Should you take up a Pro-Merchant Seller subscription?
When I first began selling books on Amazon, I only sold books as a hobby: I was nervous about signing up to the Amazon Pro-Merchant Seller subscription.
A Pro-Merchant Seller subscription means paying less in fees and commission when a sale is made, and there are also other advantages such as being able to add a product to the system that was not already listed.
Should you take up a
Pro-Merchant Seller subscription?
Despite selling many more than 40 books per month (you will see why this is important later), I was reluctant to commitment to the 30-day £28.75 subscription fee. I guess I perceived the commitment to be scary.
My biggest fear was what if my sales dried up? It would cost more in fees than if I sold less than 40 items.
Then Amazon introduced a free trial for a three-month subscription and I decided to try it out. However, once I had surpassed the free period, I again chickened out from signing up permanently.
So what changed my mind?
It used to be that unless you were a Pro-Merchant Seller, you could not assign a SQU code against each individual listing relating to where you store your item.
This is important because it means when you make a sale it makes it far easier to retrieve your item for dispatch.
Thus subscribing to be a Pro-Merchant Seller meant I could assign a code (SQU) that made life so much easier when I made a sale.
However, I note that Amazon allows you to do this without subscribing to Pro-Merchant Seller status nowadays.
But what exactly is a Pro-Merchant Seller and why is it beneficial to subscribe?
If you are selling over 40 items a month, it really is a no-brainer to subscribe as you will save money.
Other benefits include:
- Fulfilment by Amazon enabled
- Sell in 25 product categories
- Cancel your £25.00/mth subscription anytime
- Load and track inventory in bulk
- Eligible for featured seller status
- Eligible for Jumpstart: Pay-per-use Amazon-compatible product catalogue service
But what does all this mean?
Basically, Amazon will allow you more access to what items you can sell on the site than a ‘small seller’.
Also, if you are considering selling using FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon), it is compulsory to be a Pro-Merchant Seller.
This FAQ from Amazon is quite informative…
How will I be invoiced?
Your Pro Merchant subscription fee of GBP 28.75 (GBP 25.00 for sellers is assessed once every month, beginning on the date your Pro Merchant subscription begins. The subscription fee will be listed in your Seller Account payments summary and charged against any sales you have completed.
If your Seller Account balance exceeds your monthly subscription fee, the amount will be deducted from that balance. If not, the remaining difference will be deducted from your credit card.
How do I cancel my Pro Merchant subscription?
You can cancel your subscription at any time. In cancelling, you ensure that you will not be charged for the upcoming month. However, if possible, we would like to help you to continue selling on Marketplace.
If you have feedback or require assistance, please let us know. Via our Seller Support Team.
You will be able to cancel your subscription at any time directly from your seller account interface.
So is it worth signing up to Pro-Merchant Seller status?
In a nutshell, if you are regularly selling over 40 items per month, YES!
If you’re not selling over 40 books a month, then I wouldn’t recommend you signing up to be a Pro-Merchant Seller.
Why? Amazon now allow you to add SQU codes anyway; you may have no desire to add products to Amazon’s catalogue; you do not want to be an FBA seller in the future; you don’t want to sell products in several categories…
Personally I cannot see many other disadvantages, and I note Amazon are offering a three-month free subscription – a saving of £86.25 plus fees.
So what have you got to lose? Sign up here!
What do you think?
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