Are you a start-up e-commerce seller with minimal capital and a restricted budget? One thing you must know is that you can sign up for Fulfillment by Amazon with your restricted budget. We could call this, Amazon FBA with no money. Just research properly, open an individual account, find a free product, and ship AFTER you get paid.

It sounds too good to be true considering all the costs of buying from suppliers, developing advertising strategies, paying Amazon’s various fees, and many other costs. However, it is true, this is because Amazon knows how hard it is to startups, it has created ways that will enable start-ups to commence trading on Amazon and navigate their way through until they see it as a profitable business venture.

Let us get to that right about now:

RESEARCH AND LEARN BEFORE ANYTHING

Considering how much capital you have, you must be certain of which measures will work best for you. This is to avoid any mistakes that might cause you to have so many costs and even end up losing the little that you have. For instance, as your business starts, you could restrict your sales to your country only, as this cuts down shipment costs and other costs you might incur trying to reach so many countries. In as much as you will feel restricted, this is how you will grow your capital and enable you to freely extend to the next country and option.

OPEN AN AMAZON INDIVIDUAL SELLER ACCOUNT

To start selling on Amazon, you must first have a seller account. From your research, you will discover that, unlike the professional account, creating an Individual Seller Account is free. The only thing required of you is to provide Amazon with the necessary information such as the name of the business, contact details, and bank details just to mention a few.

FIND A FREE PRODUCT TO SELL

Remember, we are trying to cut out as many costs as possible, therefore even costs of manufacturing and paying suppliers should be minimized. Therefore, you could start your business by selling items that are not in use in your house. This could range from clothes to books and equipment that you simply don’t use anymore. This will not only help you cut down on costs and sell something but also tidy up your space, it’s a win-win!

Alternatively, you could sell products that you make on your own, of course, you will incur material costs but it will be much cheaper than incurring both labor and material costs. Therefore, if you are a craftsman, take advantage of that and make appealing products that can sell and earn you some profit as you start. Consider Amazon Handmade for this one. 

If you are a designer and are lucky enough to get an invitation on Amazon Merch, then even better as it has no upfront costs. 

Please be mindful of the size, seasonality, usability, and risk of whichever product you will opt to sell as these will have an impact on the cost of shipping, profit, and how fast your product will sell.

LIST YOUR PRODUCT ON AMAZON FOR FREE

With the wide variety of items listed on Amazon, likely, the items you are intending to list are already being sold on Amazon. Therefore, all you need to do is add your name to the list of people selling the particular item or items. This will help potential customers reach you once they are interested in making a purchase.

When listing your product, Amazon will require you to provide information on the product’s condition- is it new or has it been used before; the price; the quantity you have in stock, and the fulfillment method. Once all this information is provided, you simply save and finish, then within two hours, your product will have been successful listed on Amazon.

SHIP THE PRODUCT WHEN IT SELLS

Once an order is placed and payment is made, you can ship the product to the buyer. Unfortunately, you can’t ship for free, therefore, one way or another, you will incur a cost on this one.

With Amazon FBA, you will not have to do the shipping on your own, therefore, no packaging costs, no hefty shipping costs. The cost of Amazon doing all this for you is by far less than it would cost you to do it all by yourself.

CONCLUSION 

Starting an e-commerce business is not always supposed to be complicated and costly, even with a restricted budget, Amazon has made it possible for millions of sellers to make use of their services. With research and well-informed decisions, you can start your Amazon FBA business and grow through the business.

Hope this information was helpful!

Start planning now and be a successful seller with Amazon!