Lesson 2: Understanding Amazon Categories

In this guide, we’ll go over what Amazon categories are, and give you a general overview of Amazon’s category system to help you better understand how it affects you as a seller.

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What are categories on Amazon?

All items listed on Amazon are associated with at least one product category. Product categories help keep Amazon’s catalog organized for both buyers and sellers, and enable buyers to find items more easily.

Amazon has thousands (over 25,000 to be exact) of categories and subcategories to classify items, with each category having its own unique requirements for its associated products.

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How to categorize your products on Amazon

In order to sell on Amazon, you’ll need to associate each one of your products with the correct category. If one of your products is a pair of hoop earrings, for example, you’ll need to associate it with a category as follows: Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry > Women > Jewelry > Earrings > Hoop.  

You’ll categorize your item by selecting and using the correct feed template for the category via Amazon’s product upload section, which you can find by logging into Seller Central, hovering over inventory at the top menu, and choosing “Add Products via Upload.”

Here, you’ll be able to navigate through Amazon’s categories and subcategories, until you’ve found the correct product category for the products you sell.  

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Your Amazon selling fees are category-dependent

Every time you sell a product on Amazon, you’ll have to pay certain fees on the sale. These fees are determined by the category of the item that was sold.

Category-dependent fees are known as Referral Fees on Amazon.

Each category has its own fee structure. Learn more about category-associated fees here.

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Different categories have different requirements

Every category and subcategory is unique, which means that each category will have its own requirements for which attributes will be required (you won’t have a “type of precious stone” attribute if you’re selling t-shirts, for example), the condition of the item being listed (Amazon does not allow used beauty products, for instance), and more.

You can learn about the required attributes through the feed template you’ve downloaded from Amazon, and find out about category-specific restrictions and requirements here.

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Some categories require approval

For some product categories on Amazon, including the Watches and Sports Collectibles, you’ll need to get approval from Amazon prior to listing your products.

Amazon’s approval process will differ slightly between categories. For watches, for example, you may need to provide supplier invoices to prove that the products you’re selling are authentic.

You can learn more about categories that require approval by logging into your selling account on Seller Central and clicking here.

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Continue to lesson 3: Understanding Amazon product identifiers