GLOBAL SELLING
How to sell internationally with Amazon Global Selling
Amazon provides selling partners with a variety of tools and services that simplify all aspects of selling internationally.
4 steps to succeed at selling globally
1
Decide where and what to sell
Understand the opportunity that selling internationally on Amazon offers your business. Learn where you can sell through Amazon, what is required — including taxes and regulations — and strategic considerations for entering a new marketplace.
How we can help
Learn more about why and how to expand to Amazon stores around the world:
Where you can sell with Amazon
Overview
Amazon operates 18 online stories worldwide (listed by region, below), allowing you to grow your business internationally independent of where your business is physically established. With Amazon, you can quickly grow your business in other countries, introducing your brand and products to millions of customers in Amazon's marketplaces.
These marketplaces represent many of the world’s largest ecommerce opportunities. When you register to sell in one of these Amazon marketplaces, you gain immediate access to customers who know and trust the Amazon buying experience. Expanding your sales to one or more Amazon marketplaces means you can benefit from the Amazon brand without shouldering the upfront costs of building business name recognition on your own in a new sales environment.
Language support considerations
When you prepare to enter a new Amazon marketplace, one early consideration you’ll have is whether your business can operate in the local language. Proficiency in the local marketplace language is necessary for providing customer support for a particular marketplace (a requirement for selling in an Amazon marketplace) unless you use Fulfilment by Amazon. Local language proficiency is also helpful for conducting country-specific research and understanding how to best position your products. You might need to modify your products or reposition your marketing, copy, or packaging to better meet the needs of your new customers.
However, many selling partners do successfully sell in Amazon marketplaces where they don’t have proficiency in the local language. Amazon provides some services and tools to help ease the challenges posed by language barriers:
Seller Central Language Switcher
The good news is that you don’t have to master Spanish, French or Japanese to sell across North America, Australia and in Japan. With Seller Central Language Switcher, you can manage your operations in all of these Amazon marketplaces in English, enabling you to quickly get up to speed on your international business by providing you a familiar interface you can quickly learn to use.
Amazon North American Marketplaces account
In North America, just like in Europe, we have simplified managing your business across all of Amazon’s online stores. The Amazon North American stores account enables you to create and manage product offers in any and all of our online stores in the US, Canada and Mexico. You control what you sell where, and you manage your business from a single selling partner account interface.
When you sign up to sell in one North American marketplace, for example on Amazon.com, your selling partner account is automatically enabled to sell in all other Amazon North American marketplaces—Amazon.com.mx and Amazon.ca. Reach millions of international customers and let Amazon help you grow your international online business. All your orders will be managed in a single place, making trading in Canada feel just like trading in the US.
Customer support in the local language
When you sell in an Amazon marketplace, you are required to provide customer support in the local language of the marketplace. For instance, if you are selling on Amazon.jp or Amazon.com.mx, you’re required to provide customer support in Japanese or Spanish, respectively. You can choose to do it on your own or have Amazon do it when you join FBA.
However, many selling partners do successfully sell in Amazon marketplaces where they don’t have proficiency in the local language. Amazon provides some services and tools to help ease the challenges posed by language barriers:
Seller Central Language Switcher
The good news is that you don’t have to master Spanish, French or Japanese to sell across North America, Australia and in Japan. With Seller Central Language Switcher, you can manage your operations in all of these Amazon marketplaces in English, enabling you to quickly get up to speed on your international business by providing you a familiar interface you can quickly learn to use.
Amazon North American Marketplaces account
In North America, just like in Europe, we have simplified managing your business across all of Amazon’s online stores. The Amazon North American stores account enables you to create and manage product offers in any and all of our online stores in the US, Canada and Mexico. You control what you sell where, and you manage your business from a single selling partner account interface.
When you sign up to sell in one North American marketplace, for example on Amazon.com, your selling partner account is automatically enabled to sell in all other Amazon North American marketplaces—Amazon.com.mx and Amazon.ca. Reach millions of international customers and let Amazon help you grow your international online business. All your orders will be managed in a single place, making trading in Canada feel just like trading in the US.
Customer support in the local language
When you sell in an Amazon marketplace, you are required to provide customer support in the local language of the marketplace. For instance, if you are selling on Amazon.jp or Amazon.com.mx, you’re required to provide customer support in Japanese or Spanish, respectively. You can choose to do it on your own or have Amazon do it when you join FBA.
Taxes and regulations
Be aware of local taxes and regulations when selling in Amazon’s various marketplaces and enlisting third-party resources. We recommend that you consult your tax and regulatory advisors before making decisions about how you will sell in other marketplaces.
Every country has legal and industry requirements concerning sales of products to consumers. In your home marketplace, there may be laws that pertain to intellectual property rights, product safety, environmental, and other applicable requirements. The same is true for all marketplaces. Do your research and understand your responsibilities. Some things to consider are tax and customs, intellectual property rights, parallel importation, export controls, marking and labels, environment, health, and safety, and product compliance.
Every country has legal and industry requirements concerning sales of products to consumers. In your home marketplace, there may be laws that pertain to intellectual property rights, product safety, environmental, and other applicable requirements. The same is true for all marketplaces. Do your research and understand your responsibilities. Some things to consider are tax and customs, intellectual property rights, parallel importation, export controls, marking and labels, environment, health, and safety, and product compliance.
Crafting a marketplace strategy
Overview
Deciding where and what to sell in another country's marketplace can be similar to making these determinations for your home marketplace. However, there are some added considerations when selling internationally.
