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How to Sell Used Items on Amazon [2023 Guide]

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There’s so much talk about either private labeling or retail arbitrage selling new items, but you can sell used items too. In this article, we’ll go over the process of selling used items on Amazon.com and where to find items to sell.

 

Does Amazon Allow Used Goods to Be Sold on the Platform?

Yes. Whether you’re selling items you found in a garage sale or from your own house after a declutter, Amazon allows sellers to sell used products. In fact, some people make a living just by selling used books on Amazon.

However, not all kinds of products may be sold on Amazon as used. Products in some categories are allowed to be sold only as new. The table below shows the categories and the allowable conditions. Basically, any item can be sold as used except for Baby products (excluding apparel), Beauty, Grocery and gourmet foods,Health and personal care, Independent design, Watches, and Toys/Games.

Allowed to be sold as used Not allowed to be sold as used
Category Condition
Amazon Kindle Used Baby products (excluding apparel)
Automotive & Powersports Certified refurbished, Used Beauty
Books Used Grocery and gourmet foods
Camera & Photo Certified refurbished, Used Health and personal care
Cell Phones & Accessories Used, Certified refurbished Independent design
Consumer Electronics Certified refurbished, Used Watches
Home & Garden Certified refurbished, Used Toys and Games
Industrial & Scientific Certified refurbished, Used  
Kindle Accessories and Amazon Fire TV Accessories Certified refurbished, Used  
Major Appliances Used, Certified refurbished  
Music Used  
Musical Instruments Used, Certified refurbished  
Office Products Certified refurbished, Used  
Outdoors Certified refurbished, Used  
Personal computers Certified refurbished, Used  
Pet supplies Certified refurbished, Used  
Software Used  
Sports Certified refurbished, Used  
Tools & Home Improvement Certified refurbished, Used  
Video, DVD & Blu-ray Used  
Video Games Used  
Collectible Coins Should be like new  
Entertainment Collectibles Should be like new  
Sports Collectibles Should be like new  

There are four kinds of used conditions allowed on Amazon:

Used – Like New or Open Box The item is in perfect working condition with intact original packaging and in good condition with minor damage possible, with or without original protective wrapping. Instructions must be included.
Used – Very Good The item has been well-cared-for, has undergone limited use, and is still in good working condition. It may show limited signs of wear, i.e., small scratches or cosmetic errors. The original packaging may be damaged, or the item could be repackaged. Any missing accessories must be clearly defined for each item.
Used – Good The item is in good condition and is fully-functional but shows signs of wear from consistent use. It may arrive repackaged or with damaged packaging. It may have markings and minor cosmetic damage. It may be missing parts, accessories, or instructions.
Used – Acceptable The item is still functional but is fairly worn, and has been repackaged or is in damaged original packaging. Bears signs of wear such as scratches, dents, worn corners, or identifying markings. Parts, accessories, and instructions may be missing.

However, take note that collectibles follow a different set of conditions. Collectibles are those that provide more value than the actual product itself. For example, the item can be autographed.

Another thing to take note of is that there are restricted products on Amazon. And if you choose to sell through FBA, there are also FBA prohibited products.

Where to Find Used Products to Sell on Amazon

If you want to make selling used products a serious income stream, there will be a lot of research and legwork involved. Here are just a few places to help you get started.

Around your house. Want to declutter? List your pre-loved items on Amazon and get some of that money back.

Garage sales and thrift stores. If you have a keen eye for valuable items, go to garage sales and thrift stores. Products with barcodes are much easier to deal with because you can easily determine how much you can potentially earn if you have the right scanning app.

Liquidation pallets. Liquidation pallets are great resources for new or like new products. You can buy or bid online.

screenshot of liquidation site

Social media. People who are just decluttering or are moving to another place tend to sell their used items cheaper, so watch out for these kinds of posts. Facebook Marketplace is a good place to check out.

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How to List Used Products on Amazon

Listing used products on Amazon follows similar steps as listing new products, except that the condition is set as “Used.”

Step 1: Sign up as an Amazon seller

To list a used item on Amazon, you need to sign up as a seller. You can choose between a Professional and Individual account. The Professional account charges you a flat fee of $39.99 per month, while the Individual account charges you $0.99 as per-item fee when you sell something. So here’s the rule of thumb: When you’re selling more than 40 units per month, go for the Professional account. Otherwise, the Individual account will suffice.

screenshot of amazon seller page

Step 2: Decide how to fulfill orders

You can choose either Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) or Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM). If you’re just selling a few items and don’t have any plans of making selling on Amazon a serious income stream, you can go for the latter.

