Opening an Amazon seller account is mostly paperwork. Launching well is harder. The choices you make in the first few weeks (which plan, which barcodes, how you fulfil orders, when you send stock) decide your costs and your visibility for months afterwards. Some of Amazon's best new seller incentives also run on a 90-day clock that starts when you list your first product, so it pays to plan before you press "list".
This guide walks you through each step in order, using Amazon's own UK requirements as they stand at the time of writing (October 2026).
Step 1: choose the Individual or Professional plan
Amazon UK has two selling plans. The Individual plan costs £0.75 (excluding VAT) for every item you sell. The Professional plan costs £25 (excluding VAT) a month, however many items you sell. On both plans you also pay a referral fee on each sale, which is a percentage of the price that varies by product category.
The maths is simple: £25 divided by £0.75 is 33.3, so from around 34 sales a month the Professional plan is cheaper on plan fees alone. Amazon's own guidance draws the line at 35 items a month. The bigger difference is what each plan lets you do.
| Feature | Individual | Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Plan fee | £0.75 per item sold, plus VAT | £25 a month, plus VAT |
| Create new product listings and use FBA | Yes | Yes |
| Advertising and promotions | No | Yes |
| Apply to sell in restricted categories | No | Yes |
| Bulk listing, feeds, reports and API access | No | Yes |
| Set your own delivery charges (non-media) | No, Amazon's set rates apply | Yes |
| Multiple users on the account | No | Yes |
Two more points matter for a business. Amazon's New Seller Incentives are only available to Professional sellers, and the subscription is only charged in months when you have active listings. You can switch plans at any time. If you plan to sell regularly, start on Professional.
Step 2: get your documents ready
Registration happens in one sitting, followed by verification. Amazon checks your identity, your business, your address and your payment details. Have these ready before you start:
- Government-issued photo ID for the main contact person, such as a passport or driving licence. You will be asked to take a photo of your face and of the ID for biometric checks.
- Business registration details. Your exact registered business name, company registration number and registered address, plus an official document from the company register showing your company's details. For a UK limited company, that means a Companies House extract.
- Proof of address, such as a recent bank statement or utility bill.
- Proof of your relationship to the business if your name isn't on the registration document, for example articles of association or a letter of authorisation.
- A chargeable credit or debit card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express). Prepaid cards and PayPal are not accepted.
- A bank account in the business's name for your payouts. If Amazon can't verify it automatically, it will ask for a statement dated within the last 180 days.
- A phone number for verification, and details of any beneficial owners (anyone who owns more than 25% of the business).
Sole traders register as "Individual (I don't have a registered business)", which is a business type, not the Individual selling plan. Amazon says most verifications are completed within 48 hours, and it will email you if it needs more documents.
Tip: Enter your business name exactly as it appears on your registration documents, and upload colour scans that show all four corners. Amazon rejects screenshots and blurry images. Open the account in your business's legal name, not a personal one, so the account stays with the business.
Step 3: sort out VAT before you sell
If your business is based in the UK, you must register for VAT once your taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or if you expect it to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days. You can register voluntarily below that. If your business is based outside the UK, you must register as soon as you supply goods in the UK, whatever your turnover.
Two practical points for pricing. Under Amazon's seller agreement, the price you set on Amazon UK is treated as including VAT, so if you're VAT registered, a sixth of a 20% VAT-inclusive price goes to HMRC. And Amazon's referral fee is calculated on the full price the customer pays. Build both into your prices from day one. Our guide to Amazon UK seller fees has a worked example.
Step 4: get your barcodes (GTINs) right
For most categories, Amazon requires a standard product ID, known as a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number). The common types are UPC, EAN, JAN and ISBN, and an EAN has 13 digits. Amazon checks product IDs against the GS1 database, and using false product IDs can cost you the ability to create new listings. If you make or brand your own products, get your barcodes from GS1 UK rather than a cheap reseller. Our guide to GTIN barcodes explains how.
Some products can be listed without a GTIN through a product ID exemption. You can apply if you sell private-label or handmade products, parts that have no barcode, bundles, or generic unbranded goods. You can't apply if the product already has a GS1 barcode or is already in Amazon's catalogue. The process:
- Go to Add Products, search for your product, then choose to create a new listing.
- Fill in the product details, enter your brand name and tick "I don't have a product ID".
- Truly generic products are approved automatically. Branded products go to an application, usually decided within 48 hours, which needs clear photos of all six sides of the product and packaging with the brand name permanently marked on it.
