Amazon Seller Central Setup
Amazon Seller Central
Amazon Seller Central is Amazon’s third-party platform that allows brands and sellers to sell directly to Amazon customers through their platform. While anyone can create a Seller Account, it is but one step in a long list of tasks that must be completed to achieve success on the platform. Creating an Amazon Seller Central Account can be overwhelming, which is why we provide it as part of our Amazon Account Management Services.
Amazon Seller Account Setup
If you’re getting ready to set up an Amazon Seller Account, there are a few things you need to have on hand before you get started. Over the years, Amazon has increased the verification process for creating a new account, requiring more information and using more extensive processes to verify it. This is one of the reasons why it’s so crucial that all of your personal and business information matches all of your documentation to get approved successfully.
1) Seller Central Registration Requirements:
Below is the information you will need to have on hand when you’re ready to create your Amazon Seller Central account. If there is information you are missing or don’t have, it’s essential to obtain it before starting the process.
A) Legal Business Name, business address, and contact information.
B) Legal Entity Type (Corp, S-Corp, or LLC)
C) Amazon Seller Display Name think of this as your consumer-friendly brand name [not necessarily your legal business corporate name].
*Note that your seller display name does not need to be your legal business name but cannot infringe on another company’s trademark, be misleading, or contain a website outside of Amazon. In some cases, your Seller Display name may be already taken, even if not in use, in which case you will need to come up with a creative alternative. You can use periods, underscores, or other variations if necessary.
D) Email Address that can be used for this company account – this email account should be set up already, as you will start receiving important emails from Amazon immediately. We recommend using your primary email or setting up an email like [email protected].
E) Credit Card & Billing Address (if your credit card number isn’t valid, Amazon will cancel your registration).
F) Phone Number where you can be reached during the registration process (a cell phone works best).
G) Tax ID (Your company’s IRS Federal Tax ID# or a SSN if signing up as an individual seller).
H) Bank Account and routing number where your Amazon funds will be deposited.
2) 2-Step Verification:
Amazon is also taking special care to provide additional security for your account and will require 2-Step Verification and additional documentation to verify your Seller Central account. If you have a smartphone, you can download the app ahead of time here:
Download the Google Authenticator App for iPhone
Download the Google Authenticator App for Android
You will also need a cell phone handy as a backup method for the verification.
3) Amazon Account Verification Requirements:
These are the documents you will need to have on hand. They should be stored in a folder for easy access and saved as a JPG (i.e., driver’s license) or PDF (i.e., Bank Statements).
A) Valid, Government-issued Photo ID – Drivers License or Passport
These will be uploaded to the verification section of Seller Central: (https://sellercentral.amazon.com/hz/approvalrequest/register
For a Drivers License, you need to scan BOTH sides of the Drivers License as SEPARATE JPG Images (Best to name: DL-Front.jpg, DL-Back.jpg)
For a Passport, you will need to scan the primary passport information page.
The document you choose must show the information listed below:
— Full Name
— Date of birth
— Expiry date
— Signature of bearer (if applicable)
— Country of issuance or country of citizenship
B) Bank or Credit Card Statement – which shows the following information:
— Business Name
— Billing address
— Bank information
— Issue Date
You must provide the ENTIRE Bank Statement, including blank pages.
The bank account should match the information you provide to Amazon (ie: Company Name and Address).
*Note that you can Redact account balances and amounts but the account number must be visible in order for Amazon to Verify the account.
Create an Amazon Seller Central Account
Okay, now you’re ready to create your Amazon Seller Central Account! Almost…
1) Log Out of Any Amazon Accounts
The first step (and this is extremely important) is to LOG OUT of any existing Amazon Customer accounts you may have before you start the process (failing to log out of a customer account first will cause the new business account to be tied to your customer account… permanently). So log out, and clear your browser before you start.
2) Visit the Website Link
https://sell.amazon.com/ and click the “Sign Up” button.
3) Enter your name, the professional email address you want to use, and a strong password. Then click “Next”.
4) Amazon will send you a one-time password (OTP) to the email address you entered to ensure your email address is valid.
5) Enter your Legal Name and agree to the terms and conditions after browsing the Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement. Amazon Sellers are not required to have a legal business entity to get started, but we highly recommend it. If you’re starting as a sole proprietor, just enter your full name.
6) Next, enter your Business Address and additional information. If you have a unique brand or a name that you wish to trade under, enter this as your business Seller Display Name. You can always change this later. Enter your mobile number and request a text or phone call to verify your identity. Then click next.
7) Set up your Billing Method.
