How to Start Selling Wholesale on Amazon in 2025

Thinking of breaking into wholesale on Amazon? Whether you're a brand-new seller overwhelmed by choices or a seasoned wholesale FBA pro ready to scale, wholesale might just be the stable, scalable model you’ve been missing. 

But 2025 brings new tools, policies, and sourcing strategies  –  and jumping in without a plan can cost you time and money. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to get started selling wholesale on Amazon, from choosing suppliers to scanning supplier price lists for profitable deals. 

Let’s dive in and set up your wholesale business for long-term success.

How Does Amazon Wholesale Work? A Step-by-Step Guide for 2025

Amazon wholesale is a proven business model where sellers buy products in bulk at discounted wholesale rates from brands or distributors and resell them at a profit on Amazon. The key is simple: source low, sell high, and pocket the margin.

To succeed, you need two things: a reliable supplier and the right products. You'll get a wholesale product list, match those items on Amazon, then filter out the most profitable ones with solid sales velocity. After that, you list them and start making sales. Here’s how the entire process works  –  step by step.

Step 1. Secure your reseller’s permit

Before anything else, you’ll need a reseller’s permit. This lets you legally buy inventory in bulk without paying sales tax. You’ll collect sales tax from customers instead when you make sales.

Step 2. Choose your product category

Narrow your focus by selecting a niche category or subcategory. Consider what interests you, but back it up with data. Look at market demand, competition levels, and expected profitability to make a smart choice.

Step 3. Find a potential supplier (brand or distributor)

Start scouting suppliers that offer products within your niche. Use Seller Assistant's Brand Analyzer  to streamline this. Just type in a brand name and get instant data: product count, average prices, potential earnings, Buy Box stats, competition intensity, and review quality. This helps you quickly assess whether a brand is worth pursuing.

If you’re blocked from accessing a brand’s website, Seller Assistant’s built-in VPN extension gets around that. It’s integrated directly into the platform, so you won’t need to buy separate tools or install extra software.

Step 4. Verify the supplier

Don’t skip due diligence. Research suppliers thoroughly. Check online reviews, verify credentials, scan LinkedIn presence, or use tools like Whois and ScamAdviser to confirm legitimacy.  

Step 5. Reach out to the supplier

Contact them by email, phone, or a website form. Introduce yourself, mention your business, and ask to set up a wholesale account.

Step 6. Submit an application

Complete their wholesale application. You’ll typically need to provide your business license, reseller’s permit, and contact info. Keep your pitch short and clear.

Step 7. Open a wholesale account

Once approved, you’re in. Your account gives you access to wholesale pricing and order options.

Step 8. Request the wholesale price list

Ask your supplier for their current wholesale price list. This should include product details and wholesale prices. You’ll analyze this list to find items worth reselling on Amazon.

Step 9. Scan the price list for profitable deals

Upload your product list to Seller Assistant’s Price List Analyzer. It automatically matches items to Amazon listings, enriches the supplier sheet with all the data necessary to research deals, calculates margins, and profitability.

Use filters to identify top deals based on ROI, profit, BSR, selling eligibility and restrictions, and other metrics. Save the winners and build your sales pipeline.

Step 10. Negotiate with your supplier

Now it’s time to get the best deal. Negotiate price breaks on larger quantities or recurring orders. Build a relationship to unlock better long-term discounts.

Step 11. Make your purchase

Pay using a method that works for both parties  –  credit card, ACH, or wire transfer are common options.

Step 12. Ship your inventory

Choose between Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) or Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM). If you use FBA, let the prep center prepare your inventory according to Amazon’s strict guidelines, then ship it to their fulfillment center. 

• FBA

Amazon handles everything (storage, shipping, customer service)

• FBM

The third party manages fulfillment.

Note. Seller Assistant is a comprehensive product-sourcing software that helps Amazon sellers quickly find high-profit deals. It combines three extensions: Seller Assistant Browser Extension, and IP-Alert Chrome Extension by Seller Assistant, and VPN by Seller Assistant, Amazon seller tools: Price List Analyzer, Brand Analyzer, Seller Spy, Bulk Restrictions Checker, and API integrations, and features: Storefront Widget, Side Panel View, FBM&FBA Profit Calculator, Quick View, ASIN Grabber, UPC/EAN to ASIN converter, Stock Checker, IP Alert, and Restrictions Checker.