One way to evaluate an international marketplace entry strategy is to use the "four P's" marketing framework: Product, Price, Placement, and Promotions. Let's review each through the lens of selling internationally on Amazon.
One way to evaluate an international marketplace entry strategy is to use the "four P's" marketing framework: Product, Price, Placement, and Promotions. Let's review each through the lens of selling internationally on Amazon.
Product: Choosing what to sell
When you select an Amazon marketplace in which to sell, you’ll need to understand whether your product is appropriate for your target country. First and foremost, make sure that you comply with all laws in each country. In addition, product standards differ across countries. For example, mobile devices operating on 110–220 V that use two-prong electrical chargers may not be appropriate for European marketplaces but could be appropriate for Japan. Similarly, feather beds you successfully sell in the U.K. would probably not sell well in the United States because the standard mattress sizes are different in each country.
When selling internationally through Amazon for the first time, a natural approach is to think about your bestselling products in your home marketplace. From your previous experience and from data in sales reports, what sells well? It's also important to ask yourself why you think these particular products do well. Will these same reasons hold true for the marketplace you are entering, or are there other fundamentals driving customer demand in the new marketplace, such as culture, climate, and demographics, including average age and income? Also think about how differences in marketplaces can benefit you. For instance, do you have seasonal inventory that you don’t know what to do with after the season has passed in one marketplace? You can extend your selling season by selling abroad where the product may find a new audience.
Tip: List broadly across multiple products rather than deeply in one or two products. Why? A broader selection of products means higher customer search exposure to your listings overall. This breadth can help you quickly gauge which products can be successful in a particular marketplace.
You can start slow while still maintaining breadth of selection even if you’re not ready to commit a lot of your inventory to another Amazon marketplace. If your sales spike, you can adjust your price or remove listings to mitigate stock-out risk, just like in your home Amazon marketplace. For an even smaller commitment, you can start by fulfilling orders yourself rather than sending inventory to another country. Remember selling in another marketplace doesn’t mean you lose control over your listings.
In deciding which products to sell in an Amazon marketplace, you of course have another key source of information available to you—observations of the marketplace itself. This sort of marketplace research should be very familiar to you from activities you likely conduct when selling in your primary Amazon marketplace. For this research, local language proficiency is extremely helpful. If you are trying to research a marketplace in a language unfamiliar to you, you may be able get some basic language interpretation from free online translator tools, but beware of relying too heavily on such tools.
In your target marketplace, review the Best Selling partners, New Arrivals, and Featured Brand selections for your product categories. Read customer reviews to understand your competition’s strengths and weaknesses.
During this product research phase, you may find it helpful to broaden your search to ecommerce marketplaces beyond Amazon. Use a search engine to find relevant ecommerce sites by country. Trade publications and online selling partner communities in each country can also provide a rich source of information as you prepare to list products in their locales.
Tip: Keep in mind that potential customers of a particular marketplace may not necessarily reside in the target country. Some customers in each marketplace may reside in a nearby country, prefer to shop in a particular language, seek products only available in a particular marketplace, or otherwise choose to purchase out-of-country. For example, an Amazon.com customer may reside in Mexico.
When selling internationally through Amazon for the first time, a natural approach is to think about your bestselling products in your home marketplace. From your previous experience and from data in sales reports, what sells well? It's also important to ask yourself why you think these particular products do well. Will these same reasons hold true for the marketplace you are entering, or are there other fundamentals driving customer demand in the new marketplace, such as culture, climate, and demographics, including average age and income? Also think about how differences in marketplaces can benefit you. For instance, do you have seasonal inventory that you don’t know what to do with after the season has passed in one marketplace? You can extend your selling season by selling abroad where the product may find a new audience.
Tip: List broadly across multiple products rather than deeply in one or two products. Why? A broader selection of products means higher customer search exposure to your listings overall. This breadth can help you quickly gauge which products can be successful in a particular marketplace.
You can start slow while still maintaining breadth of selection even if you’re not ready to commit a lot of your inventory to another Amazon marketplace. If your sales spike, you can adjust your price or remove listings to mitigate stock-out risk, just like in your home Amazon marketplace. For an even smaller commitment, you can start by fulfilling orders yourself rather than sending inventory to another country. Remember selling in another marketplace doesn’t mean you lose control over your listings.
In deciding which products to sell in an Amazon marketplace, you of course have another key source of information available to you—observations of the marketplace itself. This sort of marketplace research should be very familiar to you from activities you likely conduct when selling in your primary Amazon marketplace. For this research, local language proficiency is extremely helpful. If you are trying to research a marketplace in a language unfamiliar to you, you may be able get some basic language interpretation from free online translator tools, but beware of relying too heavily on such tools.
In your target marketplace, review the Best Selling partners, New Arrivals, and Featured Brand selections for your product categories. Read customer reviews to understand your competition’s strengths and weaknesses.
During this product research phase, you may find it helpful to broaden your search to ecommerce marketplaces beyond Amazon. Use a search engine to find relevant ecommerce sites by country. Trade publications and online selling partner communities in each country can also provide a rich source of information as you prepare to list products in their locales.
Tip: Keep in mind that potential customers of a particular marketplace may not necessarily reside in the target country. Some customers in each marketplace may reside in a nearby country, prefer to shop in a particular language, seek products only available in a particular marketplace, or otherwise choose to purchase out-of-country. For example, an Amazon.com customer may reside in Mexico.
Price: Setting and adjusting your price
The following are potential new costs to consider when selling outside your primary marketplace. These additional costs may change your profitability calculation:
- Shipping costs when you are shipping directly to international customers.
