We’ve all heard about it – the launch of Amazon’s Prime Now in Singapore is a game-changer for the local e-commerce scene. Here’s how you can hop on the bandwagon...
It’s been a long time coming. E-commerce behemoth Amazon has dropped its Prime Now app in Singapore, marking its first foray into the Southeast Asian market with a speedy two-hour delivery service we’ve been making pretty good use of over here (hello, last-minute gift shopping!). Add a vast array of goodies from groceries to electronics, all stocked at its warehouse in Jurong, and it’s clear Amazon is gunning for a major slice of the pie.
Want in? If you’ve tinkered with the idea of setting up your own webstore from Singapore, tapping into Amazon’s marketplace might be your perfect start. Anyone qualifies, as long as you are a resident, have a local phone number and an internationally chargeable credit card. Whether you’re selling as a hobby or looking to expand your existing business, check out our guide to setting up your own store:
So you want to be a seller…?
You can choose to sell as an individual or a professional. The difference between these Selling Plans lies in the amount of products you want to sell. The Professional Plan (USD $39.90) lets you sell more than 40 items per month – anything less than that, and you would qualify for the Individual Plan. There isn’t a monthly subscription fee for individual sellers, but a USD $0.99 fee is applicable to each item sold. Get all the details here.
Let the pros take care of fulfilment
You don’t have to be an expert seller to know that the logistics of fulfilling an order can take up the bulk of your time. The FBA program is a warehousing and customer fulfilment service that lets you leave the follow-ups to the Amazon team (and yes, that includes shipping, returns and customer service) – all you have to do is send your stock to their warehousing facilities, and sell, sell, sell! This is especially helpful if you are focusing on growing your international sales, as it helps decrease the time taken to ship your orders. Curious? Here’s where you can do some further reading.
…And manage your online business with WorldFirst
WorldFirst is a currency transfer platform that offers sellers easy access to international receiving accounts in the markets they’re selling in, such as the US, UK, Europe, Canada, Japan and China. All you have to do is add your WorldFirst currency account details to your Amazon Sellers Central Account, and all sales revenue will be automatically sent to you. Opening a WorldFirst foreign account lets you repatriate funds when it’s convenient, with benefits like superior exchange rates and same-currency direct supplier payments.
Get started in six simple steps: :
- Create an account
- List your product
- Promote your products
- Sign up for Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA)
- Register for an Online Sellers account with WorldFirst
- Add your international receiving account details to Amazon Seller Central
Ready to unleash your inner entrepreneur? Now’s your time to get into the e-commerce game!
This article is sponsored by WorldFirst