FAQ

Steve, your #3 about Amazon Accounts is Incorrect:
“3. What types of Amazon accounts are there?

This is a confusing question, it appears – even to Amazon staff members.

There are 3 types of selling accounts available to most users

1. Marketplace (can sell both media and non media) (optional $39.99/mo. Pro Merchant subscription).
2. Non-Media Pro Merchant ($39.99/mo.)
3. Media Pro Merchant ($39.99/mo.)
* Amazon Featured Merchant – A Pro Merchant that meets certain standards may be chosen to be an Amazon Featured Merchant. These sellers are basically hand-chosen by humans at Amazon. There aren’t any certain ways to “apply” for this status. (Although I’ve heard knowing the secret handshake is a plus.) ”

There are 2 main account types: Marketplace Accounts (primarily media) Accounts and SellerCentral/@Merchant (Primarily non-media) accounts.

Either one can be Pro-Merchant. both cost $39.99 to be PM. Seller Central/@Merchant accounts can sell in certain categories that Marketplace cannot. Marketplace was the original Media Only 3rd Party Seller accounts when Amazon opened the door to 3P sellers. Then they added SellerCentral for Non-Media. Then they finally figured out there was some overlap between the two.

To confuse things even more, there is a higher level @Merchant account where one can set ones own shipping rates (except on Media items) and do pre-orders, etc. Those are $99.99/mon.

To add even more confusion, Amazon has migrated the back ends (partially) on Marketplace and SellerCentral/@Merchant accounts, so all of them show sellercentral in the URL. But the front ends are different, as are the reports and the disbursement schedules (Marketplace sellers can disburse daily; SC sellers can only get their money when Amazon pays them automatically every 2 weeks).

Finally, if one has a Marketplace (Media) account, one cannot be migrated (currently) to a SellerCentral/@Merchant account, if you want to expand your product lines. Your only two choices currently are A) Close your Marketplace account and start over (losing all your feedback in the process or B) open, with Amazon’s written permission, an SC account with a unique name, financials, etc (as well as it’s own $39.99 charge). This is the ONLY time Amazon will permit a seller to have multiple seller accounts, and it needs to be pre-approved in writing. It’s the only way to keep your existing fb and expand your product lines, but then you have to manage 2 separate accounts and pay 2 charges, which is a headache/hassle. A very very few (less than 200) Amazon sellers were migrated from Marketplace to SC but Amazon decided it took too long/was too risky and they refuse to do it any longer.

Hope that helps suss out some of the confusion of Amazon Account Types. It ain’t easy.

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