- International return shipping costs, if you are fulfilling orders yourself.
- Shipping costs to send your inventory to fulfilment centers abroad when you are using Fulfilment by Amazon.
- Customer support costs if you are providing these services yourself in a local language or hiring a third-party provider to manage customer language support.
- Conversion costs associated with getting paid in your home currency.
- Translation costs for listing ASINs in another language.
- Taxes and duties.
As you can see, many of the variable costs change based on whether you decide to fulfil products yourself or use Fulfilment by Amazon.
Placement: Optimizing your distribution channels
In addition to growing your international on-Amazon business, you can also consider growing your international business off-Amazon. The following are other services from Amazon may be relevant for you to develop this international strategy:
Multi-Channel Fulfilment If you already use Fulfilment by Amazon to fulfil Amazon customer orders, you can manage online sales from other channels using the same inventory pool. Use Multi-Channel Fulfilment—a feature within Fulfilment by Amazon—to fulfil orders that come from sales channels other than Amazon, including your own website, other third-party platforms, and even catalog or in-store sales.
Product Ads Amazon Product Ads is an advertising service designed to provide Amazon customers seamless access to products available on external websites. As an advertiser, you simply upload your catalog and set your cost-per-click bids and budget. Amazon will then display your ads to Amazon.com customers when they shop for your product or related products. Customers who are interested in buying your product can click through to your Web site and purchase the product directly from you.
Multi-Channel Fulfilment If you already use Fulfilment by Amazon to fulfil Amazon customer orders, you can manage online sales from other channels using the same inventory pool. Use Multi-Channel Fulfilment—a feature within Fulfilment by Amazon—to fulfil orders that come from sales channels other than Amazon, including your own website, other third-party platforms, and even catalog or in-store sales.
Product Ads Amazon Product Ads is an advertising service designed to provide Amazon customers seamless access to products available on external websites. As an advertiser, you simply upload your catalog and set your cost-per-click bids and budget. Amazon will then display your ads to Amazon.com customers when they shop for your product or related products. Customers who are interested in buying your product can click through to your Web site and purchase the product directly from you.
Promotion: Making your listings more attractive
As in your primary Amazon marketplace, Amazon provides tools that enable you to advertise and run promotions for your products. The promotional tools available vary by Amazon marketplace and may include Free Delivery, Money Off, Buy One Get One (BOGO), and External Benefits.
Another way to increase exposure to 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 exposure to 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
Leverage Amazon tools to manage selling partner accounts globally 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 tool (BIL) helps you sell globally by adding offers and synchronizing pricing across multiple marketplaces. BIL enables you to add numerous offers to additional marketplaces quickly. Then, based on rules you set, BIL manages pricing offers across marketplaces for you through automated updates.
Overview
You will need to set up your Amazon selling account for the online marketplace where you want to sell. Even if you already sell in one Amazon marketplace, you will need to create a new selling partner account in another marketplace. For example, if you sell in the UK or in the United States and want to sell in Japan, you need to create a new Amazon selling partner account for Amazon.co.jp.
The exception to this is if you already sell in a North American marketplace, such as Amazon.com, and want to sell in another Amazon North American marketplace, such as Amazon.ca. In this case, you can do so from your current selling partner account, because Amazon offers a Unified Account for North American marketplaces.
In some countries, Amazon has online registration processes in the local language—for example Spanish for Amazon.com.mx. If you do not speak these languages and are interested in selling in any of these marketplaces, register to sell on Amazon.com in English and then create offers across Mexican marketplace with the Unified Account.
If you're already selling on Amazon, expand internationally. If you're new to Amazon, choose where you'd like to get started:
The exception to this is if you already sell in a North American marketplace, such as Amazon.com, and want to sell in another Amazon North American marketplace, such as Amazon.ca. In this case, you can do so from your current selling partner account, because Amazon offers a Unified Account for North American marketplaces.
In some countries, Amazon has online registration processes in the local language—for example Spanish for Amazon.com.mx. If you do not speak these languages and are interested in selling in any of these marketplaces, register to sell on Amazon.com in English and then create offers across Mexican marketplace with the Unified Account.
If you're already selling on Amazon, expand internationally. If you're new to Amazon, choose where you'd like to get started:
Already selling on Amazon in Europe?
New to Amazon?
North America registration requirements
When you register to sell in the U.S. on Amazon.com, you will need to provide a valid credit card, phone number, and tax information. For taxes, you will be required to go through an online step-by-step interview that will determine whether you will need to complete a W-9 form (as a U.S. taxpayer) or a W-8BEN (as a non-U.S. taxpayer). When you register to sell in Canada or Mexico, on Amazon.ca or Amazon.mx, you will need to provide a valid credit card, phone number, and tax information.
North America Unified Account In North America, we have simplified managing your business across the United States, Canada, and Mexico marketplaces. The North America Unified Account enables you to create and manage product offers in the US, Canada, and Mexico. You control what you sell and where you sell from a single selling partner account interface.
When you sign up to sell on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, or Amazon.com.mx, your selling partner account is automatically enabled to sell in both marketplaces. You can switch between marketplaces using the marketplace switcher in Seller Central. This allows you to list products and manage orders in each marketplace.
As a Pro Selling partner, you will only pay subscription fees corresponding to the marketplace where you first registered to sell. For example, if you registered to sell on Amazon.com, you will pay the subscription fees for that marketplace. If you decide to sell on Amazon.ca, you will not pay additional subscription fees. However, for all per-item sales, you will pay the fees applicable to the marketplace in which the item was sold.
