# Seller vs Vendor

Your first step to selling on Amazon is to decide whether you want to be a vendor or a seller; i.e. if you want to sell to Amazon (vendor) or sell on Amazon's marketplace (as a seller). There are pros and cons to both, summarised below:

### [Vendor Central](https://vendorcentral.amazon.co.uk/gp/vendor/sign-in/259-9130348-1798744?ie=UTF8\&originatingURI=%2Fgp%2Fvendor%2Fmembers%2Fhome)

* Firstly, it's invite only so is hard to get started with as a new brand. Once a brand reaches a certain size it is likely Amazon will reach out inviting you to become a vendor and sell to them directly
* Products are listed on site as 'shipped from and sold by Amazon' which carries a lot of weight regarding trust
* Gain enhanced marketing opportunities via Amazon Marketing Services (AMS)
* Pay a flat fee per month which includes fulfilment
* Pricing is in the hands of Amazon - if they are not selling Amazon can reduce pricing at will which needs to be taken into consideration if you sell on other channels
* Inventory level requirements, which can often be high, must be maintained
* Launching new products can be difficult when there is no track record of sales and therefore Amazon may have little interest in stocking

### [Seller Central](https://services.amazon.co.uk/services/sell-online/how-it-works.html?ref_=scuk_soa_wp_learnmore\&ld=SCUKSOA-learn)

* It may be a little more work to get started (adding info and images to create the listings yourself)
* Fees are separated out into monthly fee for a professional selling account and then fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) fees per unit sold
* &#x20;Manage own pricing and stock - entirely at your own discretion&#x20;
* Can add new products entirely at your own will&#x20;
* Control messaging and communications to customers which can also lead to fewer returns
* Have access to better analytics and data than as a vendor
* Get access to enhanced brand content (EBC) which allows you to add additional content including pictures and now videos (on storefronts)

\
Amazon started out as being Retail (vendor) only, and now the balance has swung with marketplace accounting for 60% of the revenue with that trend set to continue.&#x20;

With the above in mind we would recommend starting out as a seller on the marketplace and leveraging Amazon's FBA logistics to be able to fulfil orders domestically in the UK.&#x20;