Selling on Amazon

You can easily reach a potential audience of billions of buyers by integrating your Online Store with Amazon using a Codisto app. This third-party service helps you list your products on Amazon and synchronize the sales with Online Store.

Before you start selling on Amazon you will need to register as a seller. All you need to do is visit the Seller Central on Amazon site where you want to sell and register an account.

Choosing the seller account type

In markets where you have a choice between setting up a professional or private seller account, you need to choose professional. The private account doesn't support Amazon MWS (Marketplace Web Service), which Codisto LINQ uses to manage the integration. 

Amazon sites are grouped by region. For example, an account on any of the European sites will give you access to listing on all sites in that region. For access to sell in other regions, additional registrations will be required. 

Starting with Codisto

To start connecting your Online Store with the Amazon platform, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Sales Channels > Amazon. Click on the button Install. Codisto LINQ app will present a window with two choices on which marketplace to connect:

After choosing your site, click on Continue to Setup button.

Already set up eBay marketplace?

If you have already set up the eBay connection, you will need to access Amazon settings wizard by going to Settings > Manage Marketplaces.

Choose Amazon and click on the chain link icon Link.

Continue to the window with the list of marketplaces and choose the one where you have created a Seller Central account. 

Setting Defaults

Amazon Quantity Rule

You can set the following quantity defaults:

• Web quantity: Amazon is synced to Online Store inventory which gets automatically reduced after sales on any of the marketplaces.
  
  
• Fixed Quantity: Amazon quantity is not synced with your Online Store quantity. It is a fixed quantity and doesn't change even when items are sold. You must carefully watch stock levels to ensure that you can fulfill your orders.
  
  
• Quantity Buffer: Amazon quantity is synced with your Online Store quantity but is lower by the buffer amount. For example, Online Store quantity of 10 items with a buffer of 3 will show 7 on Amazon. Online Store quantity of 2 with a buffer of 3 will show 0 on Amazon. This helps avoid overselling your items, especially if you are selling on multiple marketplaces.
  
  
• Max Quantity: Amazon quantity is synced with your Online Store quantity but will only show the max quantity entered. Unless Online Store quantity is lower than max quantity then Online Store quantity is shown. This is useful for implying scarcity or getting around Amazon listing limits. For example, the Online Store quantity of 50 with the max quantity of 10 will show 10. Online Store quantity of 8 with a max quantity of 10 will show 8 on Amazon.

2. Shipping & Returns

You can add multiple default shipping services for both domestic and international as well as specify ship to various locations. Choose available shipping options from the dropdown menu. 

Scroll down to set up your default return policy. Choose if you accept or don't accept returns, the duration of a period when you accept returns, and what kind of refund you offer (money back, exchange, and terms of exchange.) Enter your return policy details in the window on the right.

Return periods in days and returns type (exchange/money back) can also be set.  For Amazon, you can choose merchant fulfilled or FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon)

Once done, click Next.

3. Categories defaults

Amazon has an option to enable auto-categorization which compares the product being listed with similar products already on Amazon and determines the most appropriate Amazon category. The choice of the automated category selected is determined by a number of factors (e.g. quality of product data and number of similar items on Amazon). To turn auto-categorization on, tick Enabled.

Note: Initially, items are listed in Other category and after a few minutes the category is updated.

If you select Disabled, you will need to manually set categories for individual or groups of products in the Marketplace Listings grid before submitting the listing. 

Note: Set the field in your Online Store containing your UPC/EAN/ISBN data so Codisto LINQ can match your product with existing listings on the marketplaces. 

4. Auto-Listing

This function automatically lists all new products added to your Online Store catalog after the initial setup process has been completed. When you are first setting your Amazon connection, this function is disabled because all products are seen as new by the app until the setup wizard has completed.

Click Next to proceed.

5. Order defaults

• Choose whether Codisto should automatically send orders to your Online Store from Amazon or not. Choose All to enable auto-send for all listings or Codisto Managed only the products Codisto LINQ is managing. This helps avoid duplicated orders.
  
