To sell books on Amazon, you will need to create a seller account. From there, you can sell and ship the books yourself or let Amazon handle them with their "Fulfillment by Amazon" program. You can also participate in the "Advantage" program if you own the distribution rights of the book and wish to sell in large quantities. Here's what you need to know about each step of the sales process.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Create a Seller Account
Step 1. Go to the seller account home page
You can create an individual or professional one, according to your needs.
- If you don't already have a regular Amazon account, create one by clicking on the "My Account" tab in the upper right corner. You will be asked to provide an email address, password and basic information.
- After entering these details, you should receive a confirmation email notifying you that your account has been created.
- If you already have a normal account, click directly on the "My Account" tab in the upper right corner to visit your profile page.
- On the right side of your account page, you should find a title called "Other Personal Accounts". Click on "Seller Account" to begin the creation process. You will need to log in again before your seller account can be activated.
- Difference between an individual and a professional merchant account. You will be prompted to choose one of these options upon creation. A professional account requires the subscription of a subscription of € 29.99 per month but no commission related to sales, while the individual account is free, but provides a commission of € 0.99 on each sale. A professional account will also allow you to use feeds and spreadsheets to manage your inventory as well as provide the ability to sort reports.
Step 2. Enter your payment information
You will need to offer valid payment information in order to receive payouts for the sale of the books.
- Under the "Settings" tab of your merchant account page you should see a link called "Account Information".
- Upon entering this page, you should notice a "Deposit Methods" section. Click the "Edit" button to enter your information.
- Select the country where your bank is located under "Bank Nationality".
- Enter your account number and click "Enter".
- Wait to receive a confirmation email. It can take several days for Amazon to confirm the validity of your account.
Part 2 of 4: Selling on Amazon
Step 1. Search for the stock you want to sell
You can search for the title by going to the "Sell Your Stuff" page, linked to your main account page or by finding the book through a standard search.
- On the "Sell your stuff" page, enter the title or ISBN in the search field. Make sure "Books" is selected as the product category. Click on "Start selling" to create your ad.
- You can also search for the book on Amazon as if you wanted to buy it. Once you've found the book, click "Sell on Amazon" on the right side of the book page to create the ad.
Step 2. Alternatively, enter a new title
If the book you want to sell is not already on Amazon, you can create a new ad by searching for the ISBN on the "Sell your stuff" page. If no results appear, Amazon will direct you to the new ad page.
Enter all information about the book, including title, publisher, author, and ISBN
Step 3. Choose a price
Decide at what price you want to sell the book and enter the value in the corresponding field.
If the book is already on Amazon, a good way to pick a right price is to check out the other listings for that book. If you are a novice seller, you should ask for a lower price than the competition to convince buyers to find your book
Step 4. Describe the conditions
You will need to enter the "conditions" of the book. You will also need to enter a brief description of the conditions and indicate whether or not your book has a hard cover.
- The condition of a used book ranges from "As New" to "Acceptable". A book can only be sold as "New" if it has never been touched or read.
- A book is "as new" if it gives the impression that it has never been opened. The outside must be intact without tearing. The cover must have no creases and the pages must be completely clean and intact.
- A book is in "Excellent Condition" if the pages and cover are intact and clean and the binding is not damaged. Pages may show slight signs of wear.
- A book is in "Good Condition" if the pages and cover are intact. The binding may show small signs of wear and the pages may include some underlining. The book can also have a bookshelf label.
- A book is "Acceptable" if the pages and cover are intact. Pages can include notes and underlines that do not obscure the text. The binding may have wrinkles, but it must be strong and intact.
- If a book is "Unacceptable", it cannot be sold on Amazon. A book is "Unacceptable" if it has missing pages, obscured text, or a torn cover.
Step 5. Save and publish your ad
Select the shipping method you want to offer before doing so.
Once the ad has been saved, the book is available to the seller
Part 3 of 4: Fulfillment by Amazon
Step 1. Edit an advertisement prior to "Fulfillment by Amazon"
Follow the steps to create a seller account and post a book sale ad as normal. This ad can be converted to an FBA ad.
- On the Seller Center page, select "Manage Inventory" under the "Inventory" section of your account.
- Choose the book to convert. Check the box next to the book in the leftmost column.
- Go to the "Actions" drop-down menu on the page. From this menu, select "Change to Fulfillment by Amazon."
- You should be directed to the conversion page. Click the "Convert" button to change the ad. Check the directions to complete your first shipment.
Step 2. Ship the book to Amazon
Amazon will provide you with a list of collection centers. Choose the one closest to you and follow the directions to send the book to that center.
- Amazon will generate the shipping and product labels for your PDF book. Print these labels and attach them to the shipping bag as indicated.
- You can use Amazon's discounted shipping to send the book to the collection center. Alternatively, you can use private shipping if you think that option is cheaper or preferable.
Step 3. Check the announcement and let Amazon take care of the rest
Amazon will store and ship your product. All you need to do is check the ad for your personal records.
- You will be notified as soon as Amazon receives your books. Amazon's collection center will check your inventory, record the size and condition of your items, and enter this information into the online tracking system.
- When a customer purchases a book you're selling with FBA, Amazon will ship the order to the customer and update your listing. Shipping costs will be included in your service rates.
- You will also be notified when your product is purchased and shipped.
Part 4 of 4: Advantage Program
Step 1. Apply to join the Advantage program
You will need to enter a special application to participate in the Advantage program. This program is designed for sellers who want to distribute their own works or other large quantities of books that you can legally distribute.
- To participate, you will need to hold the distribution rights for the titles you enter into the program.
- You will also need to have a valid email address, internet access and a bank account.
- Note that each title you enter must have a valid ISBN and a scannable barcode.
- Note that as a member of the Advantage program, you will not need to maintain a seller account or manage purchase orders and feedback.
- The account you will create to join Advantage requires the same information as your normal merchant account. You will need to enter your name, email, password, residential address and bank account.
Step 2. Enter at least one title
After entering a title, you will receive an email with instructions on how to log in and confirm your order.
- To confirm your order, you will need to log into your member page and select the "Orders" tab. After clicking on the corresponding order ID number, you will be able to confirm your order and receive shipping information.
- Your Advantage account will not be fully active until you enter a title.
- Each title must have an ISBN, and each copy must have a valid barcode.
Step 3. Print your shipping labels and packing slips
You can print these slips from the order confirmation page.
You must include the packing slip in the package along with the books you will ship. The shipping label must be attached to the outside of the package
Step 4. Send the copies to a collection center
Amazon will tell you which collection center to send the books to, and the address will be on the shipping label.
- If you ship an order that doesn't meet the requirements, Amazon may return it to the sender at your expense.
- You will be notified when your order is received by the center.
Step 5. Let Amazon handle the rest
Amazon will take care of managing the sale of your books. You will receive payments after purchase.
