40% of the 100 most populous governments.

     

    Organizations of all kinds buy on Amazon Business

    • Education
    • Healthcare
    • Government
    • Technology
    • Hospitality
    • Manufacturing
    • Energy

  • If you already have an Amazon Seller account, just sign in and check your eligibility. If you don’t already have a seller account on Amazon, contact the Amazon Business team and we’ll help you with what you need to do to start selling on Amazon Business. Once your account is activated, you’ll receive the benefits of the Business Seller program.

  • The Amazon Business Seller program is available to professional sellers on Amazon in good standing. Members of the Business Seller program are held to higher performance requirements than those businesses selling via Amazon.com.

     

    If you’re a current seller on Amazon.com, you may be eligible for the Business Seller program based on your performance history. If you’re not currently eligible for the program, you can request a special exception for access; we’ll review your request and get back to you within three days.

     

  • The Amazon Business Seller program gives sellers like you the tools and features needed to effectively sell products on Amazon Business.

    These include:

    • Business pricing – The ability to offer prices only available to business customers.
    • Quantity discounts – Pricing features that make it easier for customers to buy from you in large quantities, including the ability to request a special price on an even larger purchase.
    • Tax exemption – Automated tax exemption on qualified purchases from sellers participating in the Amazon Tax-Exemption Program.
    • Certifications – Claim quality, diversity, and ownership certifications to help your company stand out to business customers who are looking to learn more about their suppliers.

  • Business pricing means offers that are lower than your retail prices that are intended to incentivize buyers to purchase in bulk.

     

    When you set a business price, these special offers are only available to registered Amazon Business buyers. While your products will be visible to all Amazon consumers, only registered Amazon Business buyers can see and read your business pricing. All other Amazon consumers will see your set consumer price. Business pricing cannot be higher than the consumer price on a product.

  • You can restrict offers in product categories like healthcare, industrial, or lab equipment so they’re only visible to verified business buyers. While business-only offers limit the discoverability of your products, they can help build credibility with certain customers.

  • To encourage larger orders, you can set up to five pricing tiers on each of your products. Customers can see the price discounts for certain quantity orders, which are completely defined by you. For even larger quantities, customers can request pricing from all sellers who offer a specific product.

  • Using this tool, brand owners can describe their product features by including a unique brand story, enhanced images, and text placements. Adding enhanced product content to your product detail pages can result in higher conversion rates, increased traffic, and higher sales when used effectively.

     

    Enhanced product content helps your customers make informed purchases

    • MSDS or SDS
    • CAD files
    • User guides
    • CoC
    • Safety information
    • Application guides
    • Spec sheets
    • Comparison charts
    • CoA
    • Installation manuals

  • Your potential customers want to know more about your company than just the price of your products, especially if they’re looking at larger purchases or recurring business. The Profile Editor helps you tell your company’s story, display Seller Certifications, and build trust. When business customers better understand who they’re sourcing from, they’re more likely to buy.

  • You can distinguish your business in the eyes of Amazon Business customers by participating in the Seller Certification program, which enables you to claim and display the certifications that apply to your organization.

     

    The 18 nationally recognized diversity, ownership and quality certifications

     

    DIVERSITY AND OWNERSHIP CERTIFICATIONS

    • Small Business
    • LGBT Business Enterprise
    • Minority-Owned Business
    • Women’s Business Enterprise
    • Woman-Owned Small Business
    • Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business
    • SBA-Certified Small Disadvantaged Business
    • SBA-Certified HUBZone Firm
    • SBA-Certified 8(a) Firm
    • Veteran-Owned Small Business
    • Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business

     

    QUALITY CERTIFICATIONS

    • Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001)
    • Medical Devices Standards (ISO 13485)
    • Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001)
    • Food Quality Standards (ISO 22000/HAACP)
    • Quality Management Systems –Automotive (ISO/TS 16949)
    • Quality Systems – Aerospace (AS 9100)
    • Quality Systems – Aerospace –Distributors (AS 9120)
    • Multiple ways to fulfill your orders and attain the valued Prime status on your listings

  • Amazon doesn’t award or validate certifications. It’s up to you to obtain certifications from an authorized certifying body like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and to provide supporting documentation for the certification such as a picture of a physical certificate or a business identifier number (like DUNS).

    1. Seller Fulfilled Prime – For sellers who qualify, based on their own mature fulfillment and logistics infrastructure, Seller Fulfilled Prime enables offers to achieve Prime status, but ship directly from a seller location according to the Prime customer promise.
    2. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) – Orders are fulfilled by Amazon and your products are shipped from state-of-the-art Amazon fulfillment centers. Orders fulfilled through FBA achieve Prime status.
    3. Merchant fulfillment – Just like it sounds. You fulfill orders directly from your own facility, following the Amazon Business packaging requirements. Prime status does not apply to merchant fulfilled orders.
    4. Hybrid approach – Many organizations use a mixed fulfillment strategy, shipping certain products directly and others through Fulfillment by Amazon.

  • The Fulfillment by Amazon program helps you meet the stringent delivery expectations of business customers. Using our advanced web-to-warehouse high-speed picking and sorting system, Amazon quickly ships your products from our fulfillment centers. Amazon handles the customer service and returns on any orders fulfilled and shipped through Fulfillment by Amazon. Business customers recognize and trust the Prime logo, which signifies fast shipping and superior customer service.

  • You pay as you go with Fulfillment by Amazon; you’re charged for the orders we fulfill and the storage space you use in our fulfillment centers. Shipping costs are included in your fees, and there’s no extra charge for Amazon Prime FREE Two-Day Shipping and FREE Shipping on eligible orders.

  • Just like on Amazon.com, you handle customer service for any orders that you fulfill directly. Amazon provides world-class, 24/7 customer service on orders fulfilled and shipped through the Fulfillment by Amazon service.

  • The monthly subscription fee for Professional Sellers is currently $39.99 per month.

     

    The Professional Selling Plan is a month-to-month contract; you can cancel at any time by opting out.

     

    Referral fees in the Amazon Business fee schedule apply to business transactions involving products in the following categories:

     

    • Consumer Electronics
    • Office Products
    • Tools & Home Improvement
    • Industrial & Scientific

     

    Fees in all other categories are the same as for all Professional Sellers on Amazon. Please note that we may implement fees specific to the Amazon Business Seller Program in the future.

     

    Business customers recognize and trust the Prime logo, which signifies fast shipping and superior customer service.

  • Customers purchasing products on Amazon Business have high standards for both service and quality. Therefore, Amazon Business sellers must meet certain requirements:

     

    • Low pre-shipment cancellation rate (less than 1%)
    • Low late-shipping rate (less than 2%)
    • Low order-defect rate (for example, few A-to-z claims,returns or chargebacks)

     

    Business sellers who meet and exceed quality requirements don’t just make their customers happy — they increase their organic discoverability on Amazon Business with the program badge visible on their offers.

     

    Business Seller packaging requirements

    1. A tracking number onevery business order package
    2. A packing slip with everybusiness order package
    3. A purchase order number with every business order package (when provided by the customer)

  • The Seller Central Portal provides you with personalized, up-to-the minute metrics on your performance relative to the requirements.

  • If you’re a current Amazon Seller in good standing, registering for a Business Seller account is a straightforward process — just sign in to your account to check your eligibility.

Related Articles