Amazon Professional Seller vs Individual? Which plan actually fits your selling goals and budget? Choosing the wrong account type can cost you money through unnecessary fees or limit your growth with missing features. In this guide, Megaficus will break down how each plan works, their key differences in pricing and capabilities, and which delivers better value based on your sales volume and business objectives.
Quick Summary:
| Comparison Factor | Professional Seller | Individual Seller |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Plans & Fees | $39.99/month fixed subscription, no $0.99 per-item fee | No monthly fee, $0.99 charged per item sold |
| Cost-Effective Threshold | Best choice when selling 40+ items per month | Most cost-effective for under 40 items per month |
| Key Features & Capabilities | Bulk listing, Amazon PPC ads, coupons, and advanced business reports | Manual listing only, no advertising tools |
| Buy Box Eligibility | Eligible to compete for the Buy Box (drives 80–90% of sales) | Not eligible for Buy Box |
| Listing & Inventory Management | Spreadsheet uploads, inventory feeds, automation tools | One-by-one manual listing, basic inventory tracking |
| Sales Volume & Scalability | Built for high-volume, full-time sellers | Suitable for low-volume, casual or part-time sellers |
| Category Access & Approvals | Can apply to sell in restricted (gated) categories | Cannot sell in restricted categories |
| Customer Support & Brand Tools | Access to A+ Content, Amazon Stores, API integrations | Basic Seller Support only |
| Tax Collection & Reporting | Amazon supports automated tax collection and reporting | Manual tax handling required |
| Returns & Refund Management | Automated returns, prepaid labels, and returnless refund rules | Manual return approvals, limited refund options |
What Is An Amazon Professional Seller?
An Amazon Professional Seller is a subscription account for businesses and serious sellers who pay $39.99 monthly for advanced selling tools. This plan includes bulk listing, advertising features, and access to 30 product categories (10 more than Individual sellers).
It’s ideal for those selling over 40 items monthly, as Individual sellers pay $0.99 per item sold. Professional sellers also qualify for the Buy Box and can add multiple user accounts to scale their operations efficiently.
What Is Amazon Individual?
An Amazon Individual Seller Account is a pay-per-sale account type that charges $0.99 for each item sold. Unlike the Professional plan with its $39.99 monthly subscription, this account operates on a transaction-based fee structure with no recurring costs. It allows sellers to list products on Amazon’s marketplace and only incur charges when actual sales occur, eliminating the need for any upfront monthly commitment.
Key Differences Between Amazon Professional Seller Vs Individual
While both plans allow you to sell on Amazon, they differ significantly in pricing, features, and capabilities. Understanding these key distinctions will help you select the right plan based on your sales volume, business objectives, and budget.
Pricing Plans And Fees
The most fundamental difference lies in fee structures: Professional charges a flat monthly rate, while Individual uses pay-per-sale pricing.
Amazon Professional Seller
- Monthly subscription fee: This plan requires a flat monthly fee of $39.99 regardless of sales volume, making it a fixed operational cost for your business.
- No per-item fee: Professional sellers avoid the $0.99 transaction charge that Individual sellers pay, which becomes cost-effective when moving more than 40 items monthly.
Individual Seller
- No monthly fee: This plan has no recurring subscription charge, eliminating upfront financial commitments and making it ideal for casual sellers testing the marketplace.
- Per-Item fee: Sellers pay $0.99 for every item sold, meaning costs only occur when transactions happen.
- Media closing fees: Individual sellers incur additional variable closing fees for media items like books, DVDs, and video games, which Professional sellers do not pay.
Key Features And Advantages
Beyond pricing, each plan offers distinct features that directly impact your selling capabilities and growth potential.
Amazon Professional Seller
- Bulk management tools: The plan provides access to spreadsheet-based inventory uploads and advanced management features, allowing you to list hundreds of products efficiently.
- Advertising and marketing: Professional accounts can run Amazon PPC campaigns through Sponsored Products, create promotional coupons, and launch lightning deals to boost product visibility.