It offers a robust toolkit of over 20 features built to streamline every part of the sourcing process  –  from bulk scanning wholesale supplier sheets for high-margin leads to deep product research and advanced brand and competitor analysis. By using this FBA and FBM product sourcing software, you can easily identify products that have the potential to be sold well on Amazon.

How to Choose a Category for Wholesale FBA

Picking the right product category is a make-or-break decision in wholesale FBA. The goal is to find a niche that balances demand, competition, and profit potential. Here's how to do it.

Consider your interests

Start with your interests, but validate with data. It's easier to stay motivated when you care about the product, but don’t stop there. Choose specific subcategories where you are familiar with what brands are and demand. Use this knowledge to choose product niches.

Check demand and sales velocity

Look for products with consistent BSR (Best Seller Rank) movement and solid sales volume. Avoid seasonal niches unless you’re ready to manage inventory risk.

Analyze competition

Categories saturated with Amazon itself or massive resellers might not be ideal. Use tools to check Buy Box rotation and how many FBA sellers share listings. Fewer is better.

Evaluate profitability

Review the average ROI, price stability, and potential shipping costs. Some categories, like books or home goods, have low entry costs but thin margins. Others, like electronics, might be lucrative but come with higher risks and returns.

Watch for restrictions

Some categories (gated or hazmat) require Amazon approval. Before committing, run a restrictions check using Seller Assistant’s Bulk Restriction Checker to make sure you can actually list and sell in your chosen niche.

How to Choose the Right Supplier?

Your first step in launching a successful Amazon wholesale business is finding a brand or distributor that fits your strategy. This means assessing whether a brand is “resale-friendly”  –  in other words, open to working with resellers and capable of delivering profit. 

You’ll want to evaluate the brand’s catalog size, revenue potential, competition levels (especially from Amazon itself), average Buy Box pricing, and overall customer sentiment.

Doing this manually takes time and effort. That’s where Seller Assistant’s Brand Analyzer comes in. It simplifies your research by giving you all the data you need in one place  –  helping you filter out unsuitable brands and focus only on profitable, scalable opportunities.

Automate your supplier research

Use Brand Analyzer dashboard to evaluate whether a brand is a good fit. It pulls together essential data points and displays them in a clean summary so you can make decisions faster. By simply entering a brand name, you get a snapshot of key metrics: product volume, pricing trends, competition, average ratings, and sales potential. Here's what to look for.

Brand size and product volume

Prefer brands that offer at least 500+ products. A wider selection increases your odds of discovering winning UPCs. Brand Analyzer gives you total product counts and even lets you download a full list of product data for bulk analysis.

Revenue opportunity

Check a brand’s average sales and price points to estimate if it meets your financial goals. Brand Analyzer calculates the total revenue potential of their product portfolio  –  helpful when prioritizing suppliers.

Minimize direct Amazon competition

Avoid brands where Amazon is a dominant seller. If Amazon sells more than 30% of the brand’s listings, you’ll struggle to win the Buy Box. Brand Analyzer highlights this in the “Amz in-stock rate” so you can sidestep overly competitive suppliers.

Seller count and pricing pressure

Watch for brands with too many third-party sellers  –  15+ sellers per product usually triggers price wars. Brand Analyzer shows average seller counts and total SKUs to help you gauge competition and maintain margin.

Product ratings and brand reputation

Stick with brands whose products maintain solid reputations  –  think 4-star ratings and lots of positive reviews. Brand Analyzer compiles product ratings, review counts, and average Buy Box prices so you can judge brand trust and value perception.

Sales eligibility and restrictions

It’s critical to ensure you’re allowed to resell a brand’s products. Use Seller Assistant’s Bulk Restriction Checker to batch-check product eligibility on your Amazon account. Upload the brand’s product list from Brand Analyzer, and you’ll see:

• Green open lock: Product is sellable
• Red closed lock: Restricted, requires Amazon approval
• Red lock with exclamation: You’re not eligible to sell the item

How to Open Wholesale FBA Suppliers

Once you’ve selected a potential brand or distributor, the next major milestone is securing their cooperation. This means opening a wholesale account  –  a process that can sometimes be challenging. You may not receive a response right away, or at all, so persistence matters. Sometimes, a phone call is what it takes to get the conversation started.

