If you're considering selling on Amazon,
Should I go with “bulk listing” or “small-lot listing”?
Are you unsure about how to list your item?
"I want to know the different ways to list items!"
"I wonder which one is better when I'm the one listing an item," I thought.
For those of you facing the issues mentioned above, we’ll provide a thorough explanation!
Explaining the Difference Between Bulk and Small-Lot Listings!
The table below shows the differences between Professional and Individual seller plans, as published by Amazon.
See: Amazon Seller Services—"The Difference Between Professional and Individual Selling"
https://services.amazon.co.jp/services/sell-on-amazon/individual-promerchant.html
As you can see, they are introduced under these eight headings.
In addition to the information in this section, please include any other necessary information, and10 itemsLet's take a closer look at this.
Monthly Registration Fee / Success Fee
See: Amazon Seller Services "Pricing Plans"
https://services.amazon.co.jp/services/sell-on-amazon/fee.html
The monthly subscription fee for large-scale sellers is4,900 yen (excluding tax), Small-Lot Listings are"Free"That's it.
If you’re thinking, “Wait, it’s free?! Then I’ll go with the small-lot listing option!”, be careful.
For small-lot listings, in addition to this,Basic Commission FeeA fee is charged, and
For every item sold100 yenIt takes some time.
For Professional Seller accounts, there is a monthly subscription fee, but the basic transaction fee isFreeThat's it.
In other words, if a product sells or is expected to sell more than 50 units per month,
It's more cost-effective to set your account to "Wholesale Seller."
On the other hand, if you expect to list 49 or fewer items per month, we recommend small-lot listings.
Using the Bulk Listing Tool
To sell products on Amazon, you need to list them.
A bulk listing tool is a tool that allows you to enter the information required when listing items
The following seven itemsThis is a tool that allows you to register them all at once.
＜登録する必要のある７項目＞
- ・Seller SKU
- ・Condition
- ・Condition Description (Optional)
- ・Selling Price
- ・Key Points
- ・Inventory
- ・Lead Time
This bulk listing tool is available toFor bulk listings onlyThat's it.
For small-scale sellers who cannot use the bulk listing tool,
You must enter each of the seven items listed above one by one to list your item.
For sellers with a large number of items, we recommend the Large-Volume Seller plan for maximum efficiency.
On the other hand, sellers with a small number of items should find the small-scale selling plan sufficient.
Using Various Reports
As a Professional Seller, you can use various business reports.
By examining detailed numerical data such as the number of sales, sales revenue, traffic, and purchase rate,
You can learn about customer trendsThe Only WayThat's it.
In addition, the reports include business reports, payment reports, and
There are payment reports and other documents, which are used to distinguish between various types of data depending on the situation.
Since you can't use reports for small-lot listings,
If you want to manage your business by reviewing product data and implementing the PDCA cycle, we recommend the Large-Scale Seller plan.
Starting with business reports,
Terms Used When Listing Products on Amazon and How to Use Them
This is explained in detail in the article below. Please be sure to check it out.
Seller's Custom Shipping Rates
Setting a Delivery Date and Time
With bulk listings, sellers can set their own shipping rates.
There are two main types of shipping fees, and you can set each one individually.
Also, the ability to set a specific delivery date and time isFor bulk listings onlyThat's it.
On the other hand, with small-lot listings, you cannot set shipping fees or specify a delivery date and time,
The following rules apply across the board.
See: Seller's Shipping Fees and Terms
https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201910890
From the customer's perspective, it might be more convenient to be able to set the delivery date and time.
Using the Corporate Sales Features
I think many people have the impression that Amazon is a place where individuals buy products from companies, but,
Did you know that we can also sell to businesses?
We are expanding our services for business-to-business transactions, limited to large-volume listings.
This feature is not available for small-lot listings.
Payment Methods Available to Buyers
For bulk listings, the payment methods are8 typesThere are three more varieties than in the small-lot listings.
In an era when cashless payments are becoming increasingly widespread,
There may still be some people who are hesitant to pay with a credit card, right?
If that sounds like you, you might find it easier to use large-volume listings that offer cash payment options such as “convenience store payment” and “cash on delivery.”
As a result, those who wish to pay in cash will inevitably end up choosing items from large-scale listings.
Available Optional Services
There are three optional services available to sellers.
- ・FBA Shipping
- ・Marketplace Prime
- ・Amazon Sponsored Products (advertising service)
■FBA Shipping
A service that can be used for both large-volume and small-volume listings is"FBA Shipping"That's it.
There are two shipping methods: “FBA Shipping” and “Self-Shipping.”
FBA stands for "Fulfillment by Amazon" and refers to the logistics service provided by Amazon.
Amazon handles everything from inventory management and order processing to shipping, delivery, and customer service.
FBA shipping isAvailable 24 hours a day, 365 days a yearAs a result, we deliver products to our customers quickly, not just on holidays.
Since we can deliver products faster, we might be able to increase customer satisfaction!
If you'd like to learn more about FBA shipping, please check out the article below.
■Marketplace Prime
Marketplace Prime refers to the feature on the product page that
"Prime Mark"It refers to a program that includes [...].
This service is available only to high-volume sellers.
Have you ever seen a symbol like this?
With Marketplace Prime, you can set up free shipping and free expedited shipping.
As a result, customer convenience is enhanced, so more customers will notice the products.
Sales opportunities are increasing, the shopping cart conversion rate is rising, and so on,
There are many other benefits as well.
■Amazon Sponsored Products (Advertising Service)
This refers to the advertising services that can be set up within Amazon.
This advertising service is available only to large-scale sellers.
For more details on Sponsored Products ads, please see the article below, which explains them in detail, so
Please be sure to check it out.
Earning a Cart Box
Who has the right to display products in the cart box?"Large-Volume Listings"That's all.
The "cart box" refers to the area outlined in red here.
When you click this button, items from one of the stores will be added to your cart.
This"Add to Cart"That said, whether you can get a cart depends on...
It depends on factors such as price, shipping method, and the shop's ratings.
However, Amazon determines and selects which shops are eligible for the shopping cart, and
No further details have been disclosed.
Some sellers hold onto the cart for a long time, while others can’t seem to get it at all.
Unfortunately, however, small-scale sellers are not eligible to receive this shopping cart box.
In the image below,"List a New Item"When you click
You can see all the other sellers who haven't been able to get a cart box.
This means there are as many as 16 sellers for this product, including our company.
However, buyers who know that they can click the “New Listings” tab to make a purchase,There are hardly any。
Therefore, if we can secure a cart box, that will directly translate into sales, so
Getting a cart is very important.
To win the cart, you must outmaneuver other sellers' listings.
If you'd like to learn more about Amazon's measures against reselling, please read the article below.
In addition, we need to take measures regarding our own products that are being resold on the mall.
The following article explains how reselling works and how to deal with it, so please be sure to check it out.
New Listing
You can list new items when,For bulk listings onlyThat's it.
"New listing" refers to the process of registering a product that has not yet been listed on an Amazon product page.
For small-scale listings, if the item you want to sell is already listed on Amazon,
Instead of creating a new page, you must list your item on an existing page.
How to List This Item"Joint Listing"That's what they say.
After you click “List as New,” as explained earlier, a screen like this will appear.
When you list a product as a co-listing, your product will appear with this label.
With as many as 15 competitors out there, we need to get customers to pick up our product.
The following article summarizes how to list new items and co-listed items.
Please be sure to check it out.
Who Should Choose the Small-Lot Listing Option?
I've explained a lot of things so far, but
I think most people are probably thinking, “Huh? The Professional Seller plan seems like a better deal, and it has a lot more features…”
However,
"People who plan to start listing items but don't yet have a clear idea of their sales projections"
"People who wonder if it will really sell" are
To be honest, having a fixed monthly cost of 4,900 yen (excluding tax) is a bit of a concern, isn't it?
So, who should choose the small-lot listing option? I’ve summarized the key characteristics in the following three points.
- The projected number of units sold is 49 or fewer per month.
- I want to make a test sale to understand how the listing system works.
For people who want to try selling on Amazon or who don't plan to sell very many items,
I think it's fine even for small-scale listings.
However, just like with large-volume listings, sales commissions may apply,
Please keep in mind that there are fees associated with using FBA shipping.
For more details on sales commissions, please refer to the article below.
Summary
I’ve explained the differences in various areas, but,
I think you can now see the pros and cons of both large-scale and small-scale selling.
I've summarized the characteristics of sellers I'd like to recommend below.
■ Bulk Listings
- We expect to sell more than 50 units per month.
- I want to view various business reports.
- We want to strengthen our sales on Amazon and achieve significant growth.
- I want to set the shipping fees and delivery date and time.
- I want to use Advertising and Marketplace Prime.
■Small-Lot Listings
- Sales are projected to be 49 or fewer per month.
- I'd like to try listing items on Amazon.
I think whether it’s better to be a large-scale seller or a small-scale seller depends on the types of products you’re listing and the number of items you’re selling.
Since you can switch between large-volume and small-volume selling at any time, you can always try managing your store first and then make the change later!
Hide&Seek, the author of this blog, is,
We are a Fukuoka-based web consulting firm that provides management services for Amazon and Rakuten.
"I want to open a store on an e-commerce marketplace, but I don't have the resources to spare."
"We want to expand our sales channels while maintaining the competitive edge of our own online mall."
"I opened a store on an e-commerce marketplace, but I'm too busy to manage it properly, so my sales aren't going up."
"I want to know how to get a cart!"
If you're facing such concerns, please feel free to contact us using the link to the contact form below.
