Signing up for an Amazon Seller Account is the first step to selling on Amazon.com. It seems like a HUGE step when, in reality, it's quick, easy and relatively painless. Does it feel like too much of a commitment to sign up? At this point you aren't committing to selling anything. This step will help you evaluate your options and understand what is involved if you do decide to sell on Amazon now or in the future.
In this post, I am going to walk you through collecting what you will need to set up an account. Don' t worry, its stuff you already have but it makes signing up easier to have it all together in one place. In a few short steps you’ll be ready to list your first item for sale or do some research. Before you get started you’ll want a few things.
Email Address: You’ll want a different email address than your personal email to use for your Amazon selling account. It doesn’t need to be setup from your business URL (yet). An email account through your current provider (gmail, aol, etc) is sufficient.
Bank Account Information: You’ll need the routing number and account number where you want Amazon to deposit your funds every two weeks. It makes good business sense to have an account that is separate from your personal account for easier bookkeeping among other reasons. If you have been selling on eBay (Etsy, Ruby Lane, etc) you may already have this setup. If you don’t, now is a great time to push yourself over the hurdle and get it setup.
Credit Card (or Debit Card): A dedicated credit/debit card for your business will make bookkeeping much easier. It doesn’t have to be a “business” credit card just one dedicated for any business related purchases. I now have two dedicated business cards – one is solely for inventory and the other is for all other business related expenses. This is something new I started this year and it is making bookkeeping so much easier!
Tax Identity (EIN or Social Security #): I highly recommend getting an EIN # for your business. Limiting the use of your social security number can help minimize identity theft. It only takes a few minutes to apply for one through the IRS website.
Amazon requests that you have the following (in addition to the items listed above) to go through the registration process:
- Your business name, address, and contact information: If you are not a legal entity yet then you can use your name as your business name. That’s how I started.
- A phone number where you can be reached during this registration process
Your next step is to gather all of the information listed above in one place – on a piece of paper or in a text document on your computer.
If you have any questions or comments be sure to post them below. Once you have everything gathered head over here for Part 2.
What are you doing today to move your business forward?
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