In order to sell across the US, Canada, and Mexico, you will need to create listings on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca., and Amazon.com.mx. Please note that creating offers in the first marketplace where you register (e.g., Amazon.com) and beginning to sell does not automatically populate offers in the other marketplaces (e.g., Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.mx); if you want to sell in all three marketplaces, you will need to create offers in each marketplace.
Finally, when setting up a North American Unified Account, you’ll need to provide a bank account in one of the countries supported by Amazon. Currently, Amazon supports US, Canadian, and Mexican bank accounts, as well as bank accounts in European countries.
North America Unified Account In North America, we have simplified managing your business across the United States, Canada, and Mexico marketplaces. The North America Unified Account enables you to create and manage product offers in the US, Canada, and Mexico. You control what you sell and where you sell from a single selling partner account interface.
When you sign up to sell on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, or Amazon.com.mx, your selling partner account is automatically enabled to sell in both marketplaces. You can switch between marketplaces using the marketplace switcher in Seller Central. This allows you to list products and manage orders in each marketplace.
As a Pro Selling partner, you will only pay subscription fees corresponding to the marketplace where you first registered to sell. For example, if you registered to sell on Amazon.com, you will pay the subscription fees for that marketplace. If you decide to sell on Amazon.ca, you will not pay additional subscription fees. However, for all per-item sales, you will pay the fees applicable to the marketplace in which the item was sold.
In order to sell across the US, Canada, and Mexico, you will need to create listings on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca., and Amazon.com.mx. Please note that creating offers in the first marketplace where you register (e.g., Amazon.com) and beginning to sell does not automatically populate offers in the other marketplaces (e.g., Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.mx); if you want to sell in all three marketplaces, you will need to create offers in each marketplace.
Finally, when setting up a North American Unified Account, you’ll need to provide a bank account in one of the countries supported by Amazon. Currently, Amazon supports US, Canadian, and Mexican bank accounts, as well as bank accounts in European countries.
Japan registration requirements
Amazon.co.jp offers an online selling partner registration process in English and Japanese. Once you have set up your account, you can choose Japanese or English to manage your account in Seller Central. Get guidance on expanding to Japan.
Payments
Using a bank account in the marketplace
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 typically a more complex process, as you may need to create a legal business entity in that country, so consult your legal, tax, and banking advisors.
Amazon Currency Converter for Selling partners
If you’d prefer not to open an account in the country of another Amazon marketplace, you have the option of using Amazon Currency Converter for Selling partners (ACCS). With ACCS, you can be paid directly in your local bank account in local currency, provided you have a bank account in a country supported by Amazon. Regardless of the country in which you reside, you may only receive payment to a bank account in a country and currency supported by ACCS.
How ACCS works
When you enter bank account details, you must accept the terms and conditions for using ACCS to receive payment to that bank account. Every disbursement will automatically be transferred to your local bank in the local currency. If you switch to another bank, you must accept the ACCS Terms and Conditions again when you enter your new bank account details.
The table below shows the currencies supported by ACCS for each marketplace account.
How ACCS works
When you enter bank account details, you must accept the terms and conditions for using ACCS to receive payment to that bank account. Every disbursement will automatically be transferred to your local bank in the local currency. If you switch to another bank, you must accept the ACCS Terms and Conditions again when you enter your new bank account details.
The table below shows the currencies supported by ACCS for each marketplace account.
Category
.com
.ca
.co.jp
.com.mx
EUR Euro
✓
✓
✓
✓
GBP Great British Pound
✓
✓
✓
✓
USD United States Dollar
Default
✓
✓
✓
AUD Australian Dollar
✓
✓
✓
✓
NZD New Zealand Dollar
✓
✓
✓
✓
INR Indian Rupee
✓
✓
✓
✓
HKD Hong Kong Dollar
✓
✓
✓
✓
CAD Canadian Dollar
✓
Default
✓
✓
BGN Bulgarian Lev
✓
✓
✓
✓
CZK Czech Koruna
✓
✓
✓
✓
HRK Croatian Kuna
✓
✓
✓
✓
DKK Danish Krone
✓
✓
✓
✓
HUF Hungarian Forint
✓
✓
✓
✓
NOK Norwegian Krone
✓
✓
✓
✓
PLN Złoty polski
✓
✓
✓
✓
RON Romanian Leu
✓
✓
✓
✓
CHF Swiss Franc
✓
✓
✓
✓
SGD Singapore Dollar
✓
✓
✓
✓
PHP Philippines Peso
✓
✓
✓
✓
Note: If your bank is not based in one of the countries supported by Amazon Currency Converter for Selling partners, ACCS will not be able to disburse payments to your bank account. You will 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 marketplace or a bank account in a country supported by ACCS.
Visit Seller Central Help to read the Amazon Currency Converter for Selling partners FAQ
Visit Seller Central Help to read the Amazon Currency Converter for Selling partners FAQ
Listing creation
Overview
Once you’ve created a selling partner account in a new target marketplace, the next step is to create product listings in your new marketplace. Product listing requirements may be different depending on the marketplace, so be sure to refer to the guidelines in each marketplace’s Help pages. The following are the components of an Amazon marketplace listing:
- Product ID: A global identification number such as a UPC, EAN, or ISBN number.
- Product title: A concise description of the product.
- Bullet points and product description: Bullet points briefly list the top product features and catch the customer’s interest. The product description provides detailed information about the product. Use a third-party currency conversion service.
- Product images: Clear photographs of the product that show as much detail as possible. Images should be at least 500x500 pixels in size, although 1000x1000 pixels is recommended when you want your product to be viewed in detail. Some categories may have different image size requirements, so refer to the guidelines in Seller Central.
