University - Getting Started on Amazon
Amazon Marketplace Web Service
The Amazon Marketplace Web Service (MWS) is an API (application programming interface) designed to benefit sellers in several ways. Documentation for Amazon MWS is critical to maximize the enhanced opportunities available through this tool.
Uses of Amazon MWS
This API enables sellers to exchange information on listings, buyers’ orders, payments, and reports, among other tools. Amazon listing, order, and payment data are integrated into already existing business workflows, enabling sellers to use Amazon in accord with their already existing business practices.
Note: Amazon MWS is available free of charge to anyone who has a non-individual Amazon seller account. Eligible accounts include: Amazon Webstore accounts, Checkout-by-Amazon accounts, and Amazon Product Ads accounts. Individual sellers who would like to use Amazon MWS may upgrade to a Professional seller account.
Benefits of Amazon MWS
Sellers are encouraged to use Amazon MWS to grow their businesses in the following ways:
- Increase selling efficiency.
- Increase levels of selling automation, via XML data integration.
- Diminish response time to customers.
- Reduce labor requirements.
Additional Features of Amazon MWS
- Sellers may allow third-party developers to access their Amazon seller accounts with MWS.
- Sellers may access their accounts via different applications.
- Sellers may develop applications that make use of their Amazon seller accounts with MWS and make them available to other Amazon sellers.
Amazon MWS Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) Services
Sellers can access Amazon’s Fulfillment services through the web interface provided by the Amazon MWS Fulfillment API. Sellers who have registered for Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) may:
- Use FBA to manage the order fulfillment process.
- Send inventory to Amazon’s fulfillment centers for orders placed on Amazon or via other sales channels, and instruct Amazon to fulfill buyers’ orders.
- Integrate FBA capabilities into their own independent web sites and other sales channels.
- Send order information to Amazon in a programmatic way to fulfill buyers’ orders on the sellers’ behalf.
- Integrate their systems with FBA systems for efficient handling of inventory and orders.
Note: Amazon MWS Fulfillment functionality is free of charge to those sellers who are already customers of the underlying FBA and selling services.