Orientation
Start here
If you are new to this, the order matters. These four decisions come before you spend anything, and most people make them in the wrong sequence.
Decide what you can lose, before what you want to sell
Almost everyone starts with product research. That is the fourth decision, not the first. The amount you can put in and not need back for three months rules out most of the models before product selection becomes relevant. Do that arithmetic first and the field narrows on its own.
What it actually costs to start sets out the published ranges by model.
Pick the model your situation allows, not the one that appeals
Capital, supplier access, time, and payout-timing tolerance decide this. Enthusiasm does not. Our fifteen-question check weights the factors that usually decide it, andthe five models compared covers what each one requires and who it is wrong for.
Understand what has changed since the advice you are reading
Two things moved in the last eighteen months that make a lot of existing material wrong. US FBA fulfillment fees rose on 15 January 2026, and selling price became an input to the fee for the first time. And the $800 de minimis exemption was suspended, first for China and Hong Kong in May 2025 and then for all countries that August, before being written into regulation in June 2026.
Any guide that assumes duty-free parcels under $800, or a fulfillment fee that does not depend on price, was written for conditions that no longer exist. Check the date on everything.
Set up the boring infrastructure before the exciting part
A registered business and resale certificate open wholesale accounts. A reserve fund keeps you trading when the first order sells. A reconciliation habit catches the money that quietly goes missing. None of this is interesting and all of it decides the outcome.
Our free reimbursement tracker is where the reconciliation habit usually starts.
Then, and only then, choose a product
By this point the decision is much narrower, which is the entire benefit of taking the steps in this order.
Where to go next
- Which model fits you — fifteen questions, no email
- What nobody sells you — the hard parts and the course trap
- What it costs to start — published ranges by model
- Glossary — the acronyms, in one page
- Guides — the operational detail
Frequently asked
I have no capital at all. Should I start anyway?
Learn the mechanics first — Seller Central documentation and a demo account cost nothing. Every model on this site requires money you can afford to lose, and borrowing to start is not supported by anything on this page.
How long before this replaces an income?
Nobody can answer that honestly for your situation, and anyone who offers a timeline without seeing your numbers is selling something. What is knowable is that arbitrage produces a first sale in days and private label in months.
Do I need a company before I start?
Not to sell as an individual, but a registered business and resale certificate are usually prerequisites for wholesale distributor accounts. If wholesale interests you, sort this out early.