- Search terms: Keywords that someone looking for your product might enter in the Search field. You can provide several search terms.
Note: The quality of your listing will affect how often your item appears on searches and so the likelihood that your product is purchased. That’s why it’s important to invest time and effort in producing high-quality listings to improve your sales potential.
Listing your products
If you have a small inventory (fewer than 100 products), it may be easier to use the Add-A- Product listing tool to list each product one at a time. Alternatively, for selling partners with Professional accounts and larger inventories, you can create an inventory file and load the inventory all at once with volume listing tools.
Listings need to be in the language of the Amazon marketplace where you intend to sell. For example, to sell on or Amazon.jp, your product listings need to 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 selling partners professionally translate their listings. Here are a few links other selling partners have found useful:
Listings need to be in the language of the Amazon marketplace where you intend to sell. For example, to sell on or Amazon.jp, your product listings need to 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 selling partners professionally translate their listings. Here are a few links other selling partners have found useful:
Build International Listings
The Build International Listings tool saves you time managing listings and enables you to create and update listings at the same time across multiple Amazon marketplaces with your Unified Account. Once you’ve launched and created listings in your primary “source” marketplace, you can then select these listings and identify a target marketplace in which you currently have no offers. Build International Listings performs the following automatic functions:
The Build International Listings tool saves you time managing listings and enables you to create and update listings at the same time across multiple Amazon marketplaces with your Unified Account. Once you’ve launched and created listings in your primary “source” marketplace, you can then select these listings and identify a target marketplace in which you currently have no offers. Build International Listings performs the following automatic functions:
- It creates listings in multiple target marketplaces based on products you are selling in the source marketplace.
- Whenever you add a listing or delete a listing, it updates listings in the target marketplaces.
- It adjusts prices in your target marketplaces based on changes you make to the source marketplace prices, according to pricing rules you set.
- It adjusts prices in the target marketplaces to reflect exchange rate fluctuations with the source marketplace currency.
3
Ship and fulfil
Amazon fulfilment services help you get products to customers promptly worldwide. Understand what’s involved in shipping and fulfilling in different countries, including costs, times, and requirements. Learn about Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) international solutions, or handle it yourself.
Fulfilment by Seller
Sending your products internationally direct to your customers
If your inventory is located in a different country than the marketplace where your customers placed their order, you need to ship the product internationally to your customer. Here is an overview of the process:
- The selling partner chooses a carrier that can ship internationally.
- The selling partner ships the product and is the exporter of record.
Important: To ensure a good customer experience and manage your customer reviews and selling partner performance ratings, it is important that you do not expose customers to delays due to customs or unexpected charges associated with additional duties and taxes on their products. It is important that the selling partner take care of such matters when shipping the product. - The carrier acts as the broker by default, according to the terms and conditions on the freight bill. The carrier will collect duties from the buyer upon delivery of the goods.
It is also important to manage customer expectations. You should provide customers with accurate information about the country from which you are shipping your product. Specifically, you need to accurately state the 'shipping from' country in your selling partner profile and manage customer expectations by stating the actual shipping times from your country. You will be responsible to meet the shipping expectations for all orders you receive.
International shipping
International shipping costs
International shipping charges vary depending on several factors, including:
International shipping charges vary depending on several factors, including:
- Package dimensions and weight
- Delivery time
- Source (where you are shipping from) and destination (where you are shipping to). Costs can be considerably higher for international destinations.
- Transperfect Translations
In addition to the above charges, you should be aware of customs duties and taxes that will need to be paid. Amazon will not be responsible for any customs duties and taxes associated with FBA inventory. Any shipments arriving at an Amazon fulfilment centre with customs duty charges due will be returned to sender.
International shipping times
Fulfilling an order internationally will take more time than doing so domestically. Shipping times are reflected in the offer detail and may make your offer less competitive relative to domestic counterparts.
International shipping times
Fulfilling an order internationally will take more time than doing so domestically. Shipping times are reflected in the offer detail and may make your offer less competitive relative to domestic counterparts.
Other resources
There are also many online resources that can help selling partners determine rates and that will make shipping easier. Here are a few links, organized by region, other sellers have found useful. Visit their websites directly to calculate the approximate shipping charges you can expect when fulfilling orders for the Amazon marketplaces you would like to list in:
Fulfilment by Amazon
Overview
Selling partner is based
FBA fulfilment centre location
Importation required?
Outside the United States
US
Yes, products need to be imported into the US
Outside Canada
Canada
Yes, products need to be imported into Canada.
Outside Europe
European marketplace countries: UK, Germany, France, Italy, or Spain
Yes, products need to be imported into the country where the FBA fulfilment centre is located.
In Europe
EU marketplaces countries: UK, Germany, France, Italy, or Spain
No, goods don't need to be imported intra-EU. If selling partner uses FBA, selling partner can use FBA international programmes.
Outside Japan
Japan
Yes, products need to be imported into Japan.
Outside Mexico
Mexico
Yes, products need to be imported into Mexico.
An alternative way to fulfil your international orders is to use Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) in the country corresponding to the Amazon marketplace where you are listing your products. Using FBA will require importing your products to another country for storage in an Amazon fulfilment centre to sell them to customers in that marketplace. The one exception to this case is if you already sell in one of Amazon’s European marketplaces and fulfil with FBA in that marketplace. In that case, you can fulfil your orders from other European Stores using your current FBA account through the Pan-European FBA, the European Fulfilment Network or Multi-Country Inventory.
