Learning how to sell on Amazon can be a bit overwhelming, especially since sellers list millions of different types of products on the platform and your item can get easily lost in the mix.
You’re not alone, as many people want to pursue their e-commerce side gig and are looking for ways to ensure higher odds of success.
Luckily, we’ll walk you through the basics of finding a low-cost product with a high-profit margin.
Follow along as we give you insights on what to sell on Amazon to make extra cash.
Can You Just Sell Anything on Amazon?
For the most part, yes!
However, there are some bonus categories that are only available to a Professional Seller account, like collectible coins, fashion jewelry, and groceries to name a few.
Also, if you’re selling too heavy or extra large items, you might require approval from Amazon first, as this poses extra challenges during shipping and delivery.
It’s worth noting that you might need the brand’s permission to sell its products on Amazon.
Other than that, you can list and sell your products on Amazon right away without any pending processing.
What is Amazon’s Most Profitable Item?
Naturally, you’re always looking for the items with the best profit margins so you can start your e-commerce venture on the right footing.
Here are the best-selling and highly-profitable items on the platform:
1. Books
With Amazon Kindle’s popularity, more people are now reading their books digitally.
As a result, selling ebooks has become more lucrative than ever as people can publish and sell their own books on the platform.
2. Electronics
It comes as no surprise that electronics are among the most profitable products on Amazon.
Naturally, the volume of orders for a new smartphone will be much less than that for toilet paper.
However, you’ll have a higher profit margin on selling electronics, so selling just a few units every day can make your business boom.
It’s also worth noting that the high-value small packages allow you to save on shipping costs and make extra money.
3. Toys
Toys sell pretty well all year long! In fact, you should particularly focus your attention on Q4 as this is when holiday shopping sprees occur.
4. Home and Kitchen Items
The best household items to sell are those that aren’t electronic and don’t come with many moving pieces.
Plastic storage bags, kitchen cloth, and vacuum sealer bags are on the bestseller lists for all the good reasons.
Sticking with simple items ensures you keep return rates as low as possible.
Related: Best things to sell on eBay
What Is the Most Profitable Way to Sell on Amazon?
To make the most profit, you need to look into private labeling.
This includes getting the product manufactured by a third party and selling it under your, the seller, brand name.
The next step would be to get the product into the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) network, where active sellers can outsource product shipping to Amazon.
Such a business model ensures new sellers can start making a profit as soon as possible with few risks.
What to Sell on Amazon
Items that count as recurring purchases, like supplements and toilet paper, make sense to a lot of Amazon sellers.
Customers can sign up for automatic refills, which means popular products won’t overstay their welcome in the warehouses.
Positive product reviews and a high volume of comments also give clues on how much an item is sought after.
Let’s highlight some of the best items to sell on Amazon and give you ideas on what to sell at your online store.
Sign up for your seller account today and start selling on Amazon for free.
Best Things to Sell on Amazon
1. Clothing and Accessories
According to Wells Fargo analysts, Amazon takes 30 to 35% of the online clothing and footwear market, which gives you an idea of the market’s potential.
It’s always recommended not to sell seasonal clothes, as you’ll have to pay a long-term warehouse storage fee when your products aren’t in demand during that part of the year.
Instead, picking styles that can be sold year-round is the way to ensure your inventory never becomes stagnant.
Also, if you’re a hot seller, you can easily join the Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) program and let the e-commerce giant do all the heavy lifting for you.
Amazon packs, ships, and delivers the items directly to the customers, and you’ll receive your cut without much involvement in the logistics part.
2. Electronics
Compared to other popular categories, Amazon charges lesser commission fees for selling electronics.
The sector doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon with the rise in machine learning and artificial intelligence.
You can always bet on an enthusiastic customer base that’s always looking for the latest and greatest tech.
For instance, you’ll find products like Fire TV stick, Apple AirPods, and Apple AirTag on the bestseller list for electronics.
Also, Amazon is an excellent marketplace for used and refurbished electronics.
You can always make extra bucks on old devices, provided you have a reliable pipeline for renewing old electronics and giving them new life in the hands of customers.