Exemptions are granted per category and per store, so one approval covers future products in the same category.
Step 5: create your listings
Every product on Amazon has one detail page, identified by an ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number). If the product is already sold on Amazon, you add your offer to the existing page. If you're the first to sell it, you create a new one. A listing needs a product ID, your own SKU (stock code), your price, condition, quantity and delivery options, plus the product details, images and search terms.
Amazon's current UK rules are stricter than many older guides suggest:
- Titles for non-media products must not exceed 75 characters including spaces, must not contain promotional phrases such as "free shipping", and must not repeat the same word more than twice. Extra detail goes in a separate "Item highlights" field.
- The main image must have a pure white background (RGB 255, 255, 255), show the whole product filling 85% of the frame, and show only what is included. Images need at least 500 pixels on the longest side, and 1,000 pixels or more enables zoom. Amazon recommends at least six additional images and a video.
- Bullet points and description should answer the questions a customer would ask before buying: size, materials, compatibility, what's in the box.
Some categories, including several in health, beauty, grocery and electronics, need approval before you can list. If you own your brand, consider Amazon Brand Registry before you list. It gives you more control over your detail pages.
Step 6: choose FBA or seller-fulfilled
With Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), you send stock to Amazon's fulfilment centres and Amazon picks, packs, delivers, handles customer service and processes returns. FBA products are eligible for Prime. You pay a fulfilment fee per unit, based on size and weight, plus monthly storage. Most products priced at £20 or less now qualify automatically for Amazon's lower Low-Price FBA rates.
With seller-fulfilled orders (often called FBM), you store and ship products yourself. Professional sellers set their own delivery charges, while Individual sellers must use Amazon's set rates. You're also measured on dispatch performance: Amazon expects a late dispatch rate under 4%, a cancellation rate under 2.5% and a valid tracking rate above 95%.
| FBA | Seller-fulfilled | |
|---|---|---|
| Who ships and handles returns | Amazon | You |
| Prime badge | Yes | Only through Seller Fulfilled Prime |
| Main costs | Fulfilment fee per unit, storage | Your own warehouse, packaging and carrier costs |
| Best for | Small, fast-moving products | Bulky, slow-moving or made-to-order products |
Many businesses use both. Amazon's Revenue Calculator lets you compare the two for any product before you decide.
Your first 90 days
Amazon says the first 90 days are especially critical for new sellers, and its incentives are built around that window. At the time of writing, new Professional sellers can get:
- 10% back on the first £40,000 of branded sales, then 5% back for the rest of the first year up to £800,000, if you enrol your brand in Brand Registry within six months of listing your first eligible product.
- £80 credit on inbound shipping through the Amazon Partnered Carrier programme, if you send products into FBA within 90 days of listing.
- Sponsored Products credits matching your spend (£37, £150 or £750) if you launch your first campaign within 90 days of listing.
- £40 voucher credit and, for brand owners, a £160 Amazon Vine credit to help gather early reviews.
New-to-FBA branded products can also qualify for the FBA New Selection programme, which currently offers free storage, free returns processing and fee credits on early sales for a limited period. Use those 90 days in this order:
- Weeks 1 to 2: get listings live and check each one on a phone. Fix any suppressed listings, missing images or wrong categories straight away.
- Weeks 2 to 4: send your first FBA shipment and launch a small Sponsored Products campaign so the incentive windows don't close.
- Weeks 4 to 8: gather reviews the right way (Vine, good products, fast delivery). Never offer anything in exchange for a review.
- Weeks 8 to 12: review your sales, ad spend and margins by product. Cut what isn't working and reorder what is.
Throughout, check Account Health weekly. Amazon expects an order defect rate (negative feedback, A-to-z claims and chargebacks as a share of orders) under 1%, and a rate above that can lead to deactivation.
If you'd rather have experienced eyes on your setup before you launch, book a free 20-minute demo. We look at your products, show what a launch would cost and walk through how it works.
Key takeaways
- Choose the Professional plan (£25 a month plus VAT) if you'll sell more than about 35 items a month or want advertising.
- Have ID, company documents, proof of address, a card and a business bank account ready before you register.
- Use genuine GS1 barcodes, or apply for an exemption if your products qualify.
- Follow the current rules: titles of 75 characters or fewer and a pure white main image.
- Plan your first 90 days around FBA, advertising and Brand Registry incentive deadlines.