Sending your products internationally direct to your customers
If your inventory is located in a different country than the fulfilment centre, you need to export your products from the source country and import them into the destination country. You will act as the exporter of record in the source country and the importer of record in the destination country, and must comply with all laws and regulations of the source and destination countries. You may be subject to import taxes, customs duties, and fees levied by the destination country. Amazon will not be responsible for any customs duties and taxes associated with FBA inventory. Any shipments arriving at an Amazon fulfilment center with customs duty charges due will be returned to sender. Here is an overview of the process:
- Create listings in Seller Central.
- Prepare a commercial invoice indicating that you are the importer of record.
- Choose a customs broker (this service may be offered by your carrier).
- Ship the products from the factory or warehouse to the port.
- Clear the products through customs for export.
- Load products onto a carrier for transport to the destination port.
- 7Ship products to the destination port and offload them.
- Clear the products through customs for import.
- Load products onto carrier for transport to fulfilment centre.
For more details on rules and regulations for inbounding inventory to an Amazon fulfilment centre, including requirements for floor-loaded LTL/FTL shipments, please visit the following Amazon help page.
Importing and exporting inventory
Overview
When you expand your business to an Amazon marketplace outside your home country and fulfil with Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) or a third-party fulfilment provider, you'll need to understand your obligations in the import/export process. Although you may want to handle some or all of these import/export steps yourself, it can be easier to hire a logistics provider such as a customs broker or a freight forwarder to handle the process for you. These providers may have the expertise and the time to make sure your inventory moves from one place to another in a timely and secure manner.
Tip: If you use FBA in a marketplace outside your home country and you wish to use the services of a logistics provider, the best practice is to contact one as soon as you sign up for FBA. The process for completing the necessary paperwork can take some time, and you do not want the process to delay getting your products into customers' hands.
If you engage the services of a customs broker or a freight forwarder to help you move inventory from one country to another, you must engage them directly. You must also directly make the arrangements for establishing the importer or exporter of record. Amazon cannot act in that capacity or make these arrangements for you.
Before you engage a customs broker or freight forwarder to help you move your inventory from one country to a fulfilment centre in another country, you will need to decide who will take on certain responsibilities:
Tip: If you use FBA in a marketplace outside your home country and you wish to use the services of a logistics provider, the best practice is to contact one as soon as you sign up for FBA. The process for completing the necessary paperwork can take some time, and you do not want the process to delay getting your products into customers' hands.
If you engage the services of a customs broker or a freight forwarder to help you move inventory from one country to another, you must engage them directly. You must also directly make the arrangements for establishing the importer or exporter of record. Amazon cannot act in that capacity or make these arrangements for you.
Before you engage a customs broker or freight forwarder to help you move your inventory from one country to a fulfilment centre in another country, you will need to decide who will take on certain responsibilities:
- Exporter of record (EOR): Generally, the shipper is the exporter of record. Amazon will not act as the exporter of record. You may be able to contract with your customs broker or freight forwarder to act as the EOR.
- Importer of record (IOR): The importer of record is responsible for ensuring that the shipment is successfully imported into the destination country. Responsibilities include filing legally required documents and paying assessed import duties and taxes. It is important to note that Amazon, including the fulfilment centres, will not serve as the importer of record for any shipment of FBA inventory. Any FBA inventory shipment attempting to make entry with Amazon as the IOR will be refused and returned at the shipper's expense—no exceptions.
Non-resident Importers
In some countries, a nonresident (foreign) IOR can arrange entry of goods. To become a nonresident IOR, please contact your customs broker or carrier for details.
Important Note: It is your responsibility to comply with all import and export laws and to ensure the imported goods comply with applicable laws and regulations. You may not import prohibited or restricted items without all required permits and authorizations. For example, the import of certain agricultural, food products, alcohol, plants and seeds, fish and wildlife products, or medication into the United States may be prohibited or restricted.
In some countries, a nonresident (foreign) IOR can arrange entry of goods. To become a nonresident IOR, please contact your customs broker or carrier for details.
Important Note: It is your responsibility to comply with all import and export laws and to ensure the imported goods comply with applicable laws and regulations. You may not import prohibited or restricted items without all required permits and authorizations. For example, the import of certain agricultural, food products, alcohol, plants and seeds, fish and wildlife products, or medication into the United States may be prohibited or restricted.
Arranging shipment with a customer broker or freight forwarder
Please be aware that a carrier of your choice that will ship your products into the US will have their own procedures in place, however they may require you to complete the following:
- Power of Attorney: When you sign a Power of Attorney, the customs broker or freight forwarder is authorized to act as your agent to get your inventory moved through the customs process.
- Importer of Record registration: Register as an IOR with customs authorities in the country where you are importing inventory. Amazon, including our fulfilment centres, will not serve as an IOR for any shipment of FBA inventory. This applies to shipments of any size or value, regardless of origin and product. Any FBA shipment attempting to make entry with Amazon as the IOR will be refused and returned at the shipper's expense—no exceptions.
- Terms and conditions: The customs broker should spell out terms for you to help you understand who is responsible for the goods at every step of the shipment process.
- Duties, taxes, and shipping costs: Amazon will not be responsible for or collect any duties, taxes, or shipping costs associated with FBA inventory. All shipments are required to use Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) shipping terms. Any shipment arriving at an Amazon fulfilment centre with collect charges, including any duties, taxes, or shipping costs, will be refused without further concession.
In order to obtain your estimated cost of shipment before you have the exact address of a particular Fulfilment Centre you will be shipping to in the US, we recommend that you quote the below examples (one in West and one in East Coast) to your carrier to obtain a quote.
