VENDOR CENTRAL VS SELLER CENTRAL
There are practical similarities between Amazon Vendor Central and Amazon Seller Central but fundamentally they are different programs.
The fundamental difference between Vendor Central and Seller Central is who will be selling your products. With Vendor Central, Amazon’s retail team buys and resells your products to their customers.
With Seller Central, you are selling directly to Amazon’s customers. There are significant differences between the two, so it’s important to fully understand the potential opportunities and drawbacks with each.
What Is Seller Central?
Amazon Seller Central is the web interface used by brands and merchants to market and sell their products directly to Amazon’s customers. If you have a Seller Central account, you’re considered a marketplace or third-party seller.
As a marketplace seller, you have two options for fulfilling orders you receive from Amazon’s customers. You can handle the shipping, customer service, and returns for each individual order yourself or you can allow Amazon to handle this for you by enrolling your products in the Fulfilled by Amazon or “FBA” program. Some brands also use Seller Central as a tool to control the messaging of products not being sold via Vendor Central.
Seller Central
- Open to anyone
- Sell directly to Amazon’s customers
- Flexible logistical options
- Quick payment terms
- Brand controls retail pricing
- Limited advertising options
- Complex sales process
- Enhanced Brand Content
What Is Vendor Central?
Amazon Vendor Central is the web interface used by manufacturers and distributors. If you sell via Vendor Central, you’re called a first-party seller. You’re acting as a supplier, selling in bulk to Amazon. Registration on Vendor Central is by invitation only. Amazon vendor central is a platform you need to be invited to by Amazon directly. If you use the Vendor Central platform you become one of the suppliers so Amazon basically sends you to purchase order for what they want to buy from you then you send the requested products to Amazon and then Amazon pays you. So with a vendor, you are not selling to Amazon’s customers basically the people who shop on amazon you are selling to Amazon directly.
Vendor Central
- Invite only
- Sell to Amazon
- Fixed logistical options
- Traditional payment terms
- Amazon controls retail pricing
- Multiple advertising options
- Traditional sales process
- A+ content