3. Home and Kitchen Items
Storage bags, waffle makers, and digital kitchen scales are among the best-selling kitchen and dining items on Amazon.
Blenders, shakers, and water bottles are also seen on the bestseller list, and for all the good reasons.
You’re technically targeting the dining and fitness niche both at the same time.
When it comes to home items, you should consider bed sheets, shower curtains, and liquid ant killers.
Garden sprayers, weeders, and garden hoses also make it among the bestseller home products.
4. Beauty Care Items
When it comes to beauty products, acne patches, hair-strengthening oils, and makeup make the cut into the beauty and personal care bestseller list.
Hand soaps, moisturizing lotions, and cotton swabs should also be considered if you’re looking to have a high-ranking product listing in the beauty care category.
5. Pet Supplies
Pet supplies qualify as one of those repeat purchases that customers can sign up for and get their monthly needs delivered regularly.
Dog poop bags, cat and dog food, and puppy pee pads are higher up on the list of bestseller pet supplies on Amazon.
Cat litter, pet odor eliminator spray, and pet treats naturally show up on the list as well.
Now, you have a solid understanding of what pet owners are looking for and can easily have a golden gem on your hands.
6. Camera and Photo Items
Photography equipment and cameras are seeing a resurgence in the latest years as video streaming platforms like YouTube set higher expectations for professionally shot content.
You could play it safe and go for camera accessories like lens filters, tripods, and camera grips, which are cheaper to buy in bulk.
It’s also worth noting that security cameras, baby and pet monitors, and wireless smart home devices are ranked among the best-selling electronics on the platform.
7. Handmade Items
Customers love to stand behind small and local businesses, and the same trend applies when it comes to selling on Amazon.
Earrings, piercings, and bracelets all make it to the bestseller list for homemade products.
Scented candles are also becoming a favorite household product for so many people.
Custom birthday cards, personalized cake toppers, and birthday candles are also among the trendy items in Amazon’s homemade category.
With such insight in mind, you can start a small business that remains relevant for years to come.
How to Find Products to Sell on Amazon
As an aspiring Amazon seller, you should have a solid understanding of what products are trending on the platform.
Once you have a product that you’re confident in, you’re halfway there! Now comes the strategizing part where you figure out the best practices for a reliable supply chain.
Figure Out Your Sourcing Options
We’ve already touched on how private label sales potential is so lucrative.
This is another way by which you could become a successful seller on Amazon while building up your brand at the same time.
Besides communicating directly with the manufacturer, your other sourcing options include Business to Business (B2B) marketplaces like Alibaba, online arbitrage, and auctions or thrift stores.
Dropshipping is another lucrative business model in which you only buy products from the retailer once you’ve received an Amazon order.
This way, you don’t have to drop cash upfront and invest in a large inventory.
Check Out the Competition
Before dropping a product on Amazon, you need to scout the competition and see what kind of offering they’re putting out there.
As a new Amazon seller, you can try to provide a better quality product for the lowest price or undercut the competition.
This way, you have a trajectory for gaining the bulk of the positive reviews and having your product rank higher in the organic search result for the relevant keywords.
Talk to Manufacturers
To undercut the competition, you need to remove the middleman from the equation. By talking directly to the manufacturers, you can have a reliable supply chain and better prices when ordering in bulk.
See What Is Trending
Again, always check Amazon’s bestseller lists as they keep updating over time. Look for the popular products that appear to be in consistent demand in each category.
This doesn’t mean you can’t chase after a trend and capitalize on seasonal profits.
For instance, an item in a trendy TikTok video might sell like hotcakes for a while and then become forgotten as the internet shifts towards the next big trend.
This is fine as long as you’re smart with your inventory management and make accurate estimations of how much you could sell during the golden time when the product is the most trendy.
Wrapping Up
By now, you should be all caught up on what goes into the process of selling products on Amazon.
It all starts by landing on a bestseller item with high sales margins.
Also, you could reach out to third-party manufacturers to get your private-label products on Amazon.
Powered by our detailed insights, you should be on the right track to get your online business off the ground.
Let us know how your Amazon storefront is doing in the comments below.
And don’t forget to share the article with your friends, so they can follow in your footsteps and start making additional monthly revenue themselves.