  Amazon FBA Fulfilled By Merchant
Prime eligibility Yes No
Customer service Amazon Customer Service Seller handles customer service
Shipping costs to customer Amazon arranges and bills the seller Seller deals with shipping and handling
Inbound shipping costs to FBA Yes None
Performance metrics None None
Storage & Fees Amazon takes care of storage and fulfillment. Sellers can pay FBA fees and track their inventory all in one place Seller has to set up their own warehouse or work with a 3PL
Returns Amazon handles returns Seller deals with returns, refund requests, other customer complaints

Step 3: Add your products to existing listings

When you’re selling used items, chances are there’s already an existing listing for that product. Since Amazon does not allow multiple product pages for the same item, all you need to do is piggyback on those listings.

Go to sellercentral.amazon.com and select Inventory → Add a Product. You will then be taken to this page:

screenshot of add a product page

Search for the product or enter the ASIN, EAN, ISBN (for books), or UPC. If you want to know the ASIN of the product, go to Amazon.com and search for the listing. You will find the ASIN in the following places:

ASIN in the URL
The ASIN is found in the listing’s URL.

 

The Product details section also lists the ASIN.

After you have the right listing, select Used and click “Apply to Sell” and fill out the details.

choosing used condition

Step 4: Create a shipping plan

If you go for FBA, you need to create a shipping plan to send in your inventory to Amazon. Refer to our comprehensive guide on how to do this.

Amazon vs. eBay: Which Is Better for Selling Used Items?

Amazon and eBay are two of the biggest ecommerce companies right now. But which one is better when it comes to selling used goods?

There are lots of factors to consider, but in general, if you’re just decluttering, it’s better to go for eBay. Used items are not eligible to get the Buy Box on Amazon, so customers have to do more work to get to your item. eBay, on the other hand, allows buyers to view used products immediately in the search results.

For example, we searched for “iPad” on eBay, and the first four products were either used or refurbished. Out of the 60 listings on page 1, only 11 were brand new.

If, however, you want to make this a more steady source of income, it’s better to go for Amazon to take advantage of FBA.

Best Practices for Selling Used Products on Amazon

Choose your product’s condition wisely. A good practice is to indicate a condition that is one step below the actual condition so you don’t disappoint customers. For example, if your product is Used – Like New, you can list it as Used – Very Good. This might affect the customer’s buying decision, but it’s better to have them pleasantly surprised than disappointed.

Fill in the Condition Note. Set the customer’s expectations properly by filling in the optional “Condition Note.” Indicate the marks, damages, etc.

Provide stellar customer service. Amazon tries to be the most customer-centric company in the world, and it expects its sellers to live up to its standards, whether you own a private-label business or just reselling used items. So respond to queries as quickly as you can and address issues accordingly.

Keep your prices competitive. Sellers can have a very wide profit margin when selling used goods. This is especially true when you find gems in garage sales and thrift stores, so try to keep your prices competitive.

FBA Grade and Resell

The FBA Grade and Resell is a program for sellers who already sell new merchandise. It is a program that allows FBA sellers to relist returned or unsold inventory as used, making it an alternative to having the inventory removed or returned to the seller.

This is how it works: Amazon grades returned or unsold inventory, and the seller can set his prices based on the determined condition. For example, Amazon can grade your product “Used – Very Good” so you will have to adjust the price accordingly. There’s also a flat per-unit processing fee based on the weight and size of the product, which ranges from $1.50 to $4.10.

The program is explained succinctly in this video:

As of writing, the FBA Grade and Resell is invite-only, but Amazon might open it to all sellers in the future.

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of advantages in building and growing your brand on Amazon, but selling used goods can be very lucrative too. It requires constant effort in finding products to sell, but if you put in the work, it can be worth the trouble.

Have you tried selling used items on Amazon? What were your biggest challenges? Share it with us in the comments section below.

Christine Gerzon

As EcomCrew's content writer, Christine has developed a love for all things e-commerce and a constant need to imagine Jeff Bezos with hair.

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One Comment

  1. well this is too easy to be true!!! to sell used items in electronics category( smartphones, tablets, TV…) you have to apply for the “amazon renewed” acceptance is very difficult, you have to be already a big seller and prove it with bills and inventory, it is very difficult to be accepted in the programe

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