Here’s a structured way to approach supplier communication and negotiation.

Steps to establish and negotiate with wholesale partners

Step 1. Research and qualify your suppliers

• Understand who you’re dealing with

Dig into each potential supplier’s business and product catalog. If you're reaching out to a distributor, double-check that they offer wholesale terms by reviewing their website and stated policies.

• Verify legitimacy

Make sure the supplier is reputable. Read reviews, ask for references, and confirm their credentials. This step helps avoid scams and ensures a reliable business relationship.

Step 2. Present yourself as a professional business

• Use a branded business email

Set up a domain-based email (like yourname@yourstore.com). It adds credibility and signals you're serious.

• Create a simple website

A clean, professional website acts as your online storefront. It should include your business background, contact information, and what you offer. Suppliers are more likely to trust businesses with an online presence.

Step 3. Make the first move

Reach out to the supplier via their preferred communication method  –  phone, email, or a website form. Be clear and professional when introducing yourself and state your interest in starting a wholesale partnership.

Step 4. Complete the wholesale account application

Most suppliers will ask for an application. Provide your business license, reseller’s permit, and contact details. Keep your message short, straightforward, and focused on what you want.

Step 5. Get approved and access wholesale pricing

Once your application goes through, you’ll be given access to wholesale pricing and can start placing orders. This is your gateway to buying inventory below retail.

Step 6. Request a supplier price list

Ask your supplier for a full wholesale list that includes details like product specs and pricing. You’ll use this catalog to identify what’s worth reselling on Amazon.

Step 7. Find profitable products to resell

• Evaluate your options

Go through the wholesale price list and look for products that meet your criteria – high demand, healthy margins, and a solid return on investment. Use Seller Assistant's Price List Analyzer to automatically scan supplier spreadsheets for profitable low-risk deals.

• Confirm product eligibility

Make sure you can sell the items on your account or you can ungate them if they are restricted. Verifying this step avoids future headaches with listing or compliance issues. Filter deals in Price List Analyzer to check this.

Step 8. Negotiate your terms

Once you’ve locked in your product picks, talk pricing. Suppliers are often open to negotiation, especially if you order in larger volumes. Committing to regular orders can also earn you better rates and terms over time.

How to Choose Wholesale FBA Deals

Once you’ve received your supplier’s wholesale price list, the next mission is to spot the golden opportunities  –  products that are profitable, high in demand, and low in risk. These lists often contain hundreds of UPCs, so manually digging through them is not only time-consuming, but inefficient.

To make this process manageable and data-driven, you need to automate. Tools like Seller Assistant's Price List Analyzer  help you quickly analyze wholesale offers at scale, revealing which products have high margins, low competition, and good Buy Box potential  –  without the guesswork.

Automate product analysis and filter for winners

Price List Analyzer scans your supplier’s sheet, enriches it with critical Amazon metrics, and presents a clean, filtered report of the most promising deals. The result? You can focus on profitable, in-demand products and skip over risky or low-margin items.

Upload your wholesale file, and Price List Analyzer instantly matches each item to its Amazon listing. It calculates real-time profitability, reveals competition levels, flags compliance risks, and gives you full control to filter results based on the metrics that matter most.

Use filters to sort products by ROI, profit per unit, BSR, seller count, and more  –  letting you zero in on top-tier deals in seconds.

Key metrics to analyze with Price List Analyzer

Sales performance

• What to look for

Check the Best Sellers Rank (BSR) to estimate demand and how fast a product sells in its category.

• How it helps

Price List Analyzer automatically includes the BSR, BSR over 30, 90, and 180 days, BSR drops (how many products were sold), and Top (sales velocity)  so you can gauge product performance at a glance.

Competition level

• What to look for

Avoid listings overcrowded with sellers (especially 15+), and steer clear of products sold by Amazon itself where it dominates the Buy Box – margins will suffer.

