As the largest e-commerce marketplace in the world, Amazon makes no exception in the UAE. While the consumer benefits of Amazon are well known, sellers on the platform also do benefit in a number of ways. Excellent fulfillment facilities, access to a huge consumer base, and modest seller fees are some of the many advantages that Amazon has on offer.
For someone looking to start an e-commerce business in the UAE, Amazon would surely be one of the platforms where you’d like to sell. So how do you start selling on Amazon in the UAE? Let’s find out.
Prerequisites for Selling on Amazon.ae
You will need the following before you start:
- Phone Number
- Email Address
- Emirates ID
- Billing Address
- E-Commerce License
- Bank Account
Amazon Seller Account Registration
Here are the steps to register yourself as a seller on Amazon:
- Sign up for an Amazon seller account by providing your name, email address, and password.
- Choose ‘Business seller account’ as your account type.
- Provide the following:
- Business information
- Pickup address
- Payment information
- Product information
- Under ‘Set up your store’, you can choose from the given categories to indicate the type of products you would like to sell.
- For the identity verification step, provide the requested details and documents.
- Once the above steps are completed, your application will be reviewed. You will be notified of the status of your application via email within three(3) business days.
Access to Amazon Seller Central
Amazon Seller Central is an interface that enables you to add/update product listings and keep track of your product sales, inventory, payments, order returns, etc. Once the process of registration and identity verification is complete, you will have access to Amazon Seller Central.
Listing Products on Seller Central
Now that you are a registered seller on Amazon, you can start selling your products. For selling any product, a product listing is necessary. A product listing is a dedicated webpage that consists of product information including title, images, description, etc.
If you are the sole seller of the product, you will need to create an altogether new product listing. If the product is already being sold, you can match a product listing that already exists.
Elements of a Product Listing
Here’s what a product listing on Amazon consists of:
Product Title: A product title can only be 200 characters long and should have the first letter of every word capitalized.
Product Images: The image dimensions should either be 500 x 500 pixels or 1000 x 1000 pixels in dimensions.
Product Description: Your product description can have up to 2000 characters.
Global Trade Item Number (GTIN): A GTIN is a unique identification number used to identify products globally. It could either be a UPC (Universal Product Code), an ISBN (International Standard Book Number), or an EAN (European Article Number).
Stock Keeping Unit (SKU): An SKU is a number used to keep track of the product in the inventory.
Order Fulfilment Options
Order fulfilment involves storing inventory, packaging, labelling, and delivering products to the customer. You may either do this on your own or opt for Amazon’s order fulfilment options.
Self-Ship – You will be responsible for storing, packing, and shipping the products to customers.
Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) – Amazon will be responsible for storing, packing, and delivering your products to customers.
Amazon Easy Ship – While you will store and pack your products, Amazon will handle the deliveries.
E-commerce License
As mentioned earlier, an e-commerce license is one of the requirements for a business to sell products on Amazon. You may either acquire a free zone or a mainland license depending on where you wish to register your business. Sharjah Media City (Shams) Free Zone offers e-commerce licenses at the lowest prices. InZone is a leading business setup service provider in the UAE and has assisted several entrepreneurs to obtain their e-commerce licenses at Shams.