8) Set up your Deposit Method. Please make sure that your bank account can receive deposits through automated clearing houses (ACH) because this is how Amazon pays sellers every two weeks.
9) Tax Information: Fill out the information required in the “Tax Information Interview.”
This comes in 2 forms – one for US residents, and one for non-US residents. Non-US persons will end up completing the W8-BEN, while most US citizens will complete the W-9.
Provide consent to submit your tax information electronically, sign and submit:
Review the information to ensure it’s accurate and complete.
Lastly, click “Submit Form.”
After your tax information has been validated, click “Exit Interview.”
10) You may skip the next step, where you provide general information about your products.
IDENTITY VERIFICATION
Select your country and click “Next.”
To verify your identity, you are required to provide two forms of identification:
- Driver’s license OR passport number
- Bank account OR credit card statement
Next, you will need to upload the identity documents to Amazon.
After providing the information, click “Submit.”
You should see a confirmation that Amazon has received your information:
Once your account has been verified by Amazon, you will get access to Seller Central.
Amazon 2-Step Verification
Before you enable Two-Step Verification, you will need access to either a cell phone with SMS (text), a landline telephone, or an authenticator app installed on any smart mobile device or tablet.
We recommend that you use an Authentication App as the primary verification method and 1 or 2 cell phone numbers as backups (In most cases, Amazon requires sellers to use a phone number as the primary method initially.)
You’ll be asked to choose one of these methods to receive authentication codes.
- In Seller Central, click Settings > Login Settings.
- Next to Advanced Security Settings, click the Edit button. This will open the Advanced Security Settings page on Amazon.
- On the Advanced Security Settings page, click Get Started.
When setting up Two-Step Verification, you have three options for receiving your authentication code: text message (SMS), phone call, or authenticator app. Select Phone number or Authenticator App to begin.
Phone number
- Select Text message (SMS) or Voice delivery (you will receive a phone call).
- Choose the country code for the phone number you plan to use, enter the phone number in the field provided, and then click Send code or Call me now. You’ll receive an SMS (text) or voice call, depending on your chosen method. It might take a few minutes.
- Enter the code that was sent to your device, and then click Verify code and continue.
Note: If you see The phone number you’ve entered is not valid, or The code is invalid, verify that you’ve entered the number in the correct format (XXX-XXX-XXXX), and then click Send code to begin the process again.
Authenticator App
- Install an authenticator app on your smart mobile device or tablet. Click Need an app? For instructions.
- Within the app, create an account and then scan the barcode on the webpage. If the barcode
doesn’t scan, click Can’t scan the barcode? for a key you can enter.
- Enter the code generated by the app, and then click Verify code and continue.
Add a backup verification method
Choose a backup or alternate method to receive authentication codes. This method will be used if you are unable to receive your authentication code through your primary device.
- Select a backup method that is different from your primary method.
- If you choose Text message (SMS) or Voice delivery (you will receive a phone call), enter the phone number.
- Click Send code.
You must add a backup device to complete the Two-Step Verification process. If you aren’t near your backup device, select the Skip verification check box and click Save backup number. Amazon will not initiate verification of that number.
Notes:
- If you are unable to download an authenticator app, or don’t have a second phone number, Amazon recommends using the phone number of a friend, spouse, or another family member.
- If you are unable to receive an authentication code through either your primary or backup device, you might need to go through the Account Recovery process to regain access to your account. This can take up to 48 hours.
You can make your device a “trusted device,” so you don’t have to enter an authentication code whenever you try to access your account.
- To make your device a trusted device, select Don’t require codes on this device.
- Click the Got it. Turn on 2-Step Verification button.
Amazon Identify Verification Video Call
To expedite the process and add a layer of security, most sellers will be given the option of doing an Amazon Identity Verification Video call. Make sure that you have access to a phone or computer with a microphone and camera enabled and an internet connection prior to requesting the call.
Amazon will provide two options for your identity verification call:
- Instant Video Call
- Scheduled Video Call
The Amazon associate will ask you to show the documents you uploaded during your video call, including your Drivers License and potentially your bank or credit card statement, so make sure you have those printed out just in case.
(They recommend you use Safari for iOS devices and Google Chrome on all other devices).
Amazon Seller Central Login
The Amazon Seller Central Login for the US is: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/
Congratulations! You are now an official Amazon Seller.
If you’re ready to begin navigating the Amazon Jungle with an experienced team of Amazon operators, request an initial Discovery Call by filling out the form below. We look forward to connecting with you!
Amazon Seller Central Checklist
If you’d like to download our Complete Amazon Seller Checklist to learn about all of the things you need to do once your account is set up, just enter your email address and we’ll shoot it straight to your inbox: