What is Amazon Vendor Central?

Screenshot from Amazon’s Vendor Central

Brands that operate under this model are considered first-party sellers (or 1P). This is much like a wholesale relationship whereby Amazon purchases your product at a discount via Purchase Order, and then sells the product to the consumer on your behalf.

Products sold through this model are “Sold and Fulfilled by Amazon”.

How do you get invited to Amazon Vendor Central?

Great question with a not-so-easy answer. The jist of it is: you have to make Amazon want you to be on there.

Amazon employs a global vendor recruitment team that actively seeks out new brands and products to feature on their platform. These recruiters typically focus on sellers with high sales performance on Seller Central, popular products in the marketplace, and intriguing products showcased at trade shows and fairs. If Amazon shows interest in your offerings, you will receive an email invitation, explaining the process and terms of doing business. Upon agreement, you’ll be granted access to a Vendor Central account, enabling you to directly supply your products to Amazon.

How to succeed on Amazon Vendor Central?

Amazon wants to purchase products that they know are going to sell, so you need to have strong and consistent sales, great customer reviews, and items that are always in stock. Some of the effective strategies you can implement in order to succeed in Amazon Vendor Central are:

• Leverage Amazon FBA Fulfillment Centers: Boost your sales potential by ensuring your products are eligible for Amazon Prime. With over 126 million loyal Prime members in the U.S., you gain access to a significant pool of dedicated shoppers, each spending an average of $1,400 annually. Utilizing Amazon’s FBA fulfillment centers streamlines shipping, providing customers with faster and more reliable delivery, further enticing them to purchase.
• Master Amazon SEO: Amidst the vast sea of products on Amazon, standing out requires strategic Amazon SEO practices. Optimize your product listings by skillfully incorporating relevant search terms in the product title, backend keywords, brand name, and product description. By doing so, you can significantly enhance your products’ visibility, improving the chances of securing a sale.
• Cultivate Positive Reviews: In the Amazon ecosystem, reviews play a pivotal role in product credibility. A higher number of positive 5-star ratings can positively influence the algorithm, leading to more recommendations to potential customers.
• Diversify Traffic Sources: While SEO efforts and reviews take time to yield results, don’t solely rely on Amazon’s traffic. Attract potential customers to your product pages by employing diverse advertising methods beyond Amazon. Consider building a mailing list for targeted email marketing campaigns, crafting a robust social media strategy across platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and running paid ads on Google.
• Harness Sponsored Product Ads (SPAs): SPAs offer an effective way to enhance conversion rates and improve product discoverability in organic search results. Embrace both automatic and manual product ads within Seller Central to reach a broader audience and drive increased sales.

By implementing these proactive strategies, you can elevate your performance as an Amazon Vendor Central partner, reaching more potential customers and maximizing your success on the platform.

While the allure of Vendor Central used to be the features that it offered, Seller Central now has many of the same features included like A+ content, Amazon Vine, Amazon Live, Brand Analytics + more features, so it’s not a bigger jump than it used to be getting Vendor Central.

Take a look at the pros and cons and see if this is the right platform for you.

Amazon Vendor Seller Pros

• Higher algorithm prioritisation
  It might come as no surprise but the Amazon algorithm tends to prioritise itself in the search result!
• Greater chance of winning the Buy Box
  When several sellers are on a listing, Amazon tends to win the Buy Box.
  Wondering what Buy Box is? It’s the “Buy Now” button on the side of product listings that allows users to click buy now and make instant purchases.
• No customer service is necessary
  Amazon controls all customer messages and complaints so the load is taken off you.
• Amazon brand trust
  Customers are more likely to buy from Amazon directly than from a seller.
• Avoid Fees
  Vendors avoid typical Amazon seller fees, which include costs for referrals, fulfilment or storage.
• Expanded Advertising Opportunities
  Opting for Amazon Vendor Central unlocks a wider range of advertising options compared to Seller Central. With access to enhanced features, vendors can create more robust ad campaigns, effectively driving increased traffic to their product pages. This advantage provides an opportunity to amplify brand visibility and boost sales performance on the platform.

Amazon Vendor Seller Cons

• Limited Brand control
  The wholesaler is unable to directly contact consumers if there is a quality control issue or to prevent a negative experience, which is essential for customer care and happiness.
• No pricing control
  Amazon has complete control over product pricing. Vendors may not see the profit margins they were hoping for on certain products. It is also very difficult to implement price increases.
• No stock control                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           The wholesaler has no control over how much stock Amazon has at any given moment or how large their POs will be.
• Amazon makes the rules
  Amazon has Chargeback & Shortage fines and can withhold POs if negotiation terms are not agreed favourably. Amazon can also end their Vendor agreement at any time with no notice which can make it hard to plan effectively.
• Difficult to update the catalogue
  Brands must apply to sell new products and can not control how much or if Amazon will buy.
• Challenges in Negotiating Contract Terms with Amazon                                                                                                                                                                                        When engaging with Amazon as a Vendor Central partner, one notable challenge lies in the limited control over determining vendor fees. These fees encompass various aspects such as damage allowance, freight allowance, coop activities, and others, which are typically agreed upon during the initial contract negotiation. While these vendor fees can potentially affect profit margins, it is essential to recognize that they may also offer certain advantages in specific scenarios, making their impact on profit margins not as heavy as initially perceived.

What is an Amazon Seller Central?

Screenshot from Amazon’s Seller Central

Under this model, your brand is considered a third-party seller (or 3P). This is a direct-to-consumer relationship; you sell your products directly to customers and pay Amazon a referral fee for the privilege of selling on their platform.

Through Seller Central, you’re able to control what products you stock and sell on the platform, your inventory levels, and your pricing. Take a look at the pros and cons and see if this is the right platform for you.

Amazon Seller Central Pros

• Increased Brand control
  The brand has direct contact with its Amazon customers. Brands can email customers after purchases to follow up and ensure they’ve had a positive experience thereby increasing the number of positive customer reviews. It is also easier to perform listing optimisation.
• Complete pricing control
  You have control over the price being offered and can change this whenever needed without stress.
• Complete stock control
  You can choose how much of each product will be available and ensure shipment is up to quality standards.
• Easy to add new products
  Adding new products to the catalogue is quick and easy.
• Better Analytics
  Get access to more detailed analytics on the back end so you can make smart decisions on areas of improvement and what is working! (e.g. buy box percentage)

Amazon Seller Central Cons

• Less brand trust
  It’s not a complete loss of trust, but customers can be more likely to buy from Amazon directly than from a seller. However, if Amazon is not on a listing the buyer is most likely to buy from the brand directly.
• Lower algorithm prioritisation
  The Amazon algorithm tends to prioritise itself in the search results – once again this is only relevant if Amazon is on the listing!
• Lower chance of winning the Buy Box
  When several sellers are on a listing, Amazon tends to prefer the brand owner unless a distributor has a lower price.
• Complete stock and customer service responsibility
  The seller is responsible for shipping items – this stress can be reduced by using FBA and also responding to all customer messages and complaints.

What is a Hybrid Approach to Selling on Amazon?

This is applicable to those who have access to both platforms and if you do then the hybrid approach is what we often recommend at This is Unicorn.

It allows a seller to maintain hands-on control of a Seller Central channel while reaping the promotional advantages of a Vendor Central channel.

Amazon Hybrid Selling Pros

• Maximize sales opportunity
  Offering some products via a Seller account and others via a Vendor account creates the most selection for customers for the highest sales opportunity.
• Widen customer reach
  Access to Amazon Marketing Services is the premier method for gaining visibility on Amazon.
• Spread your risk
  If Amazon suspends the account on one side, there is still business on the other to fall back on.
• Access to all tools
  Access to the full range of marketing, merchandising, and promotional tools that Amazon has to offer.

Amazon Hybrid Selling Cons

• Loss of control over listing
  The content used on Vendor listing pages is “locked” into Amazon’s retail catalogue. Even if the Vendor account is closed, the content remains and is almost impossible to override.
• Loss of buy box
  Amazon will do everything it can to win the buy box. The only way to compete with a Seller account is to drop the price point so low that Amazon would no longer be making a profit.
• Slow initial sales velocity
  Moving some of the inventory from the Seller side to the Vendor side may cause a temporary lull in sales. Amazon needs some time to learn about your product to show and advertise it to the right customers.

Our thoughts

We’ve delved into the world of Amazon selling platforms, covering two well-known options: Amazon Vendor Central and Amazon Seller Central, as well as a third approach known as the Hybrid approach. Each of these platforms offers its own set of advantages, making it essential to take a thoughtful approach when deciding which one aligns best with your brand. Evaluating your goals, size, strategy, available resources, performance on Amazon, and other relevant factors will be crucial in making the right choice for your business.

New to the platform? You may find helpful our “Where to focus as a new brand on Amazon?” article.

Need some help?

Want to shoot for the stars and optimize your Amazon strategy? Our brand strategists can help you develop a strategy that will not only help you sell more but get the attention of Amazon, just send us a message or give us a call!