Worried you’re late to the e-commerce game? Think again. The online selling world is booming, and Amazon remains the giant, offering numerous avenues to generate income.
While platforms like eBay, Shopify, Walmart, and Etsy present opportunities, Amazon stands out as a particularly lucrative marketplace. In 2023, Amazon’s revenue soared to a staggering $574 billion, with over half attributed to third-party sellers. This massive scale translates into significant potential for individuals looking to make money online.
Curious about How To Make Money From Amazon? The options are diverse, catering to various skills and investment levels – with and without selling your own products. This article dives into 16 practical and proven methods to help you discover the best path for you to earn money on Amazon.
Why trust our advice? At Jungle Scout, we’ve empowered countless entrepreneurs to launch and grow successful Amazon businesses, transforming their lives. Take Kim Meckwood of Click & Carry, for example. With Jungle Scout’s support, she built a thriving Amazon business.
Ready to explore how to make money with Amazon? Let’s get started!
1. Launch Your Own Private Label Products on Amazon
Selling private label products via Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) remains a top strategy for making money on Amazon in 2024. Approximately 54% of Amazon sellers utilize the private label model.
Private labeling involves sourcing an existing product (ideally with improvements), branding it with your own logo, and selling it under your brand. Think of it as creating your own brand. This approach mirrors store brands you see everywhere – Target’s Mainstays or Walmart’s Great Value are prime examples of successful private label brands.
Amazon FBA streamlines the process by handling storage, shipping, and customer service, often delivering products in two days or less through Amazon Prime. This allows you to focus on building your brand and driving sales.
Amazon facilitates private labeling with several key advantages:
How Much Can You Earn Selling Private Label on Amazon?
Many Amazon private label sellers achieve at least $1,000 in monthly sales, with top performers exceeding $100,000. Around 40% of sellers report monthly sales between $1,000 and $25,000, potentially translating to $12,000 to $300,000 annually.
For a detailed analysis of seller earnings, explore our article: How Much Money Do Amazon Sellers Make?
Learn More About Private Label Selling
To delve deeper into selling private label products on Amazon, Jungle Scout offers a comprehensive step-by-step guide: How to Sell on Amazon.
We also have a helpful YouTube video: How to Sell on Amazon for Beginners.
2. Self-Publish Books with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) empowers you to become a published author and sell your books directly on Amazon.
KDP allows you to publish both digital ebooks and print-on-demand physical copies.
Success with KDP often correlates with the volume of content you produce. While a single bestseller is possible, consistent publishing increases your earning potential.
If writing isn’t your strength, or you lack book ideas, consider creating “low-content” or “medium-content” books like journals, coloring books, planners, or puzzle books.
KDP Earning Potential
The income potential with KDP is substantial. Some authors reportedly earn upwards of $40,000 per month. Even generating a few hundred dollars monthly can be a significant passive income stream.
Once your ebook is created and uploaded to the KDP platform, it can generate sales with minimal ongoing effort. A key advantage is eliminating inventory management concerns.
Resources for KDP Success
Our detailed guide, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, provides a roadmap to get started with KDP.
For video learners, check out our YouTube tutorial on making money with KDP.
3. Resell Wholesale Products on Amazon
Wholesale selling involves purchasing products in bulk directly from manufacturers or distributors and reselling them on Amazon.
Unlike private label, you sell existing brands, eliminating the need for product development and branding.
Wholesale is a popular and established method for making money on Amazon.
Wholesale Profitability
Reselling wholesale products is the second most common Amazon selling model, with 25% of sellers using it. Of those, 26% achieve monthly sales of $5,000 or more, and 34% enjoy profit margins exceeding 20%.
Competition can be higher in wholesale, particularly for winning the Buy Box. Price wars can occur, but strategic approaches can mitigate this.
Success in wholesale hinges on sourcing products at low enough prices to ensure profitability.
Learning Wholesale Selling
Jungle Scout’s Product Database can help you identify profitable wholesale products and brands to partner with.
LEARN MORE | How to Sell Wholesale on Amazon in 2024
4. Become an Amazon Affiliate Marketer
The Amazon Associates Program allows you to earn commissions by promoting other companies’ products listed on Amazon, without holding any inventory yourself.
Popular platforms for promotion include blogs, YouTube channels, TikTok, and other social media.
Imagine finding an interesting product on Amazon, sharing a unique link, and earning a commission for every purchase made through your link.
Social media platforms offer access to vast audiences, increasing your potential affiliate earnings.
Amazon Associates provides you with unique affiliate links to share. When someone purchases through your link, you earn a percentage of the sale.