  
• Choose whether to receive orders in your Online Store when the customer has committed to buy or when they have completed payment.
  
  
• Choose to have positive feedback sent to Amazon customers once they have completed a transaction.
  
  Click Next to confirm changes. You are done configuring defaults!

Note: you can always modify defaults in Settings.

The default setting wizard is launched when you first connect a marketplace account but it can also be accessed to update defaults in Settings.

Understanding the product grid

You can create and edit your product listings in the  Marketplace Listings grid. This is a spreadsheet-style interface where each tab represents a different Amazon connected marketplace and offers separate configuration for each.  

Each row of the grid represents a single product in your catalog (any child SKUs are found by clicking the ‘+’ symbol on rows).  Scroll the grid vertically to view all your products.

Each column represents a different field for your products. The fixed left-hand side columns show the details from your product catalog in your Online Store and their listing status on Amazon. Click on Enable to make the listing active.

The right-hand side shows the marketplace settings and values. Scroll the grid horizontally to view additional settings. You can customize the grid by clicking on the button and choosing the fields you want to view. This is helpful when you don't plan to change your default settings often.

 

 

Listing products on Amazon

1. Select the products you wish to list on Amazon using check-boxes on the left. You can use filters if you wish and select all chosen products with the top checkbox.
   
   
2. Make sure the marketplace settings in the right-hand column are all set correctly.

3. The next step depends on what kind of products you are selling on Amazon.  There are two options:

   • Selling products that have already been listed on Amazon: your product will need to be linked with an existing ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification number) i.e. an existing Amazon’s listing.
   • Selling your own unique branded product: if you wish to sell a product new to the Amazon marketplace, you will need to create a new ASIN and create an entirely new listing.

To determine if you are selling a new or existing product, Codistro will use product identifiers (UPC/EAN/ISBN) in your Online Store and attempt to automatically match your products with existing listings on Amazon and find an ASIN for you.  

If you have previously created your own listings and they exist in Amazon Seller Central, then Codisto LINQ will attempt to match the SKU code from your Online Store with the SKU code that exists in Seller Central and retrieve the existing ASIN.  

Note: SKU code match is only possible for products that are on Seller Central. It is not possible to match SKU codes from your Online Store with products in the general Amazon catalog, for example, those not in your own Seller Central account, because Amazon doesn't use SKU code product identifiers.

If a match is found, the product’s ASIN will be visible and the Amazon status toggle button becomes active, allowing you to ‘enable’ the listing.

If no match has been found,  you can choose to manually search for the item on Amazon, apply the ASIN, and use the existing Amazon product data to list your product. 

Your other option is to create a new ASIN and add a new, unique product to the Amazon catalog. To create a new listing on Amazon just select a Category and Enable and Codisto LINQ will create an ASIN and listing for you. 

Note: Multi-variant listings require you also need to select a Variation theme e.g. Size/Color.  Variation theme is found by expanding the Catalog Data column group on the far right of the grid).

Once you save using the white Amazon save button (top left), the flashing Codisto LINQ icon means the listings are being created. When completed the icon will either turn blue if the listings have been successfully created or red in the case of an error. Click on the icon to read the error from Amazon.

 

Manage your orders

You can view your orders by choosing the Amazon tab. Amazon tab and clicking Marketplace Orders.

Manage your Amazon store settings

Navigate to the Settings tab to change the following settings:

- Manage Marketplaces: add another account, change the marketplace, or Unlink your account.

- Update Defaults: click to modify your default settings.

- Manage Currencies: here you can choose how frequently you want the currency exchange rate to be updated. Choose the desired frequency from the drop-down menu.

- Edit Settings: click here to change your store logo, payment methods (Paypal, money orders, or direct deposit), default location, measurement and weight units, and how frequently you want to synchronize your Online Store catalog and prices with your store.

Once you have successfully completed the store setup, you will be able to manage your listings directly from the Online Store: