Selling on Amazon’s Global Marketplaces: A Comprehensive Guide
With 21 marketplaces worldwide, Amazon provides a global platform for third-party sellers to reach millions of customers across continents. As of 2024, Amazon offers more than 350 million products globally, with each marketplace providing unique opportunities.
This article explores the diverse range of Amazon’s global marketplaces, how they differ, and provides insights on how to start selling internationally.
Amazon’s Global Marketplaces
Amazon’s 21 marketplaces span across five continents, giving sellers access to an international customer base. Each marketplace has distinct characteristics, such as language preferences, market size, and popular product categories.
Here’s a complete list of Amazon’s global marketplaces:
- United States
- Canada
- Mexico
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- Japan
- Singapore
- United Arab Emirates
- Brazil
- Australia
- India
- Netherlands
- Saudi Arabia
- Turkey
- Sweden
- Poland
- Belgium
- Egypt
Amazon has also announced plans to launch Amazon South Africa in 2024, signaling continued global expansion.
How to Sell on Amazon’s International Marketplaces
Amazon’s marketplaces offer an easy way for third-party sellers to reach customers worldwide. After a customer places an order, Amazon takes care of the fulfillment process through its vast logistical network, delivering items directly to consumers.
Types of Sellers on Amazon
There are two main types of sellers on Amazon:
- First-party sellers: Amazon purchases products from these vendors in bulk and resells them under the Amazon brand.
- Third-party sellers: These sellers have two primary options to choose from when selling their products:
- Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): Sellers store their products in Amazon’s fulfillment centers. When a customer makes a purchase, Amazon handles everything from picking, packing, and shipping the product, to customer service and returns.
- Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM): Sellers store and ship their own products directly to customers, managing their own logistics while using Amazon’s platform for product visibility.
Common Characteristics of Amazon Marketplaces
Despite their geographical and cultural differences, Amazon marketplaces share several similarities, especially when it comes to the experience of third-party sellers. Taking a look at current Amazon Sellers these key trends emerged:
- Cross-Marketplace Selling: Many sellers operate in multiple marketplaces. For instance, 46% of US-based sellers also sell in at least one international marketplace.
- Global Expansion: 28% of Amazon sellers plan to expand their businesses internationally.
- FBA Dominates: Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is the preferred method of selling worldwide, with over 82% of surveyed sellers utilizing FBA in various marketplaces.
- Private Label Dominance: Private label products, where sellers rebrand existing products to sell on Amazon, remain the most popular business model, with over 54% of sellers using this strategy.
- Popular Categories: The Home & Kitchen category is a top-seller, with at least 35% of all sellers worldwide operating in this category.
A Closer Look at Amazon’s Largest Marketplaces
Amazon North America
Amazon North America, which includes the United States, Canada, and Mexico, operates as a unified account.
- Amazon US (amazon.com): Traffic: 2.5 billion | Language: English
The largest and most established marketplace globally, the US domain has the highest traffic and seller participation. 77% of sellers globally list products on Amazon US. - Amazon Canada (amazon.ca): Traffic: 186 million | Language: English
The second most popular North American marketplace, with 26% of global sellers selling on Amazon Canada. - Amazon Mexico (amazon.com.mx): Traffic: 103 million | Language: Spanish
The least popular of the three North American marketplaces, with 11% of sellers listing products.
Amazon Europe
Amazon Europe offers a unified account system covering the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, enabling sellers to operate across multiple European countries. Here’s a breakdown of the top European marketplaces:
- Amazon Germany (amazon.de): Traffic: 440 million | Language: German
The second-largest Amazon marketplace by traffic after the US, Amazon Germany is a key hub for European sellers. - Amazon UK (amazon.co.uk): Traffic: 369 million | Language: English
The most popular European marketplace among global sellers, with 22% of French sellers listing products in the UK. - Amazon France (amazon.fr): Traffic: 174 million | Language: French
French sellers are increasingly expanding into neighboring European markets like the UK and Germany. - Amazon Italy (amazon.it): Traffic: 173 million | Language: Italian
Although a smaller marketplace, Amazon Italy offers growth opportunities, especially for sellers targeting Southern Europe. - Amazon Spain (amazon.es): Traffic: 142 million | Language: Spanish
Amazon Spain has the smallest traffic in Western Europe, but its strategic location makes it ideal for sellers expanding into Spanish-speaking markets.
Individual Amazon Marketplaces
Amazon Japan (amazon.co.jp)
- Traffic: 974 million
- Language: Japanese
Amazon Japan has seen impressive growth, with traffic increasing by over 40% in the past few years. It remains one of the largest and most dynamic Amazon marketplaces globally.
Amazon Singapore (amazon.sg)
- Traffic: 7.18 million
- Language: English
Amazon Singapore, though smaller in scale, serves as a key marketplace for Southeast Asia, offering a variety of products to English-speaking customers.
Amazon United Arab Emirates (amazon.ae)
- Traffic: 30 million
- Language: English
Launched in 2019 after Amazon acquired the Arabic e-commerce platform Souq, Amazon UAE is rapidly expanding, catering to a diverse and growing market in the Middle East.
Amazon Brazil (amazon.com.br)
- Traffic: 258 million
- Language: Portuguese
Only 8% of Amazon Brazil sellers are local, with most preferring wholesale or handmade business models, unlike other marketplaces that lean towards private label products.
Amazon Australia (amazon.com.au)
- Traffic: 89 million
- Language: English
Amazon Australia, launched in 2017, attracts a broad mix of international sellers. The marketplace consists of 25% Chinese sellers, 16% from the US, and 19% from Australia, providing a diverse range of products.
Amazon India (amazon.in)
- Traffic: 847 million
- Language: English
With traffic ranking it as the fifth largest global marketplace, Amazon India serves one of the most populous nations, making it a crucial marketplace for international sellers.
Amazon Saudi Arabia (amazon.sa)
- Traffic: 34 million
- Language: Arabic
Amazon Saudi Arabia was launched on June 17, 2020, bringing Amazon’s full service to the Kingdom and catering to Arabic-speaking customers.
Amazon Egypt (amazon.eg)
- Traffic: 36 million
- Language: Arabic
Formerly known as Souq.com, Amazon Egypt relaunched as a full-fledged Amazon marketplace on September 1, 2021. It offers a vast selection of products from both local and international brands, serving the growing e-commerce market in Egypt.
How to Start Selling in Other Marketplaces
Expanding into international marketplaces can be lucrative, but there are important factors to consider. Amazon’s Global Selling Guide provides comprehensive details on:
- Market entry strategies
- Language support and localization
- Tax regulations and compliance
- Payment methods
- Setting up new Amazon accounts
- Listing and optimizing products for each marketplace
Recommendations for Sellers
Where you choose to expand depends largely on your current market:
- Already selling in the US? Focus on expanding into Europe, especially Germany and the UK.
- Selling in Europe? Consider growing into the US market, given its large traffic and seller volume.
- Other countries? The US and Europe offer the best expansion opportunities due to their large consumer bases and developed logistics networks.
By leveraging Amazon’s global reach, sellers can tap into new revenue streams, maximize growth potential, and expand their business beyond borders.