Amazon Affiliate Earning Potential
Amazon affiliates can earn anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars per month.
While commission rates can be modest (typically 3-5%, varying by product category), high conversion rates and sales volume can compensate.
Building an online presence is crucial. A significant social media or blog following increases your chances of earning substantial affiliate commissions. Platforms like TikTok can accelerate your earning potential.
Getting Started with Amazon Affiliate Marketing
Our comprehensive guide, How to Make Money as an Amazon Affiliate, covers everything you need to know to start earning as an Amazon affiliate.
5. Join the Amazon Influencer Program
The Amazon Influencer Program is an extension of the Associates Program, offering creators a personalized storefront on Amazon showcasing their recommended products.
Influencers can also create product review videos that appear on product listings, earning commissions on sales generated from those videos (Onsite Commissions, requiring separate approval).
This method is popular among influencers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, who direct their audience to their Amazon storefronts.
Approval is achievable even with a smaller following – sometimes just a few hundred followers. You can apply using your Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube account (business or creator account required for Instagram/Facebook).
Amazon Influencer Income
Amazon Influencers can earn from a few hundred to thousands of dollars monthly.
Commission rates range from 1% to 20% depending on the product category. Dedicated storefront promotion and traffic generation maximize earning potential.
The Amazon Influencer Program is gaining momentum, presenting a timely opportunity for creators.
Becoming an Amazon Influencer
Explore our comprehensive guide on the Amazon Influencer Program to learn how to get started and maximize your earnings.
6. Retail Arbitrage: Flipping Store-Bought Products
Remember Dwight from “The Office” buying all the Princess Unicorn dolls? That’s retail arbitrage in action.
Retail arbitrage involves buying discounted products from brick-and-mortar stores like Walmart, Target, and reselling them on Amazon at a higher price. It’s the third most popular Amazon selling method, used by 25% of sellers.
Retail Arbitrage Profitability
Retail arbitrage offers a quick, low-cost entry into Amazon selling, though it can be competitive and scaling can be challenging. 21% of retail arbitrage sellers achieve monthly sales of $5,000 or more, with 25% reporting profit margins above 20%.
Patience is key. Sourcing profitable products often requires time spent searching retail stores, sometimes yielding no results.
However, retail arbitrage is a common starting point for many Amazon sellers.
Learning Retail Arbitrage
Jungle Scout provides a helpful guide on retail arbitrage, covering product sourcing strategies for flipping on Amazon.
7. Online Arbitrage: Flipping Products from Online Stores
Online arbitrage mirrors retail arbitrage, but instead of physical stores, you source products from other e-commerce websites to resell on Amazon.
Online arbitrage expands your sourcing possibilities beyond local stores to a vast online marketplace, including retailers like eBay, Walmart, Target, and Home Depot.
Online Arbitrage Earning Potential
Online arbitrage income depends on your effort and product sourcing skills. Finding profitable online deals is crucial.
However, 19% of online arbitrage sellers achieve monthly sales between $5,000 and $10,000, and 12.5% reach $10,000 – $25,000 per month.
Profitable deals are available; the key is diligent searching.
8. Amazon Handmade: Selling Your Crafts
If you’re a maker, Amazon Handmade could be your ideal platform.
Amazon Handmade allows artisans to sell handcrafted goods directly to Amazon’s vast customer base.
While managing orders requires more hands-on effort due to production, Amazon provides significant brand exposure.
Amazon Handmade connects your unique creations with a large audience, enabling you to monetize your craft from home.
Handmade Seller Earnings
63% of Amazon Handmade artisans earn over $1,000 in monthly sales.
Amazon’s massive reach offers limitless earning potential for Handmade sellers.
Despite Amazon’s fees, Handmade remains profitable, with 33% of sellers achieving profit margins above 20%.
Getting Started with Amazon Handmade
Jungle Scout offers an in-depth article on Amazon Handmade, covering how to start selling and top product categories.
9. Merch by Amazon: Print-on-Demand Products
Have a brilliant t-shirt or mug design idea but don’t want to invest in inventory?
Amazon Merch on Demand is your solution.
Merch on Demand is a print-on-demand service where you upload designs to Amazon. These designs can be printed on t-shirts, tote bags, mugs, hats, and more.
When a customer buys an item with your design, Amazon handles production, shipping, and you earn a royalty.
Merch by Amazon Earnings
Amazon pays royalties on Merch on Demand sales, ranging from 13% to 37% depending on the product price. Higher prices yield higher royalties.
Amazon’s Royalties resource page details the royalty structure.
Utilizing Merch by Amazon
Learn more in our comprehensive guide: What is Amazon Merch on Demand? A Step-by-Step Guide.