- Buy Box eligibility: Only Professional sellers can compete for the Buy Box (Featured Offer), which drives 80-90% of product sales on Amazon. Individual sellers are excluded from Buy Box consideration entirely.
- Advanced analytics: The account includes comprehensive business reports and sales analytics that help track performance metrics and refine selling strategies over time.
- Restricted category access: Professional sellers can apply for approval to sell in gated categories such as automotive parts, jewelry, and collectibles. Individual sellers cannot access these restricted categories even with approval, making a Professional account mandatory for these product lines.
- Inventory management tools: Professional sellers gain access to automated inventory replenishment tools, demand forecasting, and advanced tracking systems, helping prevent stockouts and overstocking as the business scales.
Individual Seller
- Low entry barrier: The setup process requires minimal information and no upfront subscription payment, allowing you to start selling within minutes.
- Low risk structure: This plan suits hobbyists or part-time sellers since you only incur costs when sales occur, eliminating monthly financial obligations.
- Inventory management tools: Inventory tracking is handled manually, typically via spreadsheets, without automated forecasting or advanced stock management features.
Sales Limits And Performance Caps
The two plans differ significantly in operational capacity and scalability options available to sellers.
Amazon Professional Seller
- High volume capability: This plan is designed for sellers who consistently move more than 40 items monthly or operate full-time selling businesses.
- Account delegation: Professional accounts allow you to add multiple user logins with customizable permissions, which becomes essential as your team grows.
- Shipping control: Sellers can set custom shipping rates for non-media products, giving you flexibility to manage logistics costs and offer competitive delivery options.
Individual Seller
- Cost-Effective range: This plan works best for sellers moving fewer than 40 items monthly, as the $0.99 per-item fee totals less than the Professional plan’s $39.99 subscription. While there’s no hard limit on sales volume, costs increase proportionally with each transaction.
- Manual listing process: Individual sellers must list products one at a time through the standard interface and cannot utilize bulk upload spreadsheets or inventory management feeds available to Professional accounts.
- Static pricing only: Individual accounts are limited to fixed pricing, whereas Professional sellers can implement dynamic pricing tools that automatically adjust prices based on market conditions.
Customer Support And Service Options
Professional sellers gain access to advanced tools and support features that Individual accounts don’t offer.
Amazon Professional Seller
- Brand building tools: This plan unlocks exclusive features like A+ Content (enhanced product descriptions with images) and Amazon Stores (custom storefronts) to create a distinctive brand identity.
- API integration: The account supports third-party software integration via Amazon’s SP-API, enabling advanced automation for inventory management, repricing, and order processing.
Individual Seller
- Basic support access: Individual accounts receive standard Seller Support for basic inquiries, while Professional accounts get priority assistance for complex issues.
- Manual order management: This setup works well for sellers who prefer handling a smaller order volume without investing in complex automation systems or third-party tools.
Tax Collection and Compliance
Tax management differs substantially between the two plans, affecting your administrative workload and compliance responsibilities.
Amazon Professional Seller
- Automated tax collection: Amazon automatically calculates, collects, and remits sales taxes for Professional sellers in most states under Marketplace Facilitator Laws. This saves significant time on tax compliance while you remain responsible for tracking and reporting.
- Tax reporting tools: Access to detailed sales tax reports in Seller Central showing both taxes you’re responsible for and taxes Amazon remits on your behalf.
Individual Seller
- Manual tax management: Individual sellers must handle tax collection and compliance on their own without Amazon’s automated assistance. This requires more manual tracking and may need third-party tax software.
- Limited tax features: No access to advanced tax automation tools that Professional accounts receive.
Return and Refund Management
How each plan handles returns and refunds impacts both customer service efficiency and your operational costs.
Amazon Professional Seller
- Automated Return Authorization: Amazon automatically authorizes return requests for Professional sellers, streamlining the process without requiring manual review for standard returns.
