- Decide Where and What to Sell
As tempting as it may seem to sign up for all 20 of Amazon’s marketplaces and have your products available to the entire world, there are a handful of reasons to sell globally with Amazon selectively.
Registration costs – A North American Unified Account includes the United States, Canada, and Mexico. A European Unified account includes Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom. All other marketplaces each require their own individual monthly fee. It is important to study the fees involved with selling in countries you are interested in to make sure that it will be a worthwhile investment.
Taxes – Every country has its own unique tax code and rules about international shipping and selling. Amazon offers plenty of details on each country’s rules and regulations, but in the end, it is your responsibility to make sure that you correctly adhere to these tax laws. This process will become increasingly complicated as you add more countries to your selling strategy
Local interest in your products – Not all products translate across oceans. Different cultures utilize products differently, and there are other factors to consider including standard sizes and resources available across the globe. Try to choose countries in which your product will be in demand instead of just casting a wide net and hoping for the best.
- Register and List Your Products on Amazon
Once you have decided which Amazon global marketplace you’d like to register in, you can do so in the “Register and List” section on Amazon. Products must be listed in the native language of the country that you are selling in, so you will need to be sure to have your product descriptions professionally translated if you are expanding into new territories. Despite the fact that the listings must be in the country’s language, you will be able to access your Seller Central in your own preferred language.
- Ship and Fulfill
If you fulfill your products through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), not much will change as you join Amazon Global Selling. You will send your products to their international warehouses and Amazon FBA Global Selling will take care of the rest from there. If you are fulfilled by the merchant, you will be fully responsible for meeting Amazon’s standards of timely shipping. You will need to accurately list shipping times and costs.
- Manage your Business
In addition to the shipping hassles that come with fulfilling by merchants internationally, sellers will also be responsible for customer service and returns. Customer service must be provided in the native language of the country you are selling in, which could mean hiring a customer service representative if you do not speak the local language.
FBM sellers are also on the hook for the cost of a refund, regardless of who is at fault. You have the option of providing a prepaid return label if you want the item returned to you, setting up a local address in the buyer’s country for them to return it to, or issuing a full refund without getting the product back.
Fulfillment by Amazon sellers, on the other hand, will get the same benefits that they get from FBA on domestic sales. Amazon takes care of returns and customer service in the native language of the customer. Amazon’s international business is designed to make it easy for the seller.