Example 1
Example 2
Breinigsville, PA 18031
Phoenix, AZ 85043
Please ensure your contact information is included on the shipping documentation in case there are questions regarding your shipment.
In case you struggle to find a carrier that fits your needs, we recommend you use our Service Provider Network that includes 3rd party providers that are experienced with handling Amazon shipments worldwide.
In case you struggle to find a carrier that fits your needs, we recommend you use our Service Provider Network that includes 3rd party providers that are experienced with handling Amazon shipments worldwide.
Ultimate cosignee
Although Amazon will not serve as Importer of Record, it may be listed as ultimate consignee on your shipping documentation—but only if "in care of" is listed before the name of the Amazon entity.
If you list Amazon as the ultimate consignee, your customs broker must contact Amazon at sellerimports@amazon.com in advance of shipping any inventory to obtain the EIN or Tax ID # required for customs clearance.
If you list Amazon as the ultimate consignee, your customs broker must contact Amazon at sellerimports@amazon.com in advance of shipping any inventory to obtain the EIN or Tax ID # required for customs clearance.
Commercial invoice
When your goods are ready for shipment from the manufacturer or distributor, the shipper prepares the commercial invoice. It’s critical that the commercial invoice be accurate to avoid delays clearing customs. The following information should be included on the commercial invoice:
- The date of the invoice.
- The names of the buyer and selling partner, including addresses (Amazon should not be shown as the buyer or the selling partner on the commercial invoice).
- The name and complete address of the selling partner or manufacturer.
- The shipper’s contact name, company name, address, and tax ID number.
- The ship-to address. Here, enter "In care of," and then the name and address of the Amazon fulfilment centre where you are shipping the goods.
- Importer of record. This field must contain the shipper's name, if it is the same as the owner of the goods. Do not leave this information blank; this will result in the shipment being refused and returned.
- Mode of shipment.
- Detailed description of the goods being invoiced. Include the following:
- Customs Harmonized Codes, if known
- Number of units
- Unit values
- Total value of each product. For samples or products with no commercial value, a nominal or fair-market value must be stated for customs purposes.
- The type of currency of the transaction.
- The terms of the sale. Note that correct terms must be Delivered Duty Paid (DDP). The shipper or FBA selling partner should pay all applicable duty and taxes and be responsible for clearing customs before delivery to the Amazon fulfilment centere. You are not authorized to import goods in the name of Amazon or to show Amazon as the declarant, or importer of record on the customs entry documentation.
- Shipment tracking number. For shipments to Amazon fulfilment centres, include the Amazon FBA Shipment ID that you receive when you create the shipment in your Amazon selling partner account. The shipment tracking number can also be an air waybill number if you are sending the package via a carrier service such as FedEx or UPS.
- Any certifications.
- Name of the carrier transporting the goods.
- Freight payment terms.
- Reason for export.
Shipping best practices
Amazon fulfilment centres have requirements for the shipments they receive, including the size of the pallets and the type of truck that can deliver to the fulfilment centre. The How to Ship Inventory to Amazon guidelines provide information needed for preparing your shipment to an Amazon fulfilment centre. Paying attention to these requirements and best practices will help avoid delays in getting your inventory to the fulfilment centre and into your customers' hands.
Note: Pallet differences exist between the United States, the United Kingdom, and European marketplaces.
Arrange to have your shipments palletized before they arrive at the fulfilment centre whenever possible. Amazon's fulfilment centres will accept floor-loaded shipments but only if you request it in advance when you set up your shipment to the fulfilment centre. Additional charges may apply if the floor-loaded shipment requires extensive handling.
Make sure that your shipments comply with Amazon's policies regarding inbound shipments. If Amazon refuses to accept your shipments, you are responsible for removing the shipment from the fulfilment centre. For shipments that are less than a half pallet of loose cartons, each of which weighs less than 15 kilograms, you may find it better to ship your products through a courier service. The carrier you use may depend on the destination country because carrier services vary. If you do choose to ship your inventory to a fulfilment centre via a carrier service, you should check with the carrier to verify that it can clear your goods through customs based on the commercial invoice you provide. If the carrier cannot clear your goods based on the commercial invoice, then you may need to contact a customs broker.
Logistics companies/customs brokers There are many online resources that can help selling partners determine rates and that can make shipping easier. The following are links to some companies some selling partners have found useful. Visit their websites directly to calculate the approximate shipping charges you can expect when fulfilling orders for the Amazon marketplaces you would like to list in:
First Choice Shipping: www.firstchoiceship.com
Samuel Shapiro: www.shapiro.com
FedEx: www.fedex.com
Regional Express: www.regionalexpress.co.uk
Note: Pallet differences exist between the United States, the United Kingdom, and European marketplaces.
Arrange to have your shipments palletized before they arrive at the fulfilment centre whenever possible. Amazon's fulfilment centres will accept floor-loaded shipments but only if you request it in advance when you set up your shipment to the fulfilment centre. Additional charges may apply if the floor-loaded shipment requires extensive handling.
Make sure that your shipments comply with Amazon's policies regarding inbound shipments. If Amazon refuses to accept your shipments, you are responsible for removing the shipment from the fulfilment centre. For shipments that are less than a half pallet of loose cartons, each of which weighs less than 15 kilograms, you may find it better to ship your products through a courier service. The carrier you use may depend on the destination country because carrier services vary. If you do choose to ship your inventory to a fulfilment centre via a carrier service, you should check with the carrier to verify that it can clear your goods through customs based on the commercial invoice you provide. If the carrier cannot clear your goods based on the commercial invoice, then you may need to contact a customs broker.