• How it helps

The tool shows you the number of sellers and flags any listings where Amazon is a competitor and its in-stock rate.

Buy Box potential

• What to look for

Examine who currently controls the Buy Box. If it’s dominated by Amazon or a major player, your chances of rotation are low.

• How it helps

Price List Analyzer shows Amazon’s Buy Box percentage during 30, 90, and 180 days, helping you avoid hard-to-compete listings.

Profit and pricing analysis

• What to look for

Calculate all relevant costs  –  purchase price, FBA fees, shipping  –  and confirm your ROI and net profit are solid.

• How it helps

The tool handles all the math for you, delivering per-product metrics like profit, margin, ROI. break-even point, and Amazon fees.

Product restrictions

• What to look for

Confirm that you are eligible to sell the product on your account and check for restrictions to make sure you can ungate it if necessary.

• How it helps:

Price List Analyzer shows:

• Green open lock = sellable
• Red closed lock = restricted
• Red lock with exclamation = not eligible to sell on your account

Customer reviews and product reputation

What to look for

Strong reviews (4+ stars) and minimal complaints indicate high product quality and buyer trust.

How it helps

Price List Analyzer shows average rating and review counts, giving you clarity on buyer sentiment.

Hidden risks and alerts

• What to look for

Watch out for complex or risky listings  –  like HazMat items, heavy and bulky items, or ASINs with missing data.

• How it helps

These warnings help you avoid logistical headaches or compliance pitfalls.

The tool flags potential issues like:

• IP alerts
• Flags like hazmat, fragile, meltable, adult, heavy and bulky, etc.
• ROI exceeds 200%
• “No Buy Box Price”
• “ASIN Not Found”
• “Approval Required,"and more.

FAQ

How to become an Amazon wholesale seller?

To become an Amazon wholesale seller, you need to set up a professional Amazon seller account, obtain a reseller’s permit, and establish relationships with brands or distributors to buy products in bulk. After sourcing profitable products, you list them on Amazon and manage inventory through FBA or FBM.

How much will it cost to start selling on Amazon?

Starting wholesale on Amazon typically costs between $2,000 and $5,000, covering inventory, account fees, product research tools, and shipping. The exact amount depends on how much inventory you purchase and the tools or services you choose to use.

How profitable is Amazon wholesale?

Amazon wholesale can be highly profitable, with many sellers earning 10–30% profit margins on bulk products. Success largely depends on product selection, negotiation with suppliers, and managing costs like FBA fees and advertising.

Is selling wholesale on Amazon worth it?

Yes, selling wholesale on Amazon is worth it for those looking for scalable, sustainable income streams with predictable inventory sourcing. It offers a lower-risk model compared to private label selling, but it requires upfront investment and relationship-building with suppliers.

Can I sell bulk items to Amazon?

You cannot sell directly to Amazon unless you enroll in Amazon Vendor Central, which operates differently from Seller Central. However, you can buy bulk inventory and resell it to Amazon customers through your Amazon seller account.

Is it better to sell wholesale or retail?

Wholesale typically offers more consistent profits and easier scaling compared to retail arbitrage, but it requires more upfront capital and supplier agreements. Retail arbitrage is easier and cheaper to start but is less predictable and harder to scale long-term.

Final Thoughts

Selling wholesale on Amazon is one of the most reliable ways to build a scalable, sustainable business  –  and 2025 is packed with new tools and smarter strategies to help you succeed. By carefully choosing your suppliers, using powerful sourcing software like Seller Assistant, and sticking to a proven step-by-step process, you can find profitable products, minimize risks, and grow faster.

Seller Assistant is an all-in-one product sourcing software offering all the features vital for product sourcing. It combines three extensions: Seller Assistant Extension, IP Alert, and VPN by Seller Assistant, tools: Price List Analyzer, Brand Analyzer, Seller Spy, Bulk Restrictions Checker, and API integrations, and features: Storefront Widget, Side Panel View,  FBM&FBA Profit Calculator, Quick View, ASIN Grabber, UPC/EAN to ASIN converter, Stock Checker, and other features that help quickly find high-profit deals. Seller Assistant also offers integration with Zapier allowing to create custom product sourcing workflows.