Amazon Wholesale: How to Find Brands to Sell
A practical Amazon wholesale guide: what makes a good brand, where to find brands, how to check them on Amazon, how to open accounts and avoid common mistakes.
Amazon wholesale means buying an existing brand’s products from the brand or an authorized distributor and reselling them on their existing Amazon product pages. To find brands, look at what successful wholesale sellers already sell, check each brand on Amazon (demand, sellers, the Featured Offer, restrictions), then contact the brand or its distributor to open an account. Good wholesale brands sell steadily and leave room for one more seller.
How Amazon wholesale works
- You find a brand whose products sell on Amazon.
- You open a wholesale account with the brand or its authorized distributor.
- You buy stock at wholesale prices, with commercial invoices.
- You add your offer to the products’ existing ASINs and sell, usually through FBA (FBA vs FBM).
You don’t create product pages or a brand. You compete with the other sellers of the same products for the Featured Offer (what the Buy Box is). Compared with arbitrage, wholesale needs supplier relationships and larger orders, but it can be repeated: once a product works, you order it again (arbitrage, wholesale and private label compared).
What makes a good wholesale brand
Check these before you contact anyone:
- Steady demand. Several of the brand’s products have a good Sales Rank in their categories, and it stays steady over days, not just one peak (how to read the Amazon Sales Rank).
- Room for another seller. A few sellers per product is normal. Dozens of offers at almost the same price mean thin sales for each.
- Amazon is not on the listing, or not always. If Amazon itself sells the product, it often holds the Featured Offer.
- The brand doesn’t sell alone. If the brand is the only seller on all its products, it may not want resellers on Amazon.
- Prices hold. Many brands have a minimum advertised price (MAP) policy. A brand whose prices have collapsed on Amazon leaves no margin.
- You can sell it. The category or brand may need Amazon’s approval (Amazon Apply to Sell: gated products).
- The numbers work. Wholesale price, Amazon’s fees, shipping to Amazon and preparation still leave a margin. Large or heavy items often cost more to fulfil.
- Catalog depth. A brand with many products that sell gives you more than one chance.
Where to find brands
1. Storefronts of wholesale sellers
The most common method. Find a seller who resells many brands, open its storefront and go through its products by department (how to find all products sold by an Amazon seller). Every brand you see there is one a reseller already buys and sells. To find such sellers, start from products you know and open their offer lists (how to find who sells a product).
2. The categories you know
Start from a product you understand, open its most specific category and look at the brands of the products around it (how to find a product’s exact Amazon category).
3. Brand websites
Many brands have a page for retailers, often called wholesale, become a retailer, stockists or trade. Some list their distributors by country.
4. Distributors and trade fairs
Distributors carry many brands at once, so one account can open several brands. Trade fairs in your sector let you meet brands and distributors in person.
5. Products you already sell
Ask your current suppliers which other brands they carry.
How to check a brand on Amazon
For each brand on your list:
- Search the brand name in the marketplace you sell in and open its main products.
- For each product, note the Sales Rank, price, number of sellers, who holds the Featured Offer, and whether the offers are FBA or FBM.
- Check whether Amazon sells any of the products.
- In Seller Central, look the products up as if you were adding them, and see whether you can sell them or need approval.
- Keep everything in one spreadsheet, with the ASIN and the marketplace.
A brand passes if several products have steady demand, a reasonable number of sellers, stable prices and no blocking restriction.
How to contact a brand or distributor
- Prepare your business details: a registered company, its tax or VAT number where required, your address and a professional email. In the US, suppliers usually ask for a resale certificate.
- Introduce yourself briefly: who you are, which marketplaces you sell in, how you fulfil orders and why their brand fits.
- Ask for the wholesale price list, minimum order quantity, payment terms and their policy on Amazon sales.
- Expect refusals. Many brands say no, or send you to a distributor. Follow up politely and keep a list of who you contacted and when.
Invoices and approvals
If a brand or category needs Amazon’s approval (Seller Central shows Apply to sell), Amazon usually asks for commercial invoices from the brand or an authorized distributor. Sellers’ guides commonly mention that the business name and address should match your seller account and that the invoice should be recent. Retail receipts are not accepted. Never alter an invoice: it puts your selling account at risk. Check Amazon’s current requirements in Seller Central for your marketplace.
Do the numbers before the first order
For each product: Amazon price, minus Amazon’s referral fee and fulfillment fees (Amazon’s Revenue Calculator shows them), minus your wholesale price, shipping to Amazon and preparation. Start with a small first order across a few products, then reorder what sells.
Common mistakes
- Buying from unauthorized sources. Products without a valid supply chain can lead to authenticity complaints.
- Ignoring Amazon on the listing. One look at the buy box can save a bad order.
- Joining a price war. If prices fall every week, the margin will not last.
- Judging by one look. Sales Rank, sellers and prices change; check over several days.
- One big order on one product. Spread the first order.
The faster way: wholesale research with ENSKOM
Finding wholesale sellers and going through their storefronts by hand takes days. ENSKOM’s Store Researcher is a Chrome extension that does the reading in your own browser:
- Seller Discovery: import a list of ASINs and find every seller offering them. New sellers stand out; stores you already know are recognised by their seller ID.
- Store Scans: collect the products of the wholesale sellers you choose, category by category, with a report of what each scan covered.
- Detailed Research: for the products you select, collect the current price, sellers, Featured Offer, FBA or FBM and Sales Rank, as Amazon shows them.
- Export: copy the ASINs or export them to CSV or Excel and compare them with a brand’s price list.
The Free plan includes every research feature.
Guides: Seller Discovery · Store Scans · Detailed Research
FAQ
Do I need a company to sell wholesale on Amazon?
Most brands and distributors only open accounts for registered businesses, and they usually ask for tax or VAT details. Check what your country and marketplace require.
How much money do I need to start wholesale?
It depends on the brands’ minimum orders and the products’ prices. Wholesale usually needs more stock up front than arbitrage, but less than building your own brand.
Can I sell a brand without its permission?
Buying genuine products from an authorized source is the safe route. Some brands restrict who may sell their products on Amazon, and Amazon may ask for invoices.
What is MAP?
Minimum advertised price: the lowest price a brand allows its resellers to advertise. Many wholesale accounts require you to follow it.
How do I find which brands a seller carries?
Open the seller’s storefront and go through its products by department, or collect them with a Store Scan.