Logistics companies/customs brokers There are many online resources that can help selling partners determine rates and that can make shipping easier. The following are links to some companies some selling partners have found useful. Visit their websites directly to calculate the approximate shipping charges you can expect when fulfilling orders for the Amazon marketplaces you would like to list in:
First Choice Shipping: www.firstchoiceship.com
Samuel Shapiro: www.shapiro.com
FedEx: www.fedex.com
Regional Express: www.regionalexpress.co.uk
Return of imports
Amazon is unable to return inventory stored in Amazon's fulfilment centres to an address outside of the original import country. Furthermore, FBA does not support pick-up options for selling partners at Amazon fulfilment centres. If you wish to have FBA inventory returned to you, you can learn more about the process here.
4
Manage your business
Provide customer support and local country returns, either yourself or through Amazon. Get paid in your preferred currency. Use Amazon’s tools and recommendations to grow your international sales and scale your business globally.
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Solution Provider Network - your journey, from tax and compliance to shipping internationally and optimizing your ads.
Customer support
Overview
When you expand your business to an Amazon marketplace outside your home country and fulfil with Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) or a third-party fulfilment provider, you'll need to understand your obligations in the import/export process. Although you may want to handle some or all of these import/export steps yourself, it can be easier to hire a logistics provider such as a customs broker or a freight forwarder to handle the process for you. These providers have the expertise and the time to make sure your inventory moves from one place to another in a timely and secure manner.
Customer support for fulfilment by selling partner
Local language customer support When you choose to fulfil customer orders yourself, it’s not just the picking, packing, and shipping to customers that you’ll need to handle; Amazon also requires that you handle customer support. This can be challenging if you are selling in an Amazon marketplace where you don’t know the language.
You may be tempted to use automated computer translators to respond to e-mail inquiries from international customers. However, there is a risk that machine translation may lead to less than optimal translations, which in turn could lead to a poor customer experience, ultimately affecting your selling partner performance ratings. A better option, if you do not have in-house customer service capabilities in the local language, is to use third-party service providers to handle your customer support.
Timely responses Customers expect prompt, helpful service when they have questions or concerns about your products. To maintain a healthy selling partner scorecard, you should have customer service specialists who understand your products, who know where the customer's product is and when it will be delivered, and who will be able to respond quickly (within 24 hours) to customer e-mail contacts in the local language. This may be challenging when selling in marketplaces that are in different time zones from your place of business, as the time differences will shorten the timeframe in which you can respond to customers during your regular business hours.
There are many online resources that can help selling partners with customer support. Here are a few links other selling partners have found useful, organized by region:
North America: Seller Engine
Europe: InterCultural Elements
Japan: Jumbo
You may be tempted to use automated computer translators to respond to e-mail inquiries from international customers. However, there is a risk that machine translation may lead to less than optimal translations, which in turn could lead to a poor customer experience, ultimately affecting your selling partner performance ratings. A better option, if you do not have in-house customer service capabilities in the local language, is to use third-party service providers to handle your customer support.
Timely responses Customers expect prompt, helpful service when they have questions or concerns about your products. To maintain a healthy selling partner scorecard, you should have customer service specialists who understand your products, who know where the customer's product is and when it will be delivered, and who will be able to respond quickly (within 24 hours) to customer e-mail contacts in the local language. This may be challenging when selling in marketplaces that are in different time zones from your place of business, as the time differences will shorten the timeframe in which you can respond to customers during your regular business hours.
There are many online resources that can help selling partners with customer support. Here are a few links other selling partners have found useful, organized by region:
North America: Seller Engine
Europe: InterCultural Elements
Japan: Jumbo
Customer support for Fulfilment by Amazon
When you use FBA, Amazon will provide 24-hour customer support on your behalf in the local language of the relevant marketplace. For many selling partners, this feature of FBA is critical to selling successfully in international marketplaces. With local language customer support already included in FBA, you can provide your customers with Amazon’s world-class customer service, and you can focus on growing and managing your business.
Customer returns
Overview
When you use FBA, Amazon will provide 24-hour customer support on your behalf in the local language of the relevant marketplace. For many selling partners, this feature of FBA is critical to selling in international marketplaces successfully. With local language customer support already included in FBA, you can provide your customers with Amazon’s world-class customer service, and you can focus on growing and managing your business.
Customer returns for fulfilment by selling partner
When listing in an international marketplace and fulfilling items on your own, you must either provide customers with a local return address within the country of their Amazon marketplace website or offer them free shipment for returns. This is a requirement to sell on Amazon's marketplaces.
When considering how your customers will return items that they purchase from you, please keep the following options in mind:
When considering how your customers will return items that they purchase from you, please keep the following options in mind:
- Using Fulfilment by Amazon: When you choose FBA, Amazon will handle local returns on your behalf for FBA orders in that marketplace, so you don't have to worry about providing a local return address.
- Implementing restocking fees and offering partial refunds: In certain situations, it might be appropriate to charge the customer a restocking fee or offer a partial refund on the product being returned. Restocking fees or partial refunds must comply with Amazon's policies on returns.
- Engaging a third-party International Returns Provider: We have created a list of returns providers that can accept returns in your customers' countries. Depending on your sales volume and unit price, international returns providers may offer solutions that reduce the costs you incur when customers in other counties return your products. For example, some providers will consolidate returns and ship them back to you or ship them to another customer.
Customer returns for Fulfilment by Amazon
When 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 pricing to incorporate international returns shipping.
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