I recently added my Tools You Need page to provide a detailed overview of the tools that you should have for selling with Amazon FBA. I provided a brief description of each tool and how it makes selling easier, faster, and more efficient.
However, while I use all of these tools myself, sometimes dozens of times per day, they aren’t required for someone just starting out with Amazon FBA.
So for this post, I’m going to approach the need for tools from the perspective of an absolute beginner: if I were starting from scratch, which tools do I absolutely need to have in order to start selling with Amazon FBA.
After some thought, I’ve narrowed the list to just 4 tools you need to start selling. I added one more tool at the end of the list that isn’t required, but I personally couldn’t live without it.
The Minimum Tools Needed for Amazon FBA
- Desktop or Laptop Computer: If you’re going to spend any amount of time at all with Amazon FBA, you need a computer to view the Seller Central page and all the information it has to offer. While some Seller Central functions can be accessed from your smartphone, a laptop or desktop computer is a must-have tool. I personally spend many hours per day at my desktop computer looking at the Seller Central page, looking for products to sell, and communicating with distributors via e-mail, so there is no way I could do everything I have to do from my phone. I bought this model of Acer laptop to use in my packing area, and can vouch for it’s good combination of speed, features, and affordability.
- Label Printer: To send shipments of your product to Amazon, you have to label the boxes, and you need to use printed labels for that. For someone just starting out, if you already have a plain paper printer, you can use that to print labels. If you want to really save some time, and have a bit of cash to spend, I recommend buying a Zebra thermal label printer like this one. You’ll spend much less time on labeling if you decide to use a thermal printer. Also don’t forget labels—you can find those here.
- Scale: The second tool you need when sending shipments to Amazon is a scale. You can use a bathroom scale for this, but I know some people may not own a bathroom scale, so I included a scale in this list. You can’t create a shipment without knowing its weight and a guess won’t fly—you have to know the weight to the nearest pound. I have used a scale very similar to this one for several years now, and it’s never given me any problems.
- Tape Measure: The final tool for creating a shipment is a tape measure. In addition to weight, you also need to know a box’s dimensions to the nearest inch. Hopefully you already own a tape measure, but if you don’t, you can get one at your local hardware store or have one shipped to you from Amazon for a reasonable price.
There is one tool that isn’t a requirement, but I can’t imagine doing without: a tape gun. This should be the first non-required tool you buy to make your life as an Amazon FBA seller easier, and I would recommend buying this as soon as you can. They are less than $20 on Amazon, and make the process of sealing boxes so much easier.
So that’s what I consider the required tools to start selling with Amazon FBA. While you can get by without a barcode scanner or fancy PC speakers, you absolutely need a computer, printer, scale, and tape measure (and please splurge on the tape gun, you’ll thank me later).
Is there anything I missed? Please leave a comment to let me know.