The difference in one sentence
On Seller Central you are the seller: you list your products, set the price and Amazon charges you fees on every sale and, if you use it, for its fulfilment service (FBA). On Vendor Central you are a supplier: Amazon places wholesale orders, buys your stock and decides the price it sells at.
Seller Central is open to any business that registers. Vendor Central is by invitation from Amazon.
Seller Central: control and margin
With Seller you control the selling price, available stock, listing content and the brand relationship. You see your sales data almost in real time and can react quickly with pricing or advertising.
In return, the operation is yours: managing inventory, customer service (or delegating it with FBA), returns and competition from other sellers on your own listings.
- Full control over pricing and brand image.
- Detailed, fast sales data.
- Your own logistics or FBA (Fulfilment by Amazon).
- More operational work for the team.
Vendor Central: volume and simplicity
With Vendor, Amazon buys your product and takes care of selling, storing and shipping it. The operation is similar to selling to a large distributor: purchase orders, payment terms and negotiated commercial terms.
The trade-off is that Amazon decides the selling price, which may clash with your pricing policy on other channels, and that commercial terms (marketing contributions, margins) are renegotiated every year.
How to choose
If your priority is controlling price and brand, and you have operational capacity or use FBA, Seller is usually the better fit. If your priority is volume and you already work with traditional distribution, Vendor can simplify the operation.
The hybrid model, with some products on Vendor and others on Seller, is common among large brands. It works if you clearly define which products go through each route and monitor prices to avoid cannibalisation.
What you need to do either way
Whichever model you choose, performance depends on the same things: complete listings optimised for Amazon’s search engine, images that meet its requirements, A+ content and a brand Store, Brand Registry to protect your brand, and an Amazon Ads strategy consistent with each product’s margin.
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch from Seller to Vendor?
Vendor Central is by invitation from Amazon. If you receive an invitation, you can move products across or combine both models.
What is FBA?
Fulfillment by Amazon: you send your stock to Amazon’s warehouses and Amazon handles storage, shipping, returns and customer service for those orders. It is optional on Seller Central.
Do I need Brand Registry?
It is highly recommended. Brand Registry protects your brand against sellers who alter your listings and unlocks tools such as A+ content, the brand Store and certain Amazon Ads formats.
Leads Webimpacto’s Marketplaces team: Amazon, Miravia, El Corte Inglés and other channels, from catalogue onboarding to advertising within each platform.