Amazon account management

What account management covers

Give the account an owner

Someone should be responsible for the account: reading notifications, checking the routine is done and deciding what to do when a problem appears. That may be someone in your team or an outside provider, but the account itself should belong to your business, with the primary login held by you. Amazon lists adding multiple users to an account among its selling plan features, so others can work through their own user access with only the permissions they need, and access can be removed cleanly when people or providers change.

Never share the primary account login with a provider.

A weekly routine

1. 01

   Monday: performance

   Performance information and notifications reviewed and actioned.

   Output: Issues logged

2. 02

   Tuesday: catalogue

   Inactive and suppressed listings checked and fixed.

   Output: Listings live

3. 03

   Wednesday: stock

   Stock levels, inbound shipments and stranded items checked.

   Output: Restock planned

4. 04

   Daily: orders

   Dispatch, messages and returns handled.

   Output: Customers answered

5. 05

   Monthly: payouts

   Settlements reconciled with the accounts.

   Output: Figures agreed

Watch performance and policy notices

Amazon judges sellers on how they perform and whether they follow its policies, and communicates through Seller Central. Read Amazon's current guidance on the measures that apply to your account, check performance information and notifications regularly and respond promptly to anything that needs action. Problems such as late dispatches, cancellations or policy warnings are easier to address early. Keep a log of notifications, what was done and any correspondence.

Records worth keeping

Example: a small brand's routine

Fees and policies change

Amazon updates its fees, programmes and policies from time to time. Note each relevant change, check its effect on your margins and listings, and adjust prices or stock plans if needed. A short monthly review of announcements prevents surprises in the next payout.

What sits outside account management

Writing listing titles and bullet points, producing images and A+ content, and running sponsored advertising are related but separate pieces of work, often done by different people. Account management makes sure the account is healthy enough for that work to pay off: listings active, stock available, orders handled and payouts understood. Agree who does each part so nothing falls between them.

In-house or outside help

A small catalogue with steady sales can often be run in-house with a clear routine and a few hours a week. Outside help is worth considering when the catalogue is large, several marketplaces are involved, nobody has time to learn Seller Central properly or the account has recurring problems. Whichever you choose, keep the routine written down and the account in your name, so a change of person or provider does not mean starting again.

Keeping track of open cases

When you raise a case with Amazon, record its number, the issue and the date, and follow up until it is resolved.