Blog Series
Selling on Amazon

The Comprehensive Step-by-Step Guide to Starting and Growing a Profitable eCommerce Business

on the World’s Largest Online Marketplace

Brick-and-mortar stores are declining, and online shopping is proving to be the future. Just ask one of the world’s most valuable and influential brands—Amazon. At least half of all online shoppers use Amazon to search for products.

But it shouldn’t come as a surprise. With the platform's ease of use and accessibility, this e-Commerce giant has become the ultimate leader.

This change isn't necessarily a bad thing if you're planning to open a store; all you need to do is bring them to your storefront.

Although intimidating at first, building a startup on Amazon isn't tricky once the framework is in place. Focus on the basics, such as registering your store, understanding what you sell, how you sell, setting a target KPI, and getting started with marketing.

Though it may all happen naturally down the line, understanding in advance will ensure faster ROIs. After all, time is money in business.

Here you will find everything you need to get started with e-Commerce, connect with customers, and ultimately increase sales.

Amazon CRaP and Low Net PPM: Where the Line Really Is, and How to Get an ASIN Off the List

Amazon has never published a Net PPM threshold, and the figures that circulate are rules of thumb that contradict each other. This guide covers what CRaP is, how to tell a real margin problem from a noisy week, what Amazon does to a CRaP ASIN, and the levers that move the number.

How to Dispute an Amazon Vendor Chargeback: Process, Statuses, Evidence, Deadlines

How to file a chargeback dispute from Operational Performance in Vendor Central, the 30-day window to plan against, and how the charge's status differs from the dispute's. It also lists the evidence to pull for ASN, carton content, PO on-time, and prep and labeling charges, and how to track chargeback cost over time.

Amazon Shortage Claims: Why They Happen and How to Dispute (and Re-Dispute) One

Why Amazon raises a shortage claim against a vendor invoice, where to find it under Payments in Vendor Central, and how to file the first dispute with the right evidence. It also covers how the re-dispute works after the first decision and how to watch shortages as a rate through Fill Rate and Net Received.

Amazon Annual Vendor Negotiation (AVN): How to Prepare With Your Own Numbers

What Amazon's Annual Vendor Negotiation is, when it happens, and what Amazon typically asks for. It also lists the numbers a vendor should bring, from Net PPM by ASIN to chargeback totals and sell-through, and where each one lives in Vendor Central.

Amazon Vendor Services (AVS): What It Costs, What You Get, and When It Pays

What Amazon Vendor Services is reported to cost, what the fee buys, and who gets invited. It also gives a way to decide whether the program pays for your catalog and how to measure whether it is working.

Amazon Vendor Returns: How Amazon Returns Inventory to Vendors and What It Costs

How Amazon-initiated vendor returns (RTV) work in Vendor Central, from the Vendor Returns Debit Note to the 30-day dispute window. It also covers the damage allowance as the alternative to taking damaged stock back, and why return costs sit outside Net PPM.

Vendor Central Invoices: Submission, Rejections, Holds, and Getting Paid on Time

How a Vendor Central invoice reaches Amazon, what Amazon matches it against, and the fix for each common rejection. It also separates matching holds from rejections and covers NET and EOM terms, the Quick Pay trade-off, and where to track invoice status.

Amazon Co-op Agreements for Vendors: Accruals, Deductions, and the AVN Trade

How a co-op rate set at the Annual Vendor Negotiation becomes an accrual and a deduction on your Vendor Central remittance, with a worked example for checking each line against your agreement. The reconciled pattern is the evidence you bring to the next AVN.

Shipping a PO to Amazon as a Vendor: Routing Requests, Carrier Central, and ASNs

The step-by-step inbound sequence for an Amazon vendor PO, organized by freight terms: the Collect routing request, the Prepaid Carrier Central appointment, the ASN and its timing, and carton and pallet labels under the July 2024 rules. Each step names the chargeback it triggers when missed.

Amazon Born to Run: How the Program Works, the Retention Fee, and When to Use It

How Amazon's Born to Run program lets a first-party vendor size the opening PO for a new ASIN, what the 25% retention fee and 10% return fee actually cost, and how to decide whether a launch is worth enrolling. Includes a weekly pace check for the 10-week window.

Ready to take your Amazon Vendor data ops to the next level?

Request access today and let InsightLeap help grow your business!

Request Access