10. Dropshipping: Sell Without Inventory
Dropshipping allows you to sell products on Amazon without holding any inventory.
You list products for sale, and when a customer orders, you purchase the product from your supplier, who then ships directly to the customer.
You profit from the price difference without ever handling the product – your supplier manages logistics.
Dropshipping Profitability on Amazon
Finding reliable suppliers is crucial for dropshipping success. Consistent profitability depends on supplier reliability.
With a good supplier network, dropshipping offers unlimited income potential. 25% of Amazon dropshippers achieve monthly sales between $1,000 and $5,000 with profit margins of 16-20%.
Exploring Amazon Dropshipping
Our complete guide to Amazon dropshipping provides further insights.
Dropshipping on Amazon in 2024
11. Sell Used Items From Home
Selling used goods on Amazon can be a viable income source. While not as open as eBay or Facebook Marketplace, Amazon allows used listings in specific categories, adhering to Amazon’s guidelines.
Restricted categories for used items include clothing, baby items, beauty products, and groceries, among others.
Books are an excellent category for used items. Reselling used books is a popular method on Amazon, essentially retail arbitrage focused on books.
Earnings from Selling Used Products
Income depends on your effort in sourcing used items, particularly books. Even selling unwanted household items can generate a few hundred dollars.
Selling used non-fiction books on Amazon can be surprisingly profitable.
Learning to Sell Used Items
Explore our in-depth articles: How to Sell Used Items on Amazon and How to Sell Books on Amazon: Tips & Secrets.
How to Make Money on Amazon Without Selling Products
If selling isn’t your preference, here are proven methods to earn money from Amazon without directly selling products.
12. Offer Services Through Amazon Services
Amazon extends beyond e-commerce into the gig economy with Amazon Services.
Amazon Services connects service providers with customers seeking help.
If you’re a plumber, landscaper, dog walker, or tutor, Amazon Services can link you with clients.
Amazon Services Income Potential
Income is determined by your service rates and market demand. Competition exists, but with dedication, you can scale a service-based business using Amazon Services.
To learn more, visit the Amazon Services homepage: Selling your professional services on Amazon.
13. Work at an Amazon Fulfillment Center
Working in Amazon’s vast fulfillment centers is another income option.
Associates in these centers handle picking, packing, storing, and shipping products for Amazon and third-party sellers.
Fulfillment Center Associate Pay
Amazon warehouse associates earn approximately $20 per hour, equating to around $40,000 annually for full-time positions. Benefits are also included.
Becoming a Fulfillment Center Associate
Learn more and apply on the Amazon jobs page: Amazon jobs..
14. Join Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)
Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is a crowdsourcing platform for various tasks.
MTurk facilitates outsourced tasks like data validation, research, and survey participation.
Despite the name, MTurk relies on human workers completing tasks remotely.
MTurk Earning Potential
MTurk is less demanding than some Amazon work programs, resulting in lower pay.
However, online reports suggest MTurk workers can earn $6 to $10 per hour, or $120 – $200 for a 20-hour week.
Getting Started with MTurk
Learn more on the Amazon Mechanical Turk website: Amazon Mechanical Turk..
15. Work From Home as an Amazon Customer Service Rep
Amazon is a major global employer with over 1.5 million employees worldwide.
Many Amazon employees work remotely from home.
Work-From-Home Employee Income
Income varies by role, but many work-from-home positions are in customer service and data entry.
Amazon’s minimum wage is $19 per hour (as of 2022). Full-time work-from-home Amazon reps can potentially earn around $40,000 annually.
Finding Work-From-Home Opportunities
Search for “Amazon jobs” on Google or visit the Amazon jobs website directly.
16. Deliver for Amazon as a Flex Driver
Amazon has its own delivery network, and you can join as a driver using your vehicle through the Amazon Flex program.
Flex allows you to deliver packages, similar to Uber for Amazon deliveries. Complete a questionnaire, download the app, and upon acceptance, start earning.
Flex Driver Earnings
Amazon Flex states drivers earn $18 – $25 per hour, with typical shifts around five hours.
Becoming an Amazon Flex Driver
Learn more and sign up on the Amazon Flex website: Amazon Flex.
We Hope This Guide Helps!
These are 16 excellent ways to make money on Amazon.
At Jungle Scout, we are particularly passionate about selling on Amazon, but all 16 methods offer legitimate income opportunities.
Visit sell.amazon.com to begin your Amazon selling journey. Depending on your signup details, your business might qualify for an Amazon account representative.
If you know of other ways to make money on Amazon, share them in the comments below! Best of luck!
Make money on Amazon with Jungle Scout.
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