- Prepaid Return Label Program: Professional sellers are automatically enrolled in Amazon’s Prepaid Returns Label program, where Amazon provides return shipping labels on your behalf.
- Returnless Refund Control: Full access to configure returnless refund rules by SKU, price range, and return reason in Seller Central.
Individual Seller
- Manual Return Review: Must manually review and authorize each return request, requiring more hands-on management.
- Optional Prepaid Labels: Individual sellers may apply for enrollment in the Prepaid Returns Label program but are not automatically enrolled.
- Basic Refund Options: Limited control over returnless refund automation compared to Professional accounts.
When To Choose Each Plan: Amazon Professional Seller Vs Individual
Choosing the right plan depends on your specific business situation, sales volume, and long-term goals. Here’s when each option makes the most sense based on different seller profiles and objectives.
When To Choose An Amazon Professional Seller?
An Individual account is the right choice if you fall into these situations:
- Low Sales Volume: You plan to sell fewer than 40 products per month. This is the critical threshold where the $0.99 per-item fee remains lower than the Professional account’s monthly subscription fee.
- Market Testing: You’re a beginner wanting to test product viability or customer demand without making a large financial commitment upfront.
- Occasional or Hobby Selling: You view Amazon selling as a side hustle or hobby, or you’re simply selling used items, textbooks, or handmade crafts on a small scale.
- Limited Starting Budget: You want to minimize initial costs since this account requires no fixed subscription fee—you only pay when orders succeed.
- Manual Management: You have a small product catalog and are willing to list each product manually without needing bulk inventory management tools.
In practice, many successful sellers begin with an Individual account to validate products and manage risk, then upgrade to a Professional plan as soon as sales approach the 40-unit threshold. This phased approach helps optimize costs early while preserving long-term scalability.
When To Choose An Amazon Individual
You should upgrade or register for a Professional account if you encounter these situations:
- High sales volume: You plan to or are actually selling more than 40 products per month. At this point, the fixed $39.99 fee becomes more economical than paying per-item fees.
- Need for advertising: You want to use Amazon PPC (Sponsored Products) and marketing tools like coupons or promotional campaigns to increase visibility and competitiveness.
- Buy Box goals: You want to qualify for competing in the Buy Box (Featured Offer), which generates 80-90% of sales on Amazon.
- Selling in restricted categories: You plan to sell items in gated categories such as automotive parts, high-value jewelry, food, or beauty products requiring special approval.
- Brand building and scaling: You’re building a long-term business and need access to detailed business reports, sales analytics, and the ability to add multiple users to manage your team.
- Process automation: You need bulk listing tools, API-based inventory management, or third-party app integration to optimize operations.
FAQs About Amazon Professional Seller Vs Individual
Yes, your listings remain active and visible when switching between plans. However, some promotional tools may become unavailable if you downgrade to Individual.
Yes, you can switch between plans as many times as needed. Changes take effect immediately and may affect your billing cycle or active services.
No, there are no additional fees for switching plans. However, each plan has different pricing structures that will affect your overall costs.
No, both Individual and Professional sellers can use FBA. However, Professional sellers gain access to additional features like advertising and advanced reporting that can maximize FBA benefits.
No, Individual sellers cannot create Sponsored Products ads or use promotional tools like coupons. These advertising and marketing features are exclusive to Professional accounts.
Get Professional Help from Megaficus
Choosing between Amazon Professional Seller vs Individual ultimately comes down to your specific business needs. If you’re selling more than 40 items monthly and need advanced tools like advertising, Buy Box access, or brand-building features, go with Amazon Professional Seller.
If you’re testing the market, selling occasionally, or keeping costs minimal with fewer than 40 items per month, Individual is your best bet. It all depends on your sales volume, business ambitions, and available budget.
Still need further help choosing the right plan or setting up your Amazon seller account? Contact Megaficus for expert guidance on Amazon selling strategies, account optimization, and scaling your marketplace business.
